VietReefer
10-01-2010, 12:46 AM
My favorite type of fishing is surf, or lake .. with ice blue water and scenic environment. But here in the desert, I'm lucky enough to be able to find some water to cast my lures and actually catch something. Salton Sea is only 30 minutes away, but the last time I visit couple months ago, saw thousands and I really mean thousands of talapias floating dead on the surface and the smell was bad and flies were so thick I couldn't stand 3 minutes outside.
I thought I was satisfied after I caught the long-wished striper in the canal and said that's it, the hunt is over but apparently it was not because I woke up in the middle of the night and feel that itch and a voice told me to go wet my line.
Got up at 5am and had everything tied up and ready to go. @ the canal around 5:45am, couple of rain drops started falling, in the desert? at this time? weird. The thunder and lightning scared the crap out of me a couple times. It really a lot more frightening when you're in the middle of the desert, pit black, can't see anything around you, but I refuse to back down.
Stated with my KPN, the only lure I tried that caught me my last striper at the canal, swooshhhhh and reeled in .. why does it take so long to feel that tight light .. just reel and reel until it took me flashlight to tell me the lure was gone :( Shoot, damm it, my favorite weapon for the hunt is gone. Bad knot?? Yeah, I think so.
As sad as I was losing my KPN .. fish on. Going through my lure box, was gonna choose Wingnut's LC FM110 metallic sardine or the gold color but decided I'm gonna go with the shiniest LC I just got since it was still dark, choose Slender Pointer 112MR Nishiki. Carefully tied my lure with a palomar knot, reenforced with a uni-knot just to be sure. If I loose another expensive lure, I'm gonna cry .. hehe.
My very first cast into the dark water after loosing the KPN rewarded me with a biggun to make it up. Man, was he a drag burner. I couldn't see him but I couldn't hear he came atop the surface and splashing water all over the place. A lot of loosening and tightening of drag were done to tug-o-war with him. He gave up a good 5 minutes fight then I tightened my drag and reeled him in. I could see him with a flashlight in my mouth about 10 ft from me, then he decided to make another run and my rod went bendo hard and I hear a "crack", holy crap, my rod broke, I couldn't see where it broke but first instinc I lifted the rod up high to keep line tight. Landed the dude and recovered the broken rod tip about 1-1.5". He's the biggest striper bass I've ever caught, not DD, but my PB. No scale, so I measured him at aroung 25-26".
I always bring 2 rods when I go fishing, for some reason, I only brought 1 today cuz I thought I've always used only one. Now, don't tell me I have to go home after just 2 casts, even though I've caught something. Fish on, I cut the live, remove the tip and put it in my pocket, retied the SP 112MR Nishiki and fish on without the tip. It make it a lot harder to cast without the rod tip, and I can't cast as far .. but what the heck. I managed to pull one more, a lot smaller striper out of there after 15 casts or so .. then the water level started to drop, and my lure would snag bottom on every cast so I called it a day and bagged the stripers for dinner.
Went home, contact Amazon, told them how come the rod tip broke on my first session (I lied, it's my 5th session hehe), and the replacement rod is on its way to my house. Amazing customer service, and I didn't have to call & talk to anyone too, just did online. :)
It was still dark when I caught them, so the pictures were taken at home :)
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/5040669955_dcfd7b000d_z.jpg
Bonus shot: My other fishes which I don't fish for
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4496606304_e0501fabe9_z.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2700/4495956545_e3873ee78d_z.jpg
I thought I was satisfied after I caught the long-wished striper in the canal and said that's it, the hunt is over but apparently it was not because I woke up in the middle of the night and feel that itch and a voice told me to go wet my line.
Got up at 5am and had everything tied up and ready to go. @ the canal around 5:45am, couple of rain drops started falling, in the desert? at this time? weird. The thunder and lightning scared the crap out of me a couple times. It really a lot more frightening when you're in the middle of the desert, pit black, can't see anything around you, but I refuse to back down.
Stated with my KPN, the only lure I tried that caught me my last striper at the canal, swooshhhhh and reeled in .. why does it take so long to feel that tight light .. just reel and reel until it took me flashlight to tell me the lure was gone :( Shoot, damm it, my favorite weapon for the hunt is gone. Bad knot?? Yeah, I think so.
As sad as I was losing my KPN .. fish on. Going through my lure box, was gonna choose Wingnut's LC FM110 metallic sardine or the gold color but decided I'm gonna go with the shiniest LC I just got since it was still dark, choose Slender Pointer 112MR Nishiki. Carefully tied my lure with a palomar knot, reenforced with a uni-knot just to be sure. If I loose another expensive lure, I'm gonna cry .. hehe.
My very first cast into the dark water after loosing the KPN rewarded me with a biggun to make it up. Man, was he a drag burner. I couldn't see him but I couldn't hear he came atop the surface and splashing water all over the place. A lot of loosening and tightening of drag were done to tug-o-war with him. He gave up a good 5 minutes fight then I tightened my drag and reeled him in. I could see him with a flashlight in my mouth about 10 ft from me, then he decided to make another run and my rod went bendo hard and I hear a "crack", holy crap, my rod broke, I couldn't see where it broke but first instinc I lifted the rod up high to keep line tight. Landed the dude and recovered the broken rod tip about 1-1.5". He's the biggest striper bass I've ever caught, not DD, but my PB. No scale, so I measured him at aroung 25-26".
I always bring 2 rods when I go fishing, for some reason, I only brought 1 today cuz I thought I've always used only one. Now, don't tell me I have to go home after just 2 casts, even though I've caught something. Fish on, I cut the live, remove the tip and put it in my pocket, retied the SP 112MR Nishiki and fish on without the tip. It make it a lot harder to cast without the rod tip, and I can't cast as far .. but what the heck. I managed to pull one more, a lot smaller striper out of there after 15 casts or so .. then the water level started to drop, and my lure would snag bottom on every cast so I called it a day and bagged the stripers for dinner.
Went home, contact Amazon, told them how come the rod tip broke on my first session (I lied, it's my 5th session hehe), and the replacement rod is on its way to my house. Amazing customer service, and I didn't have to call & talk to anyone too, just did online. :)
It was still dark when I caught them, so the pictures were taken at home :)
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/5040669955_dcfd7b000d_z.jpg
Bonus shot: My other fishes which I don't fish for
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4496606304_e0501fabe9_z.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2700/4495956545_e3873ee78d_z.jpg