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yolo
12-11-2010, 09:47 AM
Had Bako on my mind but the AV duct was too kind. Been planning for a few days to fish with a forum member yesterday early evening and we didn't know where to go from the low water. Well I started my drive heading west and left a little earlier than our meeting time. I wanted to see what the construction was like at the duct. I pass over the duct and see that it is up about to 10' deep and it is flowing. I immediately hit one spot on my drive to test the waters. Nothing there. I call Jay and tell him there's flow. We can stay local. Maybe we can get some fish getting flushed out of their hiding places?

I hit spot 2 and within a few casts get hit and hook up. I'm battling it for 30 seconds and it gets off. Bummer. Cast out a few more times and hit and hook up again. It's on for like 10 seconds and comes off. I'm like what the heck??? I very rarely miss or dump 2 in a row. I call Jay again and tell him there are fish around so we decide to meet up locally and concentrate there. A few casts later again I get bit again and hook it good. It is running and quickly surfaces in the in the somewhat shallow water. Big 'ol splash and then dash. My drag is ripping now. I usually have a tight drag so I know it's a good fish. I actually had to tighten it some more, which I never do, but I could not slow it down. We are battling for a little while and I get it to turn. Comes up again and shakes the head and is making all kinds of commotion on top. Start to bring him in as it looks like it gave up and get it to the edge. It's a really big one. I have 10lb test on and no way I can drag it up. No way I can go down cause it's a steep area and the water is still down about 7' plus the extra bank to high water. I decide to drag him in the water to the nearest ladder and go down and try to grip it. The waves in the duct from the wind and flow are moving it around and I can't get a good lip grip (steep angle and I am keeping the line tight with my rod bent holding it behind me so my jig does not fall out and the fish float away). I have to put my foot on the next rung which was getting waves washed over it. No other way I could reach it. So now I am guiding it back towards me with the bent rod and have the griper ready to grab it and yank it up. Waves crash on my foot and getting it wet but I grip it and it is secured.

It was a big toad. The pics show it but don't do it justice. It had a huge head with giant gill plate. My duct PB is 19.5 lbs and this one was close.

Jay finally arrives and we decide to let the spot cool and maybe whatever was biting me return or it could have been the same fish I hooked 3 times and third time was the charm? Hit the next spot and I get short bit. 5 seconds after me Jay gets short bit. Nothing else there. Hit another spot and after awhile I get short bit again. A few casts later so does Jay. Then a few later he gets bit 3 times working it in and on the third one he hooks up. Lands his skunk killer, about a 5lb to 6lb. Nothing after that. Head back to previous spot and nothing there. Head back to the spot I got the piggy at and the 2 farms and nothing there on our return. Call it a night.

A few different shots of my fish.

http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/oo144/JetSkiJunkie118/Duct%2012-10-10/Duct12_10_10_1.jpg

http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/oo144/JetSkiJunkie118/Duct%2012-10-10/Duct12_10_10_3.jpg

http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/oo144/JetSkiJunkie118/Duct%2012-10-10/Duct12_10_10_2.jpg

trail blazer
12-11-2010, 10:35 AM
Thats a TOAD yolo,,,,,,,,,,,

No the pics dont do the fish justice lately,,,,,,,,,The girth of the fish lately has been massive and cameras don,t seem to capture that at all.


Shad scent really helps me keep from farming my jig fish.


Was it before or after dark when the toad hit?


Congrats to the both of you,,,,,,,,,,,,Great that the AV water is on the flow again for you AV DUCT MASTERS,,,,,.



TRAIL BLAZER

yolo
12-11-2010, 11:07 AM
TB, it was after dark I want to say around 6:30pm. I was surprised to see water flow when crossing but shouldn't have been because I knew it was only shut down for a week. I guess a week of no fishing I lost track?

Yeah the camera definitely doesn't pick up the girth of the fish. Maybe cause it's next to my girth, lol? The fish had stuff poking out of the stomach. I gave it to Jay on condition of telling me stomach contents. I wanted to release it but I don't think it would have made it. It came in and went belly up and just laid there while I was trying to devise a plan to get it up on the shore by myself.

Geraldlim
12-11-2010, 12:20 PM
Yolo, turning into a vampire are you?:LOL: Nice fish.

TB where do you get your shad scent from?

Gerald

yolo
12-11-2010, 12:23 PM
6:30pm is not a vampire. Once in awhile it's ok to go "bark at the moon".

M@M
12-11-2010, 01:01 PM
:Envious: DAMN!!! THAT IS A WHOPPER!!!:Thumbs Up

adicfor
12-11-2010, 01:29 PM
Nice work. I was out yesterday evening also and the wind was howling.

yolo
12-11-2010, 01:37 PM
Tell me about it. I think I have a head cold from all the wind. My one wet foot was surprisingly not cold. Was the water moving where you were at? I'm pretty sure it should have flowed and filled.

cutbait
12-11-2010, 01:58 PM
Nice fish YALO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pigs are coming to play!

Trout Chaser1
12-11-2010, 02:03 PM
damn you did it again yolo!
im plannin on hittin the AV duct later tonight, what lure were you using?

sumojo
12-11-2010, 02:17 PM
Nice job working that striper Yolo what a fatty. im going out in the morning to do some lure fishing in a few new spots.

yolo
12-11-2010, 02:24 PM
Trout Chaser1, Soft jerkbait and the tickler. Fish caught on the jerk bait but later got the bite on the tickler.

Cornbait, yes the flow and elevation rise flushed them out of their hiding spots. "Searching, seek and destroy"

adicfor
12-11-2010, 04:07 PM
The water was barely moving and it was filling slowly. By the time I got there this morning it was just about back to normal but still with little to no flow. A guy was wait and baiting near one of the "caves" and didn't get any bites at all for 3 hours he said.

yolo
12-11-2010, 04:39 PM
They probably moved out of the "caves" already. Could have snuck out the other end of the caves too :Big Grin:

trail blazer
12-11-2010, 04:39 PM
Yolo, turning into a vampire are you?:LOL: Nice fish.

TB where do you get your shad scent from?

Gerald


anywhere i can find it,,,,,,,,,BANG shad works the best i think but ive tried them all and i like them all/

Got my last bottle at sports authority i think

TRAIL BLAZER

Tr1p0d
12-12-2010, 07:04 PM
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/2918/ducthead.jpg (http://img80.imageshack.us/i/ducthead.jpg/)
http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/245/2duct.jpg (http://img109.imageshack.us/i/2duct.jpg/)

Your fish dwarfs mine damn it... LOL

yolo
12-12-2010, 07:40 PM
That's a big arse head lol.