"Danny vs Goliath" and Berkley Tourny 3/12-13
Been looking forward to writing this report since Friday, hope you enjoy....
Hit the Vine by mid-morning on Friday and it was quite busy, most of the shore spots in Woody's Cove and below the campground were already shoulder to shoulder so I ventured towards the Flats to see if I could find an open spot. Bumped into Frenchy and his gf who were doing the same thing. Drove to the very back and while checking out a possible shore spot to fish I see a Team57 shirt...and it is Fisherman101 and Fisherman101Jr! I couldn't believe it, long lost Team57 member Captain Boracho even came out to fish!
In his "Capt's chair", Onyx showing his better side down by the shoreline enjoying the view...
Special thanks to Team Boracho for making room for a couple more rods, you guys were obviously in a prime spot and killin it before we got there! WTG guys....
The bite was pretty decent even during the middle of the day as we all scratched out a couple fish. I got off the skunk fairly quickly as did Frenchy and we all just sat back, had some lunch and enjoyed the scenery.
Speaking of scenery, these guys were quite the sight out there while trolling the Flats at light speed, bumping techno music and obviously enjoying their beers. Their antics were highlighted when a trout was quick enough to actually catch up to their offering and, upon doing so snapping their rod in half(pictured)...they were unfazed and laughing it up with the rest of us on shore!
A little after 3pm the Vine gods flipped the switch as the bite really turned on for us and provided a great chance for Eddie Jr. to yank on a few fish....
4 year old Jr proudly displays his catch like a true fisherman! Wtg...
So what do you think of "Bite-On garlic" dude?!
Shortly thereafter Frenchy hooks up and calls for "Danny" who was fishing down the way from us with his Dad who were still fighting the skunk...not anymore!
Fisherman101 Jr. with another quality rainbow...
Bites were coming fast and furious as the 4pm hour and the closing bell began to bear down on us, when shortly after 3:30 Frenchy's indicator got that nervous look and the hook was set on another rainbow. Danny was called to do battle again and shortly thereafter the fish takes a blistering run down the shoreline. I knew it was a better fish, but little did anyone know that the biggest trout of the season was about to hit the shore of Irvine Lake! Danny fought the fish like a seasoned angler and took in all of our outside coaching and words of encouragement as the giant bow finally came to the surface
After a 10 minute battle this 17lb beast was netted and we went crazy with a chorus of shouts and cheers!!!
The tackle shop photo...
ROOSTER...YOU guessed it, "Bite-On garlic" does it again!
Danny and his Dad Victor were smiling from an ear to ear and will always remember this day at Irvine Lake, but like everyday of fishing it came to an end way to soon....
Had to post this one....found alive and well in a trash can adjacent to the cleaning station. That gets a resounding "not cool bro"!!!
As the night fell all the stars started coming out....case in point Team57 master chef "BigDaddy" on grilling duty
Lots of good people came out to join us, a few I had met for the first time and contributed all sorts of goodies to round out a great meal among fellow anglers. For the record Prowler_Tuber's wife makes the best lemon bars known to mankind, thanks Diego! Even got a surprise visit from Maverick, his wife and kids who are growing like lil weeds...great seeing you guys again.
Some of the guys including Bebop who gave me a look he usually reserves for the paparozzi and "The Killa" playing the bongos with a tub of BigDaddy's famous slaw(brain fart on the guy's name in the background sorry, someone help me out here)
I don't know what Killa is doing here, but I passed on the slaw this time around
The fearless leader and face of Team Phenix AP1969 before calling a meeting of the minds....
Thanks to all the people that came out and shared some laughs as well as some excellent grub. Lots of food was brought and thoroughly enjoyed, special thanks to The Killa for bringin a ton of carne asada and getting this bbq off the ground. I know I missed someone and everyone seemed to contribute so please chime in!
The spread just before digging in....
It got cold very quickly and after cleaning up we got the fire going and never ran out of wood, Bebop and BigDaddy made sure of that! The beer flowed, the music played, jokes were cracked and the smack flew well into the night until it was time to grab some shut eye because 5am always comes quickly.
Up at 5:10 I grabbed a quick bite and chugged some coffee, after which getting signed up for the tourney in anticipation of another day of good fishing at the Vine. Was thinking about Woody's Cove, but knew the masses camping in the area would already have the area staked out and with the area below the cleaning station not looking too favorable the day before I decided to go back to the Flats in hopes lightning might strike twice.
Saturday was much cooler then Friday as the clouds kept the sun from shining upon us most of the day, never taking off my long sleeve shirt and needing a jacket often.
I knew the bite was going to be much tougher as I saw no more than 5 fish caught in the first two hours, but that was okay and I remained confident Senor Skunk-o would not be making an appearance. Had the pleasure of being joined by Team57 member "Troutchaser" for the afternoon, it was a nice meeting you Linda! Not long after my new fishing partner's arrival I punked the skunk with crawler/egg combo and my new favorite attractant...another decent Irvine bow that turned out to be my only fish of the day.
The day dragged on somewhat as the bite all around us was just not happening, reports around the lake found that was the case for most of the people I spoke to.
If you have any appreciation or interest in the the various birds that call the lake their home, you have to make a point of fishing with Troutchaser...very knowlegeable about our feathered freinds and she was able to indentify 21 different birds on her first outting to the VineOnce I found out it was TC's first time at the Vine I was REALLY hoping she could manage a trout during this tough bite. After a couple of hours we had to change it up and I suggested trying a lively crawler and egg combo to entice these finicky fish...
A little bit later a battle ensues!
The end result, Troutchaser's first Irvine lake rainbow! WTG!!!
Stuck it out till the last minute before heading to the scales, see how eveyone else did and hope for a lucky raffle ticket. It was tough for lots of people out there, but others will tell you otherwise...check out Prowler_Tuber sporting two stickers and his double limit!
As a result of one of the top 10 finishers already in the Master's Tourney, Diego qualified as the 11th place finisher...Pulling a double limit on a tough day like Saturday was no easy feat and well deserving of a spot in the end of the year tourney. CONGRATS P_T, way to represent Team57!!!!
Snapped a quick picture of the top 10 finishers, including the infamous One_Leg...congrats on qualifying Alan (I know you're reading this!)
Headed back to the Flats to get the rest of my gear and hook Troutchaser up with a few more fish for the pan before calling it a day and saying my good byes as the sun started its daily descent over the hill.
Took the scenic route around the lake to snap a few pictures and stopped by Saluki's campground to chat for a bit, good seeing you as always!
Upper campground shot....I still can't believe this is 15 minutes from home
Similar view from up top...
Towards Trout Island and Flats....
Until next weekend Irvine Lake...as Hitts would say, "I will 0wn" you next Saturday!
Thanks for reading(if you made it this far),
TD
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Originally Posted by BIG*GAME*HUNTER
Best report i have read all season. I have no idea who sells bite on Garlic but its clear it works and i gotta have some in my tackle box. Pics were great as well. Thx for text updates on the tourney as well. Props
