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FishinElectrician
09-04-2010, 05:23 PM
Made a trip out to the IV for a family function out in Westmoreland. Hit up the East Highline Canal for the first time ever in my life. I cant believe how fishy the canal looks!!! The edges are full of submerged weeds, but the current was ripping!!!

Got to a small dam just north of where the canal crosses Highway 78, and started workin a Lucky Craft Pointer 78 on the weedlines. I saw tons of 6-10 inch bass following the lure, and many 2-4 pounders here n there. I finally tossed a Yum Dinger in some slack water close to the dam, and then I felt that familiar tick...

My first IV Bass... Not the biggest, but much better than that little black n white stinky animal!!!

carpanglerdude
09-05-2010, 09:46 AM
Yum dingers rock, I love 'em. Nice catch.

bassgrabber1
09-10-2010, 11:27 AM
Nice catch and you're right....a little guy is way better than a stinky black and white....lol Yum Dingers are great but I found that the BPS Sticko has better results for me. It's all on how you fish them though.

FishinElectrician
11-26-2010, 04:59 PM
I hate to bump this old thread, but do any of you who are familiar with the East Highline Canal know if there are Stripers in the canal, and what lures are most effective in targeting them??? Im headed down there in the next couple of days, and I wanted to go after some linesides!!!

Any info is appreciated!!!

Fisher
02-03-2011, 03:33 PM
I've fished the East Highline canal and I have to say it's a hell of a lot of fun...on Labor Day(2010)I caught the biggest Redear(Shellcracker)I have ever caught. It was about 1 lb or more and measure 11 and 3/4 inches. It was amazing. It was at Sundown and I caught him on a nightcrawler...Never under estimate the power of the worm.

I took it home as well as a real nice bluegill, but the Shellcracker made my week!!!!

flytyingreloader
02-12-2011, 04:33 PM
I have learned a GREAT method to attract--hook--and briefly entertain the striped bass in the EHL Canal.

1) Use any sissy-la-la trout tackle you might have sitting around--#5-weight flyrod/reel is ideal, esp. with old WF line you don't care much about. Almost as good--ultralight to medium skirted-spool/spinning rigs.

2) Attach something fish like--nightcrawlers, swimbaits, whatever.

3) Drop into current in fishy-looking spot, let it do its thing.

4) Hold on.

Stripers have an uncanny sense of when an angler is using light tackle. I swear it. The following course of conduct by those line-sided jailbirds has happened far too often in far too many places for me to call it "coincidental". Twice on the EHL, many more times up in The Delta.

The fish starts the music by lightly tap-tap-tapping like your typical canal critter. OK, BENDO! Followed by, HIJO LA--WTF is on here??!! The drags on fresh-water fly reels or trout-level spinning rigs didn't sign on for this bit. The speed with which line gets peeled from the reel arbor--and down to the reel arbor--indicates that A) a Los Angeles-class sub got WAY lost or B) a striper of some heft and attitude is on the far end of the equation.

Now, I've taken 37" and 42" northern pike on 5-weight fly tackle. These were 15-20 minute battles, but I won. I can work fishing tackle. But stripers are a whole 'nother matter. I have managed to turn a couple of these fish around, walk down to them while I reeled up line, and my conclusion is that the fish were either bored or catching their breath. Once within sight of the fish, they took off again--probably laughing like hell, and either snapped the line or spooled me quite happily and efficiently.

These experiences reinforce the tendency to use saltwater baitcasting rigs in the EHL. It looks ridiculous to C&R 10" black bass or panfish on such tooling, but I assure you it will come in handy if something serious decides to play.

FishinElectrician
05-16-2011, 09:01 PM
Im headin down there this weekend. Is fishing good on the EHL when its windy??? I wanna go and see if I can catch a decent sized LMB on the canal. I might even take a Calico Bass rod and try for some Stripers or some Catfish. Im gonna pick some up some fresh dead chovies and dines from MDR, and some crawlers for bait.

Do those baits work on the EHL for stripers and cats???

Also, what rigs and how much weight do you guys use for the canals???