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Hi Gang! I can't believe that I'm gonna beat TD making a post about our great outing yesterday! We decided it would make sense for us to get in an afternoon of fishing before the weekend got in full force. We were on the water (Saguaro Lake) by 2:00 and off at 7:00. Fishing was great and catching was consistent! We caught a couple of catfish (mine just happened to be a little bigger than his ... he didn't even take a picture of it) and several yellow bass. I'm having a hard time convincing him we should go again tomorrow ... guess I'll have to wait until next weekend.
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I can't believe he doesn't want to go tamorrow! What hapened, did you wear the old man out or he's just mad you caught a bigger fish? Tell him for me that if I had a wife to do fishing with me I'd go every chance I had!!!! And take and post pictures!!!!!! With all the time he spends on "accessories" he better get his priority of the "primaries" straightened out! Absolutely no excuses!!
[crazy][crazy][crazy]Leaky
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[cool]Now waitaminnit. Everybody likes to pick on poor helpless little old men. (Well, I am getting a LITTLE older)
I never turn down a good opportunity to go fishing. But, that short trip on Friday wored me out. I'm the one that has to put the tackle together, load the car, do all the heavy lifting, etc. Tube Babe comes home and jumps in the rig and away we go. Then, when she keeps all those fish, that's more "board time" when we get home...and I'm up late filleting fish. (By the way...TB is a big help with the filleting too) This morning I make a "fish gut run" to the local dumpster, buy a sausage burrito for us and then it's several hours of yard work...in a hundred degree weather. Oh yeah, I also had to put up her "soaking pool"...or be served with papers.
And, did I mention that the temperature was over 100 degrees when we hit the water yesterday? Of course we now fish "wet", without waders...in the 81 degree water. But still, even with bottles of ice water, we both dehydrated.
It's good the fishing was as hot as the weather. We both started catching fish right off the bat and it stayed pretty steady. I got a 3.8 # channel cat on my first cast. TubeBabe got her 5.8 # channel about a half hour later. The rest of the time our lures couldn't get close enough to the bottom for Mr. Whiskers to be able to get to them.
The post spawn yellow bass were thick, and in spite of a bunch of noisy swimmers who had to keep checking us out, we caught a lot. I started a count, and had 20 within the first few minutes...only about three of which went into my basket. After an hour and a half, my count was over 75 and I stopped counting. It did slow down for brief periods, but it was seldom more than a cast or two between bites.
Besides being too busy to take pics, I was field testing two new items of equipment. First,. I had just received a new pair of Mares Plana Avanti fins I lucked into on a closeout on a website for diving equipment. Got them for about half price. They are black, and about an inch narrower than the blue ones I have been using for about 18 years. Several neat new design goodies, like a push button on the strap buckle that allows one-handed strap adjustment quickly and easily. Plenty of power, and the narrower design lessened the incidence of kicking my fins together when under power.
The second field test was on a new left hand retrieve baitcast reel. I picked up a couple of BassPro XPS ProQualifiers on a recent closeout...again for about half price. They are small and lightweight, with good spool tolerance for light lines. So, I spooled up with 8# Excalibur and stuck the reel on a medlight one piece spinning rod...not one of my baitcasting sticks. I use this rod a lot with a spinning reel and it balances nice with yellow bass.
Once I got everything balanced and tuned to throw the 1/16 oz. Roadrunner jigs I wanted to use, I was sailing out some pretty respectable casts for light lures on baitcasting gear. The cat I caught early came on my little ultralight outfit, and 4# line, as many of our biggest cats do...for both of us. I switched to the little baitcaster, with the thought that maybe there might be some more cats available, and the revolving spool reel and the heavier line might give me a better battle on bigger fish.
The problem was that the yellow bass thought I wanted to play with them. On several occasions, I brought in eight to ten fish in a row, without missing. I would toss out the light jig, count it down to mid depth and start a slow retrieve...to get the spinner moving on the Roadrunner. Bump...bump...bump...WHAM...and I would have to reel in another aggressive yellow bass. I also had about a 3# largie that found the little sparkler inviting and jumped all over it. After a surge and a low jump, he tossed the lure back to me.
As the sun finally went over the edge of the low hills around the lake, the action slowed down somewhat. Strikes were fewer and more tentative. We had to go to smaller jigs and fish them vertical...with the deadly "shivver lift". The temperature plummeted to about 95 and we were thinking about putting our short sleeved sweatshirts on over our fishing Tshirts. (NOT)
I used to fish baitcasting reels on spinning rods all the time, but haven't done much of that since I have so many casting rods too. Last night convinced me that the combo of the more positive drag system of the casting reels, together with longer and lighter spinning rods, is a fun and deadly pairing to help better enjoy the action on smaller fish. It also offers the insurance of having tackle better matched to the big denizens that we hook on almost every trip.
Actually, with quality tackle and proper drag settings, we seldom lose a big fish, even on the super light outfits we use the most. About the only time we do not land a big cat or bass is when it either spits the hook or finds a piece of structure that it can wrap around and pop the line. On the Excalibur line we use, we have never had knot failure or broken line.
I would love to get out on the water again this weekend, but I have a strong aversion to competing with amateurs...and holiday weekends seem to bring them out in force. Anyone who has read our other posts, about "regular" trips on routine weekends, knows that we usually have to battle enough other water traffic and fish disturbances. Add in the holiday factor and it becomes too much for a poor little old man to handle.
TubeDude
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I was wondering when you were going to attempt, I say attempt to defend yourself!
"With all the time he spends on "accessories" he better get his priority of the "primaries" straightened out! Absolutely no excuses!! "
Need I repeat!!!!!!! LOL,LOL,LOL
[crazy][crazy][crazy][crazy][crazy][crazy]Leky
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[cool]Hey, Leaky. Thanks for sticking up for me. Yeah, right. It's a lot different trying to keep a "lady tangler" outfitted and happy than it is a companion like Bud. When was the last time Bud asked you "What have you done for me LATELY?"
Seriously, I am properly grateful to be able to get a "fishing pass" anytime I want...just by askin' "Wanna go fishin'?" I think the only complaint either of us has is that work is the biggest interference with out fishing schedules. That, and care for my parents. If we were retired, independently wealthy and free of the responsibilities of being parents, grandparents and caregivers, we would probably get to fish almost as much as Leaky. But, for right now, we still do okay.
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Ok,----- I had my fun at your expense. You've got to admit, "the Babe" gave me an opening. He, he. Don't know why, but, you're off the hook. Enjoy your fishing, good luck with your parents, keep up the good reports and posting and enjoy the holiday.
[sly][crazy]Leaky
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[center][font "Monotype Corsiva"][#ff0000][size 5]L[sly]L[/size][/#ff0000][/font][/center] [center]Pass the Barbique Sause... Plwase!!![/center] [center]Lots of ribs on this string lol[/center]
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[cool]You want fries with that?
Yeah, that is one of the great things about our family at BFT. We can all dish it out and we can all take it. And, it doesn't get out of hand, so that someone is offended or hurt in the process. At least, we hope not.
How is your long weekend going Dave? getting in any fishing? And, are you still thinking about joining the ranks of tubaholics?
TubeDude
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its been cold and thretining rain, and more of the same forcast ahead...
I am still a wannabe for sure....
a nasty o'l racoon did me a number in the pocket book so it looks like another year before I can set in with ya'all.
He ate 4 holes in my roof bigenough to pass giuded missles through with room to spare.
I am gonna put some barbique sause on his hind end too.... Pass the corn please....
I have a couple kids fishing tournies comming up in two weeks so I have to put everythng together for my 2 day promotional for next week then the 2 derbies for the following week.
then I will have to see what I can do about putting together a summer fish camp for the kids in the neighborhood.
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[cool]Hey, Dave. Got an idea on how to solve your raccoon problem and make some money too. Advertise on the flyfishing board "EXOTIC SKINS FOR FLY TYING. MAKE MANY EXCELLENT PATTERNS. $10 PER SKIN. (SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED)"
Anyone who sends the $10 gets a permit to hunt your coons, and to keep all they catch. Coons are smart. When the word gets out among coon-kind that your place is not safe, your roof problems will go away.
Sorry about the bad weather. We have been over 100 for the last week. I will send you some warm weather by PM...if you will send me some cool and or rain next month June is always our hottest and driest month.
TubeDude
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Hey TB we have to get our licks in when we can. Way to go. I enjoy yours and TD.s posts.
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