Fishing Forum

[cool][#0000ff]Met up with Flycasting at the north marina about 5:45 AM. Weather fourcrash was iffy so we opted to fish inside the marina, rather than off the north dike. Good call.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After FC showed off his "triple klutz" on the slippery ramp, we launched the tubes by 6:15. Water temp 76...down about 10 degrees from the peak of the heat spell. All was calm and there were shadlets rippling and popping in many spots around the marina. Looking good.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]FC kicked over to an area I suggested as being a good spot to start. It was. He caught our first two wipers between 6:30 and 7. Looked like it was gonna be a bananner day...or whatever. Turns out that those were his only LANDED wipers for the day. Made a couple of conservation releases but did not put anymore wipers in his basket. Saving room for some kitties, I guess.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After I spotted FC the first two fish, I settled down and got serious. Worked through several new combos of plastics and heads I have been playing with. About 9, I saw some nervous shad and powerkicked into position. As some wipers began busting the shad I had one of my new jig rigs in the middle of the action and I went BENDO. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Got the first fish in the basket and fired back out into the dwindling commotion. Got hooked up again and really messed up my face with a . Yeeee Hawww.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We saw one large and a couple of small minor boils...or simmers...after that. But, neither of us has twin 150s on our tubes so we could not get there before it was over.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Later, while dragging minnows for cats, I caught my third and largest (20.5"-3.8#) on bait. Fun, fun. Also got three channel cats, as did FC. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We ended up with five wipers between us. FC's largest wiper was just under 20" and weighed 3.6 pounds. Our other fish were all over 19" and 3#. Quality fish anytime. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Hope I am not accused of "hotspotting". There are fish inside the marina, but they are not easy. Two boats trolled the heck out of it while we were in there. They were dragging large crankbaits quite fast and they did not get bit. It drove them nuts watching us catch wipers from our tubes. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One big hint. While filleting the wipers we did recover a freshly munched shadlet that was just about 3" long. Almost pure white/pearl with a deep body and no darker color prominent on the back. The plastics we fished were similar in appearance and size.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As we reviewed the day, we agreed that we were happy with our decision to stay "inside" and to avoid the power squadron and the W. The crazy wind couldn't make up its mind about which direction it wanted to blow. It must have changed around 10 times before we left at noon. At that time it was strong and from the south.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]While we were finishing up at the filleting station, FC noticed some birds working next to shore, right off the beach. There was a mini boil going on right in close. Maybe the cooling temps this week will get the boils going again.[/#0000ff]
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Sounds like a ton-o-fun to me! Thanks for the report Pat.
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If you launch from the boat ramp... beware! It's like walking on a bowling alley lane with an inch of crisco on it. []

It was nice to get out with you again TD... Always a blast! Fishing wasnt fast and furious, but we both got some nice fish. Great to catch a wiper within the 1st 10 minutes. Kinda takes the pressure off.

The best part of the day was TD's 1st wiper. I radioed over to ask him if he had any hits yet and he says, "No, but I just saw a boil over to my...grrrr!" That was the grunt sound he made setting the hook. I told him that I just planned out his 1st fish that way.

Thanks again TD for the goodies, and for some of your sister-in-laws cookies... Now she should write a recipy book!
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great report and pictures. kinda nice just fishing inside the marina and not dealing with the idots.
thanks for sharing. [cool]
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Way to go guys!! Looks like it might pay to fish different areas out there and deviate from the ordinary.
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[cool][#0000ff]Yeah...just what I need...a bunch of "deviants" running all over me and crowding me out of my fishing spots.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You are smack spang on, though. Too many guys get in the rut of fishing the same way every time they go out. Conditions change and the fish change accordingly. Sometimes you gotta get creative and/or try something new...or at least different.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]What we thought we noticed today was that the wind would blow onshore (from whatever direction) and that would concentrate the shad (and their food). As soon as the breeze dropped a bit the wipers would find the shad and ring the dinner bell. There were boils in close, in water less than 2 feet deep, and out in the middle in 12 feet. When the fish were up, it took a shallow retrieve to get bit. When they were down, we actually bottom bounced the plastics and even got hits vertical jigging on the bottom.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In short, we kept changing plastics and heads and fishing differently throughout the day. We saw fish on sonar constantly, but often they were just suspending...neutral or negative. No response to "reaction bite" lures or techniques. If we had fished the same area all day, using the same lures and techniques, we would have smelled skunk for sure. Virtually every fish came on something different.[/#0000ff]
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Fun report guys. And especially thanks for the tips.
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thanks for the report. and ya thanks for the tips
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Well what i meant was....... Changing from the patterns in "boil mode". I know to mix it up alot but i just meant from the last 2 weeks with spotty boils.[][cool]
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