10-03-2008, 04:26 PM
Jared Johnson, owner of Rocky Mountain Tackle, is a friend of mine as he is with a legion of anglers throughout the west. Although his company, RMT, primarily makes lures for kokanee and trout that doesn’t limit has vast knowledge of other fish and fisheries. I had cause to be at his house a couple of days ago and the conversation came around to Yuba and the problems with finding and catching walleye and pike, After a few questions to me about water temp, clarity etc. Jared nodded with understanding.
After I had answered him we went to his office where he made me up some beaded hyper glo spinners to use in conjunction with bottom bouncers. The glo beads are highly visable in Yuba’s murky water and the spinners blade provides vibration to attract the fish. A night crawler impaled on the hook completes the lure. The bottom bouncer is a device used primarily by walleye fishermen. It’s purpose is to get the bait on the bottom where the fish are without hanging up. The problem with them is that they require very slow trolling speeds as well as boat control to stay in the zone where the fish are hanging on the structure. This is not your typical tie on a lure and go to trolling. On top of everything else, heavy fluorocarbon, mono or wire leader must be used on the terminal end to prevent the pike from severing the line. Too heavy and it inhibits the spinner blade or leader shy fish shy away.
That evening I tied up some additional spinners with blades and beads from RMT so I’d be ready when the next dpportunity came.
Wednesday night I couldn’t sleep. A frequent problem with the old. By 4:30 I was up having coffee. To hell with it, I thought. I put my gear in the boat and headed to Yuba.
Under water seismic crews were working the reservoir on the west end so I headed east with the coming dawn. All day I trolled, using my conventional method, a rapala or a cotton cordell deep diver trolling close to shore in 10 to 15 foot of water, This method has worked for me for40 years all over the country including 2 pike out of Yuba this year over 15 pounds. I wasn’t thinking much of Jared’s spinners as the day wore on.
Not a strike all day. I was ready to call it a day instead I started up the 10 horse mercury and rigged a 2 ounce bottom bouncer with RMT’s spinner trailing a fat night crawler. Turning the fish finder from sonar to gps, I adjusted the trolling speed to 1.25 MPH. Tick, Tick, tick the rod tip showed I was just bouncing on the bottom in 12 feet of water. After about 5 minutes the rod flexed and I thought I had hung up until the “snag” started swimming away and the light set drag becan the “magic moan”. I was fast to a fish and a big one.
Alot of things can go wrong when a big fish is on your line and my mind raced thinking of all of them. I was trying to control the boat to keep me out of the rocks as the wind was starting to howl and prevent the fish from getting into brush and breaking off. Fifteen minutes into the fight the fish found a way to wrap around some kind of underwater obstacle. I felt sick. Slowly I backed the boat over the snag while trying to keep slack out of the braided 20 lb line. I freed the fish with great relief.
Now the biggest problem. How was I going to get the pike in the boat? Netting it was possible but not practical as the fish still had plenty of fight. I had seen it several times and knew it was at least a yard long and thick of girth. I contemplated running the boat aground and jumping out and landing the fish on the beach but decided against it because of the wind. Finally I turned the boat into the wind a gingerly ‘lead’ the fish into the middle of the lake where I could shut down the motors and attempt a landing without getting pounded into the rocks. Several times the pike came within netting distance always to make drag screaming runs at the sight of the boat and myself. We were 25 minutes into the fight when I grabbed the line after putting the reel in free spool and leaned over the side of the boat . The fish obliged by opening his mouth and I clamped bown with the boga grips on his lower jar. He spun violently, but he was mine then. I pulled him into the boat and the battle was over. I stared at the great fish 37.5 inches with the typical fat girth of a Yuba pike. I estimated his weight at around 17 pounds. I have caught two larger than him this year, but there was more personal satisfaction as I had done it alone. All I ciuld think was “Thank you Jared.”
There are many big pike in Yuba now. I know personnally of at least 20 caught over 15 lbs and a half dozen over 20 lbs this summer. Several of those fish were caught from shore. Somewhere in the lake are fish that exceed the state record so I will continue to fish there at every opportunity in the hopes I will one day catch a 30 pounder. Tight lines
[signature]
After I had answered him we went to his office where he made me up some beaded hyper glo spinners to use in conjunction with bottom bouncers. The glo beads are highly visable in Yuba’s murky water and the spinners blade provides vibration to attract the fish. A night crawler impaled on the hook completes the lure. The bottom bouncer is a device used primarily by walleye fishermen. It’s purpose is to get the bait on the bottom where the fish are without hanging up. The problem with them is that they require very slow trolling speeds as well as boat control to stay in the zone where the fish are hanging on the structure. This is not your typical tie on a lure and go to trolling. On top of everything else, heavy fluorocarbon, mono or wire leader must be used on the terminal end to prevent the pike from severing the line. Too heavy and it inhibits the spinner blade or leader shy fish shy away.
That evening I tied up some additional spinners with blades and beads from RMT so I’d be ready when the next dpportunity came.
Wednesday night I couldn’t sleep. A frequent problem with the old. By 4:30 I was up having coffee. To hell with it, I thought. I put my gear in the boat and headed to Yuba.
Under water seismic crews were working the reservoir on the west end so I headed east with the coming dawn. All day I trolled, using my conventional method, a rapala or a cotton cordell deep diver trolling close to shore in 10 to 15 foot of water, This method has worked for me for40 years all over the country including 2 pike out of Yuba this year over 15 pounds. I wasn’t thinking much of Jared’s spinners as the day wore on.
Not a strike all day. I was ready to call it a day instead I started up the 10 horse mercury and rigged a 2 ounce bottom bouncer with RMT’s spinner trailing a fat night crawler. Turning the fish finder from sonar to gps, I adjusted the trolling speed to 1.25 MPH. Tick, Tick, tick the rod tip showed I was just bouncing on the bottom in 12 feet of water. After about 5 minutes the rod flexed and I thought I had hung up until the “snag” started swimming away and the light set drag becan the “magic moan”. I was fast to a fish and a big one.
Alot of things can go wrong when a big fish is on your line and my mind raced thinking of all of them. I was trying to control the boat to keep me out of the rocks as the wind was starting to howl and prevent the fish from getting into brush and breaking off. Fifteen minutes into the fight the fish found a way to wrap around some kind of underwater obstacle. I felt sick. Slowly I backed the boat over the snag while trying to keep slack out of the braided 20 lb line. I freed the fish with great relief.
Now the biggest problem. How was I going to get the pike in the boat? Netting it was possible but not practical as the fish still had plenty of fight. I had seen it several times and knew it was at least a yard long and thick of girth. I contemplated running the boat aground and jumping out and landing the fish on the beach but decided against it because of the wind. Finally I turned the boat into the wind a gingerly ‘lead’ the fish into the middle of the lake where I could shut down the motors and attempt a landing without getting pounded into the rocks. Several times the pike came within netting distance always to make drag screaming runs at the sight of the boat and myself. We were 25 minutes into the fight when I grabbed the line after putting the reel in free spool and leaned over the side of the boat . The fish obliged by opening his mouth and I clamped bown with the boga grips on his lower jar. He spun violently, but he was mine then. I pulled him into the boat and the battle was over. I stared at the great fish 37.5 inches with the typical fat girth of a Yuba pike. I estimated his weight at around 17 pounds. I have caught two larger than him this year, but there was more personal satisfaction as I had done it alone. All I ciuld think was “Thank you Jared.”
There are many big pike in Yuba now. I know personnally of at least 20 caught over 15 lbs and a half dozen over 20 lbs this summer. Several of those fish were caught from shore. Somewhere in the lake are fish that exceed the state record so I will continue to fish there at every opportunity in the hopes I will one day catch a 30 pounder. Tight lines
[signature]
] Not just Yuba but many Utah waters. Too dang few opportunities though. [fishin] [/#000000][/font]