sapdawg11
08-27-2012, 11:57 PM
Firsts are rare. In fact, I’m fairly certain that every first happens only once. First dance, first kiss, first…ummm…*cough*…you get the picture. In addition to being unique, firsts are also incredibly special. We all treasure them. Holding them close and conjuring up their memories whenever we need to remember them most. And on Sunday I was able to both experience AND facilitate multiple firsts. If we are playing the odds, I feel like I just hit the lotto!
Sunday was beautiful. Waking up to sunny skies, a smiling Mrs. and a son that allowed me to sleep in beyond 7 am for the first time in a long time, the tone was set for what was already predictably going to be an amazing day. For we were hitting the water with a new mission. And we knew that that mission would give us a whole new perspective on virtually every future day that we would have at the Lakes…
The water pouring into Anaheim has been GORGEOUS. Standing on the shoreline, you can easily peer into the water a considerable distance and still discern the smallest of individual pebbles dotting the bottom of the lake. And being a diver, looking at that amazing water while standing above it for the last few weeks has been almost too much to bear. But my time would come and that time…was Sunday. And what an amazing first it would be:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DYnNR0siUM
Words cannot express my appreciation to the Lakes for this opportunity! What an absolutely amazing day on the water and what an absolutely amazing new perspective this gives me of this Lake!!! If you’re looking for a bit of the insight:
1) The “Drop Off” between Honker Island and Catfish Island…
http://www.fishinglakes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/AnaheimLakeMap.jpg
…is actually a steep walled (5-10 feet tall) canyon that the catfish have obviously been burrowing into. We affectionately referred to this spot as "Craig's Crag". My guess is that this wouldn't be a bad spot to throw a big bait and give it a long soak. Momma may be hanging around.
2) The grass beds are concentrated at no deeper than 20 or so feet. The grass is typically about 2 to 4 feet tall. This means that the same rules apply for using a sonar out there as they did when the lake first opened. If you are seeing marks in 40’ of water or about 10’ off of the bottom anywhere around the lake, they are most certainly fish. For the novice sonar reader, this is a dream come true. If you are seeing a lot of marks in areas that you know are devoid of vegetation, get a bait down there as fast as possible and prepare the stringer for some heavy use. Study what you see once you get bit and remember that for next time. You'll be glad you did!!
3) The Bubble Hole is jam packed with structure and the fish are in their TIGHT! Both catfish and tilapia. Evidently, at least a few eggs and/or fingerlings made the journey to the Lake either from Santa Ana or the catfish farm as there were thousands of babies swimming in and among the rocks down there. The bigger fish that we saw were all at the Bubble Hole also tucked in tight to rock, concrete and fallen fence posts in the area. Placing a bait on a long soak is maybe not the best tactic as it will take a bit of coercing (like a jab from someone’s lost fishing rod as shown in the video above) to get those fish out of there. Fan cast this spot letting your bait soak only for a few minutes, then reeling in and trying again. Just like you’re fishing the trees at Corona.
There are a few other details that I’m saving just for me...and maybe a few close friends. I mean, after all, it is “my” first isn’t it?!
But, after emerging from the depths, the day was far from over. And the firsts, well they were only beginning! A few friends from across the pond (England and Italy to be exact) were yet to have found the time to pound some of the beautiful bits of water we are all fortunate enough to frequent here in sunny southern California. Having had to listen to me yammer on about amazing days on the water far too many times, they decided to pin me down and have me take them along. It didn’t take much coercing to get me to stick around and when they told me that they were yet to ever have caught a fish in the sweetwater, the drive to make things happen was only strengthened. And after a bit of time searching, we sure did make “things” happen…And they happened just on the east side of Honker Island, just about right here…
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u15/sapdawg11/killcatfishhere-1.jpg
We sat on the fish for about an hour before they decided to go which brings up another great point…TRUST YOUR SONAR! Upon arriving at this spot, I could see the fish all over the meter but they most certainly had lockjaw. So we waited…and had a beer…and chatted…and had another beer…and checked our phones…and had another beer...and then…WHACK!!
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u15/sapdawg11/2012-08-26_18-58-53_433.jpg
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u15/sapdawg11/2012-08-26_19-29-38_304.jpg
These guys were beside themselves. Obliterating their initial mission to simply catch 1 fish by ending the evening with a healthy 21.5 pound 10 fish limit.
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u15/sapdawg11/2012-08-26_20-59-23_171.jpg
I’m fairly certain that these smiles could be seen from their motherland ‘cross the Atlantic!! The fish ate all of the mackeral we had on board, dipped into the nightcrawlers and even dabbled in a bit of squid before we had to leave them biting. Unbelievable.
Quite simply, what an amazing day. I thank my lucky stars for every day I spend above ground but on days like Sunday, how could I help but feel extra blessed!! Get out there guys. This place is alive and a whole bunch of people, new and old, are finding out what a playground this can be. I truly cannot be more excited for things to come!!!!! SEE YOU OUT THERE!!
Sunday was beautiful. Waking up to sunny skies, a smiling Mrs. and a son that allowed me to sleep in beyond 7 am for the first time in a long time, the tone was set for what was already predictably going to be an amazing day. For we were hitting the water with a new mission. And we knew that that mission would give us a whole new perspective on virtually every future day that we would have at the Lakes…
The water pouring into Anaheim has been GORGEOUS. Standing on the shoreline, you can easily peer into the water a considerable distance and still discern the smallest of individual pebbles dotting the bottom of the lake. And being a diver, looking at that amazing water while standing above it for the last few weeks has been almost too much to bear. But my time would come and that time…was Sunday. And what an amazing first it would be:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DYnNR0siUM
Words cannot express my appreciation to the Lakes for this opportunity! What an absolutely amazing day on the water and what an absolutely amazing new perspective this gives me of this Lake!!! If you’re looking for a bit of the insight:
1) The “Drop Off” between Honker Island and Catfish Island…
http://www.fishinglakes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/AnaheimLakeMap.jpg
…is actually a steep walled (5-10 feet tall) canyon that the catfish have obviously been burrowing into. We affectionately referred to this spot as "Craig's Crag". My guess is that this wouldn't be a bad spot to throw a big bait and give it a long soak. Momma may be hanging around.
2) The grass beds are concentrated at no deeper than 20 or so feet. The grass is typically about 2 to 4 feet tall. This means that the same rules apply for using a sonar out there as they did when the lake first opened. If you are seeing marks in 40’ of water or about 10’ off of the bottom anywhere around the lake, they are most certainly fish. For the novice sonar reader, this is a dream come true. If you are seeing a lot of marks in areas that you know are devoid of vegetation, get a bait down there as fast as possible and prepare the stringer for some heavy use. Study what you see once you get bit and remember that for next time. You'll be glad you did!!
3) The Bubble Hole is jam packed with structure and the fish are in their TIGHT! Both catfish and tilapia. Evidently, at least a few eggs and/or fingerlings made the journey to the Lake either from Santa Ana or the catfish farm as there were thousands of babies swimming in and among the rocks down there. The bigger fish that we saw were all at the Bubble Hole also tucked in tight to rock, concrete and fallen fence posts in the area. Placing a bait on a long soak is maybe not the best tactic as it will take a bit of coercing (like a jab from someone’s lost fishing rod as shown in the video above) to get those fish out of there. Fan cast this spot letting your bait soak only for a few minutes, then reeling in and trying again. Just like you’re fishing the trees at Corona.
There are a few other details that I’m saving just for me...and maybe a few close friends. I mean, after all, it is “my” first isn’t it?!
But, after emerging from the depths, the day was far from over. And the firsts, well they were only beginning! A few friends from across the pond (England and Italy to be exact) were yet to have found the time to pound some of the beautiful bits of water we are all fortunate enough to frequent here in sunny southern California. Having had to listen to me yammer on about amazing days on the water far too many times, they decided to pin me down and have me take them along. It didn’t take much coercing to get me to stick around and when they told me that they were yet to ever have caught a fish in the sweetwater, the drive to make things happen was only strengthened. And after a bit of time searching, we sure did make “things” happen…And they happened just on the east side of Honker Island, just about right here…
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u15/sapdawg11/killcatfishhere-1.jpg
We sat on the fish for about an hour before they decided to go which brings up another great point…TRUST YOUR SONAR! Upon arriving at this spot, I could see the fish all over the meter but they most certainly had lockjaw. So we waited…and had a beer…and chatted…and had another beer…and checked our phones…and had another beer...and then…WHACK!!
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u15/sapdawg11/2012-08-26_18-58-53_433.jpg
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u15/sapdawg11/2012-08-26_19-29-38_304.jpg
These guys were beside themselves. Obliterating their initial mission to simply catch 1 fish by ending the evening with a healthy 21.5 pound 10 fish limit.
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u15/sapdawg11/2012-08-26_20-59-23_171.jpg
I’m fairly certain that these smiles could be seen from their motherland ‘cross the Atlantic!! The fish ate all of the mackeral we had on board, dipped into the nightcrawlers and even dabbled in a bit of squid before we had to leave them biting. Unbelievable.
Quite simply, what an amazing day. I thank my lucky stars for every day I spend above ground but on days like Sunday, how could I help but feel extra blessed!! Get out there guys. This place is alive and a whole bunch of people, new and old, are finding out what a playground this can be. I truly cannot be more excited for things to come!!!!! SEE YOU OUT THERE!!