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Natural Lefty
07-22-2011, 04:08 PM
Okay, this is sort of a report but there isn't much to report except my fish that got away story, so I'll post it here.

I went to Perris yesterday afternoon around 5 p.m. for the first time in a couple of months, and headed to the docks near shore where you can fish for free.

The fishing wasn't very good for anybody -- just a limited number of small Bluegill and one guy caught 2 small Bass on a plastic worm. I caught 2 Bluegills on a beadheaded nymph, and one on a nightcrawler piece. I kept waiting for a surface bite on midge feeding Bluegills that never materialized.

Eventually, a woman who was fishing there had a bigger fish on the line but it came off. Less than a minute later, I hooked a large fish on my 2 pound line and it took several runs, then fell off the hook after about a minute. I cast in again, and immediately had another hookup with a large fish (the same gullible fish?). This time I had this big Redear, Bass or whatever on for a good couple of minutes and thought I was going to land it, but suddenly, my line snapped right at the reel. (The line has been on there a long time and it's only 2 pound line.)

A while later, fishing with my 6 pound line, I dragged in another line. Lo and behold, it was the line the fish had snapped, and the fish was still on it. I tried my best at handlining the fish into position where it could be netted. I got it to where we could see it. The guy next to me had the best view and said it looked like a Bass, and he could see my little (1/80 ounce) jig in the fish's big mouth, so I'll take his word for it. What I saw looked like the shape of a Redear, but I only saw the front part of the fish I guess. Anyway, the line snapped again after awhile, this time by the jig. Oh well! I am sure other people have strange fish that got away or fish that were caught stories like that.

It's strange how I always seem to lose a big fish in the Perris Marina everytime I go there, and rarely seem to catch the big ones, but I think the cables and my light line have a lot to do with that. The other guy said he thought the fish was about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds, but it sure pulled hard on my 2 pound line.

No other larger fish bit, just that apparently one gullible fish that bit on nightcrawler pieces.

M@M
07-22-2011, 09:34 PM
I hate when that happens! LOL.....I think we all have had similar experiences.ha ha ..the other day I had a fish ..just about had it reeled in and .HUH?......I tied a bad knot.....jig gone along with the fish!! Not the first time I'd had that happen..ha ha.........I'm learning..........Thanks for reminding me Lefty, I need to put some new line on before I go fish the aqueduct again......I just recently was told, line doesn't hold up so well after two years in the heat of my truck.....who knew???:Confused:

TheAsianGuy
07-22-2011, 10:15 PM
I hate when that happens! LOL.....I think we all have had similar experiences.ha ha ..the other day I had a fish ..just about had it reeled in and .HUH?......I tied a bad knot.....jig gone along with the fish!!

We all have that bad tied knots' stories. Plenty of that under my belt, from experimental knots to the best knot used for the rigs. All failed during the struggles, especially on fishes that tug and pull to the point the lines snapped. Rather than snapping, the knots came undone. The best one is the marlin fight during a deep sea expedition. We used a shark rig, using a stainless steel clamp to tie down the line..still, the clamp slipped, and bye-bye marlin. Oh well..30 minutes of fighting for nothing.

fishmounter
07-23-2011, 12:28 AM
You know Robert, I have hooked many Redears and Bluegill there at LP that at first, after you get your hook set into them, from the heavy feel of the fish, you are sure it's going to be a really big fish. Then as you are fighting it, it starts to feel not so big. You finally see it and you go..."Huh?", because it's only an 8 inch Redear or Bluegill! But when you first hooked it, it felt like a really good, solid, 2 pounder! Probably something to do with the angle of the wide-bodied sunfish in relation to your line and rod, and the length of line out... But it's a bummer!

Natural Lefty
07-23-2011, 12:02 PM
Yes M&M and Asian Guy, I think the line was too old (like 2 years), too light (2 pounds), and the second breakage, probably because the knot wasn't so good. I just found it strange that the same fish broke my line twice. I have had knots slip too, especially clinch knots, so I don't tie those as much anymore, or tie and test them carefully.

Actually, if it was a Bass and I was seeing the head end, I think the fish was more like 2-3 pounds, but I don't want to exaggerate so I gave the other person's estimate.

Fishmounter, I have the same thing happen a lot, but I know that this fish was at least around a pound and I did get some visual on it. It kept making drag screaming runs, both times, and everybody there was mesmerized by the action. But on my 2 pound line and flies, those monster Bluegills and Redears often turn out to be only 7-8 inchers even though they pull like lunkers. I guess that makes the catching that much more fun.

fishmounter
07-23-2011, 12:45 PM
Also Robert the other thing that can happen when using a small diameter line like 2 lb test (and the 1 lb I have been trying recently) is your knot on your hook can slip between the eye of the hook and the hook shank if there's any gap there. This usually happens while fighting a fish and suddenly it gets off and you end up without your hook, but a perfectly tied knot. Check the hook you tie on and crimp it down if there is any gap at all, or find another hook. This is not a problem with heavier lines, like 4 lb and above, but who wants to use that heavy stuff?... Ha!

fishmounter
07-23-2011, 03:59 PM
Oh I almost forgot. Happy Birthday Natural Lefty! Go out and catch a big one for your birthday!

Natural Lefty
07-24-2011, 02:14 PM
Actually, yesterday was my wife Eunice's birthday. I have her bio listed on Facebook.

We went to the travel agency and got tickets to Taiwan. We are leaving August 2 and I will return either August 23 or August 25 (on standby for the 25th), and Eunice has been asking me about our fishing plans for Taiwan. I don't know how much fishing we will manage to do there, but it should be interesting. Eunice is planning to come back on September 30, though (lots to do in Taiwan for her). I have to come back and teach though. Classes begin on August 29.

After going to the travel agency, we went to daughter Isabella's house, played the drum we bought at Grand Canyon West and sang while waiting for Isabella, then went to Guppies Restaurant, a Taiwanese restaurant where I ordered the Guppy soup but the Guppies were still moving when it came. :EyePop: (Joke) Actually, we had shaved ice with fruit. Then we went shopping at Marshall's where Eunice bought some blouses plus one for Isabella, only the gals disappeared for like an hour and I didn't know where they were. It turns out they were at the store next door. After that, we picked up Isabella's 2 roomates and went to New Capital Restaurant, only it was too crowded so we walked over to Country Bistro nearby. (I ordered steamed sole, but of course everything was shared family style.)

We went back to Isabella's house after dinner where they all talked and prayed in Chinese for over an hour while I waited to go home. :Confused: We finally got home around 11 p.m. When I asked Eunice if she had a happy birthday, she said very much so, so it was all worth it. It was just another typical trip to Isabella's house.

I forgot to mention, while at Isabella's house we also planted a Rose, several baby Hollyhocks and spread a bunch of Hollyhock seeds around, plus sprayed some wasps by Isabella's front door with the wasp spray, and put a new battery in one of Isabella's clocks, not that anybody asked for all those details.

My birthday is June 23, and this year I went fishing in Utah that afternoon, but all I wound up catching were small Utah Chubs and small stocker Rainbows.

I wouldn't be surprised if the line did slip through the little space on the eye of the hook, now that you mention it, Jeff, although I didn't notice my knot at the end of the line after the fish came off the second time.

TheAsianGuy
07-24-2011, 10:35 PM
My birthday is June 23, and this year I went fishing in Utah that afternoon, but all I wound up catching were small Utah Chubs and small stocker Rainbows.

Mine is on the 19th. So close, yet, so far :LOL:

Natural Lefty
07-25-2011, 11:28 AM
I just found out that my sister-in-law's birthday was a few days ago, right before my wife's birthday, and we hadn't even known that.