Freshness21
02-14-2011, 02:02 PM
Talked the wife into doing some fishing as my Valentines gift. Luckily she's a sucker for a boat and a sunny day so that made it a lot easier. Got to the lake late at around 9am. Grabbed a boat and started out. We trolled from the dock, around trout island, back and forth on the flats for a good hour or so...nothing. The wife farmed one and lost my only Rapala CR-5 in firetiger so there goes my best lure. I was trolling a bubblegum shiner. Nothing. Didn't see much on the fish finder until we got all the way to the very end of the flats. Found a good bunch of fish, but no one was hungry.
Decided to head to the west side. Cut across trout island again, hoping to find something...nothing. Trolled past the cliffs and then past the west shore. Again seeing fish on the finder, but nobody biting. Got down by the damn and was seeing TONS of fish out by the buoys. Depth was 80ft and they were hanging out at 55-60. Decided to try and dunk some bait and wait...nothing. Spent a good 2 hrs trying to get them to bite...nothing. Wife was getting tired and so was I at around 2 so we re-geared for a troll home. Threw down a rally beer and decided to tie an old Ford Fender on my pole and see if that woke up anyone. Just about past woody's cove I finally get a SLAM on my pole. Cut the engine and start reeling. I was nervous because I only had 4lb test and was using one of my smaller poles. He got about 20 yards away and made a big jump - SPLASH! I knew it was a good size after that. Got him close to the boat and the wife is screaming - "it's huge" (that's what she said haha). She grabbed the net and it took all she had to lift it into the boat...finally!! Skunk gone. Personal best - done!
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e221/Freshness21/DSC08935.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e221/Freshness21/DSC08936.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e221/Freshness21/DSC08939.jpg
So it was the old Ford Fenders that finally broke the skunk. Used a while PB egg with a green troutworm behind it for the hook and dunked in Bite On garlic scent. The tail was all chewed up.
I guess I'm missing something with trolling Rapalas and Shiners because I'm not having any luck. Can't wait to get out there again and give it another shot. Gotta get the wife a fish now. Hope you like the read and see you out there. Good luck this weekend. Too crowed for me. But maybe March before it gets too hot.
Decided to head to the west side. Cut across trout island again, hoping to find something...nothing. Trolled past the cliffs and then past the west shore. Again seeing fish on the finder, but nobody biting. Got down by the damn and was seeing TONS of fish out by the buoys. Depth was 80ft and they were hanging out at 55-60. Decided to try and dunk some bait and wait...nothing. Spent a good 2 hrs trying to get them to bite...nothing. Wife was getting tired and so was I at around 2 so we re-geared for a troll home. Threw down a rally beer and decided to tie an old Ford Fender on my pole and see if that woke up anyone. Just about past woody's cove I finally get a SLAM on my pole. Cut the engine and start reeling. I was nervous because I only had 4lb test and was using one of my smaller poles. He got about 20 yards away and made a big jump - SPLASH! I knew it was a good size after that. Got him close to the boat and the wife is screaming - "it's huge" (that's what she said haha). She grabbed the net and it took all she had to lift it into the boat...finally!! Skunk gone. Personal best - done!
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e221/Freshness21/DSC08935.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e221/Freshness21/DSC08936.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e221/Freshness21/DSC08939.jpg
So it was the old Ford Fenders that finally broke the skunk. Used a while PB egg with a green troutworm behind it for the hook and dunked in Bite On garlic scent. The tail was all chewed up.
I guess I'm missing something with trolling Rapalas and Shiners because I'm not having any luck. Can't wait to get out there again and give it another shot. Gotta get the wife a fish now. Hope you like the read and see you out there. Good luck this weekend. Too crowed for me. But maybe March before it gets too hot.