08-01-2017, 09:16 PM
[#0000ff]Had a meetup at the south marina scheduled this morning. Unfortunately, my play date had to cancel due to some family health problems.
I made a solo launch just after 6:30. Air temp already over 70 and water temp 80. Toasty. Got worser later. But only a light breeze early and then classic glass.
Had planned to motate out to the new rock piles but figured I'd play it safe and hit the dikes...in case it turned out to be an early day. It did.
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Started out gangbusters and got better. [/#0000ff]Had the first keeper kitty in the basket before 7 am. Then released several smaller ones...figuring I should have no trouble culling a decent size limit. True dat. Didn't keep any under about 18" and my biggest was just shy of the two-footer mark. Not bad for Willard.
I was using my blue/silver "fligs" (floating jigs) again...only today I rigged them with the sinker on a short dropper and the flig on about an 18" leader. Made no nevermind to the cats. They voted for it. Sweetened them with small chub minnows. Yum.
I was also throwing my usual tandem tube jig rig, with a bit of worm. Pitched it right up next to the rocks and bounced it back to the tube along the bottom. Got some scary strikes almost as soon as the jigs touched down sometimes. Caught a couple cats on my blue/clear sparkle jig but most were on the white with a red eye. No walleyes or wipers were harmed in this pursuit.
Had a couple of doubles...where I was reeling in a cat on one rod when the other one got busy. Landed both doubles. Probably make it on the funny video show if someone taped me trying to keep the fish from wrapping up me or themselves. Also makes it interesting to net first one fish and then the other in the same (small) net. Yahoo.
The rock chucks were busy this morning (Willard Easter bunnies). They stood up to watch (and laugh) as I worked by them down the dike.
Not many fishermen out early (just the dumb ones). Only one boat launched before 7 and few after that. But the power squadron was showing up in force as I left before noon. There was one red Lund with a couple of "mature" gentlemen hugging the rocks inside the marina when I came in. They had caught a couple of cats bobberizing right next to the rocks. I filleted their fish for them when they showed up while I was doing mine.
Oh yeah. I too have cursed the lack of working outlets at the fish cleaning station the last couple of times. But the one on the SE pole has been working. Today? Nope. No power for the electric knives. Glad I always carry my 12 volt backup. I'll bet there are some fisherfolk who don't have the 12 volt knives and wanna fillet some fish.
Air temp was a sweaty 92 by the time I crawled in my vehicle for the return trip. TDH. (Too $%^@% hot).
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I made a solo launch just after 6:30. Air temp already over 70 and water temp 80. Toasty. Got worser later. But only a light breeze early and then classic glass.
Had planned to motate out to the new rock piles but figured I'd play it safe and hit the dikes...in case it turned out to be an early day. It did.
[/#0000ff][#0000ff][#0000ff][b]
Started out gangbusters and got better. [/#0000ff]Had the first keeper kitty in the basket before 7 am. Then released several smaller ones...figuring I should have no trouble culling a decent size limit. True dat. Didn't keep any under about 18" and my biggest was just shy of the two-footer mark. Not bad for Willard.
I was using my blue/silver "fligs" (floating jigs) again...only today I rigged them with the sinker on a short dropper and the flig on about an 18" leader. Made no nevermind to the cats. They voted for it. Sweetened them with small chub minnows. Yum.
I was also throwing my usual tandem tube jig rig, with a bit of worm. Pitched it right up next to the rocks and bounced it back to the tube along the bottom. Got some scary strikes almost as soon as the jigs touched down sometimes. Caught a couple cats on my blue/clear sparkle jig but most were on the white with a red eye. No walleyes or wipers were harmed in this pursuit.
Had a couple of doubles...where I was reeling in a cat on one rod when the other one got busy. Landed both doubles. Probably make it on the funny video show if someone taped me trying to keep the fish from wrapping up me or themselves. Also makes it interesting to net first one fish and then the other in the same (small) net. Yahoo.
The rock chucks were busy this morning (Willard Easter bunnies). They stood up to watch (and laugh) as I worked by them down the dike.
Not many fishermen out early (just the dumb ones). Only one boat launched before 7 and few after that. But the power squadron was showing up in force as I left before noon. There was one red Lund with a couple of "mature" gentlemen hugging the rocks inside the marina when I came in. They had caught a couple of cats bobberizing right next to the rocks. I filleted their fish for them when they showed up while I was doing mine.
Oh yeah. I too have cursed the lack of working outlets at the fish cleaning station the last couple of times. But the one on the SE pole has been working. Today? Nope. No power for the electric knives. Glad I always carry my 12 volt backup. I'll bet there are some fisherfolk who don't have the 12 volt knives and wanna fillet some fish.
Air temp was a sweaty 92 by the time I crawled in my vehicle for the return trip. TDH. (Too $%^@% hot).
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