Perchin' Dave
05-15-2011, 01:39 AM
http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa363/davesomm/IMG_0538-1-1.jpg
Exfactor and Perchin' Dave fished 3 hours today late in the afternoon. Conditions were favorable when we made the beach. Tide nice, wind was present but workable, the clouds had cleared and what we thought was going to be a cold drizzily day started out nice! Mikey quickly found the starting spot and nailed two on his first two casts on the lucky craft. Over 12". PD saw some holes that were setting up and fished those on the way to some structure the Exfactor found and didn't find any, the water a bit shallow. This was a Barred Perch day, no hallie's. Still cold water up north in these parts. As I caught up with Mikey, he had a headstart of 3-4 but PD saw it as good competition. I was fishing the grub, mikey the LC. We fished the spot and pulled out a few.
The tide was changing rapidly and 45 minutes later the bite was off and we started looking up beach. The wind picked up and the water was less and less clear.
So, off we go and found another spot and pulled out a few. By this time PD was up to 10, the largest in the photo (14"?). Soon our friend Bruce joins us (a relative newbie to this active style of fishing) He was fishing the sand crabs that were plenty. We pulled out a couple other bp's and the went further up beach to explore. By now the wind was 20+ knotts and the shore break with steep beach turned the water brown, so, off we go again searching. Bruce stayed. There was a huge left to right current and we could barely keep up with the current no matter how we cast. The retrieve was screaming fast. So fast that mikey couldn't reel fast enough with his baitcaster and my spinning reel was whirring to try to maintain little slack for the occasional bite.
I go back to Bruce (who joined us late, after the magic time) and ask how he's doing, a lot of kelp but that's it. Putting on a new sand crab every other time. Perchin' Dave comes back to our second spot and joins Bruce. By now, the wind was really strong and most of what made the hole look favorable was gone by 90%. It was beach break splash, angry, murky water, and I had to stay 12 feet back from the splash of the wave, it really bounced. I then asked Bruce if he was coachable, he said yes, and I gave him a few tips of exactly -where- the fish were laying, showing him how to read the current & structure. I said, cast it right "here" and proceeded to pull out a 12" bp, a second cast, a 13", a fourth cast a 14" and pulled a total of 7 out of the hole that was un fishable because of deteriorating conditions. Bruce insisted on the sand crabs but the current was so bad, the murk and the wind made it all but impossible to fish. (I love these kinds of challenges, to find a way to produce when it reads 'impossible')
Mikey goes back to the left of our starting spot, there's more water around the structure and finds his last fish of the day. Between the murk and the wind we call it a day. Mikey found a dozen, Perch Dave about 20 with the top 7-8 being in the 12, 13, and largest in the 14" range. (see photo). We had a good time in spite of the changing conditions and I take a photo of some late flowers growing near the beach. Good to share the water Mikey.
http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa363/davesomm/IMG_0542-1.jpg
Exfactor and Perchin' Dave fished 3 hours today late in the afternoon. Conditions were favorable when we made the beach. Tide nice, wind was present but workable, the clouds had cleared and what we thought was going to be a cold drizzily day started out nice! Mikey quickly found the starting spot and nailed two on his first two casts on the lucky craft. Over 12". PD saw some holes that were setting up and fished those on the way to some structure the Exfactor found and didn't find any, the water a bit shallow. This was a Barred Perch day, no hallie's. Still cold water up north in these parts. As I caught up with Mikey, he had a headstart of 3-4 but PD saw it as good competition. I was fishing the grub, mikey the LC. We fished the spot and pulled out a few.
The tide was changing rapidly and 45 minutes later the bite was off and we started looking up beach. The wind picked up and the water was less and less clear.
So, off we go and found another spot and pulled out a few. By this time PD was up to 10, the largest in the photo (14"?). Soon our friend Bruce joins us (a relative newbie to this active style of fishing) He was fishing the sand crabs that were plenty. We pulled out a couple other bp's and the went further up beach to explore. By now the wind was 20+ knotts and the shore break with steep beach turned the water brown, so, off we go again searching. Bruce stayed. There was a huge left to right current and we could barely keep up with the current no matter how we cast. The retrieve was screaming fast. So fast that mikey couldn't reel fast enough with his baitcaster and my spinning reel was whirring to try to maintain little slack for the occasional bite.
I go back to Bruce (who joined us late, after the magic time) and ask how he's doing, a lot of kelp but that's it. Putting on a new sand crab every other time. Perchin' Dave comes back to our second spot and joins Bruce. By now, the wind was really strong and most of what made the hole look favorable was gone by 90%. It was beach break splash, angry, murky water, and I had to stay 12 feet back from the splash of the wave, it really bounced. I then asked Bruce if he was coachable, he said yes, and I gave him a few tips of exactly -where- the fish were laying, showing him how to read the current & structure. I said, cast it right "here" and proceeded to pull out a 12" bp, a second cast, a 13", a fourth cast a 14" and pulled a total of 7 out of the hole that was un fishable because of deteriorating conditions. Bruce insisted on the sand crabs but the current was so bad, the murk and the wind made it all but impossible to fish. (I love these kinds of challenges, to find a way to produce when it reads 'impossible')
Mikey goes back to the left of our starting spot, there's more water around the structure and finds his last fish of the day. Between the murk and the wind we call it a day. Mikey found a dozen, Perch Dave about 20 with the top 7-8 being in the 12, 13, and largest in the 14" range. (see photo). We had a good time in spite of the changing conditions and I take a photo of some late flowers growing near the beach. Good to share the water Mikey.
http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa363/davesomm/IMG_0542-1.jpg