Stormcrow
08-23-2009, 03:49 PM
Just got back from Laughlin. Had to share this story:
Friday night I decide to soak some bait for stripers directly across from the Riverside hotel on the River. I toss a chunk of anchovy on one of my dropshot spinning rods. 10 lb braid with a 4 lb flouro leader. (this was the big mistake) Hot wind is howling and the dam is fully open. Water level was high, fast and choppy. Approaching thunderstorm less than 1/4 mile off and moving fast but I figure I have 20 min or so to fish.
After holding the rod for about 5 minutes I set it up nicely about 10 ft up the shoreline on my backpack. I grab a baitcast rod and start chucking an LV 500 in a shad pattern. After about 5 casts for no love I casually look back at my bait rod just in time to see it topple over.....Line is tearing from it and the rod is sliding across the concrete into the water where I am standing about shin deep. I lunge for the rod and set the hook and Mr. Stripey is screaming down river. I calmly let the fish pull drag as I wind in my baitcaster and set it down. I then slowly tighten the drag in a futile attempt to slow the fish down. I finally succed in getting the fish to stop and start the slow battle. Every time I would get about ten winds the fish would scream another 30 yards. I fight the fish for about 7 minutes and start making some headway. The fish then spooks and bolts on another big tear. I look down at my stradic 1000 and finally notice I only have 5 wraps of line left on the spool. I pin the line to the rod and try to stop the fish. I succeed for about 3 minutes before another run does me in.
SPOOLED.....
Cursing god and raising my rod into the air was not a wise choice as visions of a Caddyshack lightning strike cross my mind. The rain starts pouring down and I decide its time to go as the lightning is directly overhead and very close. I high tail it up to the truck and head back to the hotel where I drowned my sorrows in the losers lounge with a Coors light.
NEXT EVENING:
I return for revenge. Water very low and no wind at all. Very little flow on the river. I was insulted with 5 stripers only 7 inches long or LESS. Small enough to put in my fish tank. :ROFL:No big fish. To top it off, a family of Racoons walked right up to me and raided my anchovies. BASTERDS! LOL
Sorry, no pics, but the chicks were hot and the weekend was nice.
Thanks for reading.
Friday night I decide to soak some bait for stripers directly across from the Riverside hotel on the River. I toss a chunk of anchovy on one of my dropshot spinning rods. 10 lb braid with a 4 lb flouro leader. (this was the big mistake) Hot wind is howling and the dam is fully open. Water level was high, fast and choppy. Approaching thunderstorm less than 1/4 mile off and moving fast but I figure I have 20 min or so to fish.
After holding the rod for about 5 minutes I set it up nicely about 10 ft up the shoreline on my backpack. I grab a baitcast rod and start chucking an LV 500 in a shad pattern. After about 5 casts for no love I casually look back at my bait rod just in time to see it topple over.....Line is tearing from it and the rod is sliding across the concrete into the water where I am standing about shin deep. I lunge for the rod and set the hook and Mr. Stripey is screaming down river. I calmly let the fish pull drag as I wind in my baitcaster and set it down. I then slowly tighten the drag in a futile attempt to slow the fish down. I finally succed in getting the fish to stop and start the slow battle. Every time I would get about ten winds the fish would scream another 30 yards. I fight the fish for about 7 minutes and start making some headway. The fish then spooks and bolts on another big tear. I look down at my stradic 1000 and finally notice I only have 5 wraps of line left on the spool. I pin the line to the rod and try to stop the fish. I succeed for about 3 minutes before another run does me in.
SPOOLED.....
Cursing god and raising my rod into the air was not a wise choice as visions of a Caddyshack lightning strike cross my mind. The rain starts pouring down and I decide its time to go as the lightning is directly overhead and very close. I high tail it up to the truck and head back to the hotel where I drowned my sorrows in the losers lounge with a Coors light.
NEXT EVENING:
I return for revenge. Water very low and no wind at all. Very little flow on the river. I was insulted with 5 stripers only 7 inches long or LESS. Small enough to put in my fish tank. :ROFL:No big fish. To top it off, a family of Racoons walked right up to me and raided my anchovies. BASTERDS! LOL
Sorry, no pics, but the chicks were hot and the weekend was nice.
Thanks for reading.