03-31-2003, 11:22 AM
[cool]Hey, what happened? Did all the floatin' fishermen die?...nobody goin' fishin'?...computers crashed?...had to work and ashamed to admit it? Let's get some action here. Bragging or moaning. Either one is okay. We're happy for the successes and if you didn't score...well, we feel your pain.
I had a good week. Took last Wednesday off to introduce an angler from Utah to the finer points of floatation fishing. Although an experienced fisherman, he had never floated before. Got him out in a tricked out Kennebec, with the rod racks and sonar and all the fancy stuff.
Sorry to report, it was terminal. He is now a tubeaholic. Almost had to stick a knife in his air chambers to get him off the water Wednesday night. Then, since he is still in Arizona for a few days, he forced me at gunpoint to sell him a previously retired Caddis round tube...a set of unused waders and a pair of neoprene boots. I didn't have an extra pair of fins to spare, so he was Walmart's first customer the next morning, before he hit the lake on his own.
Wednesday afternoon was Arizona springtime at it's best. Hit Saguaro Lake, northeast of Phoenix about 1:30. Calm and 80 degrees. Water was high, clear and 70 degrees...perfect for the fish to become active. Saw lots of shad as we kicked out to the six to eight foot depths and began bouncing little jigs off the bottom.
Mike went "bendo" within a few minutes. The six pound class spinning stick was straining and the drag was singing...and Mike was whooping and hollering. I guessed large channel cat. We catch a lot of them in there, using light gear, and they do bend your stick and stretch your string.
However, after a lengthy hand-to-fin combat, it turned out to be a huge fat carp...somewhere between 20 to 25 pounds. Mike didn't care about the species thing. He had just won the fight of his life. After holding it up for a quick pic, he let it go and resumed casting...with a tired rod arm. (HERE'S THE PIC OF THE LARGE "BROWN")
![[Image: SCOU1712CustomImage1333749.jpg]](http://web.ecomplanet.com/SCOU1712/ServerContent/MyCustomImages/SCOU1712CustomImage1333749.jpg)
For the next four hours we were in fairly constant action with the lake's hefty population of yellow bass. These small cousins of the stripers look a lot like white bass, but have a definite yellowish sheen...and seldom get much over a pound. But, as the Utah guy...an experienced wiper fisherman put it...they are like small wipers on steroids. They hit hard and fight well. We had a good trip.
Mike kept a few for dinner, as I did. They fillet out nicely and are great in the pan...or oven...or on the grill. I don't know how many he caught, but I estimate I brought about 50 in to my new Super Fat Cat.
The following Saturday morning, I took Tube Babe (Mrs. Dude) back to the same spot, where we met up with Mike and his fiancee, who lives in Arizona (the original reason for his visit). My wife and I launched, but noticed that Mike's car was gone. Seems he had forgotten to include his waders when he loaded the car in the dark.
There was an offshore breeze blowing as we began fishing. This is the norm on that lake in the morning. Later in the morning, once the sun comes over the surrounding hills, it usually calms down and the water gets flat. Then, in the early afternoon, a westerly breeze comes up and blows in onshore.
I might note that the wind had been blowing strongly the previous two days and the water temp had dropped back to 65...from 70. And, on Saturday morning, the offshore breezes not only did NOT diminish, they kept getting stronger. By the time Mike got back and launched, the wind was kicking up small waves even close to shore.
We caught a few yellow bass early, but the offshore wind blew the few remaining shad back out into the open lake, and the other fish seemed to follow. We weren't getting many fish on our sonar, where there had been screenfuls on Wednesday. Still, by finessed fishing in the proven areas, we still managed to pick up an occasional fish.
Finally, about 11 AM, the breeze subsided somewhat and a few fish started coming back into the big cove we were fishing. Over the next couple of hours we all caught a few fish, and kept a few of the big egg-laden mamas. We invited them home for dinner and Sunday dinner featured them as the guests of honor.
The tragedy of the day was Mike's fiancee. In spite of being a longtime Arizona resident, she neglected to apply sunscreen while waiting on the sandy beach for Mike to get his fishing fix. When we returned to shore, her white skin had turned to bright pink. She was definitely overdone.
Anybody in California get out for halibut this past week. The flatties should be feeling the springtime urges too. Time for some big mamas to show inshore.
How about the inland action. Anything going on with trout or bass...or the species of your choice?
Oh yeah, that reminds me. I'll finish off this dissertation with a bit on carp fishing. While fishing Saguaro Lake on Saturday, a small group of anglers showed up on the protected (from the wind) eastern shoreline. I had seen them down there before and knew what to expect. I clued my spouse and Mike to watch their lengthy preparations. They were dedicated carp fishermen from Britain...where carp are considered worthy opponents.
One guy worked on an air pump, to inflate a small rubber raft, while the others set up their long "match rods". When the raft was properly aired up, the lady in the group got in and rowed out to what would be a long cast from shore and began chumming the water with pelletized "ground bait" from a cannister sold for just that purpose. As she moved around and tossed the pellets, according to the instructions of the "veddy English" males on shore, she was encouraged with shouts of "Brilliant. Brilliant".
For the rest of the morning, the two long rods they had set up on horizontal rod holders were bent in big straining arcs more than they were setting idle. Saguaro Lake's big bugle-mouths liked the international flavor of the bait they were offering and there were frequent uses of the big triangular nets the Brits had brought to subdue the big fish. As the fish thrashed, before being released back into the lake, the dogs of a nearby group of anglers barked in excitement. Good show.
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I had a good week. Took last Wednesday off to introduce an angler from Utah to the finer points of floatation fishing. Although an experienced fisherman, he had never floated before. Got him out in a tricked out Kennebec, with the rod racks and sonar and all the fancy stuff.
Sorry to report, it was terminal. He is now a tubeaholic. Almost had to stick a knife in his air chambers to get him off the water Wednesday night. Then, since he is still in Arizona for a few days, he forced me at gunpoint to sell him a previously retired Caddis round tube...a set of unused waders and a pair of neoprene boots. I didn't have an extra pair of fins to spare, so he was Walmart's first customer the next morning, before he hit the lake on his own.
Wednesday afternoon was Arizona springtime at it's best. Hit Saguaro Lake, northeast of Phoenix about 1:30. Calm and 80 degrees. Water was high, clear and 70 degrees...perfect for the fish to become active. Saw lots of shad as we kicked out to the six to eight foot depths and began bouncing little jigs off the bottom.
Mike went "bendo" within a few minutes. The six pound class spinning stick was straining and the drag was singing...and Mike was whooping and hollering. I guessed large channel cat. We catch a lot of them in there, using light gear, and they do bend your stick and stretch your string.
However, after a lengthy hand-to-fin combat, it turned out to be a huge fat carp...somewhere between 20 to 25 pounds. Mike didn't care about the species thing. He had just won the fight of his life. After holding it up for a quick pic, he let it go and resumed casting...with a tired rod arm. (HERE'S THE PIC OF THE LARGE "BROWN")
For the next four hours we were in fairly constant action with the lake's hefty population of yellow bass. These small cousins of the stripers look a lot like white bass, but have a definite yellowish sheen...and seldom get much over a pound. But, as the Utah guy...an experienced wiper fisherman put it...they are like small wipers on steroids. They hit hard and fight well. We had a good trip.
Mike kept a few for dinner, as I did. They fillet out nicely and are great in the pan...or oven...or on the grill. I don't know how many he caught, but I estimate I brought about 50 in to my new Super Fat Cat.
The following Saturday morning, I took Tube Babe (Mrs. Dude) back to the same spot, where we met up with Mike and his fiancee, who lives in Arizona (the original reason for his visit). My wife and I launched, but noticed that Mike's car was gone. Seems he had forgotten to include his waders when he loaded the car in the dark.
There was an offshore breeze blowing as we began fishing. This is the norm on that lake in the morning. Later in the morning, once the sun comes over the surrounding hills, it usually calms down and the water gets flat. Then, in the early afternoon, a westerly breeze comes up and blows in onshore.
I might note that the wind had been blowing strongly the previous two days and the water temp had dropped back to 65...from 70. And, on Saturday morning, the offshore breezes not only did NOT diminish, they kept getting stronger. By the time Mike got back and launched, the wind was kicking up small waves even close to shore.
We caught a few yellow bass early, but the offshore wind blew the few remaining shad back out into the open lake, and the other fish seemed to follow. We weren't getting many fish on our sonar, where there had been screenfuls on Wednesday. Still, by finessed fishing in the proven areas, we still managed to pick up an occasional fish.
Finally, about 11 AM, the breeze subsided somewhat and a few fish started coming back into the big cove we were fishing. Over the next couple of hours we all caught a few fish, and kept a few of the big egg-laden mamas. We invited them home for dinner and Sunday dinner featured them as the guests of honor.
The tragedy of the day was Mike's fiancee. In spite of being a longtime Arizona resident, she neglected to apply sunscreen while waiting on the sandy beach for Mike to get his fishing fix. When we returned to shore, her white skin had turned to bright pink. She was definitely overdone.
Anybody in California get out for halibut this past week. The flatties should be feeling the springtime urges too. Time for some big mamas to show inshore.
How about the inland action. Anything going on with trout or bass...or the species of your choice?
Oh yeah, that reminds me. I'll finish off this dissertation with a bit on carp fishing. While fishing Saguaro Lake on Saturday, a small group of anglers showed up on the protected (from the wind) eastern shoreline. I had seen them down there before and knew what to expect. I clued my spouse and Mike to watch their lengthy preparations. They were dedicated carp fishermen from Britain...where carp are considered worthy opponents.
One guy worked on an air pump, to inflate a small rubber raft, while the others set up their long "match rods". When the raft was properly aired up, the lady in the group got in and rowed out to what would be a long cast from shore and began chumming the water with pelletized "ground bait" from a cannister sold for just that purpose. As she moved around and tossed the pellets, according to the instructions of the "veddy English" males on shore, she was encouraged with shouts of "Brilliant. Brilliant".
For the rest of the morning, the two long rods they had set up on horizontal rod holders were bent in big straining arcs more than they were setting idle. Saguaro Lake's big bugle-mouths liked the international flavor of the bait they were offering and there were frequent uses of the big triangular nets the Brits had brought to subdue the big fish. As the fish thrashed, before being released back into the lake, the dogs of a nearby group of anglers barked in excitement. Good show.
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