Post by mwardncsu on Oct 31, 2016 10:11:02 GMT -5
Weather: Partly sunny, wind 10 from the S/SW and then dropping
Water: 67, visibility of a couple feet
Techniques: pulling silver dollar to dollar bill gizzards, and two larger one on free-line planers and a light-line silver dollar out the back
I was wiped out from Tournament Day on Saturday so I slept in Sunday AM, then got up and unloaded the truck and cleaned up the tournament boards to get the fish slime or skunk smell off of them and have then ready for the December event. I kept saying to myself I needed to go fishing, but the wind was picking up and almost talked myself out of it.... but I got in the boat, went to top off some gas and get lunch and then decided to make it happen. I fished down the lake to start, catching back in the back of a creek - found tons of the silver dollar to smallish dollar-bill baits and then went wayyyyy up the back of the creek into the sun as far as I could get trying to find some big boys - did find one mongo and one largish bait so I started fishing. No action in that creek so after puling out of the back and across a flat that sometimes produces fish I made a 20 min run up the lake. I was trying to decide exactly where uplake to fish and on the way Nathan texted and said he was going to be in the area so I rode on up a bit further than the closest stop I was thinking about and picked him up - we fished near by and within a minute of putting the mongo out on the bank it was getting action.
Now, all my gear was still rigged for late summer / early fall fishing - had mostly light-lines with 2/0 hooks and only 3 with 5/0 hooks. I was lazy and put the big boy on a 5/0 hook and no stinger and knew I'd regret it. I did. Very quickly the board with the mongo took off and the rod loaded up, and I felt the fish and then felt the fish let go of the bait.
The mongo was scaled up good and looked dead but I tossed him back in the bait tank just for grins.
We pulled that bank up and down several times and had action every pass - more on the largish bait but even the silver dollars got a few tugs - but they were just quick tugs without a hook-up. Had one board go down VERY slowly - and the rod loaded up and then I got back a bait that had the skin peeled off - thanks Mr. Whiskers..... And did have striper chase or smack a bait all the way up and out of the water - that was cool.
Around then I noticed that my beat up, playing dead mongo that had been laying on the bottom of the tank had come back to life and was swimming again, so even though it looked like crap it went back out to the front-lines. He drew some action but then found a tree..... At least that gave me a good tug......
We had a few more hits but could never hook up. But it felt good to just get out and ride on the lake a while and pull some baits.... November will be here tomorrow and it's time to hit it hard - find the big baits and get quality fish to the boat!
Water: 67, visibility of a couple feet
Techniques: pulling silver dollar to dollar bill gizzards, and two larger one on free-line planers and a light-line silver dollar out the back
I was wiped out from Tournament Day on Saturday so I slept in Sunday AM, then got up and unloaded the truck and cleaned up the tournament boards to get the fish slime or skunk smell off of them and have then ready for the December event. I kept saying to myself I needed to go fishing, but the wind was picking up and almost talked myself out of it.... but I got in the boat, went to top off some gas and get lunch and then decided to make it happen. I fished down the lake to start, catching back in the back of a creek - found tons of the silver dollar to smallish dollar-bill baits and then went wayyyyy up the back of the creek into the sun as far as I could get trying to find some big boys - did find one mongo and one largish bait so I started fishing. No action in that creek so after puling out of the back and across a flat that sometimes produces fish I made a 20 min run up the lake. I was trying to decide exactly where uplake to fish and on the way Nathan texted and said he was going to be in the area so I rode on up a bit further than the closest stop I was thinking about and picked him up - we fished near by and within a minute of putting the mongo out on the bank it was getting action.
Now, all my gear was still rigged for late summer / early fall fishing - had mostly light-lines with 2/0 hooks and only 3 with 5/0 hooks. I was lazy and put the big boy on a 5/0 hook and no stinger and knew I'd regret it. I did. Very quickly the board with the mongo took off and the rod loaded up, and I felt the fish and then felt the fish let go of the bait.
The mongo was scaled up good and looked dead but I tossed him back in the bait tank just for grins.We pulled that bank up and down several times and had action every pass - more on the largish bait but even the silver dollars got a few tugs - but they were just quick tugs without a hook-up. Had one board go down VERY slowly - and the rod loaded up and then I got back a bait that had the skin peeled off - thanks Mr. Whiskers..... And did have striper chase or smack a bait all the way up and out of the water - that was cool.
Around then I noticed that my beat up, playing dead mongo that had been laying on the bottom of the tank had come back to life and was swimming again, so even though it looked like crap it went back out to the front-lines. He drew some action but then found a tree..... At least that gave me a good tug......
We had a few more hits but could never hook up. But it felt good to just get out and ride on the lake a while and pull some baits.... November will be here tomorrow and it's time to hit it hard - find the big baits and get quality fish to the boat!
I did steer away from the oysters after they had been sitting outside Gator & Arch's room for three days however....... 