First time at SARL on Sunday, Feb. 14

[Trout-Chaser]

Team 57 member Cindy (Mondo 21) took me on my first trip to SARL on Sunday (her first trip there too). We arrived at 5am, the crew opened the gates promptly at 6, and we had lines in by 6:30. It was pretty chilly, which made rigging up a challenge with frozen fingers, but we got it done by sheer determination. Of course it took me a little longer because I clipped the line instead of the tag end on the first hook I put on and had to start over!:Embarrassed:

The guy to our right got the first fish of the day. He had six rods set up (yes, you heard me correctly) and caught three nice trout pretty quickly after the sun rose. He then packed up and left, leaving a pile of beer cans on the ground (even though there was a trash can right next to where he was parked!) Some guys to our left then caught two. Cindy caught one at 8 am--a nice 1 1/2 lb. beauty--lovely pink lateral line and pink fins (the valentine's fish?). Then the bite went quiet.

From then on we tossed everything in our tackle box arsenal at those fish: night crawlers, various colors and scents of Powerbait, Lip Ripperz,--heck, I even used some Blue Fox lures and plastic minnows! All I got was one tug, and one good-sized trout that rolled over my line about 8' from shore when I was reeling in on one rod to put on fresh bait. Bottom line: no valentine's love from the trout! I wish I could report catching my limit of monster fish on Sunday, but alas, the striped kitty prevailed!

Just when we were packing up, some guy to our left got a bite on his son's kiddie rod--and pulled in a HUGE trout (maybe 7-10 lbs.). On a kiddie rod no less!

It was a lovely day to be out though and nice and relaxing to be near the water. Thankfully there were plenty of birds to watch for entertainment--I even saw one I'd never seen before, a Forester's Tern, that I was able to add to my life list.

Cindy was a lot of fun to fish with and I want to send plenty of props her way for making the day a memorable one!:Big Grin:

Linda

[Fisherman57]

I'm always amazed at all the different birds that find their way to bodies of water within the inter-cities..... of course, Im sure it's like having an open buffet when they locate a PayLake!......

I have an old friend who made a career of Ornithology ..... but all I can remember is that most Tern's have a "split V" tail don't they?..... Guess I could Google it. Ill have to keep an eye open for a "Forster's Tern".

Usually, there's a few Osprey's working the water at SARL pretty hard. Team Raptor.

Sounds like a tough day of fishing, but it's always good to get out and spend a day on the water!
Hopefully "karma prevailed" and the guy working 6 poles didnt get any. LOL!

You'll get em' next time!

[Trout-Chaser]

Hahaha--no, sorry to say the guy with 6 poles got three fish--and then left his beer cans on the ground. He may have caught fish, but in my book he's a big loser!

Yeah, the terns have a forked tail. I am amazed at how many fishermen get mad at the birds--except for the Osprey, they only eat the bait fish--and there's plenty of those to go around in any lake. And even the terns drop about 1 in five they catch! But NONE of those birds are going to chow down or carry off any of the lunkers. The coots, mallards, and geese mostly eat the green stuff that we all get tangled up in all the time (and Lord knows there's enough of that) and a aquatic insects. They are all a neccessary part of a healthy ecosystem. (So give the birds a break guys!) :Big Grin:

[Fisherman57]

Hahaha--no, sorry to say the guy with 6 poles got three fish--and then left his beer cans on the ground. He may have caught fish, but in my book he's a big loser!

Yeah, the terns have a forked tail. I am amazed at how many fishermen get mad at the birds--except for the Osprey, they only eat the bait fish--and there's plenty of those to go around in any lake. And even the terns drop about 1 in five they catch! But NONE of those birds are going to chow down or carry off any of the lunkers. The coots, mallards, and geese mostly eat the green stuff that we all get tangled up in all the time (and Lord knows there's enough of that) and a aquatic insects. They are all a neccessary part of a healthy ecosystem. (So give the birds a break guys!) :Big Grin:


Actually, it's the Cormorant's that fishermen detest most........
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormorant

http://fishinghotpage.com/users/tmp3/hotshotteam57.jpg

The Canadian's, Mud Hens, Ducks and so on........ don't really bother me.

Im sure it's maddening for the PayLakes to purchase fish and then watch the birds take one after another, every day of the week.....

57

[Trout-Chaser]

Well now--I guess I stand corrected! That cormorant sure enough has a mouthful! I've never seen them with anything other than minnows.