Geraldlim
08-21-2011, 02:40 PM
Drove 6 hours Thursday night to reach the lake at 3:00AM. Did the self registration thing and crashed in the launch ramp parking lot for a couple of hours sleep. Woke up at 5:30 to prep the boat. When thje lake staff came to unlock the ramp she did not have any boat forms with her. So drove all the way back to the entrance with her to fill out the forms and all the way back to the ramp again. Serves me right for not printing and filling out a form at home.
On the water at 6:20 with a nice heavy overcast sky.
Let out a line in the main channel just before I reached the 1st spot and WHAM!!! Almost instant hookup. Hmmmm - this might be a good day. Fought and landed a small (by this lakes standards I guess) 7 lb stripey. Onto the stringer and on to the 1st spot.
Within a minute of working the 1st spot I hook and land another similar size stripey. I kept working the area and get a couple more bigger stripers - 8 & 9 lbs. The action slows after a couple of hours and I move across the lake.
I start trolling this area and soon pick up another fish. Then I notice some boils nearby. I move closer and I see that there are actually boils spread out over a huge area maybe a hundred yards wide and a quarter mile long! Stripers are actually sometimes clearing the water as they feed. They are coralling and feeding on tiny silversides.I chuck a clear casting bubble with a small skinny fly on a spinning rod. The boils are all around me but I am not getting bit! Finally a fish flashes near my casting bubble and HOOKUP! The drag sings as the fish takes line. This is fun on spinning tackle! After a nice long fight and many runs I bring a healthy 9 lb striper into the boat.
I keep throwing the buuble/fly rig but no more bites. I switch to a spoon - still no luck. 15 minutes and the boil is still going on, but no bites for me, so I switch to trolling again. I manage to pick up one more on the troll after some time. The action dies and I move all around the lake looking for fish. Eventually I come back to this area and I keep trolling the area and eventually pick up another fish.
It is now 10AM and I now have 8 fish between 7-9 lbs, and the lack of sleep is catching up to me. I want to save a couple of spots on my limit to check out the evening bite. Of course I could C&R but I decide to head in to catch some rest instead.
I relax till 6PM and head out again. Work the lake for 2 hours without any action and head back for the night. So much for waiting for the evening bite.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0488.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0491.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0493.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0494.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0497.jpg
Next morning I wake up at 5:30 and it's still dark. I prep the boat and drive down to the ramp. Hmmm it's already open and it's before 6. Should have come down earlier.
Head out and start the same pattern as the day before. Nothing. The sky is even more overcast, conditions seem identical - almost perfect - low light, light breeze, but nothing. I work the lake for 9 hours and managed to pick up one fish, but it's a nice one. Same length as the biggest ones the day before, 30", but fattter. This one fights quite a bit harder and weighs out at 10+ lbs.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0498.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0499.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0507.jpg
I quit at 3 and pack up to reach home at 10:30PM.
The fish are holding deeper than the last visit, over 40-80 foot bottoms. They are feeding on small silversides rather than shad.
Here are some other shotsof this trip:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0516.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0501.jpg
On the water at 6:20 with a nice heavy overcast sky.
Let out a line in the main channel just before I reached the 1st spot and WHAM!!! Almost instant hookup. Hmmmm - this might be a good day. Fought and landed a small (by this lakes standards I guess) 7 lb stripey. Onto the stringer and on to the 1st spot.
Within a minute of working the 1st spot I hook and land another similar size stripey. I kept working the area and get a couple more bigger stripers - 8 & 9 lbs. The action slows after a couple of hours and I move across the lake.
I start trolling this area and soon pick up another fish. Then I notice some boils nearby. I move closer and I see that there are actually boils spread out over a huge area maybe a hundred yards wide and a quarter mile long! Stripers are actually sometimes clearing the water as they feed. They are coralling and feeding on tiny silversides.I chuck a clear casting bubble with a small skinny fly on a spinning rod. The boils are all around me but I am not getting bit! Finally a fish flashes near my casting bubble and HOOKUP! The drag sings as the fish takes line. This is fun on spinning tackle! After a nice long fight and many runs I bring a healthy 9 lb striper into the boat.
I keep throwing the buuble/fly rig but no more bites. I switch to a spoon - still no luck. 15 minutes and the boil is still going on, but no bites for me, so I switch to trolling again. I manage to pick up one more on the troll after some time. The action dies and I move all around the lake looking for fish. Eventually I come back to this area and I keep trolling the area and eventually pick up another fish.
It is now 10AM and I now have 8 fish between 7-9 lbs, and the lack of sleep is catching up to me. I want to save a couple of spots on my limit to check out the evening bite. Of course I could C&R but I decide to head in to catch some rest instead.
I relax till 6PM and head out again. Work the lake for 2 hours without any action and head back for the night. So much for waiting for the evening bite.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0488.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0491.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0493.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0494.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0497.jpg
Next morning I wake up at 5:30 and it's still dark. I prep the boat and drive down to the ramp. Hmmm it's already open and it's before 6. Should have come down earlier.
Head out and start the same pattern as the day before. Nothing. The sky is even more overcast, conditions seem identical - almost perfect - low light, light breeze, but nothing. I work the lake for 9 hours and managed to pick up one fish, but it's a nice one. Same length as the biggest ones the day before, 30", but fattter. This one fights quite a bit harder and weighs out at 10+ lbs.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0498.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0499.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0507.jpg
I quit at 3 and pack up to reach home at 10:30PM.
The fish are holding deeper than the last visit, over 40-80 foot bottoms. They are feeding on small silversides rather than shad.
Here are some other shotsof this trip:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0516.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/geraldlim/Fishing/IMG_0501.jpg