AnglerBob
03-18-2012, 06:43 PM
After several one- and two-fish trips to the Vine this year, I was glad to see a return to limit-style fishing on Friday before the big storm. The cooler weather provided a steady bite throughout the day, and calm winds made for easy casting and boat handling.
I saw Marlon Meade's seminar at the Fred Hall Show last week, and one thing he pointed out—in a plethora of useful information about minijigs, ultralight fishing and new Berkeley products—is that with the sunny weather we've had this year, Irvine is sporting some very clear water. This suggests some different approaches and techniques, which I think may have made a big difference in my success on Friday.
I hit the water around 7:30, figuring that an early start wouldn't be necessary in the cold, dark weather. I rented a boat and decided to fish close to Rocky Point, casting a short distance into Woody's cove. A few float tubers drifted by and picked up an occasional fish. Almost immediately, I landed a small fish, but the action soon died.
I moved towards the dam along the west shore, beaching the boat and fishing shallow. Again I picked up a single fish right away, then a long break before the next one. By now it was past noon and the bite was heading into the usual afternoon slump. I tried trolling for a couple of hours, dragging a Firetiger Rapala and pink Mira Shad on 2 colors of lead. No takers except a quick hit-and-release. However, my tour of the lake showed an interesting trend on the screen: large groups of vertical fish schools, extending from 20' down to 50', in the mid-lake and dam areas. None hit my trolling rig, but I wonder how a drifted nightcrawler would do in these spots.
Finally, I returned to the west shore and decided to try anchoring and fishing a little deeper, in about 25-30'. This was the ticket, as I rounded out a limit here quickly and called it a day.
I fished minijigs, power mice and eggs, but all fish were caught on plain ol' green Powerbait infused with Bites-on garlic scent. I took Mr. Meade's advice and used very long 2lb fluorocarbon leaders. Normally I don't like to go quite that light at Irvine, given the size of fish there, but I think it can make the difference in a touchy bite. The added length helped float the bait above the growing moss, as well.
Most people seemed to be doing reasonably well out there, but the boat was an advantage as many fish were out of shore casting reach. A few shore fisherman were cashing in on a different bounty, however; bass were cruising the shallows, many in pairs as they prepare to spawn. Surface water temps were 59-64 degrees F; air felt pretty much the same. No photos as nothing was really photo-worthy—all fish were dinks save the final customer, about 2 lbs.
I saw Marlon Meade's seminar at the Fred Hall Show last week, and one thing he pointed out—in a plethora of useful information about minijigs, ultralight fishing and new Berkeley products—is that with the sunny weather we've had this year, Irvine is sporting some very clear water. This suggests some different approaches and techniques, which I think may have made a big difference in my success on Friday.
I hit the water around 7:30, figuring that an early start wouldn't be necessary in the cold, dark weather. I rented a boat and decided to fish close to Rocky Point, casting a short distance into Woody's cove. A few float tubers drifted by and picked up an occasional fish. Almost immediately, I landed a small fish, but the action soon died.
I moved towards the dam along the west shore, beaching the boat and fishing shallow. Again I picked up a single fish right away, then a long break before the next one. By now it was past noon and the bite was heading into the usual afternoon slump. I tried trolling for a couple of hours, dragging a Firetiger Rapala and pink Mira Shad on 2 colors of lead. No takers except a quick hit-and-release. However, my tour of the lake showed an interesting trend on the screen: large groups of vertical fish schools, extending from 20' down to 50', in the mid-lake and dam areas. None hit my trolling rig, but I wonder how a drifted nightcrawler would do in these spots.
Finally, I returned to the west shore and decided to try anchoring and fishing a little deeper, in about 25-30'. This was the ticket, as I rounded out a limit here quickly and called it a day.
I fished minijigs, power mice and eggs, but all fish were caught on plain ol' green Powerbait infused with Bites-on garlic scent. I took Mr. Meade's advice and used very long 2lb fluorocarbon leaders. Normally I don't like to go quite that light at Irvine, given the size of fish there, but I think it can make the difference in a touchy bite. The added length helped float the bait above the growing moss, as well.
Most people seemed to be doing reasonably well out there, but the boat was an advantage as many fish were out of shore casting reach. A few shore fisherman were cashing in on a different bounty, however; bass were cruising the shallows, many in pairs as they prepare to spawn. Surface water temps were 59-64 degrees F; air felt pretty much the same. No photos as nothing was really photo-worthy—all fish were dinks save the final customer, about 2 lbs.