E.A.R.G.
11-12-2009, 05:33 PM
Triply whammy on veteran's day
USC does not observe veteran's day, so I had class.
My ochem professor gave us a midterm on Veteran's day
My birthday is veteran's day so I spent all birthday week studying
Got home wednesday night from a hell week of studying ochem, thought to myself... I should go fishing.
Havn't been fishing in a long time and who knows when I'll have the next chance to go, so I took the opportunity.
I'll change things up for a bit and tell the report in first person present tense, hopefully it'll help all those who couldn't fish to live vicariously through this report.
I pull up to to Santa Ana River Lakes. Its 5:30. I don't feel like eating cupnoodles and cold sandwhiches for breakfast/lunch so I drive over to farmer brothers. I buy a pastrami sandwhich and a large pepsi, that should last me for the day, I hope.
I drive back to the line, there are 50 plus cars in front. not too bad for the GRAND OPENER, part 2...? I didn't know you can have 2 openers... They start letting us in at 5 40, there's something new.
I drive in and head straight to chris's pond, back side. I throw my line in and start tossing a jig. ten minutes in, a guy walks up to me and asks if I can move my car. I ask why? He says so he can park, and he points over to the mt. lassen stocking truck. SURE! I reply. I move my car and the truck pulls up and dumps what looks like about a little shy of 1,000 pounds of trout , all in the 1-5lb grade. They hop around and disperse, I start tossing my jig, but the fish ain't having it. 3 hours go by without a single bite. Pretty slow all around. I saw one guy catch a fish at 8 but that was it. I begin to wonder why they aren't biting.
My guy on the inside pulls up, as he steps out of the truck I get my first bite, I set the hook. FISH ON. I'm a little nervous because this is all last year's fishing line and these "natural bows" are supposed to be full finned. The fight doesn't last long, and the I get my FIrst trout of 2009. Beach him to the shore cause I don't have my net. A fiesty 1 1/2 pounder.
Can I tell if its a stocker? Most definitely. Is it better looking that normal stockers though? Absolutely.
I talk to my guy on the inside, says the water is 63 at SARL. Still a bit too warm for any REAL good trout fishing. He says Corona is in the 50s, thats why Corona has been on fire. I ask him about the 20 lbers they put in. He says there weren't any. Maybe they all went to Corona? I know colder waters help sustain larger grade trout, so they probably went there.
30 minutes later my second bite of the day. Identical stocker, again 1 1/2 grade trout. Another hour or so goes without a bite, I think it's time to move. I pack up and head down chris's pond a little further and set up. I notice a lot of dead tail walkers from the previous plants. Good news is though, the water temp is dropping fast and it should make for an awesome season.
I set up 200 yard down and the waiting game begins again. No bite for a while. still tossing the same jig i've been tossing since 6 AM. My trusty yellow lip ripper, which always works for me... not a bump this time.
At around 11 AM, my bait pole gets hit again, I run over and set the hook. Another identical stocker. GOod stuff, I Might hit my limit and have time for a nap. Bite seems to be picking up, I see people catching fish around me now.
A guy leaving leaves me his nightcrawlers. I noticed that people using nightcawlers were getting 3:1 of miscellaneous fish to trout. But I thought what the hay, If I catch some bluegill or bass it'll add to the excitement.
I toss a half crawler on small split shot with alot of slack to let it sink slowly. I turn my head for a second and I notice my line is tight already... that shouldn't be...
I pick up the pole and feel some tension. Bluegill? Bass? I set the hook.
Ohhh I know this feeling.... And the battle begins. Last years 2lb test line vs trout at the end of my line. The fish has me running down chris's pond. Over, under, over, under. All the while I'm afraid of my line snapping. I end up almost back where I started at 6AM... then back to my 2nd spot, back and forth back and forth. Eventually the fish tires out and bottoms up. I see it, a fairly nice sized trout. Then it makes another run for it. Straight left. I'm going back over and under over and under and finally managed it into my friend's net.
Sweet. These natural bows do fight harder than the normal hatchery grade trout. =)
Got him to the scales after he bled out and he weighed at 5 1/4. Not bad stuff, especially for first trout trip of 09.
I start packing it up around noon, and as the perfect ending to a story, I get a clutch last minute rainbow to finish off my 5 fish 11.5lb limit. out by 1.
Good start to trout season
Thanks for reading!
on a side note. they don't pass out 2 dollar off coupons anymore, but they still honor those that you have. they replaced it with that 300 dollar weekly contest deal. so if you've got them 2 dollar coupons... make em count!
USC does not observe veteran's day, so I had class.
My ochem professor gave us a midterm on Veteran's day
My birthday is veteran's day so I spent all birthday week studying
Got home wednesday night from a hell week of studying ochem, thought to myself... I should go fishing.
Havn't been fishing in a long time and who knows when I'll have the next chance to go, so I took the opportunity.
I'll change things up for a bit and tell the report in first person present tense, hopefully it'll help all those who couldn't fish to live vicariously through this report.
I pull up to to Santa Ana River Lakes. Its 5:30. I don't feel like eating cupnoodles and cold sandwhiches for breakfast/lunch so I drive over to farmer brothers. I buy a pastrami sandwhich and a large pepsi, that should last me for the day, I hope.
I drive back to the line, there are 50 plus cars in front. not too bad for the GRAND OPENER, part 2...? I didn't know you can have 2 openers... They start letting us in at 5 40, there's something new.
I drive in and head straight to chris's pond, back side. I throw my line in and start tossing a jig. ten minutes in, a guy walks up to me and asks if I can move my car. I ask why? He says so he can park, and he points over to the mt. lassen stocking truck. SURE! I reply. I move my car and the truck pulls up and dumps what looks like about a little shy of 1,000 pounds of trout , all in the 1-5lb grade. They hop around and disperse, I start tossing my jig, but the fish ain't having it. 3 hours go by without a single bite. Pretty slow all around. I saw one guy catch a fish at 8 but that was it. I begin to wonder why they aren't biting.
My guy on the inside pulls up, as he steps out of the truck I get my first bite, I set the hook. FISH ON. I'm a little nervous because this is all last year's fishing line and these "natural bows" are supposed to be full finned. The fight doesn't last long, and the I get my FIrst trout of 2009. Beach him to the shore cause I don't have my net. A fiesty 1 1/2 pounder.
Can I tell if its a stocker? Most definitely. Is it better looking that normal stockers though? Absolutely.
I talk to my guy on the inside, says the water is 63 at SARL. Still a bit too warm for any REAL good trout fishing. He says Corona is in the 50s, thats why Corona has been on fire. I ask him about the 20 lbers they put in. He says there weren't any. Maybe they all went to Corona? I know colder waters help sustain larger grade trout, so they probably went there.
30 minutes later my second bite of the day. Identical stocker, again 1 1/2 grade trout. Another hour or so goes without a bite, I think it's time to move. I pack up and head down chris's pond a little further and set up. I notice a lot of dead tail walkers from the previous plants. Good news is though, the water temp is dropping fast and it should make for an awesome season.
I set up 200 yard down and the waiting game begins again. No bite for a while. still tossing the same jig i've been tossing since 6 AM. My trusty yellow lip ripper, which always works for me... not a bump this time.
At around 11 AM, my bait pole gets hit again, I run over and set the hook. Another identical stocker. GOod stuff, I Might hit my limit and have time for a nap. Bite seems to be picking up, I see people catching fish around me now.
A guy leaving leaves me his nightcrawlers. I noticed that people using nightcawlers were getting 3:1 of miscellaneous fish to trout. But I thought what the hay, If I catch some bluegill or bass it'll add to the excitement.
I toss a half crawler on small split shot with alot of slack to let it sink slowly. I turn my head for a second and I notice my line is tight already... that shouldn't be...
I pick up the pole and feel some tension. Bluegill? Bass? I set the hook.
Ohhh I know this feeling.... And the battle begins. Last years 2lb test line vs trout at the end of my line. The fish has me running down chris's pond. Over, under, over, under. All the while I'm afraid of my line snapping. I end up almost back where I started at 6AM... then back to my 2nd spot, back and forth back and forth. Eventually the fish tires out and bottoms up. I see it, a fairly nice sized trout. Then it makes another run for it. Straight left. I'm going back over and under over and under and finally managed it into my friend's net.
Sweet. These natural bows do fight harder than the normal hatchery grade trout. =)
Got him to the scales after he bled out and he weighed at 5 1/4. Not bad stuff, especially for first trout trip of 09.
I start packing it up around noon, and as the perfect ending to a story, I get a clutch last minute rainbow to finish off my 5 fish 11.5lb limit. out by 1.
Good start to trout season
Thanks for reading!
on a side note. they don't pass out 2 dollar off coupons anymore, but they still honor those that you have. they replaced it with that 300 dollar weekly contest deal. so if you've got them 2 dollar coupons... make em count!