Woodruff and Birch Creek 9/23

[Jig-fisher]

I went muzz hunting today.  I learned my lesson from last year and threw in my fishing gear to spend the afternoon fishing.

First stop was Woodruff.  Water is low, but still plenty of water in the res.  One rig parked there but no one in sight.  I hiked back into the back portion of the lake and then spotted the guy from the rig.  He was in a tube with an electric and had a fish on.   I proceeded to throw my favorite search lure, brown marabou jig.  It didn't take long until I was rewarded with my first of a 1/2 dozen cutts.  They were beautiful.  Size ranged from 12" to 16".  Lots of swipes and misses along with a couple of long releases.  I tried different offerings, but all fish ended up coming on the jigs.

I then headed over to Birch Creek.  The water is very low here.  Again started with the jig and was rewarded almost immediately with this approx 18" beauty of a tiger. Ended up with a couple of nice tigers and some dinky rainbows.  I probably could have caught a ton of those small 7-8" bows if I would have targeted them.  They were jumping clear out of the water and chasing everything.  A small fly would have killed them.










The fishing was better at Woodruff, but the quality of the tigers was better at Birch. Jigs were the ticket today and always my favorite way to play.

[fish_digger]

That was me in the tube. Nice to meet you on the water.

Best part of the day was watching an osprey snag a cutt and then run for its life being pursued by a pair of bald eagles. The eagles closed the gap fast and at the last second the osprey dropped the fish. With quick cut to the left, and no longer slowed down by the weight of the cutt, it could now accelerate rapidly and the eagles broke off their pursuit. It was as if they were telling the osprey "this is our pond and our fish go find your own".

Largest cutt of the day was 2 lbs. Fishing slow but consistent. Occasionally the sonar would show fish and I had pretty good success dropping the jig straight down to them. It didn't always lead to a hook up, but it was always exciting to get a strike.

[remo_5_0]

Sounds like a good day for both of you, if you can make it back to Woodruff on the hard deck it’s well worth the effort!

[JArner]

Sounds like a great trip out there. I fished Birch a few years ago early on in the season. Beautiful country up there.

[Jig-fisher]

That was me in the tube. Nice to meet you on the water.

Best part of the day was watching an osprey snag a cutt and then run for its life being pursued by a pair of bald eagles. The eagles closed the gap fast and at the last second the osprey dropped the fish. With quick cut to the left, and no longer slowed down by the weight of the cutt, it could now accelerate rapidly and the eagles broke off their pursuit. It was as if they were telling the osprey "this is our pond and our fish go find your own".

Largest cutt of the day was 2 lbs. Fishing slow but consistent. Occasionally the sonar would show fish and I had pretty good success dropping the jig straight down to them. It didn't always lead to a hook up, but it was always exciting to get a strike.

It was good to chat with you too.  I was a little jealous of your mobility, and it seemed like you were doing pretty well. Were you up for just the day or were you going to camp and fish again today?

[fish_digger]

I drove up Tuesday evening and camped at the top of the hill. I had to be back for work, so I only spent one day on the water. With a second day I would have rolled my rig up and over the dam at Birch Creek.

[Jig-fisher]

That is a great idea to spend the night.  Otherwise it is a very early rise and drive to get there.