Hit the Bay today for my first trip this year. Met OhioDave and MasterDaad on the ripples. There were lots of others out, as well as the first swarm of bank tanglers in the north marina. Water was 59° at the surface and visibility a bit limited - I lost sight of a white jig about a foot below the surface.
Slow day for most, it seemed. I managed a "single serving" wiper to fend off the skunk, and later had an absolute slab of a crappie to the surface when I stupidly tried to lift it instead of netting it..."pink" said the 4-lb test.
There is about 4 feet of water at the end of the permanent sailboat docks now. Even the short third of the launch ramp has water a few feet from its end - perfect for toon, tube, and yak launching.
The carp romance is on in the shallows.
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Sounds like a fun time. Would you mind letting me know where you saw the carp? I want to do my part in removing a few with my bow.
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Any edge. The water is up enough that some of the vegetation that grew last year is now in a foot of water. The carp are right in there. I saw them along the north side of Eagle Beach and inside the marina. But basically any shallow area had them.
Limber up that bow, my friend.
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But please sink them after you shoot them. Last night I tried to pull my toon out in a spot a bow fisher had dragged his quarry back to the bank and left 3 carp rotting in the only spot for me to exit this pond. It was a stinky mess. If he only knew how good of cat bait he left to rot away. Later J
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Wow, that water temp has really climbed since last week. What time of the day were you out there Rocky? Too bad about loosing that slab crappie, I know a few of us have tried that over the years, those heavier fish can sure put a strain on light line. Glad to hear that the water level is still coming up and I hope when they turn on the secondary water next week, it doesn't stop the inflow[:/].
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I was there from about 9 until 3.
One final fun report: the toll booth was very pleasantly "manned" by a pretty young redhead with a great personality and
. She was worth the trip, even if I had been skunked.
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So, was that water temp 59 degrees when you arrived or just before you left? Sometimes meeting people and talking to them, either while fishing or before or after, can be the best part of a fishing trip. I know it is for me[
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It was 57° in the marina when I arrived, likely a bit warmer than the main lake due to being shallow. I didn't check again until afternoon, when the main lake was 59°
I use a probe type digital thermometer that sits down inside one of the scupper drains in my yak. I have to reach down and press the button to get a reading.
Meeting folks is indeed a joy, and a good way to get tips on what's working. OhioDave paddled his yak over to see me, and pointed out Masterdaad in his toon. I'm sure there were other BFT folks out there, but I couldn't identify them and I don't like to drive up to folks unless I know what my reception will be.
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"I don't like to drive up to folks unless I know what my reception will be."
[#0000FF]A good hint might be if you see muzzle flashes you are not in friendly territory.
Did you fish Rocky's Reef?
Are you up for a return bout next week. Lemme know and we will do a meetup.
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Saw not a fishy blip on Rocky's Reef. No bites, either.
I'm up for another go next week, for sure. Not sure what impact the storms will have, but a day afloat is better than a day acouch.
At least I have a few rainy days to repair the things I found wrong with the yak. How do things break over the winter? It was fine when I put it away, and now things aren't.
(Translation: Where The Fish?)
Edit: Translation, not buying it.
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[#0000FF]There are "tackle gremlins"...for real. They are small and invisible but they are responsible for the dings and breaks that happen to gear you put away clean and careful. And when you painstakingly prerig your rods and store them so they will not tangle on the way to the lake, tackle gremlins slip in and create some horrendous tangles. Might as well just wait until you are on the water...and then discover the tackle gremlins left your box of lures on the workbench in the garage.
If you have a boat, tube, toon or yak there are a special kind of gremlins who delight in opening small leaks, breaking vital components, ruining almost new batteries, "disappearing" plugs, messing up motors, untieing or knotting up anchor ropes, etc. Sometimes you get "lucky" and only have one minor problem on a trip. But after storage for a long winter those gremlins have had plenty of time and creativity to mess with ya.
These are akin to the closet gremlins...who hide the shirt you are looking for or fill your closet with all those extra hangers...or make all the extra hangers disappear when you need one to hang that shirt on.
I didn't find any schools of crappies on your spot last trip either. But by searching I found individuals and small groups in the area. And I figured out how to get them to "sign up" for an invite to dinner. Who knows what conditions will be next week after Mama Nature gets through with her next hissy fit?
With the rising water and the rising water temps I have some theories I plan to try out. I'll gladly share my findings if they work.
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If you guys decide on a day let me know, maybe i'll come up.
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[#0000FF]I'll PM ya as it gets closer and the weather is a bit easier to forecrash. Right now looks like Tuesday or Wednesday might be best.
Got some of those hothead flies in white that I will be flinging. Did well on them last year.
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Hey you guys, I'm up for next Thursday. If thats too late in the week, maybe another day.
I went out Monday evening and could only manage 3 Crappie however I did hook up with 5 Wipers and put 3 in the boat.
There weren't the usual number of boats hanging around Eagle Beach like we normally see this time of year.
Surface water temp Mon. evening was 63-65.
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[#0000FF]Thanks for the update. Silly fish. Silly weather.
Looking like it will probably have to be Wednesday for me next week.
Stay in touch and we will see how it shakes down.
What were the wipers hitting?
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Mine hit a crappie jig - exactly like my first one last year did.
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As I remember I caught 3 on the RC. Figured if they wanted to play I would feed them something a bit bigger so I baited one set up with a 3"Gulp Minnow. Caught 2 more.
RJ
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[#0000FF]Some folks might not understand your code. But I do.
Nice work. I think it will be a bit busier for those small to midsized wipers this year...based upon the input from DWR on planting numbers and survival rates.
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