5/31/15 - Well, Maybe May is OK
May 31, 2015 16:40:10 GMT -5
seajay, formula180, and 1 more like this
Post by mwardncsu on May 31, 2015 16:40:10 GMT -5
Weather: mid-60's rising to low 80's, Sunny, light breeze on occasion
Water: mid/upper 70's, visibility of maybe a foot
Techniques: Large gizzards on freeline planers (4-6), large ales on freeline planes (1), ales on lightlines (1-2)
I had around 6 or 8 large gizzards and a fair number of ales left in the tank after Saturday AM, and they rode around the lake with us all day Saturday afternoon. Was debating if I was going to fish on Sunday morning. Finally decided that I would go hit 3 near-by lights, and if I could get enough large gizzards to have 16-20 to fish then I'd set the alarm for a not-quite-so-early start and see what happened. The 1st light that I threw on about 10pm only yielded a few bluegill. Went to my next light - and it was off for the night..... was starting to thing I would be getting some sleep on Sunday morning. Third and final light..... I got a couple of shad.... so I threw a few more times and managed to add 12 or so shad to the tank......culled out the small ales to thin the herd - leaving only the big ales (or bluebacks) and the gizzards. Back to the house, asleep by 11:30 with the alarm set for 5:45.
Woke up at 5:40..... OK - let's do this..... At least it was a nice sunrise....
Lines in about 6:45.... slow start.... was wondering if I should have just slept in. Did not even get a nervous bait for quite a while. Finally I had a planer with an alewife bury itself and hook-up. An 8 lber around 27"
After rebaiting and getting the board back in the zone it was not long before it was hit again.... a bit bigger fish - this one at 10 lbs / 31"
Finally had a gizzard board get slammed and the fish ran a bit...... was playing around trying to get a good bent-rod picture when the fish ran at me a bit and the line got just a little too loose..... gone... oh well... what we do for good photo ops
I circled that spot a couple of times before back tracking. Back near where I started my morning I had a lightline at the boat bury the rod to the water and then start peeling drag towards the bank and some timber... Fortunately I was able to get the fish turned.... glad I did.... a 17 lb / 35.5" Perhaps I should not have been fussing about May so much afterall
Considered calling it a day at that point, but I circled another time and picked up another fish on a gizzard planer board. For a short second I thought I had something special..... but then realized I more likely had foul-hooked the fish....
Yep... right in the belly..... hopefully this one will make it..... didn't check the weight/length, but it was >30" so had to go back anyway....
]
Pulled on a ways, starting to think about wrapping it up around 11:30am..... Happened to look over to see one of the three boards gone and a rod bent over. Grabed the rod and started reeling furiously as the fish swam at me. Got the line tight and it turned and peeled drag - then the line went slack.... leader was cut/broke about 6" above the hook.....
Decided that was enough for the day... and the month....
Five fish to the boat from from 27" - 35.5" / 8 - 17 lbs; one lost to fooling around, had two hit, not hook-up and steal my bait - and the last one with the broken leader.... Was about 50/50 with fish on the ales vs. gizzards - with the ale getting the big fish of the day. Did not see another striper boat all day, and only one other boat doing some crappie fishing then some guys on kayaks - and only one jetski.
Maybe May is OK - and I just need to do it my way.....
Water: mid/upper 70's, visibility of maybe a foot
Techniques: Large gizzards on freeline planers (4-6), large ales on freeline planes (1), ales on lightlines (1-2)
I had around 6 or 8 large gizzards and a fair number of ales left in the tank after Saturday AM, and they rode around the lake with us all day Saturday afternoon. Was debating if I was going to fish on Sunday morning. Finally decided that I would go hit 3 near-by lights, and if I could get enough large gizzards to have 16-20 to fish then I'd set the alarm for a not-quite-so-early start and see what happened. The 1st light that I threw on about 10pm only yielded a few bluegill. Went to my next light - and it was off for the night..... was starting to thing I would be getting some sleep on Sunday morning. Third and final light..... I got a couple of shad.... so I threw a few more times and managed to add 12 or so shad to the tank......culled out the small ales to thin the herd - leaving only the big ales (or bluebacks) and the gizzards. Back to the house, asleep by 11:30 with the alarm set for 5:45.
Woke up at 5:40..... OK - let's do this..... At least it was a nice sunrise....
Lines in about 6:45.... slow start.... was wondering if I should have just slept in. Did not even get a nervous bait for quite a while. Finally I had a planer with an alewife bury itself and hook-up. An 8 lber around 27"
After rebaiting and getting the board back in the zone it was not long before it was hit again.... a bit bigger fish - this one at 10 lbs / 31"
Finally had a gizzard board get slammed and the fish ran a bit...... was playing around trying to get a good bent-rod picture when the fish ran at me a bit and the line got just a little too loose..... gone... oh well... what we do for good photo ops
I circled that spot a couple of times before back tracking. Back near where I started my morning I had a lightline at the boat bury the rod to the water and then start peeling drag towards the bank and some timber... Fortunately I was able to get the fish turned.... glad I did.... a 17 lb / 35.5" Perhaps I should not have been fussing about May so much afterall
Considered calling it a day at that point, but I circled another time and picked up another fish on a gizzard planer board. For a short second I thought I had something special..... but then realized I more likely had foul-hooked the fish....
Yep... right in the belly..... hopefully this one will make it..... didn't check the weight/length, but it was >30" so had to go back anyway....
]
Pulled on a ways, starting to think about wrapping it up around 11:30am..... Happened to look over to see one of the three boards gone and a rod bent over. Grabed the rod and started reeling furiously as the fish swam at me. Got the line tight and it turned and peeled drag - then the line went slack.... leader was cut/broke about 6" above the hook.....
Decided that was enough for the day... and the month.... Five fish to the boat from from 27" - 35.5" / 8 - 17 lbs; one lost to fooling around, had two hit, not hook-up and steal my bait - and the last one with the broken leader.... Was about 50/50 with fish on the ales vs. gizzards - with the ale getting the big fish of the day. Did not see another striper boat all day, and only one other boat doing some crappie fishing then some guys on kayaks - and only one jetski.
Maybe May is OK - and I just need to do it my way.....
