10/21, Mid Lake Skunkin', Green Light Fascination
Oct 22, 2017 12:43:41 GMT -5
mwardncsu, tiltntrim, and 1 more like this
Post by greywalls on Oct 22, 2017 12:43:41 GMT -5
Headed out yesterday from 2:30pm - 10:00pm to spend some QT with my dad and my new Simrad. We spent the bulk of time learning the locator and experimenting with settings to get it dialed in -- pretty impressed with it and the Lowrance Totalscan transducer.
Put in at the Park and split the day between Walton Creek and Becky's Creek. WT hovered around 71 the entire day in both areas. Pretty low traffic, and the lake was like glass most of the time. We were fishing artificials -- my dad, old standby big Rebel minnow crankbaits; and I, a Picasso A-rig with Missile Shockwave 4.25 swimbaits.
Found some good looking fish around a big bait ball at WC1, and saw more back into Walton. No luck with them. Over at Becky's, back half of the channel was full of fish when we arrived around 5:30. It was awesome to see on the locator -- shad everywhere, and big ol arches next to them (and looked great on downscan, too). Saw a total of three other boats fishing Becky's. When we eased in towards the back half, a pontoon and a CC were side by side trolling out, each pulling boards on both sides -- which made for a spread across the entire creek, with only about a 40yd gap in the center that I carefully threaded through (kinda felt bad even puttering through so close, but there was no other way to pass -- and at least everyone waved!). Guy in the CC indicated they had caught three (I think), and they soon thereafter hauled in their gear and headed out -- we didn't see anyone hook up the whole day. Only one other boat, a beautiful carolina blue CC, came in to fish -- I felt bad for him when I watched an idiot in a ski boat come flying in within 30yds and circle right around him, flying back out. If any of you guys are here on the board, I was in the white and red Bass Buggy 'toon.
Anyway, the back end of the creek was full of more baitfish than I've ever seen before. Again, water was like glass, and as we watched three deer drinking at the edge, the entire creek was rippling from skipping baitfish, all in silence. Pretty cool. We slowly trolled up and down the channel several times without anything to show for it. I had a single hard bump that was massive, which re-amped the enthusiasm.
Highlight of the night, though, was stumbling across a big green light that a dock owner had submerged in ~8ft of water. Out of curiosity, I pointed the Minn Kota towards it and we watched it for about 20 minutes. Coolest thing ever. Tons of small baitfish (presumably alewives) and lots of 6" baitfish (presumably gizzards)... And then, huge black shadows would streak in - stripers! We watched a massive striper that would hit the 40" mark come in three times, making the baitfish haul tail! I did cast my A-rig several times without any luck, but didn't want to risk hanging the light or tossing too close to a fellow angler's property. But to watch the baitfish and the stripers around the light was nearly as much fun as fishing. After last night, I've relegated my fishing piggy bank to saving up for a portable Hydro Grow green light to try out on the boat at night. If one could get some bait coming to the light within an hour or so, I wouldn't be surprised if stripers followed -- which could make for some nighttime fun, jigging artificials or teasing dollarbills on a flat line around the periphery!
Not to hijack my own thread (!), but does anyone use these green lights from a boat with any success? Would like to hear of your experience.
Tight lines, fellas.
Corey
Put in at the Park and split the day between Walton Creek and Becky's Creek. WT hovered around 71 the entire day in both areas. Pretty low traffic, and the lake was like glass most of the time. We were fishing artificials -- my dad, old standby big Rebel minnow crankbaits; and I, a Picasso A-rig with Missile Shockwave 4.25 swimbaits.
Found some good looking fish around a big bait ball at WC1, and saw more back into Walton. No luck with them. Over at Becky's, back half of the channel was full of fish when we arrived around 5:30. It was awesome to see on the locator -- shad everywhere, and big ol arches next to them (and looked great on downscan, too). Saw a total of three other boats fishing Becky's. When we eased in towards the back half, a pontoon and a CC were side by side trolling out, each pulling boards on both sides -- which made for a spread across the entire creek, with only about a 40yd gap in the center that I carefully threaded through (kinda felt bad even puttering through so close, but there was no other way to pass -- and at least everyone waved!). Guy in the CC indicated they had caught three (I think), and they soon thereafter hauled in their gear and headed out -- we didn't see anyone hook up the whole day. Only one other boat, a beautiful carolina blue CC, came in to fish -- I felt bad for him when I watched an idiot in a ski boat come flying in within 30yds and circle right around him, flying back out. If any of you guys are here on the board, I was in the white and red Bass Buggy 'toon.
Anyway, the back end of the creek was full of more baitfish than I've ever seen before. Again, water was like glass, and as we watched three deer drinking at the edge, the entire creek was rippling from skipping baitfish, all in silence. Pretty cool. We slowly trolled up and down the channel several times without anything to show for it. I had a single hard bump that was massive, which re-amped the enthusiasm.
Highlight of the night, though, was stumbling across a big green light that a dock owner had submerged in ~8ft of water. Out of curiosity, I pointed the Minn Kota towards it and we watched it for about 20 minutes. Coolest thing ever. Tons of small baitfish (presumably alewives) and lots of 6" baitfish (presumably gizzards)... And then, huge black shadows would streak in - stripers! We watched a massive striper that would hit the 40" mark come in three times, making the baitfish haul tail! I did cast my A-rig several times without any luck, but didn't want to risk hanging the light or tossing too close to a fellow angler's property. But to watch the baitfish and the stripers around the light was nearly as much fun as fishing. After last night, I've relegated my fishing piggy bank to saving up for a portable Hydro Grow green light to try out on the boat at night. If one could get some bait coming to the light within an hour or so, I wouldn't be surprised if stripers followed -- which could make for some nighttime fun, jigging artificials or teasing dollarbills on a flat line around the periphery!
Not to hijack my own thread (!), but does anyone use these green lights from a boat with any success? Would like to hear of your experience.
Tight lines, fellas.
Corey
