07-27-2018, 08:53 PM
[#0000ff]Chris Penne...Northern Region Aquatics Manager for DWR...has been a big help to BFT and all Willardites. He has always been quick to respond to questions about Willard...and other waters and species. So when he indicated an interest in my fligs I invited him to join me for a flig-fest on Willard.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We met up at the south marina this morning...first ones through the gate. Got him supplied with a flig starter kit and some LHBE minnows...and conducted a brief rigging tutorial. Chris is a savvy angler and picked right up on it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Air temp 70 at launch...with lots of smoke from California fires. Water temp 79. Calm and clear...except for the smoke.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Chris got prepped and launched first. I was right behind him but as I motored close to him I could see that something was wrong with his rod. It had a big bend in it. His first flig kitty...right in the channel...gave him a nice tussle.
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[#0000ff]Actually, we both hooked several fish in the channel before we got out into the open lake. No skunks today. And as soon as we got out into the lake we started getting more bites. I had given Chris one bag of minnows and I had two for myself. But he was almost through his bag within the first hour. So, nice guy that I am, I put together a second supply out of my stash.
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[#0000ff]No wipers or walleyes today, but our primary target was to get Chris some hard fighting kitties on those fligs. Mission accomplished. He had caught about a dozen before he had to leave early for some other duties.
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[#0000ff]I stayed for about another hour and finished off my remaining minnows...and then pitched some plastics. No love on plastics...except for some little rattle rattle love taps...probably small cats or wipers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Out of bait and 8 cats in the basket by a little after 10. Off the lake in time to miss the worst of the heat. But that haze was ugly. I was wondering if those fires in California might be burning up some of the "cash crops" in those hills. First clue was the seagulls flying upside down and the terns making U-turns.
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[#0000ff]We met up at the south marina this morning...first ones through the gate. Got him supplied with a flig starter kit and some LHBE minnows...and conducted a brief rigging tutorial. Chris is a savvy angler and picked right up on it.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff] [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Air temp 70 at launch...with lots of smoke from California fires. Water temp 79. Calm and clear...except for the smoke.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff] [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Chris got prepped and launched first. I was right behind him but as I motored close to him I could see that something was wrong with his rod. It had a big bend in it. His first flig kitty...right in the channel...gave him a nice tussle.
[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Actually, we both hooked several fish in the channel before we got out into the open lake. No skunks today. And as soon as we got out into the lake we started getting more bites. I had given Chris one bag of minnows and I had two for myself. But he was almost through his bag within the first hour. So, nice guy that I am, I put together a second supply out of my stash.
[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]No wipers or walleyes today, but our primary target was to get Chris some hard fighting kitties on those fligs. Mission accomplished. He had caught about a dozen before he had to leave early for some other duties.
[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I stayed for about another hour and finished off my remaining minnows...and then pitched some plastics. No love on plastics...except for some little rattle rattle love taps...probably small cats or wipers.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff] [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Out of bait and 8 cats in the basket by a little after 10. Off the lake in time to miss the worst of the heat. But that haze was ugly. I was wondering if those fires in California might be burning up some of the "cash crops" in those hills. First clue was the seagulls flying upside down and the terns making U-turns.
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