Rewarding day at NPH 5/25

[troutdog]

After a great day celebrating my Dad's B-Day and later BBqing with BingJr and JSauce Saturday, I spent most of Sunday doing bills and some cleaning around the house....just before noon I decided to check out the tide charts and saw a high tide slated to peak around 3:30. With that in mind I got my rear in gear and headed out to the bay to see what I could scratch up. Got my favorite parking spot and walked over to the beach to find quite a few families camped out for the afternoon. Most of the kids were busy scooping up all the jellies washing up on shore and burying them in a huge hole they had dug. Although it was cloudy most of the day it turned out to be a really nice day out there...
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj285/troutdog_photobucket/NPH.jpg

Baited up the heavy gear with a chunk of squid and began throwing the 5/8oz prism kroc with the baitcaster, got one strike on the 4th cast but that was about it. After an hour I switched up to the LC, but got no love on that either. Met a bunch of people on the beach as they all had questions about what I was expecting to catch, what I was using for bait etc. Fishing was really slow, but I was enjoying the company and beautiful view
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj285/troutdog_photobucket/NPH2.jpg

Throughout the whole day I had myself a little sidekick named Dillon who was there with his grandparents, he musta been about 7 years old or and was having a blast on the beach doing what kids do best. In between scooping jellies and making sand tunnels with his friends he would come over and ask if I caught anything. He seemed to get bored with his friends and started acting like my shadow for a good hour, when finally my drop shot rig felt heavy and I set the hook. I knew right away I had some salad or the like as whatever it was not acting like a fish. To both our dismay I reeled in a red trash bag, but that just may have been a life changing event for him(and me in a way) as he just could not understand why it was there. For as long as I live I don't think I will ever forget his innocent brown eyes looking up at me and asking "why would someone put their trash in your fishing spot?" I put down my rod and sat on my butt so we could talk at eye level and explained the best I could the importance of treating nature with respect. After a ten minute conversation he gave me a big high five, said he would never litter and would do his part to help Mother Nature....very rewarding experience that cannot be put into words. It was just "one of those moments".

So with Dillon still by my side I continued fan casting the area for another 15 minutes with the drop shotted fish crack when I felt the "tap-tap" I was looking for. The rod quickly doubled over and I set the hook, without hesitation I handed the rod to Dillon as he deserved the chance at a fish as much as I did. His eyes lit up and a smile quickly cemented itself on his face as I coached him a little and he began fighting whatever it was on the end of my line. He did a great job and after a 2-3 minute fight landed this shorty on 4lb test....wtg go little buddy!
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj285/troutdog_photobucket/NPHshorthali.jpg

He was really pumped and was just as excited to release it as he was to catch it...this time my high five was followed by a thank you and a big hug. :Shocked: Pretty cool moment I won't soon forget. I got Dillon's grandparents email and sent them the above picture, they were very gracious as we parted ways.

Headed towards Davey's Locker and grabbed a slice of pizza by the ferris wheel and soaked another bait on the adjacent pier. There are always fun things to check out around this spot...this guy and "The Duke" were one of them. :LOL:
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj285/troutdog_photobucket/NPHsights.jpg
Chucked the kroc and LC for a while hoping to find the barries that were there last weekend, but it was not to be. No matter as my day had already been made.

Thanks for reading,


TD

[Wingnut]

That's great of you for instilling good values in the youngster. :Thumbs Up:
Looks like another beautiful day in the harbor. I got to make my way back down there soon. :cool: Thanks for the nice report TD.

Wingnut :Envious:

[doyoufishmuch]

Yea, thats very cool of you!:Cool: Great post.

[Troutman65]

TD, nice report and pics. Next time you head out to Newport Harbor, Hit up One_Leg giude service. I am sure he could get you onto something other than a red trash bag.:D


TM65

[Granny Fish]

From the mouth of babes...
"why would someone put their trash in your fishing spot?"

Sounds like a nice way to spend the afternoon. :cool:

[troutdog]

TD, nice report and pics. Next time you head out to Newport Harbor, Hit up One_Leg giude service. I am sure he could get you onto something other than a red trash bag.:D


TM65

I suggest you not mention O_L and guide service, I already got a somewhat paranoid vm from him clarifying he is not a guide:ROFL:Oh and anytime you want to step out of your comfort zone at the Vine and show me how to catch something aside from a red trash bag you just let me know!

Thanks for the comments all....


TD

[Troutman65]

I suggest you not mention O_L and guide service, I already got a somewhat paranoid vm from him clarifying he is not a guide:ROFL:Oh and anytime you want to step out of your comfort zone at the Vine and show me how to catch something aside from a red trash bag you just let me know!

Thanks for the comments all....


TD



:ROFL::ROFL::ROFL::ROFL::ROFL:


Really? I would of thought O_L would of FANCY that .:LOL:

TD, I am thinking of trying to get time off to go and fish the Team 57 event at the end of the month. If you and I can make it up there I would gladly fish next to you and learn a few things from you . The weather is getting just about right for me to venture out onto the Salt again. We could do a day during the week on a light load and see what comes into our gunny sacks. You see I don't only limit myself to just fishing Irvine Lake. In the Fall Striper at Silverwood, and the river are fav. plces for me to fish.

We will hit the water somewhere together soon bro.


Troutman65

[chris]

awesome day way to go

[one_leg]

I suggest you not mention O_L and guide service, I already got a somewhat paranoid vm from him clarifying he is not a guide


TD

Aaron, what's with you man?

I DON'T need people like you to set me up with people for fishing trips.

I called you and asked you VERY NICELY to please remove your post stating that I was operating a guide service. I did this via the phone in order to not have to add anything to one of you threads.

To be clear about this, I am not operating a guide service in violation of California Law. I thought I made it clear that I didn't want my friends like Trout Only, or Big Bass Frank, or Art, or Pete or any other people who are licensed, bonded, insured guides to feel as though I might be operating a guide service. I would never do that. I appreciate the work that law abiding fishing guides do. They are a valuable part of the entire angling experience. If someone tells someone that they might enjoy fishing with me, I am cool with that. But when you start saying that I am in fact operating a guide service when I am not I cannot let it go.


I thanked you for the ride to Poxy's boat after I was dropped off at the lake.
You could have at least said, "You're Welcome, Alan."
I had a feeling I should have just called Wes and asked if he wanted some company.
That way you would not have had to give me the taxi ride to the west shore.

BTW, You would have caught a lot more fish had you trolled the Dam, or listened to me when I told you there were fish all over the Dam suspended between 20 to 45 feet. If you caught one trout there on powerbait on the drop you just got lucky. There were practically NO FISH on the bottom there. I am confident that had you trolled 5 or 6 lines that day you could have landed many more fish. And you were just plain wrong when you told me that it is hard to troll with a pontoon. It is easy to troll five or six lines behind a pontoon. Even more are possible when you use Planner boards, or Dipsy Divers, or Pink Ladies, etc.

I am done now.

Thank you,
Alan

[troutdog]

Aaron, what's with you man?

I DON'T need people like you to set me up with people for fishing trips.

I called you and asked you VERY NICELY to please remove your post stating that I was operating a guide service. I did this via the phone in order to not have to add anything to one of you threads.

To be clear about this, I am not operating a guide service in violation of California Law. I thought I made it clear that I didn't want my friends like Trout Only, or Big Bass Frank, or Art, or Pete or any other people who are licensed, bonded, insured guides to feel as though I might be operating a guide service. I would never do that. I appreciate the work that law abiding fishing guides do. They are a valuable part of the entire angling experience. If someone tells someone that they might enjoy fishing with me, I am cool with that. But when you start saying that I am in fact operating a guide service when I am not I cannot let it go.


I thanked you for the ride to Poxy's boat after I was dropped off at the lake.
You could have at least said, "You're Welcome, Alan."
I had a feeling I should have just called Wes and asked if he wanted some company.
That way you would not have had to give me the taxi ride to the west shore.

BTW, You would have caught a lot more fish had you trolled the Dam, or listened to me when I told you there were fish all over the Dam suspended between 20 to 45 feet. If you caught one trout there on powerbait on the drop you just got lucky. There were practically NO FISH on the bottom there. I am confident that had you trolled 5 or 6 lines that day you could have landed many more fish. And you were just plain wrong when you told me that it is hard to troll with a pontoon. It is easy to troll five or six lines behind a pontoon. Even more are possible when you use Planner boards, or Dipsy Divers, or Pink Ladies, etc.

I am done now.

Thank you,
Alan

:Shocked:

Alan you need to take a breath or something....I deleted the comment per your request, if you recall it was followed by a winking smiley indicating it was a joke. You HONESTLY think anyone believed you were a guide by that comment? If you were a guide I'm sure one of your 10K+ posts would have mentioned it quite some time ago....gimme a break!

As far as saying your welcome I did so at the lake when I shook your hand, do you not recall that? In fact I even told you "your welcome and no problem" after I transferred your 75lbs of gear from our pontoon! I did not think I had to say it again on the board....so for the record YOU ARE WELCOME! Don't be such a tool....that is like me saying "you did not say thanks for offering to join our bbq" when I did.

You got some nerve Alan....with all the trash talking you have done behind my back in the last year I still took your calls, I still helped you out when I could and I still treated you with respect and you gotta b***h at me for something so petty?

As far as trolling goes I did not say it was Mission Impossible to troll behind a pontoon....but considering I did not have much trolling gear and nobody that was on board expressed the desire to troll, WE chose to do otherwise. I still do not understand why you were trying to impose your will in the first place, you were hitching a ride and all of the sudden you are the skipper or something? Fishing is not always about JUST catching fish Alan, although I appreciate your sincerest concerns.:Rolls Eyes:

Thanks for turning a very memorable thread into another personal pissing fit.

You're right btw...."you are done now"


TD

[Fisherman57]

Good job out there TD......

and kudo's on taking the time to give the little one (Dillon) a moment to remember..... very well done!



57

[troutdog]

Thanks for all the comments and replies....putting a kid on a fish is hard to beat on the reward scale for me.

See you on the water,


TD

[Rooster]

I had no idea ya liked NPH..I fish there almost every weekend now that trout season is almost over. Love drifting in the boat from slip to slip tossin lures. Hope to cya out there sometime soon... Look for me tossin from the Lip Ripperz boat..

[sansou]

It's always an honor to educate a kid about good environmental stewardship. Kudos on taking the time to do that. Here's my humble "non-professional guide service" tip I wish to pass on (sorry if you already knew this one): if targeting barries, try tossing a plain old rattle trap (ya know, the circa 1980s silver shiny ones from Walmart). It's a heck of a lot cheaper than loosing an LC to junk fish IMO. Good luck out there!!

[one_leg]

You got some nerve Alan....with all the trash talking you have done behind my back in the last year

Good try Aaron, but it ain't gonna work. You struck out again. :Rolls Eyes: :LOL: :p

O_L

[troutdog]

I had no idea ya liked NPH..I fish there almost every weekend now that trout season is almost over. Love drifting in the boat from slip to slip tossin lures. Hope to cya out there sometime soon... Look for me tossin from the Lip Ripperz boat..

Granted I go by "troutdog" on the board and most of my posts locally come from the Vine, my true love is fishing the salt. I remember my Dad taking me on an overnight charter when I was 12 to Catalina and I landed my first bonita....I was hooked ever since. Hope to see you out there as well Rob.


It's always an honor to educate a kid about good environmental stewardship. Kudos on taking the time to do that. Here's my humble "non-professional guide service" tip I wish to pass on (sorry if you already knew this one): if targeting barries, try tossing a plain old rattle trap (ya know, the circa 1980s silver shiny ones from Walmart). It's a heck of a lot cheaper than loosing an LC to junk fish IMO. Good luck out there!!

Hafta agree risking that $20 LC on a cuda is a dicey game, I was trolling that sucker last time out and was thinking the same exact thing! Have never tried the rattle trap on them, sounds like a good call....I usually throw my trusty chrome and orange striped kroc at them! Thanks for the suggestion.


TD