Fishing trip with Dear Old Dad-First Report

[Danny Klein]

So I recently introduced myself as a new member and promised fishing reports so here goes. Hopefully I've posted this in the proper forum.

My dear old Dad is 81 years old and I have him to thank for my love of fishing and the outdoors. He put a rod in my hand when I was barely able to walk. Today I had the great pleasure of taking him on a fishing trip to a lake he had been reading about for close to a decade. I'm not sure why he never made a trip there but together we fished Lake Laguna Niguel.

Who would think that a little lake in the middle of a community park would provide such a fun fishing experience? I will say that I have never fished a venue like this before. Skeptical would be the best way to describe my thoughts when my father explained how much of the southern california trout fishery is comprised of seasonally stocked pay to fish lakes. No matter because I was spending a quality day with my dad and what could be better than that! We not only had a great day together we experienced some pretty good fishing.

The park was beautiful,the lake was nice though the water was quite a bit off colored,the lake personnel were friendly and helpful,and the trout were hungry and quite large.

In another thread someone suggested I mention some of my east coast fishing tricks and it seems appropriate here because it was one of those tricks that caught us our two limits of rainbows that averaged well over 2lbs per fish. In fact, we both caught a trout that weighed in excess of 5lbs.

We noticed that most anglers fished the shallower sections of the lake.We were told by the locals to fish in that direction.We chose to ignore that advice knowing we could make an adjustment if necessary.What we did was move to deeper water and vertically jig with maribou jigs weighing 1/32 oz.We fished ultralight with 2lb maxima on 8 foot g loomis rods. Not only did we catch easy limits that will feed friends and family tonight but we released at least 15 more fish. We were the only anglers fishing this part of the lake. It was a fun experience if not the kind of trout fishing I am used to and prefer to do.

Some questions came to mind. How does the concessionaire make a profit stocking such large and easily caught trout? Also, why were we the only anglers fishing the deeper section of the lake? Lastly, has anyone noticed how many gorgeous women are walking dogs or jogging in this park? Dear old Dad noticed and teasingly mentioned I shouldn't tell mother or she won't let Dad come back.

Hope you enjoyed the report.I'm now looking into the DVL fishery that everyone is so excited about. I'll report when it happens.

Danny

[bassgrabber1]

Way to go...glad that you guys had a great time.

[old pudd fisher]

That was just a great first report Danny. My dad took me fishing when I was a little kid to and the memory is still so vivid to this day. He is 97 years old and still tells me new fish tales from back in his day, I love to hear them.

[exfactor]

enjoyed your detailed report. Pics of the fish would have been nice, pics of the dog walkers even better lol

[Danny Klein]

hey Old Pudd Fisher, god bless your dad,97 years old. Is he still fishing? We should put our dad's together and your dad can refer to my dad as "the kid"lol.

[Danny Klein]

Glad you are enjoying the report. Dad took pictures with an old fashioned camera and will actually develop the film himself.I'll figure out how to scan and post.

Danny

[Sublime-Steve]

Hot chicks dig fisherman.. fact... I think they fish shallow because like you said most lakes here are pay to fish and if you read the SARL or Corona lake reports most fish are caught shallow ( or trolling ) lol

[phishin phool]

Great report!!!! We are all so lucky to have pops like that!! I know I was!!

[trail blazer]

WOW!!!

Probably the best 1st report ever.,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Great way to spend time with dad,,,,,

CONGRATS to the both of you.

TRAIL BLAZER

[IN2DEEP]

Danny,
Killer report and thanks for sharing your east coast tactics.
Quality time with dad will always be cherished
You also write very well :Wink:

Maribou jigs are not very popular out here considering how long they've been around.
The plastic mini tube jig is what's hot here.

Couple of questions:
Which color(s) were working for you?
Did you tip the hook with any kind of bait?

"Lastly, has anyone noticed how many gorgeous women are walking dogs or jogging in this park? Dear old Dad noticed and teasingly mentioned I shouldn't tell mother or she won't let Dad come back."
- I've never been to that lake, but If I were to take a guess as to why there are hot chicks there, the lake would have to have nicer homes surrounding it, and they live in them.
It's a common fact that money will and does attract the hot chicks... doesn't it? :LOL:

[PUDD MASTER BAITER]

dude that is great.i remember the first time, my dad took me fishing at 4yrs old. at the pudd.also and .at 72nd pl.in long beach.some 53 yrs ago.it made me a fishing fool .the rest of my life.he was a strick,guy, with old school mex american values ,and sometimes.even ,in my older years, he was stubborn, and a little over the top.i cant put a price ,on our fishing experiances over 50yrs.we lost him at 72 yrs old.now im ,the dad ,with my son, in his fancy ranger bass boat ,giving him attitude..got to love it...god bless ,and peace out..mike the pmb...PS TAKE YOUR KIDS FISHING..

[Danny Klein]

I'm overwhelmed by all the positive responses.Thanks so much.

IN2DEEP, in answer to your questions:

Black maribou jigs with some sparkly mylar tinsel. THey were custom made by a friend who guides on Lake Ontario. We did not tip the hook with bait.

Dad and I both went prepared.We brought portable fish finders not expecting the lake to be so small and shallow. In approx. 20 feet of water we were finding some schools of trout suspended about 3-5 feet above the bottom. Bites came quickly and in numbers.

We probed most of the deeper part of the lake but only found about 10 small schools of fish. They were not spread out or suspended at various levels of the water column. Typical behavior for hatchery raised fish to stick together like this.

It became obvious why the locals suggested we fish the shallower part of the lake. Most of the fish prefer the shallower waters reminiscent of the environment they are raised in. However, all the pressure is on those fish from the crowds. We chose to fish a part of the lake that was barren of anglers and though we were targeting a much smaller population of trout we had them all to ourselves and they were not stressed from the pressure.

By the way,IN2DEEP, the plastic tube jig you mentioned is called a gitzit by anglers in the northeast and they are deadly on largemouth bass and pretty much every type of freshwater fish when used correctly.

Danny

[FSHNLIC]

WELCOME!!! Great 1st post.... way to get on the CALI Trout Action with your dad... I like you have been fishing since I've been pretty much able to walk thanks to my dad .... sometimes the Pay Lakes are the only way to get on some trout action these days.. I prefer the streams and rivers myself but sometimes you gotta settle to wet a line.. Best of Luck... and YES, Take Your Kids Fishing!!

[PUDD MASTER BAITER]

i remember when scampi, twin tailed plastics came out ,and they owned.the old man wanted nothing to do, with them ,it was new back then,during the beginning of the plastics craze.including mans plastic worms. he finally gave in .theres no price on memories with your dad.......

[IN2DEEP]

I'm overwhelmed by all the positive responses.Thanks so much.

IN2DEEP, in answer to your questions:

Black maribou jigs with some sparkly mylar tinsel. THey were custom made by a friend who guides on Lake Ontario. We did not tip the hook with bait.

Dad and I both went prepared.We brought portable fish finders not expecting the lake to be so small and shallow. In approx. 20 feet of water we were finding some schools of trout suspended about 3-5 feet above the bottom. Bites came quickly and in numbers.

We probed most of the deeper part of the lake but only found about 10 small schools of fish. They were not spread out or suspended at various levels of the water column. Typical behavior for hatchery raised fish to stick together like this.

It became obvious why the locals suggested we fish the shallower part of the lake. Most of the fish prefer the shallower waters reminiscent of the environment they are raised in. However, all the pressure is on those fish from the crowds. We chose to fish a part of the lake that was barren of anglers and though we were targeting a much smaller population of trout we had them all to ourselves and they were not stressed from the pressure.

By the way,IN2DEEP, the plastic tube jig you mentioned is called a gitzit by anglers in the northeast and they are deadly on largemouth bass and pretty much every type of freshwater fish when used correctly.

Danny
Thanks for the tips!

The "gitzit" that you mention is the larger version of the mini jigs that I mentioned.
Usually around 1-1.5 inch with a 1/64-1/16oz internal leadhead.

Looking forward to more reports!

Scott

[gletemfeelsteelgary]

Congrats on the catches and welcome : )

I gotta lot o love for spending that quality time, it wouldn't have mattered if ya caught fish or not but U did and that makes it all that much better,

Nice work and hats off to U and your dad..

And yes Pics of the fish would really seal the deal for your report but nice report nonetheless..

I might suggest noting the lake U fished, if you did somewhere it must have slid by me, usually noting the lake within the title of the post should suffice : )

The real reason I ask which lake is not for those feesh...curious about tyhose women frequenting the park.....do tell...do tell : )

Ahhhh ha ha ha

Welcome,
Gary

P.S.
It was also my dad (god rest his soul) that got me into fishing at a super young age.....man he didn't know what kind of monster he was starting : )

Thanks to my dad as well : )

[Danny Klein]

Hi Gary, The lake was mentioned but I get your point- Lake Laguna Niguel. Thanks for the response.

[gletemfeelsteelgary]

Maribou jigs are not very popular out here considering how long they've been around.
The plastic mini tube jig is what's hot here.
:LOL:

Don’t think that they don’t get used in California…I use them quite frequently when targeting hawg trout…

I use the bigger Marabou’s and modify…tip with a powerworm and smear nitro grease on the worm and a little on the chenille sides =’s slayage !

I’ve landed at least 3 double digits on it..and many other trophy class units…
Here’s a couple
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn284/garywuebben/SARl-jigfeesh.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn284/garywuebben/SARl-jigfeesh_2.jpg

I call it the Gary special..

Nice choice on that lure….I was landing white bass in texas on it too in october and I tangled with 1 hybrid striped bass as well while throwing it (that wiper smoked me…I was experimenting with 2 lb test…I knew it was bringing a knife to a gunfight….)

I do use the plastics often as well with great success : )


Again nice report : )

[Wingnut]

Terrific reporting! I enjoyed reading it. :Big Grin:
Nothing like fishing with pops. :Cool:

[fishboy12]

This report brings back great memories of fishin my my dad. He is not with me anymore, but my son and I started fishing again last year. To see his face when he caught that LMB that was almost half the size of him was pricleess. Let's all go fishing to honor our pops.

[gletemfeelsteelgary]

This report brings back great memories of fishin my my dad. He is not with me anymore, but my son and I started fishing again last year. To see his face when he caught that LMB that was almost half the size of him was pricleess. Let's all go fishing to honor our pops.
START EM YOUNG AND SOMEDAY HE'LL BE TALKIN BOUT YOU IN THE SAME FASHION AS WE HAVE HERE !


I Salute all you dads that take your kids fishing

[NachoFish]

Great report! Looking forward to many more!

D