Yes, worth saying again!
Wishing all a Wonderful Winter Solstice, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Brilliant New Year!
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Fish Wake Up @ 11a
It was a fine fall day out at Parker Canyon Lake (PCL). The sun is rising near 0630 in the morning and the temperature was in the low 40's F. I didn't manage to get an early start and it appears that it didn't matter that much either. It was one of the more awkward starts today. I wasn't sure if the weather would be suitable for a run out there as we've had a storm front roll through bringing the cooler air setting the stage right for fall.
I started the morning by getting the gear stowed into the truck and heading out at first light. It was a nice drive out there as I could see my way without the headlights. Yeah still kept them on as that road is treacherous with all the animal and human activity through those narrow spots. Good thing too with the later start there were quite a few vehicles out and about.
I figured out what I forgot when I arrived at the lake. I had left my sand chair in the storage room. Oh bother as that meant that I would need to sit in the bottom of the sportyak to keep a reasonable trim on the craft. This made for a rather low rider experience in casting and working the rod as I had to hold it high enough to clear the sides.
I chose to run all spinning reels today. Everything from light to heavy all on spinning reels. The only issues were two loop knots that I was not able to clear on the very light 2 lb test mono. Fortunately there was not a lot to be lost by that.
I did use the heavy rig to start out the day by flipping about the weeds. There were people on the fishing pier but not that many water craft, at least not yet. So I paddled about the shallow cove dropping the skirted jig here and there. Not a single nibble. This continued for almost 2 hours. I even left the weeds and made my way over to the dam for a change.
The breeze picked up dramatically and I'm glad that I brought an anchor. Unfortunately it was not up to the task of station keeping with the stiff breeze. So there were several occasions where I had to abandon fishing and take to collision avoidance. I need to see if there is an alternate anchor that I can use without resorting to the very heavy piece of metal. I should also consider some different rope too. Something that will not soak up so much water.
It wasn't till about 11a that the fish woke up and took to the bait being offered. It was quite the experience tugging at the fish using the light 2 lb test mono. I had the drag set pretty low and it seem to work well in getting the fish to connect and stay connected. In retrospect all of the fish caught today were tied into the 2 lb mono and all of them were well hooked. Two of them did not have the hook penetrate but the hook was well placed securely. So it does seem the reel down hook set has some merit. I rather enjoy using the light line as it is much easier to cast. It would be nice to find some bulk spools of it at a reasonable cost. I'll keep my eye open when shopping.
I got a few bites at the dam and moved over to the weeds near there. Nothing in poking about the openings in the weeds. I suspect with the cooler temperatures it was taking a bit longer for the bass to respond and be active. I was right. Shortly after noon I made my way along the edge of the lake and went back to actively flipping about all the areas that look promising. I got to one where I flipped the jig in and immediately got a tic. That turned into a light tug and it was followed by a stronger tug which I responded to. Ooops, missed that one. Darn, that felt just like a LMB on the other end of the jig. I will not find out. It turned out to the be the only plausible LMB strike of the day.
I made my way back towards the boat launch thinking that I would be calling it a day. In dealing with the wind gusts, the boat got turned about so I got a look at the rip-rap near the docks. Surprise to me. All those folks that were there earlier in the day had vacated the entire expanse of rocks. Odd too as the dock area was packed with people. Fine by me I'll have a go at it. So I adjusted course and pulled in near shore and weighed anchor to keep me within casting range of the rocks.
I made about two casts and tied into a green sunfish. Oh that was great fun as I had not caught too many today. It turned into a banner afternoon as I kept casting and catching sunfish. None of them were all that big. Most were less than 5 inches. All were great fun on the light weight setup. Those flexible Daiwa poles really respond when something loads up on them. Sort of like using a fly rod. Interesting as I managed to keep everything that connected to stay on till I got it to the boat.
Since the regular 2 inch grubs were working so well I never even bothered to try the micro jigs that I had purchased. Maybe next time.
I did tie into one rather sizable green sunfish. Upon getting it to the boat, I cleared the jig from its mouth only to see two wires coming out of its mouth. At least I thought they were wires. A look down the throat revealed two small pinchers protruding from the sphincter along with the tentacles that I thought were wires. Yes, the tummy was quite plump on this sucker too. That one did give me a good tussle. Again it is sure fun on that light rig.
I ended up just going back and forth on along the rocks and enjoy a fish on pretty much every cast. Again not very big fish all of them were pretty small but all were great fun. Eventually I needed to head home as I was getting hungry and tired too. I stowed the boat into the truck and stopped in the store to grab some peanut M&Ms. A personal favorite. While in there I noticed that the fishing equipment had been stocked with some new offerings. Alas, a whole load of Z-Rays. I recently found out that that Whitman lures is closing up operations after 60 years of production. So I was seeking out some Z-Ray just to stock up. So I picked up a a couple. I may need to get a few more on my next trip over there. I can't speak to how many fish I've caught on those lures. Especially since next week the trout stockings should begin at PCL. Oh joy!
Cheers!
I started the morning by getting the gear stowed into the truck and heading out at first light. It was a nice drive out there as I could see my way without the headlights. Yeah still kept them on as that road is treacherous with all the animal and human activity through those narrow spots. Good thing too with the later start there were quite a few vehicles out and about.
I figured out what I forgot when I arrived at the lake. I had left my sand chair in the storage room. Oh bother as that meant that I would need to sit in the bottom of the sportyak to keep a reasonable trim on the craft. This made for a rather low rider experience in casting and working the rod as I had to hold it high enough to clear the sides.
I chose to run all spinning reels today. Everything from light to heavy all on spinning reels. The only issues were two loop knots that I was not able to clear on the very light 2 lb test mono. Fortunately there was not a lot to be lost by that.
I did use the heavy rig to start out the day by flipping about the weeds. There were people on the fishing pier but not that many water craft, at least not yet. So I paddled about the shallow cove dropping the skirted jig here and there. Not a single nibble. This continued for almost 2 hours. I even left the weeds and made my way over to the dam for a change.
The breeze picked up dramatically and I'm glad that I brought an anchor. Unfortunately it was not up to the task of station keeping with the stiff breeze. So there were several occasions where I had to abandon fishing and take to collision avoidance. I need to see if there is an alternate anchor that I can use without resorting to the very heavy piece of metal. I should also consider some different rope too. Something that will not soak up so much water.
It wasn't till about 11a that the fish woke up and took to the bait being offered. It was quite the experience tugging at the fish using the light 2 lb test mono. I had the drag set pretty low and it seem to work well in getting the fish to connect and stay connected. In retrospect all of the fish caught today were tied into the 2 lb mono and all of them were well hooked. Two of them did not have the hook penetrate but the hook was well placed securely. So it does seem the reel down hook set has some merit. I rather enjoy using the light line as it is much easier to cast. It would be nice to find some bulk spools of it at a reasonable cost. I'll keep my eye open when shopping.
I got a few bites at the dam and moved over to the weeds near there. Nothing in poking about the openings in the weeds. I suspect with the cooler temperatures it was taking a bit longer for the bass to respond and be active. I was right. Shortly after noon I made my way along the edge of the lake and went back to actively flipping about all the areas that look promising. I got to one where I flipped the jig in and immediately got a tic. That turned into a light tug and it was followed by a stronger tug which I responded to. Ooops, missed that one. Darn, that felt just like a LMB on the other end of the jig. I will not find out. It turned out to the be the only plausible LMB strike of the day.
I made my way back towards the boat launch thinking that I would be calling it a day. In dealing with the wind gusts, the boat got turned about so I got a look at the rip-rap near the docks. Surprise to me. All those folks that were there earlier in the day had vacated the entire expanse of rocks. Odd too as the dock area was packed with people. Fine by me I'll have a go at it. So I adjusted course and pulled in near shore and weighed anchor to keep me within casting range of the rocks.
I made about two casts and tied into a green sunfish. Oh that was great fun as I had not caught too many today. It turned into a banner afternoon as I kept casting and catching sunfish. None of them were all that big. Most were less than 5 inches. All were great fun on the light weight setup. Those flexible Daiwa poles really respond when something loads up on them. Sort of like using a fly rod. Interesting as I managed to keep everything that connected to stay on till I got it to the boat.
Since the regular 2 inch grubs were working so well I never even bothered to try the micro jigs that I had purchased. Maybe next time.
I did tie into one rather sizable green sunfish. Upon getting it to the boat, I cleared the jig from its mouth only to see two wires coming out of its mouth. At least I thought they were wires. A look down the throat revealed two small pinchers protruding from the sphincter along with the tentacles that I thought were wires. Yes, the tummy was quite plump on this sucker too. That one did give me a good tussle. Again it is sure fun on that light rig.
I ended up just going back and forth on along the rocks and enjoy a fish on pretty much every cast. Again not very big fish all of them were pretty small but all were great fun. Eventually I needed to head home as I was getting hungry and tired too. I stowed the boat into the truck and stopped in the store to grab some peanut M&Ms. A personal favorite. While in there I noticed that the fishing equipment had been stocked with some new offerings. Alas, a whole load of Z-Rays. I recently found out that that Whitman lures is closing up operations after 60 years of production. So I was seeking out some Z-Ray just to stock up. So I picked up a a couple. I may need to get a few more on my next trip over there. I can't speak to how many fish I've caught on those lures. Especially since next week the trout stockings should begin at PCL. Oh joy!
Cheers!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Remember that old saying: Bring enough...
Good Day! Yeah, it was a good day. It was pretty good to be out on the water and I learned a few things and basically enjoyed my time out there. I'm confirming my theme of keeping it simple as the basic baits and presentation are working out consistently. I'm also convinced after this morning's events that the theme should be applied to knots also. The fancy knots that I've been trying are not holding up. I tried a couple of loop knots to allow the baits to articulate on the end of the line. This articulation might be a slight improvement in presentation as I don't have an argument for or against this point. The compromise is the minimized strength of the rig. It seems that loop knot is the source of additional slack which under a strong strike produces a snapping effect. I tried both single and double strand knots and unfortunately arrived at the same conclusion, not suitable for me.
So I'll be sticking with the well known and suitable performing single, double palomar. This is a low fuss easy to tie knot. Nothing complicated and can be done well on all the line sizes that I use. Additionally, I've found that under field conditions, poor lighting, wind, etc. that some of those more complicated knots are not possible to create with reliable consistency. It does appear that the theme of simple is good still holds.
I arrived out at the lake shortly after 5am this morning. There was only one bass boat out on the water and they put in to shore shortly after I put out to water. There was a slight breeze this morning as you could feel the thermal difference of the water to ambient air temperature. Yes, the season is progressing nicely. More rain would be nice. Somehow it seems to form just fine, it then tends to migrate away from where we would like it. There were some high clouds overcasting the early morning light so I got in some extended twilight conditions.
It was interesting to see just how much effort I had to put into yak positioning. I would get the yak into a casting position, make the cast and work through the presentation. By the time the lure was fully retrieved it was time to re-position again. So I got a good workout today. Fortunately all that directed effort was productive in that I caught quite a few in the first fishing area by the rip-rap. No monsters there but good fun hauling in the little green sunfish. They are more than eager to hammer on that little grub. I did manage to loose the first jig/grub combination on an underwater snag. I was dissappointed at how easy it was to break off using one of the initial single loop knot. After that experience I changed over to a slightly heavier jig 1/8 oz (~ 4 gr) with the same grub bait. This did produce a few fish and was easier to cast. However, it just didn't seem to be as attractive. So eventually I switched back to the 1/32 oz ( 1 gr) jig head. After that move things picked up dramatically.
People started to show up to get into recreating at an early hour too. As they arrived, I made my way across the lake towards the dam area. I figured I would hit that area earlier than I typically do and see what it was like over there. I also took a more northern route to get there. Along the way I fired off the grub at various top water activity. That was fun as I got several strikes but no connections. I eventually got one after casting to a long past area of activity. It was a large healthy bluegill that managed to take out quite a bit of line. This was even on the heavier drag that I decided on for today. So that posture will also change as I'm going back to my lighter drag settings. More fun and it seems to be more successful too.
Upon making it to the dam I was joined by a long time fellow angler, Eddie. Eddy would also angle along side me at the local pond. He is another one of those avid anglers who just enjoys fishing, nothing fancy, just catch fish. He managed to walk the southern perimeter and arrive at the dam at roughly the same time I did. So I floated to within chatting distance and told him about me running over several of the top water action. I noticed he was going with his confidence bait, a wacky rigged senko.
I just finished telling him about my experiences with fishing the dam. I told him that I had to put the bait within about 15 cm of the shore line to get good consistent results. As I told him that, I sent a cast right in between several of the larger rocks and let it settle for a slight moment before working it back towards me. Within the first two hops the bait was sort of heavy so I tensioned up and reeled back in more aggressively. At first it just felt like I had snagged a weed, just heavy, then it figured out that it was connected to me. This fish started to pull the tip of pole towards the surface of the water. Fortunately the deep water of the dam doesn't hold too many snag opportunities so the fight was a gentle give and take play. Eddie saw the action, "that's what we're talking about!" It was a nice 30 cm or so large mouth bass. A good healthy fish with again really sharp teeth. I could feel my skin getting pricked by them. Checked my knot and line for good measure too.
It was later along the dam that I ran into the other well known angler, a blue heron. I had been slowly drifting along the dam running into quite a few green sunfish along the way. As I approached the center of the dam, there was this loud cackle that broke the silence. The heron had been standing there quietly trying to fish also when I happened by. As a consideration, I eased the yak out to deeper water to provide a wide berth as to not interfere further with the heron. I'm recreation fishing, so the heron has priority. I only wish I could have advised it to move over to the south pocket as that is where I caught and released a bunch of them.
Speaking of a catch and release, my first big catch and release of the day a long distance version was also at the grass beds near the dam. I managed to find a small pocket where I sent in a T-rigged double tail trailer. I had it lightly weighted with only a 1 gram sliding sinker on the end. The line went aggressively slack so I had to intensely wind in to get to where I could feel a loading on the line. I hauled back on it and it dove into the weeds hard. A single shake and that was it. Apparently that small wide gap hook didn't connect in. So it goes... It felt really heavy but I'll not get to see that one.
A quick venture to the north end of the lake produce a few nibbles with no solid connection. As the wind was picking up and the sun started to burn through the clouds, I figured it was getting close to time for me to head on out. The activity level on the lake was reaching an all time high. There were quite a few more boats and lots of small inflatables too. Also the noise level was much higher too.
I made my way back to the boat launch area where it was quite congested so I diverted to explore the grass beds along the way. As I flipped the double tail. I found it was only good where I could find a clear pocket. So I switched over to the 7 gram skirted jig. That configuration was just the ticket to land on the grass and gently drop through with a slight wiggle. As I made my way along the shore waiting for an opportunity at the loading dock. I saw a submerged tree limb. So I tossed the jig next to it. Just after the jig slipped through the floating mat, the entire mat erupted with a massive lifting from underneath. I remembered the tip that said if the mat moves go ahead and tension up as the fish as already got it. Yup, sure enough the little pole doubled over and the tip dipped into the water under the load of the heavy fish. It made two unrestricted massive surges and managed to strip line even with the extreme drag setting. < almost at max, approximately 90% setting on that reel > The second protracted pull concluded with the snap of the line. That was it. I can only guess that the size of that was big. Something that could lift that much grass had to be pretty sizable. I regret that it has my jig still with it. Hopefully the hook will loosen up rapidly and dislodge before too long. It may be time to reconsider braid for that particular reel. I'll think on it a bit more as it is apparent this is a good application for that.
So that was the last event of the day. The loading dock cleared up and I was able to put in to shore and head back home. More learning involved. I'm getting there.
So I'll be sticking with the well known and suitable performing single, double palomar. This is a low fuss easy to tie knot. Nothing complicated and can be done well on all the line sizes that I use. Additionally, I've found that under field conditions, poor lighting, wind, etc. that some of those more complicated knots are not possible to create with reliable consistency. It does appear that the theme of simple is good still holds.
I arrived out at the lake shortly after 5am this morning. There was only one bass boat out on the water and they put in to shore shortly after I put out to water. There was a slight breeze this morning as you could feel the thermal difference of the water to ambient air temperature. Yes, the season is progressing nicely. More rain would be nice. Somehow it seems to form just fine, it then tends to migrate away from where we would like it. There were some high clouds overcasting the early morning light so I got in some extended twilight conditions.
It was interesting to see just how much effort I had to put into yak positioning. I would get the yak into a casting position, make the cast and work through the presentation. By the time the lure was fully retrieved it was time to re-position again. So I got a good workout today. Fortunately all that directed effort was productive in that I caught quite a few in the first fishing area by the rip-rap. No monsters there but good fun hauling in the little green sunfish. They are more than eager to hammer on that little grub. I did manage to loose the first jig/grub combination on an underwater snag. I was dissappointed at how easy it was to break off using one of the initial single loop knot. After that experience I changed over to a slightly heavier jig 1/8 oz (~ 4 gr) with the same grub bait. This did produce a few fish and was easier to cast. However, it just didn't seem to be as attractive. So eventually I switched back to the 1/32 oz ( 1 gr) jig head. After that move things picked up dramatically.
People started to show up to get into recreating at an early hour too. As they arrived, I made my way across the lake towards the dam area. I figured I would hit that area earlier than I typically do and see what it was like over there. I also took a more northern route to get there. Along the way I fired off the grub at various top water activity. That was fun as I got several strikes but no connections. I eventually got one after casting to a long past area of activity. It was a large healthy bluegill that managed to take out quite a bit of line. This was even on the heavier drag that I decided on for today. So that posture will also change as I'm going back to my lighter drag settings. More fun and it seems to be more successful too.
Upon making it to the dam I was joined by a long time fellow angler, Eddie. Eddy would also angle along side me at the local pond. He is another one of those avid anglers who just enjoys fishing, nothing fancy, just catch fish. He managed to walk the southern perimeter and arrive at the dam at roughly the same time I did. So I floated to within chatting distance and told him about me running over several of the top water action. I noticed he was going with his confidence bait, a wacky rigged senko.
I just finished telling him about my experiences with fishing the dam. I told him that I had to put the bait within about 15 cm of the shore line to get good consistent results. As I told him that, I sent a cast right in between several of the larger rocks and let it settle for a slight moment before working it back towards me. Within the first two hops the bait was sort of heavy so I tensioned up and reeled back in more aggressively. At first it just felt like I had snagged a weed, just heavy, then it figured out that it was connected to me. This fish started to pull the tip of pole towards the surface of the water. Fortunately the deep water of the dam doesn't hold too many snag opportunities so the fight was a gentle give and take play. Eddie saw the action, "that's what we're talking about!" It was a nice 30 cm or so large mouth bass. A good healthy fish with again really sharp teeth. I could feel my skin getting pricked by them. Checked my knot and line for good measure too.
It was later along the dam that I ran into the other well known angler, a blue heron. I had been slowly drifting along the dam running into quite a few green sunfish along the way. As I approached the center of the dam, there was this loud cackle that broke the silence. The heron had been standing there quietly trying to fish also when I happened by. As a consideration, I eased the yak out to deeper water to provide a wide berth as to not interfere further with the heron. I'm recreation fishing, so the heron has priority. I only wish I could have advised it to move over to the south pocket as that is where I caught and released a bunch of them.
Speaking of a catch and release, my first big catch and release of the day a long distance version was also at the grass beds near the dam. I managed to find a small pocket where I sent in a T-rigged double tail trailer. I had it lightly weighted with only a 1 gram sliding sinker on the end. The line went aggressively slack so I had to intensely wind in to get to where I could feel a loading on the line. I hauled back on it and it dove into the weeds hard. A single shake and that was it. Apparently that small wide gap hook didn't connect in. So it goes... It felt really heavy but I'll not get to see that one.
A quick venture to the north end of the lake produce a few nibbles with no solid connection. As the wind was picking up and the sun started to burn through the clouds, I figured it was getting close to time for me to head on out. The activity level on the lake was reaching an all time high. There were quite a few more boats and lots of small inflatables too. Also the noise level was much higher too.
I made my way back to the boat launch area where it was quite congested so I diverted to explore the grass beds along the way. As I flipped the double tail. I found it was only good where I could find a clear pocket. So I switched over to the 7 gram skirted jig. That configuration was just the ticket to land on the grass and gently drop through with a slight wiggle. As I made my way along the shore waiting for an opportunity at the loading dock. I saw a submerged tree limb. So I tossed the jig next to it. Just after the jig slipped through the floating mat, the entire mat erupted with a massive lifting from underneath. I remembered the tip that said if the mat moves go ahead and tension up as the fish as already got it. Yup, sure enough the little pole doubled over and the tip dipped into the water under the load of the heavy fish. It made two unrestricted massive surges and managed to strip line even with the extreme drag setting. < almost at max, approximately 90% setting on that reel > The second protracted pull concluded with the snap of the line. That was it. I can only guess that the size of that was big. Something that could lift that much grass had to be pretty sizable. I regret that it has my jig still with it. Hopefully the hook will loosen up rapidly and dislodge before too long. It may be time to reconsider braid for that particular reel. I'll think on it a bit more as it is apparent this is a good application for that.
So that was the last event of the day. The loading dock cleared up and I was able to put in to shore and head back home. More learning involved. I'm getting there.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Sharp teeth and aggresive fish
It was another mid-summer monsoon season morning out at Parker Canyon Lake today. The air was thick with humidity as I set out in the early morning darkness. Setting out early in the morning gives me at least a couple of hours of quality time on the water before the less desirable type get out there to recreate in their obnoxious manors.
A slight rant here, it seem like the lake was a magnet for some very miserable and bitter types today. It was challenging to find escape from the foul language and poor behavior. It almost seemed like they were seeking out an audience for their caustic behavior. I wanted no part of it but it was difficult to put enough distance or structure between us. It would be good if they would find somewhere else to recreate.
Ok, enough of that. Having been fortunate to spend time out at PCL the past few weekends I've sort of developed a pattern of areas to visit. The calm water in the early hours makes it easy to navigate and spot the surface activity. The lack of chop on the water makes for easy paddling too. Given all this time on the water I'm getting better at those subtle maneuvers to position the yak for optimum casting an bait presentation. I'm convinced now that the bait is more successful when it enters the water within 20 cm of the water line at the rip-rap. Those casts that don't quite make it to that range don't seem to produce the strikes.
This morning's early action was absent from any sizable strikes or connections. All of them were basically sub 10 cm. Still lots of fun to pull on the line and very enjoyable experience. Yeah, I enjoy them all regardless of size. I am really surprised that some of them are able to engulf the bait as when removing the hook it barely clears their mouth. All of them were green sunfish.
I have been pretty satisfied with using the Berkely Fireline for many years. However in the prior years it was the smoked variant of the fireline. Recently I've spooled up with the various versions of the crystal, white, and some of the latest fuzed. The three versions used mostly have been the 2, 4, and 6 lb test. A recent discovery was that using the 2 lb test in the rain produced a saturated spool which then made things very difficult to cast. The supple nature of the fireline is also a challenge when tying knots in field conditions. It is so limp it just sort of droops. So passing loops or manipulating the line properly is tough. Even passing it through the hook eyes is a bother too as the filaments from the braid are enough to deflect it and keep you from accomplishing a basic task.
The breaking strength of fireline is astounding. That stuff is tough. Way tougher than the advertised tensile strength. I got a calling to switch back to mono. Since I don't quite have access to bulk qualities of the smaller 2 lb test mono, I'll just stay with the 4 lb stuff. Fortunately that stuff is readily available in the 700 yrd spools at the local Wally World. So the plan is to run with that for awhile and see how that suits me.
Since I was not producing much size or volume from the rip-rap this morning I decided to move over towards the grass/weeds and try my luck in those areas. The change was a good thing, sort of as I was quickly able to get several substantial strikes which for a variety of reasons I missed or just plain out failed to connect on. Having suffered those missed opportunities I decided I'd better figure out what I was doing and improve my overall technique. I went back to the heavy line, 10 lb mono on the # 20 sized spinning reel. I'm starting to suspect the quality of that line as I lost a very nice jig after gently connecting with a clump of weeds. I'm guessing that I ought to re-tie more often.
I found my self with the bail open or freespinning or just tangled up when those fast strikes came on. So with the calamity of errors I had nothing to show for my time out at the grass. It was fun as the strikes were fairly aggressive and felt very impressive in size. By this time the sun was clear of the mountain and still occluded by the early clouds. Just enough to take the edge off but enough to get a gentle breeze working. So the glass surface was no more but I could still see a few disturbances off in the distance.
My lesson in preparation and a reminder to get my act together got me figuring out that I should prep a pole in the event that I get to cast to some surface action. So on my other fiberglass pole, I've got a small crawdad crank bait on 4 lb mono. This is a good distance shooter as the eyes on those fiberglass poles, ice rigs, are pretty large in diameter. Also the light mono seems to just fly through them nicely. I'm guessing that whippy pole action has some contribution too.
I get my chance about 2/3s of the way across the lake. As I'm approaching the dam I see several boils on the surface at various azimuths, fortunately all are within casting range. I sent it out to the first couple and I managed to target them too closely as the impact spooked them away. So I figured I needed to give them about a meter clearance and work towards them. That was the ticket. The third boil produced quite quickly after the lure hit the water. It was cool to see the fish on the surface perform a quick U-turn and nail the lure. You could see the dorsal half of the fish just breaking the surface to provide that tracking visual. As I brought it in towards me I was trying to see just how it was hooked so I could determine how to hold it. Them little trebble hooks are nasty sharp and somehow are like Chola cactus, they just seem to grab hold of you when you least expect it. My horror scenario was realized as the fish approached, there was no visual sighting of the small crankbait. The LMB had engulfed the entire crank bait and had it completely in the mouth. This is one of the primary reasons I don't use them much. So much for that experiment...
I got the fish along side the yak and cradled it. Of course things got from interesting to complicated right then and there. This LMB decided to just clamp closed. It actually seemed like it vocalized as it closed, nope! So I had to gently work the mouth open knowing that there were six good reasons to be very careful. I'm so glad that I had a handy pair of hemostats with very small narrow jaws. That made for a better situation for me and fish. The first upper set of hooks came out without too much fuss. The second set were just lightly snagged near the sphincter. So that was going to require some precision and diligence. A quick poke and slight twist and the hook is cleared. As I'm removing the crank bait, I'm not watching as close as I should. Yes, it happened, I managed to slice part of my knuckle as one of those sharp little hook points draws past. Fortunately the LMB was not out the water that long and didn't need reviving, it just nicely swam off. My knuckle was a bit of a bleeder for a bit and sure smarted too in the morning air.
By the time I reached the dam my rig with the 2 lb test line was good and saturated so it wasn't casting well at all. I was having to hold off the shore quite closely just to get the little jig close to the shoreline with consistency. There were several modest sized green sunfish with most of them again in the really small category that were willing to take the bait. Nothing too noteworthy but there was a lot of action passing along side me as I fished the dam area. Some of those folks with boats are not that considerate and they didn't hesitate to get well within my casting range. I've always subscribed to being outside of a cast length to avoid any issues. Guess that is not something that published or adhered to. So it goes. I could tell the frustration from one party that decided to cast right beside me as they were still struggling to get their first fish of the day. I countered with a cast of my own to the same general area only I got mine in tight to the shore and connected with a very cooperative green sunfish. It was small but it did some surface action to just add some visual to the whole thing.
By now it was time to start my way back as the sun was really getting strong. Also I was ready to get going too as I can only sit for so long without stretching or moving about. The breeze keep me vectored towards the shore which was fine by me. I figured I'd visit some of those holes in the grass before departing. That was a good plan too. One of things that I realized is that improved technique will get your bait where it needs to be. Also it is good to be alert as often there are many places your bait needs to be!
Since I was back in the grass, I switched back to the skirted jig and proceeded to re-try several of the holes to see if things has reset for another go. Yeah, I'm liking the grass hula action quite a bit more and more as I'm learning. It seems that you don't have to get it to a hole for success. I made a slightly off target cast which didn't make it to an opening in the grass. However it did just break through the matted surface by an inch or a couple of cms. I see this large rise and upset in the mat as something pushed up right at my jig. The pole loads up quickly and it is game on! This time I had the rig in a better condition for success, the drag dialed up, and bail closed. The strike was so strong that I didn't need to sweep back in response. The pole just loaded up and I could feel the hook was set the moment it hit. Wow, that was fun!
This one gave quite a bit of a pull. I was also surprised just how sharp the teeth were. It was down right uncomfortable to get my thumb in there. The photo just doesn't quite show all the details. Especially how wide and heavy it was. I guess it was accustomed to chowing down on critters as it sure didn't show mercy to my jig. I realized that my next run out to the grass is going to have a T-rigged creature bait to go along with the skirted jig. That should prove to be some good fun for a delicate presentation. More fun on the water!
Cheers!
A slight rant here, it seem like the lake was a magnet for some very miserable and bitter types today. It was challenging to find escape from the foul language and poor behavior. It almost seemed like they were seeking out an audience for their caustic behavior. I wanted no part of it but it was difficult to put enough distance or structure between us. It would be good if they would find somewhere else to recreate.
Ok, enough of that. Having been fortunate to spend time out at PCL the past few weekends I've sort of developed a pattern of areas to visit. The calm water in the early hours makes it easy to navigate and spot the surface activity. The lack of chop on the water makes for easy paddling too. Given all this time on the water I'm getting better at those subtle maneuvers to position the yak for optimum casting an bait presentation. I'm convinced now that the bait is more successful when it enters the water within 20 cm of the water line at the rip-rap. Those casts that don't quite make it to that range don't seem to produce the strikes.
This morning's early action was absent from any sizable strikes or connections. All of them were basically sub 10 cm. Still lots of fun to pull on the line and very enjoyable experience. Yeah, I enjoy them all regardless of size. I am really surprised that some of them are able to engulf the bait as when removing the hook it barely clears their mouth. All of them were green sunfish.
I have been pretty satisfied with using the Berkely Fireline for many years. However in the prior years it was the smoked variant of the fireline. Recently I've spooled up with the various versions of the crystal, white, and some of the latest fuzed. The three versions used mostly have been the 2, 4, and 6 lb test. A recent discovery was that using the 2 lb test in the rain produced a saturated spool which then made things very difficult to cast. The supple nature of the fireline is also a challenge when tying knots in field conditions. It is so limp it just sort of droops. So passing loops or manipulating the line properly is tough. Even passing it through the hook eyes is a bother too as the filaments from the braid are enough to deflect it and keep you from accomplishing a basic task.
The breaking strength of fireline is astounding. That stuff is tough. Way tougher than the advertised tensile strength. I got a calling to switch back to mono. Since I don't quite have access to bulk qualities of the smaller 2 lb test mono, I'll just stay with the 4 lb stuff. Fortunately that stuff is readily available in the 700 yrd spools at the local Wally World. So the plan is to run with that for awhile and see how that suits me.
Since I was not producing much size or volume from the rip-rap this morning I decided to move over towards the grass/weeds and try my luck in those areas. The change was a good thing, sort of as I was quickly able to get several substantial strikes which for a variety of reasons I missed or just plain out failed to connect on. Having suffered those missed opportunities I decided I'd better figure out what I was doing and improve my overall technique. I went back to the heavy line, 10 lb mono on the # 20 sized spinning reel. I'm starting to suspect the quality of that line as I lost a very nice jig after gently connecting with a clump of weeds. I'm guessing that I ought to re-tie more often.
I found my self with the bail open or freespinning or just tangled up when those fast strikes came on. So with the calamity of errors I had nothing to show for my time out at the grass. It was fun as the strikes were fairly aggressive and felt very impressive in size. By this time the sun was clear of the mountain and still occluded by the early clouds. Just enough to take the edge off but enough to get a gentle breeze working. So the glass surface was no more but I could still see a few disturbances off in the distance.
My lesson in preparation and a reminder to get my act together got me figuring out that I should prep a pole in the event that I get to cast to some surface action. So on my other fiberglass pole, I've got a small crawdad crank bait on 4 lb mono. This is a good distance shooter as the eyes on those fiberglass poles, ice rigs, are pretty large in diameter. Also the light mono seems to just fly through them nicely. I'm guessing that whippy pole action has some contribution too.
I get my chance about 2/3s of the way across the lake. As I'm approaching the dam I see several boils on the surface at various azimuths, fortunately all are within casting range. I sent it out to the first couple and I managed to target them too closely as the impact spooked them away. So I figured I needed to give them about a meter clearance and work towards them. That was the ticket. The third boil produced quite quickly after the lure hit the water. It was cool to see the fish on the surface perform a quick U-turn and nail the lure. You could see the dorsal half of the fish just breaking the surface to provide that tracking visual. As I brought it in towards me I was trying to see just how it was hooked so I could determine how to hold it. Them little trebble hooks are nasty sharp and somehow are like Chola cactus, they just seem to grab hold of you when you least expect it. My horror scenario was realized as the fish approached, there was no visual sighting of the small crankbait. The LMB had engulfed the entire crank bait and had it completely in the mouth. This is one of the primary reasons I don't use them much. So much for that experiment...
I got the fish along side the yak and cradled it. Of course things got from interesting to complicated right then and there. This LMB decided to just clamp closed. It actually seemed like it vocalized as it closed, nope! So I had to gently work the mouth open knowing that there were six good reasons to be very careful. I'm so glad that I had a handy pair of hemostats with very small narrow jaws. That made for a better situation for me and fish. The first upper set of hooks came out without too much fuss. The second set were just lightly snagged near the sphincter. So that was going to require some precision and diligence. A quick poke and slight twist and the hook is cleared. As I'm removing the crank bait, I'm not watching as close as I should. Yes, it happened, I managed to slice part of my knuckle as one of those sharp little hook points draws past. Fortunately the LMB was not out the water that long and didn't need reviving, it just nicely swam off. My knuckle was a bit of a bleeder for a bit and sure smarted too in the morning air.
By the time I reached the dam my rig with the 2 lb test line was good and saturated so it wasn't casting well at all. I was having to hold off the shore quite closely just to get the little jig close to the shoreline with consistency. There were several modest sized green sunfish with most of them again in the really small category that were willing to take the bait. Nothing too noteworthy but there was a lot of action passing along side me as I fished the dam area. Some of those folks with boats are not that considerate and they didn't hesitate to get well within my casting range. I've always subscribed to being outside of a cast length to avoid any issues. Guess that is not something that published or adhered to. So it goes. I could tell the frustration from one party that decided to cast right beside me as they were still struggling to get their first fish of the day. I countered with a cast of my own to the same general area only I got mine in tight to the shore and connected with a very cooperative green sunfish. It was small but it did some surface action to just add some visual to the whole thing.
By now it was time to start my way back as the sun was really getting strong. Also I was ready to get going too as I can only sit for so long without stretching or moving about. The breeze keep me vectored towards the shore which was fine by me. I figured I'd visit some of those holes in the grass before departing. That was a good plan too. One of things that I realized is that improved technique will get your bait where it needs to be. Also it is good to be alert as often there are many places your bait needs to be!
Since I was back in the grass, I switched back to the skirted jig and proceeded to re-try several of the holes to see if things has reset for another go. Yeah, I'm liking the grass hula action quite a bit more and more as I'm learning. It seems that you don't have to get it to a hole for success. I made a slightly off target cast which didn't make it to an opening in the grass. However it did just break through the matted surface by an inch or a couple of cms. I see this large rise and upset in the mat as something pushed up right at my jig. The pole loads up quickly and it is game on! This time I had the rig in a better condition for success, the drag dialed up, and bail closed. The strike was so strong that I didn't need to sweep back in response. The pole just loaded up and I could feel the hook was set the moment it hit. Wow, that was fun!
This one gave quite a bit of a pull. I was also surprised just how sharp the teeth were. It was down right uncomfortable to get my thumb in there. The photo just doesn't quite show all the details. Especially how wide and heavy it was. I guess it was accustomed to chowing down on critters as it sure didn't show mercy to my jig. I realized that my next run out to the grass is going to have a T-rigged creature bait to go along with the skirted jig. That should prove to be some good fun for a delicate presentation. More fun on the water!
Cheers!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Early morning Largemouth Bass
A good morning to all. It was a very nice morning to be out and about well before first light. The temperature was in the low 60s and calm darkness. No moon. Having loaded the equipment prior to going to bed made for a streamlined departure. The drive out to the lake was a very nice with no traffic. Other than a whitetail deer there were no surprises.
Upon arriving I quickly set out the equipment and put out on the water. I made a few casts along the boat dock and fishing pier with no interest. By this point the lake was at safe light and I could see the sunfish cruising about the surface chasing bugs. I made a few casts with no interest by the sunfish. So it was time to head over to the rip-rap and work on a tried and true pattern.
I started the day using the small 1/32 oz jig with a plastic grub. The ultra light rig allowed me to put the bait right up against the rocks at the water's edge. It seems that higher success is achieved when putting the bait right up at water's edge or within 10 cm. Further than that and it seems that it doesn't work so well.
My surprise was when I moved over to a small cove within the rip-rap. My first cast was greeted by an unsuspecting lateral movement. Apparently the LMB took the bait and swam off with it upon entry into the water. So I didn't have to wait long to take up the tension. Interesting point, upon tension there was not much loading on the line. I'm guessing that it changed azimuth and vectored towards me minimizing the loading. It wasn't till I got several winds of the reel in when it realized what I intended to do. That is when the tussle amplified up to an impressive level. The drag on the spinning reel sang out in a high pitch during the several spirited runs. This put the 2 lb test line right up to capacity. Fortunate for me it held. I was able to quickly release it and return it back. The jig was seated right in the upper lip in the 12 o-clock position but it was seated about 2 cm into the mouth.
Within a couple of follow on casts, came the the next LMB which was roughly the same size as the first, approximately 36 cm. Very good fun with the pulling power of these early morning bass. So my first hour on the water was full of activity with both ends of the size spectrum. The LMBs are of really nice size while the green sunfish are really on the small end.
I'm most impressed with the tenacity of the green sunfish. They typically put on the most tussle and they don't give up easily either. The really small ones that I caught early on in the morning could barely get their lips to open much wider then the grub they inhaled. Fortunate for me that they didn't get the hook beyond the jaw hinge. So it was simply the case of where I had to arc the grub laterally to ease the hook out. The larger one that took the weedless grub configuration was caught on the south side of the lake in the deep thick of it.
The following two photos really don't show the intensity of which I had to wrangle this fish to the boat and then work the 1/0 hook out of its mouth.
After the fun of hitting the rip-rap, I moved on to the south side and poked about the deep weeds and sent the baits down the various holes that I could manage to accurately toss to. I figured that I would give the bait cast reel another go. I didn't bring the graphite pole, I brought the fiberglass casting rig. During my practice sessions I was able to get the bait tossed to within 20 cm of the intended landing. I was not that successful today with the bait caster. I believe that with the cooler temperatures the grease in the bearings were much more viscus than when I was practicing in the heat of the day. So the casts were landing far from the intended spots. That is why I reverted back to the medium, 6 lb test spinning rig with the weedless grub. That is also when I found the green sunfish in the photos.
The sun was getting higher in the sky by now. It was also mid-morning so I was planning my concluding fishing effort. I figured I would cruise down the dam area to see what I could do there before calling it a day. There were no visible boils that I could see or target on so my hopes for a mid-lake catch faded as I approached the dam. The gentle breeze worked in my favor as it moved me along reasonably well as I explored the various areas between rock openings. I managed to connect with several smaller green sunfish that were most enjoyable on the line.
Once past the dam area I cast to a prospective pocket where something quite large hammered the little grub and immediately broke off upon tension. I found this initially odd and suspected that perhaps I was tricked by snagging of an underwater feature. I retied another jig with a small grub and sent it right back to the same pocket. The identical action ensued. So whatever was down there now has two of my baits.
Ok enough of that I'm switching over to the larger rig and sending that twin tailed trailer down to the depths and see what happens. Nothing, not a thing. Not interested in that big skirted jig. It was already satisfied with my two little grubs. It is really hot by now and I'm getting low on water. So it was time to call this gig good and head on back.
Of course along the way there are pockets of opportunity that were just too good to let go by without some investigation. I did manage to find some more small green sunfish that were more than happy to pull hard for me. None were larger than 16 cm but all were really fun on that light line.
It was a very enjoyable time out there on the water. I managed to have some good fish on the line and several that I would have liked to see too! That is why it is called fishing and not catching! I'm thinking that I'm going to shelve the 2 lb line for a time and work out the 4 lb line a bit. The combination of the 4 & 6 seem to work well.
I may investigate the new Nanofil options for the larger spinning reel or just keep using the bulk 10 lb line. The Stren line appears more supple than the big game Berkley line. Also I'm not sure if the heat has something to do with it, but I'm suspecting that my batch of line on the reels appears to be getting brittle. < Might have something to do with sitting in the Subie for all those afternoons > So it could be a good thing to spool up with some fresh mono. Till the next time I get the line wet. Chao!
Upon arriving I quickly set out the equipment and put out on the water. I made a few casts along the boat dock and fishing pier with no interest. By this point the lake was at safe light and I could see the sunfish cruising about the surface chasing bugs. I made a few casts with no interest by the sunfish. So it was time to head over to the rip-rap and work on a tried and true pattern.
I started the day using the small 1/32 oz jig with a plastic grub. The ultra light rig allowed me to put the bait right up against the rocks at the water's edge. It seems that higher success is achieved when putting the bait right up at water's edge or within 10 cm. Further than that and it seems that it doesn't work so well.
My surprise was when I moved over to a small cove within the rip-rap. My first cast was greeted by an unsuspecting lateral movement. Apparently the LMB took the bait and swam off with it upon entry into the water. So I didn't have to wait long to take up the tension. Interesting point, upon tension there was not much loading on the line. I'm guessing that it changed azimuth and vectored towards me minimizing the loading. It wasn't till I got several winds of the reel in when it realized what I intended to do. That is when the tussle amplified up to an impressive level. The drag on the spinning reel sang out in a high pitch during the several spirited runs. This put the 2 lb test line right up to capacity. Fortunate for me it held. I was able to quickly release it and return it back. The jig was seated right in the upper lip in the 12 o-clock position but it was seated about 2 cm into the mouth.
Within a couple of follow on casts, came the the next LMB which was roughly the same size as the first, approximately 36 cm. Very good fun with the pulling power of these early morning bass. So my first hour on the water was full of activity with both ends of the size spectrum. The LMBs are of really nice size while the green sunfish are really on the small end.
I'm most impressed with the tenacity of the green sunfish. They typically put on the most tussle and they don't give up easily either. The really small ones that I caught early on in the morning could barely get their lips to open much wider then the grub they inhaled. Fortunate for me that they didn't get the hook beyond the jaw hinge. So it was simply the case of where I had to arc the grub laterally to ease the hook out. The larger one that took the weedless grub configuration was caught on the south side of the lake in the deep thick of it.
The following two photos really don't show the intensity of which I had to wrangle this fish to the boat and then work the 1/0 hook out of its mouth.
After the fun of hitting the rip-rap, I moved on to the south side and poked about the deep weeds and sent the baits down the various holes that I could manage to accurately toss to. I figured that I would give the bait cast reel another go. I didn't bring the graphite pole, I brought the fiberglass casting rig. During my practice sessions I was able to get the bait tossed to within 20 cm of the intended landing. I was not that successful today with the bait caster. I believe that with the cooler temperatures the grease in the bearings were much more viscus than when I was practicing in the heat of the day. So the casts were landing far from the intended spots. That is why I reverted back to the medium, 6 lb test spinning rig with the weedless grub. That is also when I found the green sunfish in the photos.
The sun was getting higher in the sky by now. It was also mid-morning so I was planning my concluding fishing effort. I figured I would cruise down the dam area to see what I could do there before calling it a day. There were no visible boils that I could see or target on so my hopes for a mid-lake catch faded as I approached the dam. The gentle breeze worked in my favor as it moved me along reasonably well as I explored the various areas between rock openings. I managed to connect with several smaller green sunfish that were most enjoyable on the line.
Once past the dam area I cast to a prospective pocket where something quite large hammered the little grub and immediately broke off upon tension. I found this initially odd and suspected that perhaps I was tricked by snagging of an underwater feature. I retied another jig with a small grub and sent it right back to the same pocket. The identical action ensued. So whatever was down there now has two of my baits.
Ok enough of that I'm switching over to the larger rig and sending that twin tailed trailer down to the depths and see what happens. Nothing, not a thing. Not interested in that big skirted jig. It was already satisfied with my two little grubs. It is really hot by now and I'm getting low on water. So it was time to call this gig good and head on back.
Of course along the way there are pockets of opportunity that were just too good to let go by without some investigation. I did manage to find some more small green sunfish that were more than happy to pull hard for me. None were larger than 16 cm but all were really fun on that light line.
It was a very enjoyable time out there on the water. I managed to have some good fish on the line and several that I would have liked to see too! That is why it is called fishing and not catching! I'm thinking that I'm going to shelve the 2 lb line for a time and work out the 4 lb line a bit. The combination of the 4 & 6 seem to work well.
I may investigate the new Nanofil options for the larger spinning reel or just keep using the bulk 10 lb line. The Stren line appears more supple than the big game Berkley line. Also I'm not sure if the heat has something to do with it, but I'm suspecting that my batch of line on the reels appears to be getting brittle. < Might have something to do with sitting in the Subie for all those afternoons > So it could be a good thing to spool up with some fresh mono. Till the next time I get the line wet. Chao!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Post-Cyclone Dora fishing
Our first really good soaker of the season and it took a Cyclone to make it happen. It was really tough to make the decision to head out to the lake early this morning at 0430. The rain had been fairly light but constant through the night. It was still going as I checked the regional radar. Since the truck was already to go as the equipment was still there from yesterday's fun. All I had to do was to make sure that I was awake enough to make the journey.
By the time I got about half way to the lake my worries increased. It wasn't the rain that falling that had me worried. It was the less than 25 meters visibility due to all the fog. The road there is already sort of challenging but adding the fog at pre-dawn and things were really bad. I am so glad that I have the auxiliary lights to make things less dangerous.
I get out there and set out on the yak. There are actually a few folks out there fishing on the pier. I check out the rip-rap with only one small green sunfish taking the grub. Meanwhile the rain is now getting stronger. I'm really wondering if this was such a good idea. At least there is no lightning, that is a good thing.
So it is time to move to another strategy and try something different and a different place. Across the lake I go and try the grass. My last time in the grass was interesting but not that fun. Today it was both interesting and fun!
That was sure fun along with the five pounds of weeds that came with it. It did take a while to pick through the clump to find this in the middle.
Sure was fun to try out something new and have it work. Unfortunately I didn't seem to find any more hiding in the grass. Time for another change. By this time the conditions had changed quite a bit too. The sun was starting to peek out between the clouds. So I thought I might go back to my typical pattern. On the way to the rip-rap I intercepted a boil on the surface. I built up enough momentum to make a cast while still gliding. The cast barely entered the water and I was tied on to to something that made the drag peel out. I was thinking it was one of the carry over trout. What a surprise, another LMB. Who would have thought a nice LMB in the middle of the lake. Amazing!
Once back at the rip-rap I tied into another beast of a different kind. This on is a green sunfish.
What a great battle this fish put on. You can see the mouth is quite large on this one too.
I can tell you that braid doesn't cast too well when fully saturated with water. The light 2lb test still tosses reasonably but you can tell it is not up to that full potential. Very different when the spool is not soaked.
So it is possible to catch fish in a hurricane or a cyclone.
Cheers!
By the time I got about half way to the lake my worries increased. It wasn't the rain that falling that had me worried. It was the less than 25 meters visibility due to all the fog. The road there is already sort of challenging but adding the fog at pre-dawn and things were really bad. I am so glad that I have the auxiliary lights to make things less dangerous.
I get out there and set out on the yak. There are actually a few folks out there fishing on the pier. I check out the rip-rap with only one small green sunfish taking the grub. Meanwhile the rain is now getting stronger. I'm really wondering if this was such a good idea. At least there is no lightning, that is a good thing.
So it is time to move to another strategy and try something different and a different place. Across the lake I go and try the grass. My last time in the grass was interesting but not that fun. Today it was both interesting and fun!
That was sure fun along with the five pounds of weeds that came with it. It did take a while to pick through the clump to find this in the middle.
Sure was fun to try out something new and have it work. Unfortunately I didn't seem to find any more hiding in the grass. Time for another change. By this time the conditions had changed quite a bit too. The sun was starting to peek out between the clouds. So I thought I might go back to my typical pattern. On the way to the rip-rap I intercepted a boil on the surface. I built up enough momentum to make a cast while still gliding. The cast barely entered the water and I was tied on to to something that made the drag peel out. I was thinking it was one of the carry over trout. What a surprise, another LMB. Who would have thought a nice LMB in the middle of the lake. Amazing!
Once back at the rip-rap I tied into another beast of a different kind. This on is a green sunfish.
What a great battle this fish put on. You can see the mouth is quite large on this one too.
I can tell you that braid doesn't cast too well when fully saturated with water. The light 2lb test still tosses reasonably but you can tell it is not up to that full potential. Very different when the spool is not soaked.
So it is possible to catch fish in a hurricane or a cyclone.
Cheers!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
A Week of Change
Well this has been a week of change, unfortunately not all for the better. My beloved pond got a much needed infusion of water from the one of our monsoon deluges. Unfortunately, when the water washed into the reservoir the toxins from the neighborhood produced a comprehensive fish kill.
I visited the pond on Tuesday only to find a ring of dead fish carcases all about the shore of the pond. It was so bad that even the scavengers didn't avail themselves of the fish. Truly unfortunate. I don't know how the pond will recover from this or will the caretakers allow for restocking of the pond. Time will tell...
On a happier note fishing down at the river has been gratifying. It is a different type of fishing as you basically hunt down the deeper pools in the small river / stream. Today's jaunt down the shore produced about a dozen or so catfish on the line and to the shore. I'm guessing that they are yellow bullheads all less than 12 inches but really fun on the line. Since I'm using ultra-light tackle the tussle is quite good. Surprising the little ice fishing rig worked so well. The 26 inch pole with the larger diameter spool casts reasonably well. You do have to make sure that your cast is smooth. If you over drive the cast by loading the rod too much the line paying off the spool will slap the pole and on occasion fold over the shaft catching the first guide in a jam knot. So easy does it.
The first fish on that little rig was surprisingly fun. The short little pole loaded smartly but was not overhelmed by the fish. I was able to play it out much like a short fly rod as the little graphite shaft is fairly slow and has most of its loading down near the handle. It was fun to connect with the fish one after another.
A few observations. The water level was a touch higher due to the recent rains. Also the water clarity was slightly improved too. The water was not the chocolate milk colored, a slight green hue to it. I didn't see or connect with anything else but catfish today. After about 10am the fishing all but stopped. The early activity just halted.
I did make my way up stream to see if there were other opportunities. Didn't find anything else along the way. So it seems that this is pretty much the spot. I may try downstream near the Charleston Road crossing to see if there is deeper pools. That will be another trip.
I still keep hope that the rain will motivate the National Forest Supervisor to open the lands for public use again. I'm quite sure that the sunfish in Parker Canyon will be quite ready for some attention.
I visited the pond on Tuesday only to find a ring of dead fish carcases all about the shore of the pond. It was so bad that even the scavengers didn't avail themselves of the fish. Truly unfortunate. I don't know how the pond will recover from this or will the caretakers allow for restocking of the pond. Time will tell...
On a happier note fishing down at the river has been gratifying. It is a different type of fishing as you basically hunt down the deeper pools in the small river / stream. Today's jaunt down the shore produced about a dozen or so catfish on the line and to the shore. I'm guessing that they are yellow bullheads all less than 12 inches but really fun on the line. Since I'm using ultra-light tackle the tussle is quite good. Surprising the little ice fishing rig worked so well. The 26 inch pole with the larger diameter spool casts reasonably well. You do have to make sure that your cast is smooth. If you over drive the cast by loading the rod too much the line paying off the spool will slap the pole and on occasion fold over the shaft catching the first guide in a jam knot. So easy does it.
The first fish on that little rig was surprisingly fun. The short little pole loaded smartly but was not overhelmed by the fish. I was able to play it out much like a short fly rod as the little graphite shaft is fairly slow and has most of its loading down near the handle. It was fun to connect with the fish one after another.
A few observations. The water level was a touch higher due to the recent rains. Also the water clarity was slightly improved too. The water was not the chocolate milk colored, a slight green hue to it. I didn't see or connect with anything else but catfish today. After about 10am the fishing all but stopped. The early activity just halted.
I did make my way up stream to see if there were other opportunities. Didn't find anything else along the way. So it seems that this is pretty much the spot. I may try downstream near the Charleston Road crossing to see if there is deeper pools. That will be another trip.
I still keep hope that the rain will motivate the National Forest Supervisor to open the lands for public use again. I'm quite sure that the sunfish in Parker Canyon will be quite ready for some attention.
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