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Yesterday TD got me thinking of a long lost legendary spot. When I was a kid I ran into a guy that told me he had been out exploring the Cutler marsh and had found a spot where a huge crystal clear spring boiled up and that area was all clear water in the middle of the murk. He went on to tell of high numbers of bass, crappie and blue gill hanging out in this area and it was about 10' deep. He also said it was around one of the rookeries. (Where the birds nest). As a young man I spent several days looking for the spot and never could find it. Well yesterday TD gave me the idea of checking Google maps for the satellite view. After some study I was sure I found it. So last night I grabbed the boat and hit the marina in a hurricane, but that didn't matter, I was off to find Shangri-La. I crashed through the white caps over to the tressle where I switched motors to my trolling motor,(stupid regulations) and headed south about 3 miles through 2' deep water what a pain. I got to the spot about half hour before sundown dove out of the boat and started looking but it was all muddy water. Don't know if the wave action pushed dirty water in there or if it never was clear there, one thing is for sure it's not 10' deep. It might be knee deep, I couldn't tell since I was sinking so far in the mud. May not be the fishing Mecca I had hoped, but it did look like a great spot to chase ducks. Anyway if anyone knows about this spot and are willing to pass it on, I would appreciate it. Thanks J
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Maybe the lack of spring and summer showers allowed the spring to temporarily dry up......Try again next year.
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I was even wondering about a different day when the north wind wasn't pushing all that muddy water up into that area. It still is shallow so most likely won't hold many fish but I was excited when I seen an area on the satellite image that looked like it might be clear water. Kind of fun going all Indianna Jones after it anyway. Next time I think I'll take the toon or a canoe from the other side, that's a lot of shallow water in between. Thank you for the tip and I'll probably check that again. Later J
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Ya know I heard rumor about some magical spring before. Oh - wait, it was probably you! Ha!
Haven't done a ton of time up that way, but got lost in the maze a few times over, from the north - and from the south. Found how easy it easy to get of the beaten path (aka, channel) and wind up in shallow to shallower, but OH how those carp love it on a hot day!
Did come to realize there are signs that more or less mark off the channel. But really - I don't get how the bigger boats make it around out most of that marsh. Certainly into the maze, even the main stretches - I don't think I've learned the proper channels.
So you got out of the boat? Waders? Mucking in the mud, eh? Hope your boots don't suction off your feet!
I'm thinking I need to head back to the river for some deep bends and big wood. Maybe run out to the train bridge - see what's holding in the deep water.
Though I haven't been hitting my Friday night fights yet this year. Should be good crappie/bass time, no?
If you want to take your toon to the Newt - I might break out the old inflatable, and see if it'd hold some air (Kayak). I'd expect some willing panfish in what's left of that lake. Though it's almost closing time for the Pig.... hmmm.
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Hey Yote, ya my adventure was a trip and I wasn't smart enough to wear waders, I just dove in with a pair of muck boots, ya they're real muck boots now... Anyway took the scouts out tubing tonight on Cutler, lots of fishermen out hitting it every night... Noone is admitting to catching many, but you know fishermen... they must be catching something as often as they are there... I've heard tell the crappie and bass are starting to hit it these days, but I haven't wet a line for a couple weeks, except up the canyon last weekend I nailed a beauty cutthroat in Franklin Basin, it must have been 16" and fat, but that was the only hit in my half hour fly trip before my family got up and we headed out to pick huckleberries... Anyway getting back to your question, I think I will try a little fishing in the morning, its a furlough day and since I don't have another job lined up, guess I better use it wisely... I'm thinking about taking the toon up to Ballard Bridge and floating down to Dad's and pull out there and have my wife run me back up to my truck... Only problem is I don't have any decent bait so it might be a wasted trip... Plus my battery is run down so I may not have the power I need... Sorry just thinking as I type... I have a family fishing trip on Friday and so I hadn't better push it with three days in a row... but if you want to hit Benson tomorrow or Willard Friday, (sorry I don't have room for more in the boat at Willard) let me know and we'll try to line something up... I'd like to try Newton, but somehow big toothy things around my toon sort of makes me nervous.... It would sure be fun to catch one of those monsters though... Let me see how things go, I might be swayed... Later J
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