12/29/14 - Solo Catching in the Cold Rain
Dec 29, 2014 16:40:10 GMT -5
BentRod, widgeon3, and 1 more like this
Post by mwardncsu on Dec 29, 2014 16:40:10 GMT -5
Weather: light rain most of the morning, temps around 38-42 though it felt like the temp was dropping as the morning went on, winds 5-10 from NE- overall pretty raw
Water: 48, visibility of 3 feet
Techniques: Big gizzards (dollar-bill up to 14") on freelined planers, alewifes on downlines (2) for part of the morning, alewife on a lightline most of of the morning. Stinger trebles on only the biggest few baits (12"+)
After getting back from fishing with Tyler & Nathan on Sunday afternoon and hitting a pub with them for dinner, I didn't really have anything else to do and it was still close to 60 degrees with temperatures dropping overnight & rain coming in, so I decided I'd ride back to the creek where we caught bait in the afternoon and see if I could net enough to fish with Monday or Tuesday so we could leave the others we caught to cure out. The bait there but very scattered - and my 10', 5/8 Joyfish net just is not getting the job done in more than 15' or so of water unless the bait is VERY dense. Fortunately some bait had moved into the back of the creek in 5-7' of water and a lot of blind throwing there and in 10-12' areas netted 11 baits from "money makers" to a couple of 14" mongos.
While netting I hung up on what turned out to be a crappie tree - I'll give the Joyfish credit - she stood up to the tangle & retrieve - the braile lines looked in bad shape - very stretched and twisted when I got it back - but after a few throws it was more or less back to normal.
Got back to the dock and the neighborhood pet deer came over to say hello.... think she wanted to go fishing
The weather lady said the rain would move in overnight and carry through most of the morning. I planned to just sleep in and fish Monday evening or Tuesday - but when I got up around 8:30 the worst had past and with the family not arriving till later in the day I figured I'd go on out and try my luck. Turned out to be a good call.
Started about 9:30 or maybe close to 10 and it was a slow start other than a quick tug on a big bait on a shallow point. Around 10:30 I started taking pics of boards in the water as I was not sure I'd have anything to make a report from.
However, things heated up before too long..... I had a bait get slammed up near the bank and hooked up with the fish and it tangled in the other 2 boards - and fought the whole mess to the boat - lucky that the line did not get cut. Just as I netted the fish into the boat I noticed the lightline rod buried into the water - it was going under the boat, all near the prop, but I got it under and over to the other side and got that fish to the boat.... A 16 lber / 34.5" followed by a 12 lber that was about 31"
Got them both released and kept pulling. All but one fish came on big bait, and all but two came right up on the banks (or a fish that followed the bait off the bank). I just kept working and working and working the banks in the creek and would pick up a fish on every other pass or so of a few of the points. Working those points paid off - a couple of times across there was a sign of life - very nervous bait and a boil or two - but then one time I got the fish to follow it off the point and as I pulled into deeper water it slammed the bait - a nice, healthy 18 lb fish that went over 36"
Kept on keeping on..... and would pick up a fish every so often...
I pulled across a point I'd not pulled in the past and it got rolled on and tugged back hard, giving up some scales in the process. I eased to the back of that cut and tied up another rod - with a stinger, for my biggest bait. Turned the boat around, put put the biggest bait behind the other one that was out, and not a minute after putting that bait on the bank it got slammed....
This beautiful bait paid the ultimate price....
For this 10 lb / 31" fish
Not complaining about the fish, but a bait like that is supposed to be reserved for citations. Always amazes me the size of a bait that a striper will try to eat (this particular fish did get caught with the stinger).
Pulled my last big bait (the one that had been stripped of scales and was looking pretty rough) - around for about another hour - was working back to the point where I caught the fish above and easing around one of our fellow forum members here - and while talking with him a big the board dove under and I hooked up with the last fish of the day - this one at 14 lbs.
I had a dozen alewifes in the tank but decided to leave them for tomorrow and head to the house to warm up..... Smallest fish was about 8 lbs and 27", biggest three went 14 lbs / 33", 16 lbs / 34.5", and 18 lbs / 36.25"
Water: 48, visibility of 3 feet
Techniques: Big gizzards (dollar-bill up to 14") on freelined planers, alewifes on downlines (2) for part of the morning, alewife on a lightline most of of the morning. Stinger trebles on only the biggest few baits (12"+)
After getting back from fishing with Tyler & Nathan on Sunday afternoon and hitting a pub with them for dinner, I didn't really have anything else to do and it was still close to 60 degrees with temperatures dropping overnight & rain coming in, so I decided I'd ride back to the creek where we caught bait in the afternoon and see if I could net enough to fish with Monday or Tuesday so we could leave the others we caught to cure out. The bait there but very scattered - and my 10', 5/8 Joyfish net just is not getting the job done in more than 15' or so of water unless the bait is VERY dense. Fortunately some bait had moved into the back of the creek in 5-7' of water and a lot of blind throwing there and in 10-12' areas netted 11 baits from "money makers" to a couple of 14" mongos.
While netting I hung up on what turned out to be a crappie tree - I'll give the Joyfish credit - she stood up to the tangle & retrieve - the braile lines looked in bad shape - very stretched and twisted when I got it back - but after a few throws it was more or less back to normal.
Got back to the dock and the neighborhood pet deer came over to say hello.... think she wanted to go fishing
The weather lady said the rain would move in overnight and carry through most of the morning. I planned to just sleep in and fish Monday evening or Tuesday - but when I got up around 8:30 the worst had past and with the family not arriving till later in the day I figured I'd go on out and try my luck. Turned out to be a good call.
Started about 9:30 or maybe close to 10 and it was a slow start other than a quick tug on a big bait on a shallow point. Around 10:30 I started taking pics of boards in the water as I was not sure I'd have anything to make a report from.
However, things heated up before too long..... I had a bait get slammed up near the bank and hooked up with the fish and it tangled in the other 2 boards - and fought the whole mess to the boat - lucky that the line did not get cut. Just as I netted the fish into the boat I noticed the lightline rod buried into the water - it was going under the boat, all near the prop, but I got it under and over to the other side and got that fish to the boat.... A 16 lber / 34.5" followed by a 12 lber that was about 31"
Got them both released and kept pulling. All but one fish came on big bait, and all but two came right up on the banks (or a fish that followed the bait off the bank). I just kept working and working and working the banks in the creek and would pick up a fish on every other pass or so of a few of the points. Working those points paid off - a couple of times across there was a sign of life - very nervous bait and a boil or two - but then one time I got the fish to follow it off the point and as I pulled into deeper water it slammed the bait - a nice, healthy 18 lb fish that went over 36"
Kept on keeping on..... and would pick up a fish every so often...
I pulled across a point I'd not pulled in the past and it got rolled on and tugged back hard, giving up some scales in the process. I eased to the back of that cut and tied up another rod - with a stinger, for my biggest bait. Turned the boat around, put put the biggest bait behind the other one that was out, and not a minute after putting that bait on the bank it got slammed....
This beautiful bait paid the ultimate price....
For this 10 lb / 31" fish
Not complaining about the fish, but a bait like that is supposed to be reserved for citations. Always amazes me the size of a bait that a striper will try to eat (this particular fish did get caught with the stinger). Pulled my last big bait (the one that had been stripped of scales and was looking pretty rough) - around for about another hour - was working back to the point where I caught the fish above and easing around one of our fellow forum members here - and while talking with him a big the board dove under and I hooked up with the last fish of the day - this one at 14 lbs.
I had a dozen alewifes in the tank but decided to leave them for tomorrow and head to the house to warm up..... Smallest fish was about 8 lbs and 27", biggest three went 14 lbs / 33", 16 lbs / 34.5", and 18 lbs / 36.25"
Soon I hope!