Pike day at Yuba

[albinotrout]

With all the talk about the northerns at Yuba I thought I would head down there and give it a try. I arrived at the break of dawn to calm water and slight breeze about 51 degrees air temp. It was rather slow but I didn't get skunked![] And for me that says something since I have never fished Yuba before today.

I launched at Oasis to a water temp of 51 degrees and left at 52 degree water temp. I worked my way down the shoreline to the dam and across to the opposite shore. Not one bite. I was trying out my new 8 wt fly rod with some of the new sacrificial perch patterns as cpierce called them, that I had tied up over the weekend. After I saw how the rod handled and nothing biting I had switched to spoons and cranks. As I was moving to relocate myself from across the bay around 8:40 am, I pulled a gold spoon behind me and WHAM! fish on... I ended up catching a nice 20ish incher. First pike ever for me. Another to scratch off the bucket list.[cool]

After that nothing was biting. Lots of fish jumping around me though taunting me. They were silver in color and figured it might be some of the pike. I did mark a lot of shooled fish around the 10-14 foot range, not sure what these would have been though. At 10 am the wind started to blow and the forecasted storm started to blow in. I was off the water at 10:20 as the white caps formed around me. I may have to return another day when the weather will be calmer. Here are the pics!

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[flygoddess]

Right on. Too bad it couldn't have come to the flies you tied and the new rod. Gotta stick with it my friend.[]
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[albinotrout]

Yes indeedy! I found the that the flies with the bass taper when stripped stayed about 4-6 inches below the surface. I took note for future reference especially when chasing bass later this summer.
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[flygoddess]

Someday I will get down there. I want to catch one on a nymph....LOL
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[albinotrout]

That would have to be one big nymph.[bobhappy]
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[flygoddess]

Pike don't eat bugs?[] Don't forget clousers[]
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[TubeDude]

[quote flygoddess]Pike don't eat bugs?[] Don't forget clousers[][/quote]

[cool][#0000FF]About the only time pike eat bitty bites is between the sac fry stage and about 2 or 3 inches. After that they eat any other fish they can get in their mouths...including fellow pikelets almost their own size. Once they reach the 20 inch mark they can eat perch and other fish up to almost a foot in length.

But that don't mean they won't chomp almost anything that moves. They eat crawdads, mice, young waterfowl, etc. And the bigger they get the bigger baits and lures you can catch them on.

Go ahead and take some hares' ears. Maybe you can hook a small carp on one and let it swim around until a pike eats it. Just don't get busted for fishing with live bait...although there ain't no laws sayin' how fast you gotta retrieve when you hook a fish (small carp).
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[cpierce]

Way to go! Too bad the weather has been so cruddy lately. It sure makes for shorter trips.
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[albinotrout]

Lyes with the weather trying to fit in fishing trips and family stuff makes it hard. I try to get out once a week but lately it's been on e every other week.[:/]
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