4/8/15 & 4/9/15 - Spring-Break fishing
Apr 9, 2015 13:52:17 GMT -5
widgeon3, R22, and 2 more like this
Post by mwardncsu on Apr 9, 2015 13:52:17 GMT -5
4/8/15
Weather: 70's mid-day / late afternoon until a nasty storm front moved through - then temps in the low 60's.
Water: mid-60's and even 70 in the backs of creeks
Techniques: Throwing the cast net blindly in creeks and then after dark on a few lights..... saw a fish on a light, threw a swim-bait at it
Worked from the lake ahead of taking Thur/Fri off for a long Spring Break weekend. Slid out at lunch to try and get some bait... with the goal of fishing in the evening. Did not have time to go far, and didn't come up with much. Definitely had more work to do.
Headed back out around 4:30 and hit a creek that had held good bait a week ago - but with shallow water up to 70 the bait had moved out. I finally found it in deeper water on the sonar but struggled netting it. About then the nasty storm was approaching so I tucked my tail between my legs and run towards the storm and my dock - got off the water and inside just before the bottom let out and things got nasty
Headed back out once the storm past and went a different direction - got two nice baits and then nothing..... headed back towards home and threw blindly in the dark till I had around 2 dozen gizzards - though smaller than I wanted.
As I came to my slip I went to throw on my light - stopped to watch some juvenile gizzards circling - and spotted a striper making the same circles - just tailing the bait. I held short of the light, grabed my bait-caster with a swim-bait and lobbed it in. Nothing on the 1st retrieve, but on the 2nd cast I let it sink a second or two longer, and two turns of the handle and it was FISH ON!
8 or 9 lbs & 27"
4/9/15
Weather: Overcast, temps in the 50's, light to no wind
Water: 56-58, visibility of 5'
Techniques: big gizzards on freelined planers (about 10-15' behind board), pulled along the bank. One Mongo Ale on a freeline behind the boat.
Up and on the water with lines in at 7am on Thursday. Headed to the creek where we started last Saturday. Today I got no love. I think a bait came up one time out of boredom. There was a fair bit of bait in the back of that creek however. Threw the net a few times without netting any....
Around 8 am I packed up to move on to another creek. The fog had set in on the main channel..... thankful for the radar...
About 100' into my 1st pull I had some action. A scrappy 26" / 8 lb striper. Released to grow up
Pulled on down the bank without much action. An occasional nervous bait. Towards the end of the pull I had a hook-up, but the fish came off on the way to the boat as I tried to weave the rod between some others. Circled back and had a money-maker get slammed with a fish that would surely make a sparkle-boater's day
My 1st largemouth citation..... this one was over 23" and around 7 lbs
Hit a section of the creek where there must have been several fish holding - had a bait just off the transom while I was sorting out another rod - and it got nailed and stole the bait. Had another board bank-side get hit and when I set the hook the bait pulled..... and the fish got a free meal.
Turned and pulled back out of the creek - a long pull without action.
Was about to call it a morning when I got to the end of the pull, but decided to hit another bank. Turned out to be a very good call. Had a board get blown-up on and then shoot back. Grabbed the rod and it felt like a smaller fish.... until the fish got behind the boat and started making runs for the bottom - several times...... My day was made when the fish surfaced.
My 2nd citation of the day - this one of the target species Just over 38" and a hair over 20 lbs on the Bogas
Pulled on a while, picking up one more spunky 26" that fought like he was a big boy.....
Packed it in around 11:30 and headed to the house....... nice solo morning.....
Weather: 70's mid-day / late afternoon until a nasty storm front moved through - then temps in the low 60's.
Water: mid-60's and even 70 in the backs of creeks
Techniques: Throwing the cast net blindly in creeks and then after dark on a few lights..... saw a fish on a light, threw a swim-bait at it
Worked from the lake ahead of taking Thur/Fri off for a long Spring Break weekend. Slid out at lunch to try and get some bait... with the goal of fishing in the evening. Did not have time to go far, and didn't come up with much. Definitely had more work to do.
Headed back out around 4:30 and hit a creek that had held good bait a week ago - but with shallow water up to 70 the bait had moved out. I finally found it in deeper water on the sonar but struggled netting it. About then the nasty storm was approaching so I tucked my tail between my legs and run towards the storm and my dock - got off the water and inside just before the bottom let out and things got nasty
Headed back out once the storm past and went a different direction - got two nice baits and then nothing..... headed back towards home and threw blindly in the dark till I had around 2 dozen gizzards - though smaller than I wanted.
As I came to my slip I went to throw on my light - stopped to watch some juvenile gizzards circling - and spotted a striper making the same circles - just tailing the bait. I held short of the light, grabed my bait-caster with a swim-bait and lobbed it in. Nothing on the 1st retrieve, but on the 2nd cast I let it sink a second or two longer, and two turns of the handle and it was FISH ON!
8 or 9 lbs & 27"
4/9/15
Weather: Overcast, temps in the 50's, light to no wind
Water: 56-58, visibility of 5'
Techniques: big gizzards on freelined planers (about 10-15' behind board), pulled along the bank. One Mongo Ale on a freeline behind the boat.
Up and on the water with lines in at 7am on Thursday. Headed to the creek where we started last Saturday. Today I got no love. I think a bait came up one time out of boredom. There was a fair bit of bait in the back of that creek however. Threw the net a few times without netting any....
Around 8 am I packed up to move on to another creek. The fog had set in on the main channel..... thankful for the radar...
About 100' into my 1st pull I had some action. A scrappy 26" / 8 lb striper. Released to grow up
Pulled on down the bank without much action. An occasional nervous bait. Towards the end of the pull I had a hook-up, but the fish came off on the way to the boat as I tried to weave the rod between some others. Circled back and had a money-maker get slammed with a fish that would surely make a sparkle-boater's day
My 1st largemouth citation..... this one was over 23" and around 7 lbs
Hit a section of the creek where there must have been several fish holding - had a bait just off the transom while I was sorting out another rod - and it got nailed and stole the bait. Had another board bank-side get hit and when I set the hook the bait pulled..... and the fish got a free meal.
Turned and pulled back out of the creek - a long pull without action.
Was about to call it a morning when I got to the end of the pull, but decided to hit another bank. Turned out to be a very good call. Had a board get blown-up on and then shoot back. Grabbed the rod and it felt like a smaller fish.... until the fish got behind the boat and started making runs for the bottom - several times...... My day was made when the fish surfaced.
My 2nd citation of the day - this one of the target species
Just over 38" and a hair over 20 lbs on the BogasPulled on a while, picking up one more spunky 26" that fought like he was a big boy.....
Packed it in around 11:30 and headed to the house....... nice solo morning.....
Must have been smaller fish else I don't know how they would not just inhale those ales.....
