06-29-2021, 09:41 PM
Hoped that being a Tuesday, most of the weekend power squadron folks had left. Planned to head out early, but when I got up, it was windy, like in the 20 mph + range. So I waited.
About 8:30 ish, it seemed like the wind was calming down so I figured 'what the heck' if it's too windy I can just come back home.
Got launched at the south marina about 9:40 a.m. light breeze just enough to chop the water some and blow the bugs away. Great, headed out for the open water.
There weren't alot of boats of any size to cause me problems. Just as I got to the area I have been trolling the last few trips, got lines out and angling towards the west wall, the wind decided that I had had enough peaceful water and started coming up in gusts at what I would guess was 18-20 mph. Then it would calm some, and gust up again.
It was initially coming up out of the south-east and was pushing me faster and closer to the west wall than I really wanted to be.
Well I figured I might be able to use those wind gusts to my advantage, so I brought my lines in and did a speed run (yea, speed, 12 mph into the wind ..lol ) back to the area just off the feed lot. Swapped out my lures for some raw shrimp on one line and a Gulp curly tail grub on the other. Turned broadside into the wind over about 6 fow. Wind pushed me in a north-west direction at varied speeds from .50 to 1.75 mph. I started having hits almost immediately. They had to be youngish kitties that haven't learned how to take the whole bait with the hook. The drift pushed me from just off the feed lot tower to out past the south marina buoy line into 12-13 fow. That first drift got kind of exciting. Had double simultaneous, hits 3 times just as the wind would gust up and push me along at over 1 mph. And I lost BOTH fish all 3 times.
I was fortunate enough to chase off the skunk by getting one WBCCC into the boat on the Gulp grub. Since the wind and the unwilling kitties had made me work so hard already, I decided that one skunk buster was going home with me for dinner. So one in the box...........
...and then the wind shifted, blowing out of the south-west. That wouldn't have been bad, but it cranked up it's sustained speed to well over 20 mph. The visual clue that said pack it up, was the white caps.
Pulled out about 1230. Met up with 2 gentlemen at the cleaning station that had also had their decision to leave made for them by the wind.
About 8:30 ish, it seemed like the wind was calming down so I figured 'what the heck' if it's too windy I can just come back home.
Got launched at the south marina about 9:40 a.m. light breeze just enough to chop the water some and blow the bugs away. Great, headed out for the open water.
There weren't alot of boats of any size to cause me problems. Just as I got to the area I have been trolling the last few trips, got lines out and angling towards the west wall, the wind decided that I had had enough peaceful water and started coming up in gusts at what I would guess was 18-20 mph. Then it would calm some, and gust up again.
It was initially coming up out of the south-east and was pushing me faster and closer to the west wall than I really wanted to be.
Well I figured I might be able to use those wind gusts to my advantage, so I brought my lines in and did a speed run (yea, speed, 12 mph into the wind ..lol ) back to the area just off the feed lot. Swapped out my lures for some raw shrimp on one line and a Gulp curly tail grub on the other. Turned broadside into the wind over about 6 fow. Wind pushed me in a north-west direction at varied speeds from .50 to 1.75 mph. I started having hits almost immediately. They had to be youngish kitties that haven't learned how to take the whole bait with the hook. The drift pushed me from just off the feed lot tower to out past the south marina buoy line into 12-13 fow. That first drift got kind of exciting. Had double simultaneous, hits 3 times just as the wind would gust up and push me along at over 1 mph. And I lost BOTH fish all 3 times.
I was fortunate enough to chase off the skunk by getting one WBCCC into the boat on the Gulp grub. Since the wind and the unwilling kitties had made me work so hard already, I decided that one skunk buster was going home with me for dinner. So one in the box...........
...and then the wind shifted, blowing out of the south-west. That wouldn't have been bad, but it cranked up it's sustained speed to well over 20 mph. The visual clue that said pack it up, was the white caps.
Pulled out about 1230. Met up with 2 gentlemen at the cleaning station that had also had their decision to leave made for them by the wind.
"OCD = Obsessive Catfish Disorder "
Or so it says on my license plate holder
Or so it says on my license plate holder