Post by 31Airborne on Jan 27, 2024 7:26:35 GMT -5
Sunny and 74 on the 26th of JAN? Yep, it was. Couldn't pass on an opportunity to fish in shorts and sandals in the dead of winter. Got a little bit later start than I had planned but managed to put in before 08:30. Launched at the SP and headed down lake this time. I worked a bunch of old stuff for the first couple hours, then finished the day fishing some new stuff. Amazing how much you can see/find when you dedicate your time to just looking. Was playing w/ the new electronix while scanning for bait when I stumbled onto a really cool stretch w/ natural chunk rock. This scenario replayed about a half dozen times over the course of the morning. And the fish cooperated.
I started off on main lake points w/ rock and red clay. Managed a couple of small fish. I worked my way back into a large cove and hit the first set of secondary points. Better fish and they were up shallow (<6'). I spent some time on transition lanes but didn't pick up anything. I marked fish but couldn't get any to eat what I was throwing. I also spent some time working the deeper end of points, esp the long-tapered jobs. I managed to pick up a couple in 12-15' on a free rig and a c-rig. Nothing noteworthy from the size perspective. Was just good to get some fish stink on my hands.
Observations: 1) WTs were surprisingly warm. Saw 49 at the SP at launch; was 51 close to the shoreline when I came off around noon. WTs ranged from 46.5 to 47.8 down lake. I motored up towards the 122 bridge later in the morning - saw 50+ in several places. 2) Water has a slight stain to it everywhere above the s-turn. You have 5-6' of viz vic the SP; viz drops off as you go up lake but you still have 2-4'. Water is ~clear down lake (below the s-turn). 3) I did see some floaters in the main channel. Most of it was small stuff, nothing to worry about. Every once in a while, I saw a large log or cut section bobbing in the water. Stay alert, folks. 4) Bait has started to move back into the coves and creeks w/ the warmer weather. Saw lots of smaller pods suspended high in the water column over main creek channels in a number of places. I did not see any feeding activity associated w/ any of these. 5) Most of the fish I caught had been shallow for a while. They were dark. Don't let the WT fool you, esp when it's sunny and ~calm. 6) DT-10, Frittside 9, and a Rock Crawler did most of the damage for me. No takers on the JB today. Bites occurred as the bait deflected off rock or wood. They were pretty aggressive. Bites on the plastix were more subtle. They just loaded up. 7) Natural chunk rock points were the ticket. Darker rock was better than lighter rock. No bites on riprap today. You may not always see the chunk rock on the shoreline or above the water line. Side scan! 8) Long, tapered points were better than shorter, more rounded points. Points w/ a long taper and steep sides (tight contour lines) were best.
For all y'all HB fans, I finally made the jump to the Mega (Gen4) version. I really like the resolution - I can see way more detail. I am still struggling with whether to add FFS. There were some places where it would have helped today. Most of the stuff I fished (and had success) it wouldn't have helped. The way I use the combo of the chart function and the various sonar views has been pretty effective for me. Something about if it ain't broke . . .
Work travel next week so I'll be land-locked. LR forecast is looking good. Only 5 weeks until our first FoM event (Chick River). Really looking forward to this trip - have never fished the Chick in late winter/early spring. Hope everyone survived last week's cold.
peace,
B
I started off on main lake points w/ rock and red clay. Managed a couple of small fish. I worked my way back into a large cove and hit the first set of secondary points. Better fish and they were up shallow (<6'). I spent some time on transition lanes but didn't pick up anything. I marked fish but couldn't get any to eat what I was throwing. I also spent some time working the deeper end of points, esp the long-tapered jobs. I managed to pick up a couple in 12-15' on a free rig and a c-rig. Nothing noteworthy from the size perspective. Was just good to get some fish stink on my hands.
Observations: 1) WTs were surprisingly warm. Saw 49 at the SP at launch; was 51 close to the shoreline when I came off around noon. WTs ranged from 46.5 to 47.8 down lake. I motored up towards the 122 bridge later in the morning - saw 50+ in several places. 2) Water has a slight stain to it everywhere above the s-turn. You have 5-6' of viz vic the SP; viz drops off as you go up lake but you still have 2-4'. Water is ~clear down lake (below the s-turn). 3) I did see some floaters in the main channel. Most of it was small stuff, nothing to worry about. Every once in a while, I saw a large log or cut section bobbing in the water. Stay alert, folks. 4) Bait has started to move back into the coves and creeks w/ the warmer weather. Saw lots of smaller pods suspended high in the water column over main creek channels in a number of places. I did not see any feeding activity associated w/ any of these. 5) Most of the fish I caught had been shallow for a while. They were dark. Don't let the WT fool you, esp when it's sunny and ~calm. 6) DT-10, Frittside 9, and a Rock Crawler did most of the damage for me. No takers on the JB today. Bites occurred as the bait deflected off rock or wood. They were pretty aggressive. Bites on the plastix were more subtle. They just loaded up. 7) Natural chunk rock points were the ticket. Darker rock was better than lighter rock. No bites on riprap today. You may not always see the chunk rock on the shoreline or above the water line. Side scan! 8) Long, tapered points were better than shorter, more rounded points. Points w/ a long taper and steep sides (tight contour lines) were best.
For all y'all HB fans, I finally made the jump to the Mega (Gen4) version. I really like the resolution - I can see way more detail. I am still struggling with whether to add FFS. There were some places where it would have helped today. Most of the stuff I fished (and had success) it wouldn't have helped. The way I use the combo of the chart function and the various sonar views has been pretty effective for me. Something about if it ain't broke . . .
Work travel next week so I'll be land-locked. LR forecast is looking good. Only 5 weeks until our first FoM event (Chick River). Really looking forward to this trip - have never fished the Chick in late winter/early spring. Hope everyone survived last week's cold.
peace,
B
