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Date: May 25 and 26, 2024 Body of Water: Casco Bay Boat: amybaby22 and float With: Alone 5/25, DA 5/26 Target: Stripers Time: 5:15 AM - Noon and 6 AM - Noon Tide: Lows at about 7 and 7:45 AM (fished float at Quad II on both mornings) Moon Phase: Waning gibbous moon, Full Moon plus two/three days Conditions: Generally clear to bright; strong south wind developing Saturday; 50 - 70 degrees. Water temperatures 53 - 57 degrees F (+/-); and even warmer (to 65 degrees) in the Royal River; generally very clear water except in Royal River and exposed Broad Cove on Sunday. And now the Striper Season can really start... with the arrival of the long Memorial Day Weekend, a pretty open schedule, and amybaby22 properly moored, I could focus on properly chasing stripers for the Summer. That proper chase includes shore fishing from the landing float when conditions warrant, and with the Full Flower Moon of May, periods of low tide corresponded with early morning. So, of course, I had picked up a supply of blood-worms on Friday afternoon. Saturday morning found me in place a full 90 minutes before slack low tide. The bite was surprisingly slow, but I did convert my only take at 6:15 AM into a solid fish in the low-20-inch range. This fish and a couple of other encouraging signs (a half dozen frenzied followers to my hooked bass, small rain-bait by the float and a couple of top-water busts, all for the first time this season) kept me on the float through predicted slack low, but then I was off in the boat to find something better. My first stop was Broad Cove; seeing that a couple of fly-fishers were already posted in the shallows, I chose to tube-and-worm my way into the Cove through the gut while watching for any positive developments. In short; there weren't any! No birds, visible bait, or bites. Knowing that Broad Cove is either "On!" or "Off!" but rarely in-between, I continued the search for bass elsewhere. I decided to check the sandy flats behind Prince Point on the incoming tide. Slowly easing along with the electric while fan-casting with a small swim-bait, I did spook one nice bass from these shallows, but they seemed otherwise empty. As I moved to the Falmouth shoreline for a pass with the tube-and-worm, my fly guide approached Mussel Cove. My pass produced nothing. The guide left the area for points east and south. I further explored the western regions of Clapboard Island, both trying to sight-fish but also blind casting. Despite a pretty good effort, I moved nothing. It was now getting pretty windy from the south, but I picked up A for a nice picnic. We tucked into Mussel Cove where I enjoyed my sandwich, chips, and a series of fruitless casts into the deepest available water. At this point, I called it a day! A and I enjoyed a good dinner in Harpswell, where I was further encouraged that things might change for the better by the sight of terns actively working over the weed edges along shore. On Sunday, I was pleased that new friend DA chose to join me, even though I had briefed him on my struggles! We started at the float, and DA converted two worm bites into a single schoolie. Then we off in the boat, hoping to arrive at Broad Cove by slack low. But first we had to check out the active surface bait just outside the cove's mouth. This turned out to be pogies, the first of the year for me. DA tried a fly while I fished beneath the pogies with a flutter spoon, but there didn't seem to be any bass with this bait. We casted the down-tide edge of an oyster farm, hoping that growth and small crustaceans could be holding and triggering some bait or bass. Not this day! We continued by entering the gut with a tube-and-worm. Once again, this was ignored and the cove was quiet; and neither fly-fisherman from the previous day were around. They knew better! The water here was very cloudy from the previous day's wind and so sight-fishing was out; we decided to make a big move to the Cousins and Royal Rivers. I quickly learned that the Cousins is NOT a low-tide area, and so we switched to the Royal. We made our way slowly upstream with the incoming tide, trolling a tube-and-worm while also casting the channel edges with a mush mouth fly. Still, nothing responded, although I was seeing increased "bait" on the sonar and there were occasional small bait splashes on the surface. Water temperatures had increased in this muddy water to almost 65 degrees, and so it seemed at least possible that we would stumble on some active bass. Almost at the yards and development in Yarmouth, I had switched to casting a fluke and I finally got hit near the surface over the deep channel. It was perhaps my smallest ever Maine Striper, and certainly the smallest in many years; it was a well-conditioned 13-incher. Success!?! Never before has such a small striper kept me in place for so long; but we were running out of time and I had nothing better to work. We stayed, but neither of us had another hit. We encountered a porpoise and another school of pogies in the channel between Chebeague and Littlejohn Islands. Nothing responded to our fly or spoon. I got DA back to his truck by the appointed time; it had been another struggle, but an enjoyable one. What do I have to say about this? This was a surprisingly slow and difficult start to my local boating season, but there were plenty of good signs suggesting that better times might be coming. These included; some small bait-fish around the float and about, some larger finfish bait, marine mammals on the hunt, and everything is working well on the boat. I can't really complain! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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Date: May 21, 2024 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth, Maine Boat: None, shore fishing from landing float With: Alone Target: Stripers Time: 4:15 PM - 6:15 PM Tide: Low at 4:30 PM; mostly Quadrant III Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon, Full minus two days Conditions: Mixed sun, clouds and sprinkles; southerly breeze > 10mph diminishing to nearly calm; 60 degrees. Water temperatures in the upper 50s degrees F (+/-). Post-work fishing is always a treat, and I snuck out the door for the first time this Spring to catch a favorable tide. With a few leftover Lug Worms and fresh blood-worms in hand, I was in position just before low slack tide, with Quadrant III in the offing. I started with just a single rod, but after a few unanswered drifts, added a second. The bite developed slowly, but three bites in a 45-minute window (from about slack + 45 minutes through slack + 90 minutes) kept me happy enough. I converted each bite into a striper, with the last being the first "keeper" of the round season at just over 28 inches. What do I have to say about this? I took it pretty easy; I needed to be at my desk in Boston by 8 AM the next morning. Lug worms produced all three bites even though juicy blood-worms were presented simultaneously. My mooring was observed to be in place, and there are so many local osprey! Spring is progressing nicely! And a long weekend is approaching! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 19, 2024 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Yarmouth and Falmouth, Maine Boat: amybaby22; but finishing with shore fishing from float With: Alone Target: Stripers Time: 8:45 AM - 3:30 PM Tide: High at 9:10 AM, Low at 3:13 PM Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon Conditions: Cloudy, mist and fog; mild easterly breeze < 10 mph; 55 degrees. Water temperatures 55 degrees F (+/-). I launched in Yarmouth and proceeded to fish all the way to Falmouth's Mill Cove without a hint of a bass or bass activity. Active birds and bait were equally absent. Still, I enjoyed searching with small swimsuits, a fluke, a walking top-water, and a tube-and-worm. I explored waters both new and familiar. Despite the "bassy" conditions, I just couldn't find them, not even in known Honey Holes. It's still early! But part of my day's plan was to end at the float and fish around low tide (if necessary.) I had the boat moored and was in place on the float by 1:30 PM or so. Before my first cast, neighbor DV caught his first of the year! The bite on suspended worms was pretty consistent from start to finish. I finished just after low slack at 5-for-7, with all the stripers between about 24 and 27 inches. The largest of the day came at predicted low slack tide. What do I have to say about this? The two "lost" fish included one that just came unbuttoned, but the other was a break-off! The braided line broke above the leader knot, and so clearly had been damaged at some point. Circle hooks started the season strong, with all nine of the bass landed to date hooked in the corner or roof of mouth and easily released. There was a lot of empty water out there, and no real signs of birds, bait, or bass. I think the bass are trickling in (although probably thick in rivers with spawning bait). My local guide contact reports scratching a few fish on the flats, but he's clearly anticipating a push of fish. This week's weather looks to be quite a bit warmer. Maybe that will move things along! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 18, 2024 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth, Maine Boat: None, shore fishing from float With: A Target: Striped bass Time: 12:45 PM - 3:45 PM Tide: Low at 2:30 PM, Quadrants II and III Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon Conditions: Cloudy and gray, persistent southeasterly wind (10 mph) relaxing at low tide; 60 degrees. Water temperatures in the mid-50's degrees F (+/-) and clear! The plan had been in place for quite some time; I'd float some worms during the afternoon low tide in search of my first striped bass of the year. Blood Worms were not available, and so I reluctantly turned to the alternative, "Chinese Lug Worms". These are pre-packaged by the dozen, seem similar if not identical to our local Sand Worms, and as it turns out, are effective baits for striped bass. The gray skies and walleye chop looked good to me as I eagerly started the session and the season a little bit earlier in Quadrant II than I though absolutely necessary. I quickly settled in and intently watched my slip float for the first few drifts. When it became obvious that the action would not be furious to start, I added and tended to a second line. After a fishless first hour and about 45 minutes before predicted low tide, I finally saw a float slip beneath the chop. I wound down, got tight, and quickly landed my first striped bass of the year! I was glad to see a fish in the low 20-inch range! Some more fish came to play, too! By the time I left (having given Quadrant III a generous 45 minutes post slack tide, if only for symmetry), I'd landed four stripers to 27 inches and had dropped a fifth chance. The action was about equally distributed; the fish came as singles and not as schools. Perhaps Quad II outperformed Quad III, but not by too much! With the local presence of stripers confirmed, bait to spare, the Portland Pudgy launched, and a potentially complete Striper Cup entry for the week secured, I was in a good position to start my local boating pursuit the next day! What do I have to say about this? It's about the simplest fishing I will do all year, but I truly enjoy floating worms under slip-floats in this quiet water. When the proper conditions (low light and low tide!) coincide with my schedule, I can usually stir up some positive action! This is geared towards smaller fish and lighter tackle, but I also know that quite often, the largest fish of the season will present itself right here and under these circumstances. So if the fish I am fighting is not a giant, I always think that the next one might be! Finally, please recall - Quad I = First half of ebb Quad II = Last half of ebb Quad III = First half of flood Quad IV = Last half of flood Each spot fishes differently, and I try to be at each location at the preferred tidal condition based on intuition or specific, accumulated experience. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 12, 2024 Body of Water: Hancock Pond - Denmark, Maine Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Brown Trout Time: 8 AM - 12:15 PM Moon Phase: Waxing crescent moon Conditions: Starting cool, clear and bright, but with clouds developing; flat calm with a weak, intermittent northwesterly breeze developing at 10; 45 - 60 degrees. Water temperatures 54 - 57 degrees F (+/-); thick midge hatch! With stripers on their way, I knew this could be the end of my Spring Trout Season. It's been a good one, and I accepted the challenge of a difficult pond on what looked to be a difficult day; there was always the chance that I'd learn something, or connect with another fine (or finer!) brown or two. Lines were in by 8 AM; I went with a pair of "Old Faithfuls" including a top-lined Thomas Eel (200 feet back!) and an orange DB Smelt off two colors of lead. I chose to troll with the main motor and cover water at 2.0-2.5 mph in search of that first, elusive bite. I concentrated on major structural elements and depths between 15 and 30 feet of water. It took 45 minutes for the first strike. The DB Smelt got ripped over 25 feet of water. The hit was violent, but the hooks did not find flesh. Still, I was glad to see that I remained in a zone where something good could happen. The same presentation got hammered about 45 minutes later, this time in the same area but a little shallower, perhaps 16 feet of water. This fish pulled some drag before the hooks pulled, before I could even get to the rod. With two solid strikes in 90 minutes, I couldn't really complain, and I still had plenty of time make something happen. All the while, I varied the top-line presentation. I introduced another "Old Faithful", an F9 Rapala in gold/black (a stealthy 200 feet back) and also swam an orange Arctic Fox tube fly behind an action disk, top-lined 150 feet back. I was seeing plenty of trout feeding on the midges just sub-surface; I had quite a bit of faith that a surface-feeding trout might fall for the top-line. At 10 AM, I made a move to the "reef" area that had produced a trout the previous weekend. A mild breeze had started, and I wanted to cover some new water. In 45 minutes, this area showed nothing, although I did learn that last week's trout may have been associated with a hidden hump topping out at 3 feet and dropping off quickly into 30. I switched tactics to Gulp! and electric trolling; and when the first couple of passes in this reef area produced just a couple of "taps" (perch?), I moved back to the main point where I'd encountered my two biters earlier in the day. On my first pass here, moving at 1.7 mph over about 21 feet of water, a heavy fish simply pulled back the Gulp! rod. It seemed to be moving the same speed as the boat, with the rod just slightly loaded. I held the rod and wound down; I half expected the dead weight of weeds, but a few long head-shakes belied the presence of a fish. And just as I settled in for the fight, the hook pulled. Now 0-for-3, I continued the search for another 45 minutes. The breeze died and the midges became insufferable. I thought I could outlast the trout, but I'd struck out. What do I have to say about this? I hate striking out, but it does happen. And I'd been so close to something good! Foul balls and missed swings are just part of the game. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 11, 2024 Body of Water: Worthley Pond - Peru, Maine Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Trout Time: 8:45 AM - 4 PM Moon Phase: New moon plus four days; waxing crescent Conditions: Clear and bright to start, but with increasing clouds and some very light rain by session's end; ENE wind < 10 mph, swinging around to the south by day's end; 40 - 55 degrees. Water temperatures just a degree warmer than last week, 53 - 56 degrees F (+/-). With an entire day in front of me, and motivated by the big fish I missed last week, I decided to return to Peru's Worthley Pond. I was treated to the entire lake by myself for most of the day. Despite the very marginal ramp condition, I really enjoy this pond! I expected a tough bite; the sky was high and the lake was glass. Fortunately, a light breeze developed shortly after setting lines in the southern basin. My plan was to go fast, cover water, and find fish; and if that failed, fall back on going slow with Gulp! My first presentations included a top-lined J7 orange Rapala and a gold Thomas Eel off two colors of lead. Speed was 2.0 +/-, and I went through my high-confidence path from the previous week without a touch, so I then started varying baits. DB Smelts, a couple of different Rapalas and a top-lined fly all were ignored, and I moved to the lake's north basin. This new water revealed more of the same (nothing). So, after two hours of covering water and searching from 10 to over 30 feet of water, I fell back onto Plan B; trolling slower and with a Gulp! pinched crawler presented off a couple of colors of lead. I started tracing the south basin's 15-foot break at about 1.5 mph. The orange J7, 150 feet back, crawled on the surface while the orange pinched crawler rolled below. I'd bumped the targeted speed to 1.6 and then 1.7 mph. Over 15 feet of water, the top-lined rod faltered and twitched; twitched again; and then bent over to a fish. It had taken about three hours, but I finally hooked up! I avoided the skunk with a pretty, 15-inch brown trout. This hookup was pretty close to an offshore hump; I'd drifted over deeper water while fighting the fish. I pulled the other line, moved to the north, and set up for another pass across this hump and continuing south to the new waypoint. Once I was in position, the sonar revealed lots of fish activity in this area and between 12 and 15 feet deep. Gulp! quickly produced two more browns between 16 and 20 inches. Things were looking up! The next half hour produced a yellow perch and a decent rainbow, both on the Gulp! I continued to rotate through various top-lined lures (including a yellow Powerbait grub), finally throwing my lot in with a gold Thomas Eel. By 3 PM, I had wandered back to the north basin, and at 3:15 or so, just as some sprinkles set in, the top-lined eel got whacked! Brown trout No. 4, the smallest of the day, came to hand. I hoped another feeding window had opened; but apparently not. I had a couple of taps on the pinched crawlers, but no other chances. What do I have to say about this? I'd met many of my goals for the day (a few trout, including a nice one; and some productive flexibility in doing so); and I'd enjoyed solitude, loons, and a bald eagle. I think I even saved enough energy for another adventure the following day; perhaps some more big browns await at Hancock? Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 5, 2024 Body of Water: Hancock Pond - Denmark, Maine Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Brown Trout Time: 9:30 AM - 1:30 PM Moon Phase: New Moon minus two days Conditions: Cloudy with sprinkles; 10+ mph southerly wind; 50 degrees. Water temperatures 51 - 54 degrees F (+/-); clear but tannic. I had heard rumors of good fishing for brown trout at Hancock Pond in Denmark, Maine. Like every other pond of interest, it's an hour or so away from home, and the ramp is marginal. Off to a late start and with rain in the afternoon's forecast, I decided to give it a try. The ramp was clearly designed to minimize boat traffic, and the small lot barely accommodated my rig alongside four others. But it's a pretty pond, and just barely waking up from Winter; I was enthusiastic despite the "slow" report from a boater coming off the water as I left the ramp. With little else to go on, I focused first on water temperature and secondarily on structure. I selected a shallow, protected bay that I thought might have warmed up a bit. My initial spread included a J7 Rapala (orange), 150 feet back and running on the surface; and an orange DB Smelt off 1.5 - 2 colors of lead. Using the main motor based on the already-present wind, I circum-trolled the small bay and edged out towards the main lake, attempting to trace the 15-foot break. I was hedging my bets based on the biting depth from the day before, and also based on previous experience for Spring Browns; at least on Lake Michigan, they love the shallows at this time of year. I was only 30 minutes into the search when a fish grabbed the J7 Rapala off the surface. I noted that I was trolling slowly (for spoons, less than 2 mph), cross-wind, and the hit had taken place while I was temporarily over deeper (25 feet) water than I had been "targeting". I continued my troll along and around this major point, including a couple of strafes over extended shallows. Despite my bolstered confidence, nothing showed any interest. I changed spoons on the lead core and also switched from the J7 to an orange/white Thomas Eel for the top-line. I had moved over the deeper main lake basin to change lures, but was still adjacent to this prominent point. Trolling slowly into the wind (< 2 mph), the Eel got hammered over 25 feet or more of water! I could tell this was a nice, hefty fish, and was delighted when it jumped and showed itself near the boat. In typical brown trout fashion, it resisted coming to the net with several runs to the depths, but finally yielded. Easily over 20 inches and perhaps four pounds, it was the kind of trout I've been seeking since I left Michigan! It was a bright and beautiful specimen, too. With something of a pattern now established (orange top-lined lures 150 feet back, structure-adjacent but over 25 feet of water), I kept looking for more fish. The orange Eel remained in the spread while I varied my second presentation; usually presenting another top-line on a slightly shorter length or a bright spoon off a shallow core. With no further action, at about Noon (and for the second day in a row) I made a major switch to another part of the lake. After trying another shallow, protected bay, I worked my way out. I decided to try a gold Thomas Eel off two colors of lead. Sure enough, adjacent to a main-lake reef (future boaters, beware!), this rod went off and I collected another nice, although smaller brown. Now confident in both presentations and in my perceived "pattern" of 25 feet of water near major structural elements, I circled around, fished the reef again, and then expanded my radius in search of a final fish. Using the depth-based color-coding on my Garmin mapping, I was able to keep the boat near my targets. I continued on the troll towards the ramp, working my speed hard (staying below 2.3 but faster than 1.5 mph) in the increasing wind and deteriorating weather. Fortunately, another really nice, 20-inch brown came to play, eating the gold Eel off two full colors of lead. That seemed like a great way to end the day. I got off the water with no real problems. I'm glad I decided to try this new-to-me pond! What do I have to say about this? I don't know if the "patterns" I've noticed the last couple of days are real or not, but they do help me narrow down my presentations while promoting confidence and focus on the fishing. I do think that starting with a plan, but then reacting to conditions and making purposeful adjustments is the way to build on one's success. Not just for the day, but for the season and beyond! I noticed a few spots that I'd be glad to ice-fish, too. I'll be back, regardless. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 4, 2024 Body of Water: Worthley Pond - Peru, Maine Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Trout Time: 9 AM - 3:30 PM Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon, New minus three days Conditions: Cloudy; generally calm; 50 - 60 degrees. Water temperatures 50 - 55 degrees F (+/-); water clear but tannic. Perhaps I had missed the main portion of breakfast; just moments after setting the second rod, my orange DB Smelt, swimming over about 15 feet of water and presented off 1.5 colors of lead, got crushed! With a 15-inch brown trout in the net so quickly, it looked as if it might be an epic day! But all my presentations went untouched for the next 2.5 hours. Breakfast was over! Conditions seemed fishy, for sure, but I continued to blank despite steadily rotating through presentation options (including spoons, Rapalas, flies, action disks and small plastic worms!) and expanding my range. By 11:45 AM, I'd already explored both the southern and northern portions of the lake and all my previously successful locations, without another bump! While it's always difficult for me to take a DB Smelt out of the water when trout fishing in Maine, I decided to do some bad science and made several changes simultaneously. I returned to the lake's southern basin (I had, after all, caught a nice fish and had marked some likely bait; and the water was a degree or two warmer), but with a new plan to now go slow (1.7 mph) with the electric motor, present a finesse Gulp! pinched crawler off 1.5 or 2 colors of lead, and add an orange J7 Rapala, crawling across the surface, to the spread. When the Gulp! rod quickly bounced, hard, over about 15 feet of new water as I began my troll, my confidence in this new plan rose, even though the strike had not resulted in a hookup. Shortly thereafter, things really picked up. The top-lined Rapala got smoked, and the first of several steelhead-esque rainbows (in attitude and spawning coloration, if not stature) came to the boat. I blew the net job, getting the Rapala's treble hung in the webbing at the net's rim. I torqued the fish off and said goodbye to a beautifully colored, 3- or 4-pound male rainbow. Fortunately, the bites continued for the next 45 minutes or so; and all on the orange Gulp! as presented above. These all came from about 12 or 15 feet of water, or perhaps a little deeper as I tracked the primary break. A few of the hits were brief drive-by's, but I connected with and landed a couple more rainbows in the 16-18 inch range. The day's tide had turned, and I even scored a couple of photos! This action was concentrated in the lake's southeast portion, and I continued making passes through, so long as I got touched. One waypoint about 200 feet from my primary ice-fishing spot produced multiple bites/fish, including the fish that will get me to return to Worthley Pond. This fish buried the short lead core rod and throbbed with long, heavy head shakes. Unfortunately, the light-wire hook partially straightened and pulled before I caught a glimpse of it. I bet it was a big brown; it didn't seem to have the panicked urgency of a rainbow. I continued working the area and did get a final rainbow (Gulp!, again) before deciding it was time to head home. What do I have to say about this? This was my first Spring Effort on this lake. Despite the slow start, given the pleasant conditions and ultimately landing four rainbows and a brown; including a bigger-than-average fish to the net and another large fish lost; this was a good day! I am glad I switched gears and got something going. I am especially glad to have successfully incorporated some California Tactics into my trout fishing. I've used Gulp! pinched crawlers very successfully for walleye, but now I firmly believe in them for trout, too! Every hit was on orange; nothing else elicited any interest. Not even chartreuse Gulp! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: April 27, 2024 Body of Water: Collins Lake - California Boat: FHS Pontoon With: K and Captain W Target: Rainbow Trout Time: 7:30 AM - 3 PM Moon Phase: Full moon plus four days Conditions: Too nice! Post-frontal; clear and calm, with a mild breeze, intermittent breeze developing from the south. 50 - 70 degrees, water was stained and 64 - 67 degrees. Weekend crowds, too. Day 2 of our adventure (https://www.fishhuntshoot.com/product/collins-lake-guide-trip/) greeted us with "perfect" weather, which meant the bite might be tough! The lake was more crowded on this beautiful weekend day, and there was a local derby taking place to boot. We met Captain W at the stated time and location, and were soon setting lines over the lake's main basin. We had a good starting point from the day before, but we were still determined to find our own fish. Given the calm and bright conditions, we looked for comfortable fish a little bit down from the surface. Our starting point included a stacked spoon and naked worm off the downrigger, down to about 25 feet; and a couple of presentations off two colors of supplemented lead, ending in a dodger/crawler or a small plastic worm behind an action disk. Targeted speed was about 2.0 +/- 0.2 mph. All initial interest was in the crawlers, and the bites were tentative to start. The spoon was pulled, a turbo flasher added to the rigger's worm, and the plastic worm/action disk was replaced with a naked Gulp! pinched crawler (orange over natural) presented off two colors of supplemented lead. Most bites continued to be be very tentative, but a few were aggressive, and after the first hour, we had landed at least five nice trout! Not bad for a "tough" day! Late morning and early afternoon were slow, and we rotated through a series of dodgers and flashers on the leadcore/crawler combo. We continued the pleasant grind and added a metal-head fly way back (225 feet) on top, looking for a trophy. A few more fish came to hand, including a gorgeous and pugnacious Lightning Trout on the naked Gulp!, and the fly got smacked hard (and broken off!?!) once. Action continued to be "best" over the deeper portions of the lake's basin and the structure near the northeast corner. Once again, FHS was generous with their time and effort, and this paid off with an uptick in fish action between 2 and 3 PM (or so, I lost touch with the exact time...). The downrigger caught fire for a bit, now tracking 23 feet down; and we quickly added several trout to the the day's tally. This included a couple of very nice rainbows and lightnings over three pounds. As we called it a day, three of the four rods produced fish! Only the long-lined fly went untouched, but we had given it an extra-long soak, and we knew it was time to go. So much for a tough/slow day; we'd landed at least 15 trout and had probably connected with at least as many trout as the previous day! Tactics were generally the same, and yet different; we'd gotten there by a different path under different circumstances. What do I have to say about this? Good job, Captain W, you provided another excellent, productive and enjoyable day on the water! I know how difficult it is too put together multiple consistent days under variable conditions, and how much work goes into that. I didn't want to leave; and yet I even enjoyed the busy drive back to San Francisco and the long flight home. Thank you, K! What a nice long weekend! What a fishing buddy! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: April 26, 2024 Body of Water: Collins Lake - California Boat: FHS Pontoon With: K and Captain CK Target: Rainbow Trout with Lightning Trout, too Time: 7:30 AM - 4 PM Moon Phase: Full moon plus three days Conditions: Alternating clouds, sun and morning squalls; wind from all points and up to 15 mph or so; 50 - 65 degrees. Collins Lake was "full" and spilling over the dam, the water was clear but stained, and surface water temperatures were 65 - 68 degrees. K was so kind to arrange a visit to the San Francisco area, and especially one where we could camp and fish together! After a bit of research we settled on https://www.fishhuntshoot.com/product/collins-lake-guide-trip/ , and we were not disappointed! Captain CK offers guided "teaching" trips on a small reservoir at the base of the Sierra Mountains, and I thought (correctly!) that this would provide a pleasant platform for K and I to relax while re-living our glorious past of trolling for trout (and salmon) on Lake Michigan. The accommodations at Collins Lake looked good, too, and I spent a good share of the winter quietly looking forward to a respite from the Maine weather and getting into some active fish! We left K's home on Thursday morning and wandered our way to Collins Lake. We snacked and saw sights along the way, and when we arrived mid-afternoon, our cabin was clean and ready for us. We poked around, unpacked, and enjoyed some local ice cream with our hot dogs roasted over our campfire. We went to bed relaxed and slept well! We hooked up with Captain CK right on time, and after brief introductions and based on our trolling experience, we were able to skip "class" and go right to the fishing! With surface water temperatures climbing to 65 degrees or more, Captain CK had deployed his downrigger for the first time all Spring the previous day, and many of the reported biters were settling in, deeper, to eat "meat", i.e., crawlers. Our initial spread included a surface line, 175 feet back, with a small white worm/action disk; two colors of lead (supplemented with a small, in-line weight) with a pink dodger and pinched crawler on a Slow Death rotating hook; and a naked, rotating pinched crawler 44 feet behind the rigger ball set at about 20 feet down. The morning's weather was funky but very fishy. Skies were gray, it was breezy to windy, and scattered, intense showers were visibly around us. (Occasionally they would find us, especially mid-morning). I was surprised to find depths over 100 feet in the lake's basin, and we settled into a pattern of searching for and collecting bites over this deeper water, especially along the lake's western shore and northeast corner. (Structure likely played a role in the northeast area, and I told myself that the predominant wind was pushing any food into this corner, too.) Everything got hit, but the pink dodger off two colors of supplemented lead clearly elicited the most action. We added the same dodger to the downrigger, and pretty soon we had switched to a pink worm on top, too! Target speed was 2.0 mph +/- 0.2 mph, and we were very comfortable on the pontoon platform. Bites came in flurries, and the numbers started racking up! After the first fish (which came on "my side" of the boat), we tried to alternate turns on fish, and there was plenty for all to do (or not, as one's mood might dictate at the moment). Soon enough, Captain CK was comfortable with me running the back of the boat (I let him thread the crawlers, just because...), and I was happy to net fish and monitor, tweak and adjust our presentations. I especially enjoyed converting drive-by's into hookups by "feeding" the bait to following fish. This was remarkably effective! We took a break for lunch with ten or 12 trout landed, and the afternoon was just as productive, even though the wind veered to the northwest and skies cleared. We spent some time heading up the river arm, where we added a spotted bass to our catch, but when we returned to the basin we finished strong, including our largest trout of the day (six-pound rainbow) and most beautiful fish of the day (a solid four-pound Lightening Trout for K). Captain CK and his dog friend, Lucy, were very generous with their time, and when we called it quits at about 4 PM, we agreed that we'd landed at least 19 trout in addition to the bass. We'd missed and farmed out a few, too, but that didn't matter; we were fishing again, the next day! What do I have to say about this? This was so pleasant and relaxing, and I can't thank K enough for making this happen. I also need to thank Captain CK for enjoyably hosting us, adjusting to our competence, sharing stories, and his enthusiasm. He and Lucy provided for a unique experience, and it was the one I'd envisioned! I also appreciated his rods, reels and lures, as they felt great in hand and performed well. For some odd reason, K seemed to specialize in the golden Lightning Trout while I caught just about all rainbows. They are the same species, but I still felt like the rainbows fought harder. I lost a lot of the details, but that comes with having had so many strikes and fish landed. Still, I enjoyed a number off firsts, including first freshwater fish in California, first Lightning Trout, first trout on a soft plastic, and first use of rolling crawlers for trout. Obviously, this will work in Maine, and this has been added to my list of tricks and presentations. Here's how I ended up finding FHS.com. In the mid-to-late 1980s, I was new to Lake Michigan and trout trolling in general. My only chances for trout and salmon were either from a river mouth pier, or in the years to come, from my small, shore bound boat. The local prize was a Spring Brown Trout, and they ate trolled Rapalas or casted spoons near shore. I was all in! But I still recalled a specific television show where a western troller was pounding big rainbows on his trolling flies. These didn't exist in Michigan, and this was before the Internet. I couldn't get those flies, and so I turned to local tactics. I didn't think about those flies again until a couple of years ago when I landed in Maine. One of the staple approaches to trolling for trout and salmon here is a double-hooked trolling streamer fly. I've integrated them into my local tactics and have generated some strikes and several by-catch smallmouth bass to date. When K proposed the idea for this trip, I started thinking about those big rainbows and flies! I found the original video (or remake) of the show I recalled, and it featured Jay Fair and his system for trolling his flies (see www.youtube.com/watch?v=syMj8laWyLM .) I found his flies for purchase and got some! I rigged a couple of rods with his hybridized floating flyline/leadcore-tipped presentation. But I also found www.fishhuntshoot.com/shop/ and their flies, gear, and guided trips. I'm glad I did! "Fish on!" Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways |
Steve LachanceRI --> NH --> MI-->MA-->ME Archives
June 2024
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