Liteweight
08-07-2009, 06:53 AM
Well let's try this again. This is my 4th attempt to post this thread, having some trouble with my ISP and computer.
Let me start out by saying I didn't think this was going to be a good day.
I got out to the West Ramp, good not too many people here. I grab my gear and I notice...S#i+ my license is on my other hat! :Angry:
Throw everythng back into the truck and drive back to my place (fortunately I live in Santa Clarita). Grab my hat, make sure my license is on it and drive back to the Lake.
Arrive back grab my stuff, head on down...still fish still boiling off the point!!! Can't tell if they're bass or stripers from here.
At this point in my narrative I need to stop and explain a situation that came up. In my excitement to get to the boiling fish, I walked by a pile of "stuff" that kind of looked like an empty duffel that had been discarded and something that looked like my patio/canopy that I use for camping. The problem is that there was no one around. I figure it might be a Jet Ski group getting ready to set up camp or something. Well, I continue to get rigged up when someone comes up behind me and drops a cooler just a little behind me. He goes back and helps his friend with the rest of the gear, rods, backpack etc. They grab the canopy and other stuff to move up closer and I asked them if they had been planning on fishing this spot. The first guy answers "yes, but we don't own the lake". He was very cool about it. I apologize for the "poach" and I let them set up all their gear while I rig every rod that I brought.
They rig up bait and I'm throwing artificials for a while for nothing at all.
A little after 10:00a I get a call from Khanh (KPN) asking me where I'm fishing. We were supposed to hook-up after they had gotten off the water so he could provide me with some of his KPN's. He was working towards the West Ramp and figured he'd stop by since he was that close (WAY COOL - Thanks again Khanh).
Well I tie on a topwater and a 1/2oz skinny shad and I work them for a couple of hours. By around 11:30a the wind has picked up and is a sustained 10-15 mph. I start to think of my knowledge of wind in relation to baitfish (ie. Bass Technique). I move to the other side of the point that I was working and on the first cast with the "skinny shad"...WHAM!!! ZZZzzzz FISH ON!!! The :Skunk: is finally off! WHOOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!!!! I reel it in and just before I get it to shore...POP! D@MN :Angry: the fish shakes the hook. But I stay positive, afte all it was the first cast. So I make another cast, start to reel, WHAM again. WOW...second cast another fish Yyyeeeee Hhhaaaaaaa!!! ZZZzzzzz...okay small dink about 14-16". Still, after begining this hunt a few months back and getting the "BIG OL STRIPE", a striper after 20 years was Ssswweeeeeeettttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After taking a pic and releasing the fish (I was looking for something at least 5# to take home) I start to cast again. After a couple of hundred casts later I figure that I caught the only two fish in the area or I needed to find another pattern. So I move up around the cove, casting and covering all the different angles as I go. I get a few hits but nothing sticks. I finally get to the other side of the bay to another point and I take a look at the water conditions. The wind has created a mud slick just offshore from the silt and mud from the shallow area. I cast out to the cleaner water towards the main lake, letting each cast sink a little more before retrieving. When I get to a 20 count I get a strike...Saaaawwwing. NOTHING! :Confused: I think I'm on to something. I make about 5-6 casts and THUMP...WHAM...FISH ON again!!! Bring it in, it's about the same size as the other one I caught on the other side of the cove. I recall the exact pattern I used to catch this fish so I make another cast and repeat the technique for 30-40 casts. Then suddenly WHAM...ZZZzzzzzzzz Weeee Haaaa!!! Fish on! Hmmmm, finally got a pattern going? I get the fish in, releast him and start casting again. 50-60 more casts WHAM! the familiar thump of another fish but swing...nothing. Hmmm did I do something wrong? Cast again reel, reel, reel...WHAM...Swing fish on! Get the fisn in (don't bother taking pic...same size as the other one) release it, start casting again.
Conclusion: Pattern...cast, let lure sink down to 20 count (about 20'), make a number of long and short sweeps when retrieving. Strike comes on the retrieve after a long sweep (usually). I also notice that the fish are striking just as the lure is sweeping into the muddy water stirred up by the wind.
I keep on casting and catch a couple more fish all the same size. On my sixth solid strike I feel some heavier weight. HHHhhhhmmmmmmmmm, better (keeper?) fish? ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...Wow better run! Reel, pump, Reel, Pump, ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...yep, better fish! :Big Grin: So I Reel, pump, Reel, Pump...Wow much better fish! :Dancing Banana: Then another run ZZZzzzzz..POP!! W -T - H :Angry: :Twisted: Ooohh Nooo. Reel in, doesn't feel like much weight at the end of my line. Bring it all the wasy in...YEP! Fray at the end. That'll teach me. I was so excited about catching my first striper in about 20 years I forgot the basics.
CHECK YOUR D@M# LINE AFTER CATCHING EVERY/EVERYOTHER FISH!!!!
Something I use to harp on passengers when I worked on a boat (especially in the middle of a wide open 'cuda, 'tail, tuna bite).
Dang, I left my gear on the other side of the cove. By the time I get back to the other side the wind is really howling and I start to tie on another 1/2oz. KPN Pearl skinny shad (not the color I was using) but then I decide the wind is too much and decide to pack up.
Reflecting back, not bad for just a hour and a half of catching. First fish about 11:45 and the last fish around 1:30p
You can believe that as soon as I got home I broke out the BLACK PAINT and got rid of that stripe that's been haunting me for the last few months.
Thanks Khanh, I couldn't have done it without that 1/2oz'er. Don't forget I need at least a couple more when you get 'em finished!
And Gary, thanks for the encouragement over the last few month. Between that and the information you've been so kind to share with your posts I don't think I would have remembered to put together a technique/pattern.
Tight Lines everyone...I'm going back out right now as a matter of fact.
LW
P.S. Started this thread Thurs. night but was having trouble downloading the pics. Kept losing connection when I tried to download. Thought it better to post w/o pics. At least I could get out the info. Will try to fix problem when not out fishing! :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL:
Let me start out by saying I didn't think this was going to be a good day.
I got out to the West Ramp, good not too many people here. I grab my gear and I notice...S#i+ my license is on my other hat! :Angry:
Throw everythng back into the truck and drive back to my place (fortunately I live in Santa Clarita). Grab my hat, make sure my license is on it and drive back to the Lake.
Arrive back grab my stuff, head on down...still fish still boiling off the point!!! Can't tell if they're bass or stripers from here.
At this point in my narrative I need to stop and explain a situation that came up. In my excitement to get to the boiling fish, I walked by a pile of "stuff" that kind of looked like an empty duffel that had been discarded and something that looked like my patio/canopy that I use for camping. The problem is that there was no one around. I figure it might be a Jet Ski group getting ready to set up camp or something. Well, I continue to get rigged up when someone comes up behind me and drops a cooler just a little behind me. He goes back and helps his friend with the rest of the gear, rods, backpack etc. They grab the canopy and other stuff to move up closer and I asked them if they had been planning on fishing this spot. The first guy answers "yes, but we don't own the lake". He was very cool about it. I apologize for the "poach" and I let them set up all their gear while I rig every rod that I brought.
They rig up bait and I'm throwing artificials for a while for nothing at all.
A little after 10:00a I get a call from Khanh (KPN) asking me where I'm fishing. We were supposed to hook-up after they had gotten off the water so he could provide me with some of his KPN's. He was working towards the West Ramp and figured he'd stop by since he was that close (WAY COOL - Thanks again Khanh).
Well I tie on a topwater and a 1/2oz skinny shad and I work them for a couple of hours. By around 11:30a the wind has picked up and is a sustained 10-15 mph. I start to think of my knowledge of wind in relation to baitfish (ie. Bass Technique). I move to the other side of the point that I was working and on the first cast with the "skinny shad"...WHAM!!! ZZZzzzz FISH ON!!! The :Skunk: is finally off! WHOOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!!!! I reel it in and just before I get it to shore...POP! D@MN :Angry: the fish shakes the hook. But I stay positive, afte all it was the first cast. So I make another cast, start to reel, WHAM again. WOW...second cast another fish Yyyeeeee Hhhaaaaaaa!!! ZZZzzzzz...okay small dink about 14-16". Still, after begining this hunt a few months back and getting the "BIG OL STRIPE", a striper after 20 years was Ssswweeeeeeettttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After taking a pic and releasing the fish (I was looking for something at least 5# to take home) I start to cast again. After a couple of hundred casts later I figure that I caught the only two fish in the area or I needed to find another pattern. So I move up around the cove, casting and covering all the different angles as I go. I get a few hits but nothing sticks. I finally get to the other side of the bay to another point and I take a look at the water conditions. The wind has created a mud slick just offshore from the silt and mud from the shallow area. I cast out to the cleaner water towards the main lake, letting each cast sink a little more before retrieving. When I get to a 20 count I get a strike...Saaaawwwing. NOTHING! :Confused: I think I'm on to something. I make about 5-6 casts and THUMP...WHAM...FISH ON again!!! Bring it in, it's about the same size as the other one I caught on the other side of the cove. I recall the exact pattern I used to catch this fish so I make another cast and repeat the technique for 30-40 casts. Then suddenly WHAM...ZZZzzzzzzzz Weeee Haaaa!!! Fish on! Hmmmm, finally got a pattern going? I get the fish in, releast him and start casting again. 50-60 more casts WHAM! the familiar thump of another fish but swing...nothing. Hmmm did I do something wrong? Cast again reel, reel, reel...WHAM...Swing fish on! Get the fisn in (don't bother taking pic...same size as the other one) release it, start casting again.
Conclusion: Pattern...cast, let lure sink down to 20 count (about 20'), make a number of long and short sweeps when retrieving. Strike comes on the retrieve after a long sweep (usually). I also notice that the fish are striking just as the lure is sweeping into the muddy water stirred up by the wind.
I keep on casting and catch a couple more fish all the same size. On my sixth solid strike I feel some heavier weight. HHHhhhhmmmmmmmmm, better (keeper?) fish? ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...Wow better run! Reel, pump, Reel, Pump, ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...yep, better fish! :Big Grin: So I Reel, pump, Reel, Pump...Wow much better fish! :Dancing Banana: Then another run ZZZzzzzz..POP!! W -T - H :Angry: :Twisted: Ooohh Nooo. Reel in, doesn't feel like much weight at the end of my line. Bring it all the wasy in...YEP! Fray at the end. That'll teach me. I was so excited about catching my first striper in about 20 years I forgot the basics.
CHECK YOUR D@M# LINE AFTER CATCHING EVERY/EVERYOTHER FISH!!!!
Something I use to harp on passengers when I worked on a boat (especially in the middle of a wide open 'cuda, 'tail, tuna bite).
Dang, I left my gear on the other side of the cove. By the time I get back to the other side the wind is really howling and I start to tie on another 1/2oz. KPN Pearl skinny shad (not the color I was using) but then I decide the wind is too much and decide to pack up.
Reflecting back, not bad for just a hour and a half of catching. First fish about 11:45 and the last fish around 1:30p
You can believe that as soon as I got home I broke out the BLACK PAINT and got rid of that stripe that's been haunting me for the last few months.
Thanks Khanh, I couldn't have done it without that 1/2oz'er. Don't forget I need at least a couple more when you get 'em finished!
And Gary, thanks for the encouragement over the last few month. Between that and the information you've been so kind to share with your posts I don't think I would have remembered to put together a technique/pattern.
Tight Lines everyone...I'm going back out right now as a matter of fact.
LW
P.S. Started this thread Thurs. night but was having trouble downloading the pics. Kept losing connection when I tried to download. Thought it better to post w/o pics. At least I could get out the info. Will try to fix problem when not out fishing! :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL: