Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2016 10:27:53 GMT -5
Arrived at the lake way too early as usual and navigated fog from Hardy (WT 38) down to where all the bait is hanging out in 45-50 degree water. While I was taking a quick pee, a giant man on the mountain started moving and scared the living hell out of me. After gathering my senses (I literally pissed myself), I finally figured out it was just my shadow from my navigation lights.
My goal today was to simply play with my new 12 foot net, catch bait and see if I cant catch a tricky fish that has had my number for the last month!
The net is a bit too light but I was able to spread it decent. The light weight (12', 1lb, 1") actually requires a faster flick because I have found that weight actually helps to spread the net.
The bait was extremely deep all day long and was rather tough to get.
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This guy was throwing his net from the shore and there was no way he was getting bait. Thus I stopped over and made his day by chucking over a dozen dollar bills that he thought were monsters!
After loading the tank it became very apparent that the birds were working hard and the stripers were feeding. All day long I passed birds doing their magic dance, explosions and many fishermen catching fish. Unlike the past me, I decided early that I would not jig today unless I found my own birds minus any other fishermen. And well....it happened several times and I had the pleasure of catching a few using my old jigging tricks!
I am sure that many folks today caught as many fish as they ever wanted. Jigging was on!
However, I really wanted to tangle with a fish I call TRICKY! This guy lives by a rock and has stole my bait several times, broken various leaders up to 30 lbs and has broke a treble hook on me. He has even got LBJ and my mentor a time or two. I have caught him on camera a few times and have watched some of his techniques. For example, he uses his top fin to cut the line. This guy is just plain smart.
So I rolled in to his spot with 3 planers including a mongo on the bank, and two money makers on the inside. And like clockwork, TRICKY was home and he started his shenanigans! He pulled the planer down at first then rolled on the bait but did not get it. Then I swear he sent two of his buddies out to distract me as they hit the two inside boards.... but I wasn't having it. I paid no attention to the two fish that were hooked up and kept my mind on TRICKY! And finally, that SOB made the mistake I was looking for and I jerked a 4X Gammy right threw his lip while the other poles were screaming for my attention!
TRICKY weighed in at 15 pounds! And after I caught him I was able to land one of his little buddies but the other one broke me off finally.
And now on to the grandest event of the day.
As mentioned, I wasn't into bird chasing and other boats, so I found myself a quiet spot way below all the action and simply pulled some bait on the edges of cliffs. My gopro was off and I was simply interested in testing out a few new reels to get them dialed in for the Spring. To make a long story short, my personal best then attacked my bait. He pulled me deep and he pulled me into the banks and after a 10 minute battle, I pulled him into the boat for some quick pictures. Unfortunately, the fog and an unprepared gopro did not capture the action the way I like it, but I was able to get a few shots in that are visible. I am guessing he was around 39 inches and am sure he weighed 23 pounds! I was rushing to get him back in the water so the length measurement was a quickie. However, the BOGA shot below is spot on!
WOW!! What a day!
In summary, the Fall season has been real good for me. And although I didn't reach my 30 pound goal, I did catch several 18-20 pound fish, countless fish over 15 pounds and most importantly, learned a bunch! No doubt, I will continue to pound my drum that the SML striper population is healthy and AWESOME! Go out and have yourself some fun and do your very best to protect this beautiful creature!
Cheers,
Yam
My goal today was to simply play with my new 12 foot net, catch bait and see if I cant catch a tricky fish that has had my number for the last month!
The net is a bit too light but I was able to spread it decent. The light weight (12', 1lb, 1") actually requires a faster flick because I have found that weight actually helps to spread the net.
The bait was extremely deep all day long and was rather tough to get.
This guy was throwing his net from the shore and there was no way he was getting bait. Thus I stopped over and made his day by chucking over a dozen dollar bills that he thought were monsters!
After loading the tank it became very apparent that the birds were working hard and the stripers were feeding. All day long I passed birds doing their magic dance, explosions and many fishermen catching fish. Unlike the past me, I decided early that I would not jig today unless I found my own birds minus any other fishermen. And well....it happened several times and I had the pleasure of catching a few using my old jigging tricks!
I am sure that many folks today caught as many fish as they ever wanted. Jigging was on!
However, I really wanted to tangle with a fish I call TRICKY! This guy lives by a rock and has stole my bait several times, broken various leaders up to 30 lbs and has broke a treble hook on me. He has even got LBJ and my mentor a time or two. I have caught him on camera a few times and have watched some of his techniques. For example, he uses his top fin to cut the line. This guy is just plain smart.
So I rolled in to his spot with 3 planers including a mongo on the bank, and two money makers on the inside. And like clockwork, TRICKY was home and he started his shenanigans! He pulled the planer down at first then rolled on the bait but did not get it. Then I swear he sent two of his buddies out to distract me as they hit the two inside boards.... but I wasn't having it. I paid no attention to the two fish that were hooked up and kept my mind on TRICKY! And finally, that SOB made the mistake I was looking for and I jerked a 4X Gammy right threw his lip while the other poles were screaming for my attention!
TRICKY weighed in at 15 pounds! And after I caught him I was able to land one of his little buddies but the other one broke me off finally.
And now on to the grandest event of the day.
As mentioned, I wasn't into bird chasing and other boats, so I found myself a quiet spot way below all the action and simply pulled some bait on the edges of cliffs. My gopro was off and I was simply interested in testing out a few new reels to get them dialed in for the Spring. To make a long story short, my personal best then attacked my bait. He pulled me deep and he pulled me into the banks and after a 10 minute battle, I pulled him into the boat for some quick pictures. Unfortunately, the fog and an unprepared gopro did not capture the action the way I like it, but I was able to get a few shots in that are visible. I am guessing he was around 39 inches and am sure he weighed 23 pounds! I was rushing to get him back in the water so the length measurement was a quickie. However, the BOGA shot below is spot on!
WOW!! What a day!
In summary, the Fall season has been real good for me. And although I didn't reach my 30 pound goal, I did catch several 18-20 pound fish, countless fish over 15 pounds and most importantly, learned a bunch! No doubt, I will continue to pound my drum that the SML striper population is healthy and AWESOME! Go out and have yourself some fun and do your very best to protect this beautiful creature!
Cheers,
Yam
