My Day Fishing

Here's how to make our family's favorite trout dinner. And a big 'Thanks!' to James from our whole family for supplying us with a great catch from Skinner Lake.

Here's what you need to get started.

• 
  
  Trout fillets (cut in halves or thirds, depending on size)
• 
  
  3 Eggs (beaten)
• 
  
  Flour
• 
  
  Butter (or margarin)
• 
  
  Vegetable Oil
• 
  
  Garlic Powder
• 
  
  Home-made Rub

 

• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar

This catch totally went against the trends we've seen lately. The bite was very slow today. Only a few of the resident LMB were close to the bank. Other than that, there was very little movement and even less of a bite. Usually you can get a bite from something about 5 - 15 feet from the bank, but nothing was happening today.

After my last visit to the little pond I didn't think I'd be going back any time soon. But with a big day yesterday I was wondering if the condition of the pond might be different and if the warmer water would make a difference there.

It did. Today was the first time I've seen any fish at all there. I've always known their there, but just never have seen any. Today the water was much clearer and I was actually able see quite a bit of the underwater structure. I saw 2 small-ish bass swimming near the bank while I was rigging up my line.

As I was fishing I noticed spawning beds right near the shore. I didn't see any fish around them, but it was a good sign.

After a few consecutive days of warm weather, the water at RSM warmed up and the fish woke up.

James hit up the lake before coming into the office and landed these two

Went fishing today, but for some reason I wasn't really into it. Maybe cuz I wanted to be out in a boat at one of the big lakes instead of fishing at a city park that was packed with people because of the holiday.

You sure see a lot of interesting things when there are so many people at the lake. At one point, two young teenage girls trying to get the attention of a young guy on the other side of the lake came and stood right next to me and started yelling to him. I thought that was a little rude, so I calmly cast my line out towards the other direction and in order to tighten up the slack in my line drew my rod back and stuck it right in their faces. That got their attention and they moved on.

One little boy was apparently so excited to ride his new bike that mom and dad didn't have a chance to take all the paper and plastic out of the spokes after buying it at Walmart. Boy, was he proud!

I think all boys between the ages of 2 and 6 years old have some kind of genetic predisposition which, at the sight of any kind of water foul, causes them to morph into Godzilla. From that point their one and only purpose is to make sure every duck and bird is either airborne or in the water.

And what's up with the grown ups lately? I keep seeing adults going to feed the ducks and they are reaching into that bag of breadcrumbs and CHUCKING the bread at the ducks. Picture Napolean Dynamite feeding his llama, Tina. "Eat your FOOD!" That's exactly what they're doing. Then the go storming off as if their significant other just broke up with them for someone else.

Just a little notice to any adults out there that go to the lake to feed the ducks. If you don't want to do it, you really don't have to. No one is forcing you to feed the ducks, and they'll do just fine if you don't.

Water turtles can jump off of a tall rock into the lake much faster than they can climb onto said rock.

Murphy's law implies that while at the lake, the speed of a toddler is in direct proportion to the weight of the parent chasing her as she runs towards the water. The fatter the parent, the faster the toddler. (Seemingly)

One who is not used to a baitcaster reel should not pick such a busy day, and definitely not the spot right next to the playground to practice side-arm casts parallel to the bank.

Anyone who is not used to a baitcaster reel and does not follow the above advice WILL receive dirty looks from parents as he dislodges his lure from the plants near the parent's feet. (Glad he was on the other side of the lake.)

Yep, you see a lot of interesting things at the lake. Even when you don't see any fish.

><)))>

Usually, I grab my gear and head out to see if I can find some bass. But today I figured I'd hang out at home and it would seem that the bass came looking for me!

 

Met up with James and Amy this morning at Skinner Lake. We headed out in a boat and started looking for LMB across from and East of the Marina. After having no luck we moved over towards Ramp 2 and started looking for trout. The DFG supposedly stocked Skinner on Thursday, but even the trout fishing has been really quiet ever since New Year.

After a while we moved back over to the marina and after a short break we headed out East of the marina to look for LMB again. We stopped over a steep drop-off and James hooked up on a big Large Mouth, but unfortunately it got loose. The water was incredibly clear and James was able to get a good look at it before he lost it.

A big "Thank You" to James and Amy for letting me tag along today. Fishing Skinner in a boat is the only way to go!

About mid-day we parted ways and I met up with my wife, family, and some family friends for lunch and some shore fishing.

Jay and I fished for a couple more hours while the kids went back and forth between fishing and playing.

We packed it up near 3 o'clock, met up with Julie, Terri, and the rest of the kids, and let them play for a little while before heading home.

So, no bites for me at Skinner today, but.....

A beautiful day on the lake.
Crystal clear water.
A little bit of excitement from a big bass.
And enjoying both the morning and afternoon with friends.

Definitely nothing to complain about.

><)))>

I was almost on my last cast over at Harveston today. I had been slowly working another one of those T-rigged craws to see if I'd have some luck with it today. I had been there for a while and was doing the whole "Ok, one last cast.....Ok, just one more..." thing.

As I brought the bait within 20 feet of where I was standing I felt it hit something ... or something hit it. I stopped and waited to feel the tug.

Nothing

I gave it a little pull. There it was again. "I think a fish is either hitting my bait with its head, or it's slowly picking it up with its mouth."

I could see my line tighten a little. Just a little. Then it would go slack again. It did this about 3 times. Each time it was just the slightest change. If I hadn't been watching my line I wouldn't have caught it because I couldn't feel it.

My line tightened again and I stayed real still and just watched.

I started to chuckle a little when I saw my line slowly start moving towards me on its own. I could almost picture him down there with my bait behind his back, trying to tip-toe past me with me noticing. Like one of my kids trying to smuggle away an extra cookie.

I waited a second, then set the hook.

He was little guy, but he was pretty strong.

I figured I had set the hook pretty well. He was fighting but wasn't going anywhere.

I reached into my pocket to get my pliers and thought, "I'll let him fight for a little bit." I switched my rod to my other hand and just held it, not keeping the tip up and not keeping tension on the line.

I had my pliers ready and I saw him do a quick shake underwater and my bait came up without him on it.

"Well played, little guy! Well played!"

"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."
(Job 1:21)

Ok. It's true that Job was dealing with a lot more than I ever do. And maybe it's stretching it a bit to apply lessons in Job's patience to a lunch time fishing trip. But today was a very interesting day.

Job is known to the entire world as a man of great patience, as is evidenced in the quote above which he spoke after having lost everything.

But maybe, just maybe, God sometimes does the opposite as He teaches us patience. Maybe sometimes He "takes away" to test our patience, then gives it back.

I was fishing alone today. It had been raining off and on, but had stopped while I was at the lake. The sky was cloudy and was getting darker. I tied on a craw jig covered in salt and started heaving it out to the middle of the lake. After yesterday's fun at the pond, dragging the bottom for every piece of foliage, I was looking forward to a clutter-free time at RSM.

But I started seeing a trend pretty quickly. I wasn't dragging up debri from the bottom. I was getting stuck and hung up on what seemed like every rock in the lake!

I worked that little craw free from probably 3 different rocks in the course of maybe 10 casts. But the 4th rock proved to be out for my bait and I ended up breaking it off and reeling in some empty line.

"Alright. Maybe I'll try something else." I reached for my Firetiger crankbait thinking I'd give it a try. As I was pulling it out of the case I was already thinking, "I really don't want to lose this guy." But I tied him on anyway and away we went.

On days like this when I'm out there by myself or just away from everyone, I will sometimes drift in and out of prayer. Pray a bit. Watch the people. Watch my line. Wonder what the bait looks like bouncing around the bottom of the lake. Pray a little more. Watch the birds. Watch my line.

So as I'm "drifting", my crankbait keeps getting hung up here and there. Just a little bit, but enough to make me nervous.

It's starting to drizzle a little bit and the sky is really getting dark when all of a sudden....

THUNK!

I felt my bait hit a rock and stop dead. I felt it come right through the rod as if someone had hit the rod with a stick. There was no slip. No drag across the hard surface. It hit the rock and stopped ... and that's where it stayed.

PERFECT!!! (sarcastically)

I head back to my backpack with my broken line ... again

"Maybe I should just head back to the office," I thought.

I still have a little time, so I'll try a long shot. I T-rigged a plastic craw (which I've never had any luck with) and was thinking, "I'm starting to get discouraged. If I just knew that I was going to catch something, I could say that it's going to be worth it." I started walking. I just need to get away from this area. There are too many rocks here and I'm not good enough at retrieving stuck bait.

So I head down about 200 feet to a little point, set my backpack down, and toss my line in the water. First, on the left side. Wouldn't you know it, there are rocks over there!!!! It gets hung up a bit, but not stuck.

Let's try the right side.

Let's try that side again.

(Yes, I talk to myself in first person plural.... or maybe I'm drifting again)

"Wait....There he is ... There he is!"

Fish On!!!!

I hate that pond! It is such a pain in the butt to fish there.

Ok, I might need to practice casting more so that I don't keep tossing my bait into the reeds, but that's beside the point!

Aside from the fact that I've never gotten a bite (or even seen a fish) at that pond, it is still a frustrating place to fish. The bottom of the pond is just layered with debri. It seems like every other cast you're hauling in a ton of sunken reeds, branches, weeds, grass, leaves, and other assorted florae. Even when you're using a weedless rig, you still end up with an entire nursery on your bait as it picks stuff up off the bottom.

I've tried all kinds of different baits there and have never had any luck at all. And every time I go I swear I'm not going to come back until the Spring or Summer when the fish are more active and I have a better chance of hooking something.

But then I start needing a change of scenery from my usual places and I think, "Hmmm, maybe I'll go try my luck at the pond again. This time I'll try a [insert bait type] and see if that makes a difference."

One hour into it and I'm already starting to get frustrated and my usual places are starting to sound pretty good.

It also doesn't help that we only have access to a relatively small portion of the pond. There are several areas that can't be reached on foot, and no watercraft are allowed.

And it's always windy there. Which makes my already mediocre casting accuracy completely lose all dignity.

So it doesn't take long and I'm already thinking about packing up and heading back home.

I toss out a couple more casts just to solidify the futility of it all. Then I put away my baits, brake down my rods, close up my backpack, and head to the car.

Then I realize that as frustrating as that time at the pond may have been, I feel better than before I had arrived because I've been able to get some fishing time in.

By the time I get home, I'm already thinking, "Ok, what can I do there next time that might work better." So much for my resolve to wait until Spring.

><)))>

The SuperBowl? Oh, you mean the football game! Yeah. I caught the tail end of that. I missed most of the game, though, because I was FISHING!!!!!

;)

So I figured I'd do what everyone else does (and what I read about) and switch baits when one doesn't seem to be working. Usually, since I have so little time, I just stick with one kind of bait and try multiple areas, rather than lose time cutting off and tying on different lures. But yesterday I had more time, so I figured I'd try different lures if necessary.

The day was a bit overcast, but not rainy. So I started with my Firetiger crankbait (9 - 12 ft) hoping to add more proof to our previous theory, but wasn't having any luck with that. I tried a couple of areas, then switched to a different colored, shallower diving crank .... with no luck.

I've read several places that when other baits aren't working, you can always throw a tube jig cuz Bass always like those. So I rigged one up and started trying that. Thing is I've never used a tube jig so I wasn't sure how they should be worked.

I tried:

• a slow steady retrieve off of the bottom
• a slow steady retrieve from mid depth
• quickly popping it up off the bottom
• slowly popping it up off the bottom
• finessing it like a t-rigged worm on the bottom
• jerking it
• and also a steady rising and falling retrieve as if it was swimming up and down through mid depth

• the fish weren't biting
• i wasn't where the fish were
• i don't know how to fish a jig (most likely)
• all of the above

Headed over to RSM today during lunch. It rained off and on all day.

The lake was so quiet. I think I only saw a few people.

Even the birds were all quiet. Not gone, but quiet. They were all just hanging out grazing in the grassy areas or sitting in trees. No squawking, chirping, singing, fighting, or anything.

With the cloudy and cool weather I figured I might have a good chance with my medium depth cranks again (still testing out our theory), but I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

The birds weren't singing.

The people weren't jogging.

The kids weren't playing.

The dogs weren't barking.

The sun wasn't shining.

And the bass weren't biting.

....

....

...but I was fishing.

><)))>

One of my favorite comics talking about one of my favorite activities.

If you're in a competition, yes, size not only matters, it's the only thing that matters. But I didn't get interested in fishing as a way to compete. I got interested in fishing because it was a good, clean, outdoor activity that I could do almost anytime and anywhere. I can get some fishing in before work in the morning at a local pond, or go to a city lake during lunch, or hit one of the nearby big lakes on a weekend. I can spend a lot of money to have a big fishing day, or I can have a relaxing day of fishing for free. I can tailor it for whatever mood I'm in.

So I've been hitting up the little local lakes and for a beginner I'm catching my fair share of bass. With each one I catch I learn a little bit more, I take a picture, and get hooked a little more to this new sport.

Then on Friday, James pulls a nice big bass out of RSM.

Then yesterday I hooked up with a nice big bass at Harveston.

Then today James pulls another monster out of RSM while we were lunch-fishing.

My turn, right?

Oh, yeah, baby! I can feel it. Any minute now it's going to be my turn again and I'm going to get that picture holding my own 5 pounder.

WHAM!!! There he is, and he's...... uh.....wait a minute.

Right on cue I hooked a bass after James hauled his in. But it turned out to be a little dinky guy.

"Ah, man! He's just a little guy." I didn't even bother to take a picture of him!!

So where did that attitude come from? Until now I had always been happy just to land a bass. Any catch qualified for a successful day.

I hooked a single bass that was 4 - 5 pounds. I didn't even land it, but now the little guys aren't good enough?

REALITY CHECK!!!!

When your reason for fishing is not compitition and it's not your profession, then any day you make a catch is a good day. You gotta remember that whether it's a 1 pounder or a 10 pounder, the reason you're out there is to have fun, relax, get your mind off of things, and enjoy the outdoors.

Every fisherman has his "fish stories." And if there is one characteristic by which almost every fish story is known, it is its tendency to be over exaggerated. With that in mind, I will try to stay as true as I can to the actual facts of this afternoon.

I have noticed many times when fishing the little city lakes right now in "Winter" (this is SoCal) that the bass can be found about 5 - 15 feet from the bank of the lake as the day warms up. James and I figure that with the water being as shallow as it is, the bass move up towards the bank as the day warms the water. Lately we have had several days that didn't really warm up and those bass aren't being found close to the bank anymore. This gave a little more credence to our theory. So James and I have been discussing for about a week and a half the possibility that the bass are staying out in the deeper parts of the lake when the days remain cool. Now these little lakes probably aren't any deeper than about 10 - 12 feet in their deepest areas, so we started thinking that running a medium depth crankbait (maybe 9 - 12 feet) out towards the center of the lake might produce some larger bass.

James was the first to put the theory to the test. As you can see here, it was pretty successfull for him.

So I ran down to Blue Water Bait & Tackle and grabbed a Norman Deep Little N Firetiger and headed over to Harveston for my own testing.

I had been there for about 20 minutes, casting that crankbait out into the center of the lake (right next to the gazeebo again) when I felt a strike. I set the hook and instantly my rod was heavy and my line was on the move. I gave the rod another quick pull hoping to set the hook a little better (just in case). That woke up whatever was on the other end of the line and he started to pull hard. I eased up my drag just a little hoping to allow him to get himself tired.

I was keeping my rod tip up high and this fish was really starting to get annoyed. He hadn't shown himself yet, but I could tell by the weight of the fight that he was the largest bass I had hooked to date...anywhere.

Just then I saw the surface of the water start to move, a quick flash of silver, and there he was.

As he broke the surface of the water about ready to throw my bait my eyes got big and I could feel my heart start to speed up. Now that doesn't usually happen. I've hooked enough bass now and seen enough head-shakes and tail-dances to not get too excited. But this was different.

He came up out of the water with his mouth wide open preparing to do a head-shake and I kid you not his mouth was no less than a full 4 - 5 inches across. He only came out just passed his gill plate so that only his head was exposed and he was already a good 6 inches out of the water at least.

He gave a quick head-shake, threw my crankbait, and was gone. Judging only by what I saw of him, he had to be well over 4 pounds, and probably closer to 5.

As he dropped back into the water my heart rate was still on its way up and probably didn't stop until it was almost 2x its normal pace. I didn't catch a glimpse of him or anything else for the rest of my time there.

So James pulled a 4 - 5 pounder out of RSM and now I hook a 4 - 5 pounder at Harveston. Both of us were using medium depth cranks about mid day in the deeper parts of each lake. I'd say our theory is looking pretty good.

Hooking a nice 4 - 5 pound large mouth bass in these little city lakes...

Now that's a thrill !!!

><)))>

So this weekend I was with my son at the Cub Scout Klondike Derby at Camp Emerson. Klondike Derby is basically a snow camp. He also earned his Penguin Patch, which is awarded to those who are brave enough to actually camp in a tent on the snow.