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View Full Version : Triple DD's AV Duct Style



yolo
07-29-2010, 07:04 AM
It has been a long time since I fished the duct for stripers. Probably close to 3 months. I wanted to give my arm a rest and a chance to heal. It is getting better but pain is still there. Since I didn't want to push things, I took the spinning set up with a MH 7' rod. It's a good thing I did as you will later find out.

I get a call from ferno asking if I wanted to fish the duct a little after work. He has not gone out in the same time (about 3 months). We actually fished together last time too when we got the striper skunk but was the time I caught that large turtle. Anyway, I am all for it and we hit up east Palmdale section.

We were not next to a gate so I can't say exactly how high up it was but from my experienced flow detecting eye, I would say all the way up. Water was really moving fast. Some of the stringy weeds floating but not bad at all and very workable conditions. The sun was setting so the typical summer time duct surface breaking carp and catfish were out in mass. Even saw a huge goldfish (about 18").

We were working our KPN. I had the perch pattern on and ferno had the shad. after a few casts, I get a knock real close to the edge. It felt like my lure maybe bumped a carp. I keep casting and nothing. I change over to a fluke and work that for awhile and nothing. Ferno has moved down flow and is working his KPN. I make my way down flow too and he tells me that he felt the same knock. Keep walking and working and nothing. I make my way back up flow to where we started and I tie the KPN back on. I immediately start getting it knocked again. Maybe every 4 or 5 casts.? Ferno is now back too and is going to try a different lure. I get the bump again and right on the edge and this time I see mr stripey trailing my lure and do a 180 as he has run out of water real estate. I see the dirt stirred cloud and tell ferno that there is something here. I got a visual that it was a striper. He decides to keep the KPN on and starts casting. Within a few casts, he is hooked up. This fish was haulin butt and peeling his tight set drag like nothing. It goes up flow, down flow, towards the middle, down deep, up to the top and does a splash, left, right, up again and I make quick mention that it's a decent one from the swirl it mad on top. Ferno finally lands it. It was a very nice striper and 30" long and 12 pounds.

I now walk up flow a little bit and cast out. I get the bump again and go for hook set and my drag momentarily zzzzz's but no love. I have experienced this type of knock before but it is usually around the spring time when the perch are fat with babies in them. The stripers knock the lure thinking they are perch to squeeze the little guys out and eat them up. It is a very frustrating thing because they are not actually biting the lures and makes it hard to nail them. I keep casting and I finally get an actual hit. I set the hook and it is on. I was up flow from a ladder and buoy line and it immediately went down flow at full speed headed to the buoys. There was no stopping and no turning it. Drag screaming, arm pumping (this is why I am glad I had the spinning rod because my baitcaster would have set me back on the other arm healing for sure with this aggressive fish). My line is just about to rub the buoys and thankfully it dives deep so I don't rub on it. I am finally able to turn it and it starts screaming up flow now. Starts to come up but doesn't break surface. Decides to go back down deep again and full speed. Turns and is moving with the current again. It is shagging arse back towards the buoys. I force him up and breaks surface. We are both getting tired now. I get him in and it's another beauty. It was 29" long and 11lbs.

We keep working it and we both keep getting the knock close to the edge at times. I tried a slower retrieve, faster retrieve, pause and fall, retrieve and yoyo, everything. I could not get them to chew on it. This knock was always right at the edge about 3' feet away. It was now dark so I could not see anything follow.

Ferno casts out and gets a solid hit and hook up. He is battling the fish same as the other two. It seems to be another good one. He lands it and it is the smallest of the three at 28" and right at 10 pounds. We release this one because one fish each of this caliber is plenty to have a nice meal from.

We work it a little longer and I get one final edge knock that makes the drag screech when I tried to set the hook but no cigar. We make a bunch more casts but nothing. We call it a night.

All three fish that got hooked hit farther out near the middle and actually bit the lure. The distinct knockers following it in to the edge and then probably slapping the lure with the side of their face were just too smart for us. At least we beat the skunk and got on some quality AV fish close to home. The stomach was empty on the one ferno caught and the one I caught had a little bit of the stringy weeds in there with some partially digested small worms.

Well it was great to finally get out and nail some duct stripers and some quality stripers at that. I almost slipped up and took my Curado, which I know would have reinjured my arm and all my progress would have been voided. Ferno did offer to let me make a few casts with his Curado but I declined :Smile:

My fish
http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/oo144/JetSkiJunkie118/Duct%207-28-10/Duct7-28-10_1.jpg

Ferno's first fish
http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/oo144/JetSkiJunkie118/Duct%207-28-10/Duct_Ferno_1.jpg

Ferno's second and released fish
http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/oo144/JetSkiJunkie118/Duct%207-28-10/Duct_Ferno_2.jpg

rjonly
07-29-2010, 08:28 AM
Nice catch man.. way to slay

Danny300
07-29-2010, 08:46 AM
way to go! you own the duct

fishinone
07-29-2010, 09:07 AM
Great report Yolo. I enjoyed reading it. Congrats to you and Ferno on the fish.

You should get a left handed baitcaster. I'm right handed baitcaster challenged. I got a left handed one and now everything is wonderful.

cutbait
07-29-2010, 09:08 AM
Good to see.

Stay on em

cutbait
07-29-2010, 09:08 AM
What was in their gut???

Fishbones
07-29-2010, 09:36 AM
great to see you slaying them as usual yolo and crew, congrats on the chunky linesides...

yolo
07-29-2010, 10:40 AM
Thanks all. It was good to be back out there. As a matter of fact, it was so good that I played hooky on the way into work and stopped off this morning for a few moments. First spot nothing for 10 minutes. I was using the same set up as last night with the KPN on. Second spot nothing for 10 minutes and then I grab my light rod that I had a light lead head on and a soft jerk bait and after 3rd cast I get a bit about 7 feet out and see the fish flash on the lure hit and turn and run up flow and dive straight down. I could not stop it for the 20 seconds that it was on. Just ran and ran and ran and then my line went limp. I blame the light rod and reel with 6 lb test. I just could not get the hook to penetrate imo with the light set up. Spit it out after running like mad. At least I saw it and it seemed slightly bigger than yesterday evenings catches. I was going to release it but it released itself earlier than I liked, lol. Once again, I was in an open stretch so could not see gate height but it seemed to be flowing wide open at 8:30am when I was there.

Ron,
Money is tight now so I can't spend the money on a good left handed baitcaster. I have no problem using the right until my striper elbow set in. I'm ok using the spinning until it fully heals.

CB, the gut contents were in the report. I know it was kind of a long report but I have been out of commission for awhile so I probably went overboard on the report, lol. The larger one that ferno caught was empty. The one I caught had some of the stringy weeds along with some partially digested small worms but very little.

M@M
07-29-2010, 12:06 PM
Nice Catch!! You make it seem so easy! .....I must be the worst fisherman in the world..not joking.... I'll be out again this pm for some more exercise, It's been flowing VERY FAST here in HESPERIA, mostly windy every evening. I still don't really think I know what I'm doing.....just hoping to get lucky again....can't seem to find the FISH........again nice looking fish you have there! Congrates, Mike

trail blazer
07-29-2010, 12:12 PM
Great job YOLO/FERNO!!!!!!

I new you couldnt wait much longer to get some stripees!!!!!!!!

Now you guys got my STRIPER FEVER on active mode again,,THANKS!!

TRAIL BLAZER

yolo
07-29-2010, 01:59 PM
TB, this is one fever I am glad to spread. Here's a striper sneeze right on you. Now go get some medicine for that which is ailing you, striper fever.

INDOANGLER2.1
07-29-2010, 04:17 PM
Yolo, thanks for the report, good to see there's some action in the duct again. You're report gives me hope and I just might give a try tonight, it's been a long time and i only live about a mile away.

koifish
07-29-2010, 07:15 PM
nice stripers... thanks for the post

kpn
07-30-2010, 03:08 PM
Nice job out there Z & Ferno.
KPN's slayed again LOL.

KPN.

HaiTheMeister
07-30-2010, 03:52 PM
Wow, I thought you retired from the duct. Great job brotha & company! I broke my clavicle bone from mountain biking so I haven't been able to fish for about a month now. See now I wish I have your striper-elbow problem.
Congrats!!!