10-01-2013, 10:17 PM
[quote pezvela]I feel for you. I've been there many times. Some days the fishing can be good and the next.......Painful.
I've tried to figure out the timing, looked at the solar predictors, read the WeeGee board and even prayed to the fish gods. No rhyme or reason to it. All I know for sure is that I have never caught a pike when I was sitting home.
What has been sort of successful for me and those that I fish with is to be constantly experimenting. I have a plan that works like this. If it is windy I begin by trolling, but always during the time I'm dragging lures I'm changing up speeds, lure types and so forth. With 3 lines in the water we will have three types of lures perhaps; spoons, deep divers and shallow divers. Every half hour I change lures searching for what they may bite. If I get a bite on a spoon, for instance, I will put spoons on all lines. Then I will try different speeds for the spoons. If that don't work I go back to the beginning scenario.
I do not recall ever catching a northern in the deep water. I always work close to the shore in water no deeper than 20'. The other day I ran into Bill Gatley. Bill has, arguably, caught more northerns than any other Yuba fisherman. I meant to ask Bill if he ever catches them in deep water, but forgot, but I do know that Bill trolls almost exclusively and he catches a lot of big northerns.
If the wind permits it, I will fish with my electric trolling motor slowly ( 1/2 to 1 MPH) along the shore line while casting. A silver and blue backed rattle trap is my go to lure so I start with that switching to slash baits and rapalas. The angler in the back of the boat will use something entirely different like a big spinner.
Staying out a long cast to the shore line, we will fan cast both the front of the boat and the stern ensuring that if there is a big northern laying there he will see the lure, getting the fish to bite is another story.
I don't know for sure how many big northerns have been caught on my boat, but a lot. Dozens and dozens over 15 lbs and plenty over 20lbs. I think Yuba has the potential to become one of the best pike waters in America which is why I get so frustrated that the DWR does little or nothing about managing the reservoir. If what I have read is true it appears that they aren't willing to move forward with a real management plan. 20 pike limit with 1 over 36". That reads like a plan to destroy the pike fishery to me.
Maybe its a good thing that the fishing is tough so there are still fish there. If the DWR wanted to create a real trophy fishery there they would use biology, science and the experience of many other state fisheries to come up with a concrete plan that would insure the survival of the fishery even in the most adverse of conditions and drought years. Again, Just my two bits worth but it comes from someone who loves to fish Yuba.[/quote]
Thanks Sailfish for that insight. It was windy, I might try trolling. I never really have done it in freshwater.
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I've tried to figure out the timing, looked at the solar predictors, read the WeeGee board and even prayed to the fish gods. No rhyme or reason to it. All I know for sure is that I have never caught a pike when I was sitting home.
What has been sort of successful for me and those that I fish with is to be constantly experimenting. I have a plan that works like this. If it is windy I begin by trolling, but always during the time I'm dragging lures I'm changing up speeds, lure types and so forth. With 3 lines in the water we will have three types of lures perhaps; spoons, deep divers and shallow divers. Every half hour I change lures searching for what they may bite. If I get a bite on a spoon, for instance, I will put spoons on all lines. Then I will try different speeds for the spoons. If that don't work I go back to the beginning scenario.
I do not recall ever catching a northern in the deep water. I always work close to the shore in water no deeper than 20'. The other day I ran into Bill Gatley. Bill has, arguably, caught more northerns than any other Yuba fisherman. I meant to ask Bill if he ever catches them in deep water, but forgot, but I do know that Bill trolls almost exclusively and he catches a lot of big northerns.
If the wind permits it, I will fish with my electric trolling motor slowly ( 1/2 to 1 MPH) along the shore line while casting. A silver and blue backed rattle trap is my go to lure so I start with that switching to slash baits and rapalas. The angler in the back of the boat will use something entirely different like a big spinner.
Staying out a long cast to the shore line, we will fan cast both the front of the boat and the stern ensuring that if there is a big northern laying there he will see the lure, getting the fish to bite is another story.
I don't know for sure how many big northerns have been caught on my boat, but a lot. Dozens and dozens over 15 lbs and plenty over 20lbs. I think Yuba has the potential to become one of the best pike waters in America which is why I get so frustrated that the DWR does little or nothing about managing the reservoir. If what I have read is true it appears that they aren't willing to move forward with a real management plan. 20 pike limit with 1 over 36". That reads like a plan to destroy the pike fishery to me.
Maybe its a good thing that the fishing is tough so there are still fish there. If the DWR wanted to create a real trophy fishery there they would use biology, science and the experience of many other state fisheries to come up with a concrete plan that would insure the survival of the fishery even in the most adverse of conditions and drought years. Again, Just my two bits worth but it comes from someone who loves to fish Yuba.[/quote]
Thanks Sailfish for that insight. It was windy, I might try trolling. I never really have done it in freshwater.
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