06-21-2016, 08:44 PM
[#0000FF]I recently got a Dave Scadden Escape (tube/toon). Finally got it tricked out with the PVC goodies and decided to try it at the south marina on Willard. Been a while since I fished the south marina and figured with all the new water it might produce.
But the big old full moon just grinned at me as I drove up to the ramp. Oh well, I was there mainly for a shakedown cruise on the new ride.
Launched by about 6:30...along with several boats. Met up with FatBiker heading out in his boat. Air temp was 71. Water temp was 75. Felt good to be waderless...knowing it was going to heat up soon. Almost like being back in Arizona. The bad part was that when I went to put on my sunglasses I found that the left lens was missing. Oh snap.
Saw few fish on sonar and caught even fewer on the way out of the channel. Dragged a minnow on one rod while alternating between crankbait, plastics or Gulp minnows on the second rod.
Headed straight out from the dike into water from 13 feet to 20 feet. No love on the minnows. Had a few "whack-n-whiffs" on the Gulp goodies. Also had one good chomp and rip on a crankbait...but the fish was inexperienced and did not know how to hang on. Felt like a wiper. Heck, let's say it was a 20 pounder.
Finally found one small zone that held a few frisky kitties. Got several on the minnows. The first fish I got in the new Escape was my smallest of the day. It was only about 14 inches. It and the next few I brought to tube were all released. Just as well. The cleaning station is still covered at the south marina.
The bites stopped and the heat was getting higher by 11ish. I had made some notes on some modifications I wanted to make on my new setup and I had avoided the skunk on my maiden voyage. Catfish don't exactly smell like roses but they are better than those striped kitties.
FatBiker was coming back in about the same time I did. He reported finding a few walleyes and wipers in his boat.
I Escaped the heat and escaped the skunk. Good first trip for my new Escape.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]
But the big old full moon just grinned at me as I drove up to the ramp. Oh well, I was there mainly for a shakedown cruise on the new ride.
Launched by about 6:30...along with several boats. Met up with FatBiker heading out in his boat. Air temp was 71. Water temp was 75. Felt good to be waderless...knowing it was going to heat up soon. Almost like being back in Arizona. The bad part was that when I went to put on my sunglasses I found that the left lens was missing. Oh snap.
Saw few fish on sonar and caught even fewer on the way out of the channel. Dragged a minnow on one rod while alternating between crankbait, plastics or Gulp minnows on the second rod.
Headed straight out from the dike into water from 13 feet to 20 feet. No love on the minnows. Had a few "whack-n-whiffs" on the Gulp goodies. Also had one good chomp and rip on a crankbait...but the fish was inexperienced and did not know how to hang on. Felt like a wiper. Heck, let's say it was a 20 pounder.
Finally found one small zone that held a few frisky kitties. Got several on the minnows. The first fish I got in the new Escape was my smallest of the day. It was only about 14 inches. It and the next few I brought to tube were all released. Just as well. The cleaning station is still covered at the south marina.
The bites stopped and the heat was getting higher by 11ish. I had made some notes on some modifications I wanted to make on my new setup and I had avoided the skunk on my maiden voyage. Catfish don't exactly smell like roses but they are better than those striped kitties.
FatBiker was coming back in about the same time I did. He reported finding a few walleyes and wipers in his boat.
I Escaped the heat and escaped the skunk. Good first trip for my new Escape.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]