05-31-2017, 05:58 PM
I asked a friend and his son to go cat fishing on Memorial Day, but they couldn’t make it so I went alone. I got on the launch at Lincoln about 6 AM. I was an hour later than I wanted, but I was still the first trailer in the lot. I wanted to try out using bottom bouncers for cats and white bass/walleye. I was hoping to fish the rocky areas with less snagging. I headed out to the point and started zig zagging around.
I got 2 channels and 3 white bass in the first two hours dragging the bottom bouncers. The leader was a bit long on the one baited for cats, so it snagged half a dozen times. The one for “other fish” had a crawler on it. I never got my walleye, but it didn’t snag like the other one either.
After fishing the point I headed south to an area that hasn’t been fishable for several years due to low water. I anchored in about 2’ in a pocket of water surround by phragmites. First cast had a hit before I could get the second rod in the water. I missed it, but another came almost as quickly. I got 2 channels very fast and then things died. I hunted around the reed (phrags) edges and found another 3 more in about an hour.
It wasn’t fast like last trip and the sun was warming up the shallows, so I headed back around the point to the shoreline east of the boat harbor. The carp were active in the newly submerged brush and reeds, but much less so than last time.
It took about 30 minutes to find that the cats were a little deeper than last trip. From then on it was non-stop until my wife called (about noon) to see when I was coming home to buy her a plane ticket to Seattle. (My newest granddaughter was born at 12:30 AM Monday.)
I lost count at about 8 channels, but I took a bunch of pictures. Best I can tell from the pictures and time stamps, there were 15- 20 channels, along with 3 white bass and 3 bullheads. All but the WB were released. Gotta keep stocked with fresh bait. Almost everything came on WB meat. There was more size variation than I had seen recently with fish running from 16 to a bit under 25 inches, but only a third of them were in the 23 – 25 inch range that has been dominant lately. It bodes well for the future.
As for other fishermen, the point was almost deserted in the early hours with only one wading warrior. Three boats arrived about 7 and all headed for the island. Later in the day several groups showed up on the bank and a couple of boats set up off the springs. By the time I got back to the ramp at one, the lot was full to overflowing. The power squadron is awake for the summer!
All in all it was a very good morning. The only negatives were that lack of good company and that none of the cats were long enough to boost my contest score. Next time!
I'm including the better photos with time stamps for names. Forgive the picture quality, I had 2 rods in the fire!
BTW, I haven't told my friend he missed a good trip[
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