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#1
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Friday - February 22 - Day 44
Got up in the rain at my trailer and almost could not get van and boat out of drive for the mud. Made it to the campground and checked in and put boat in the water at about 10 AM. Pretty cold and rainy but water temps were in low 50s and a good color. Started hitting rock and clay points. Fished a lot of my favorite spots but with the water 12.5 feet low it was very different. Also scary with lots of stumps along channels and shoals that are not marked. At about 3 PM I got a hit on a Yozuri Livebait and landed a two pound fish. Only bite I got! A little later a striper boat pulled up and guy asked me to take his picture - he had a 30 pound striper and wanted to get a picture and let it go. Beautiful fish. I quit at 4:30, pretty disgusted with my results. One of my club members at the ramp said they had caugh three keepers. Ronnie http://fishing.about.com |
#2
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Saturday - February 23 - Day 45
Morning dawned cool and some fog. Cloudy but no rain. We were fishing 7 to 5 - ten hour day. Since I didn't really have a clue what to do I ran down to the big bridge and started throwing the Yozuri Livebait on the rip. This bridge is 1.5 miles long and most of the riprap is on the north end. I fished from the bridge about half way then tried a jerk bait. No hits on either. Tried a #5 Shadrap, then threw a Slider 1/16 oz head and 4 inch worm. Not a bite. That is unusual, not even a bite on the Slider. Fished around the roadbed at the end of the riprap then ran back to the bridge and fished the pilings. Nothing. Water temps were in the low 50s and it was clear, could see my crank baits down three feet - fish should have been hitting. Started up the lake and stopped on one of my favorite river ledges. Fished around some rockpiles. Nothing. On the upper end my crankbait got heavy and I had a good fight - from a Pro Qualifier rod and reel. Put it in the boat - looks like it will clean up good. While fishing that end of the ridge I saw a boat on the next point way upstream where I caught my one keeper yesterday. Looked like he put a fish in the live well. I should have started there! He left and a little later I went up there and started fishing. As I rounded the point I saw Brent on the other side - he was the one I saw fishing. I asked how he found my honey hole, the only place I got a keeper yesterday. He said he had just put two in the livewell, about 4.5 pounds total. That really shot me down. Left him there and decided to go into a small creek and wear out everything and see what I could find. This little feeder creek splits into several coves and has everything - pockets, gravel, rock piles, brush piles and spawning areas. Wind was starting to pick up some and there were some breaks in the clouds. Water was more stained in this area but I could still see down 18 inches or so. Worked back along a rocky point and got to a secondary point with rock and clay. By now I had slowed down and was throwing a W-3 Tackle Stand Up shakey head with a Trick worm on it. Felt a thump on the point and set the hook - landed a 13 inch bass. Finally a keeper at 11:15 - the tournament was almost half over! Fished on around the very back of the creek. Threw up on a rockpile in a couple of feet of water and my line started moving off. Set the hook and broke the 12 pound PLine Fluorocarbon line. Checked it and it broke way too easy. Threw that rod and reel in the bottom of the boat, not into the lake like I almost did, and picked up a matching St Croix rod and Pfleuger reel loaded with 12 pound PLine. I had replaced this line last week and it did not break when I tried. Had a 3/16 Shakey head on it with a Bama Bug color Tmac worm. Fished out of the creek into the last pocket before the main lake. Wind was blowing in on it. Threw up on a small secondary point and got hit - landed a 15 inch 1.5 pounder - two in the live well but it was already 12:15. Fixed the worm and threw back to the same spot and got a bump. Set the hook on a good fish - saw it swirl under the water and figured a good 3 pounder. Since I was fishing by myself - young guy that was supposed to go with me decided to go to the Classic instead - I reached down and got the net ready. As I got the fish close and reached out with the net about wet my pants - much bigger than I thought. Turned out to weigh 5.88 pounds - sure was glad I swapped reels! Wore that point and the next one out but no hits. Worked around the outside point to the main lake to the next rocky point. Wind was pretty strong on it. Cast up on it and got big - two pounder. 12:45 and four in the boat, one good one. My attitude had improved a lot. Very next cast to the same spot got another 2 pounder. Filled my limit - figured I had about 11 or 12 pounds. I really did not want to wear out this spot since this was a two day tournament so I started casting out to deeper water. Two guys fishing a point upstream of me kept blowing toward me and each time they got close I would move back on the point. We played that game for about an hour and I thought they left, did not see them. I fished a little ways into the creek to get out of the wind and looked back to see them on the point. Saw each one of them put a keeper in the boat - so much for saving it for tomorrow. I left and went to another creek to see if I could duplicate the pattern in the last two hours. Got one hit in a brush pile I had blown up on before I saw it. Fish hit just feet from the boat and I broke my line on the hookset. Went in a little early since the lake is so dangerous. Did not have far to go but had a good catch. Was shocked at the long faces - I had the only limit. My five weighed 11.95 and the 5.88 was big fish for the day. Second place was 10.5 and he had a 5.66. Wondered what tomorrow would bring. Got back to my campsite and hooked everything up and got the grill going. We were at Mistletoe State Park and it has hundreds of sites - and only about six were in use. I was chopping up my lettuce and noticed some wood that had not been there last night or this morning. Walked to the post and found someone had removed my card, put theirs on the clip with a note saying "This site is taken, will be back." I really did not care which site I was on - picked this one because it was close to the bath house and drive thru, easy in and out with boat. Thought about moving but my grill was going good. Decided I would not. Got worried and checked my Glock and put one in the barrel just in case. I was eating my salad when a truck drove up and guy asked if I took his card. I got it and took it to him and said yes, did not see it until it was too late. Asked if he moved mine and he said he took it to the check in station and they said I was already gone. They went to another site. After grilling a steak I dumped my coals in the fire pit and found my card. Put new 12 pound line on one outfit and 15 on the other - both Pline Flourocarbon. Rigged both with 3/16 head, one with the Tmac Bamabug and one with a black Trick worm. Got a good nights sleep. Next post, day two. Ronnie http://fishing.about.com |
#3
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On Sat, 1 Mar 2008 17:11:32 -0800 (PST), Ronnie
wrote: Saturday - February 23 - Day 45 Morning dawned cool and some fog. Cloudy but no rain. We were fishing 7 to 5 - ten hour day. Since I didn't really have a clue what to do I ran down to the big bridge and started throwing the Yozuri Livebait on the rip. This bridge is 1.5 miles long and most of the riprap is on the north end. I fished from the bridge about half way then tried a jerk bait. No hits on either. Tried a #5 Shadrap, then threw a Slider 1/16 oz head and 4 inch worm. Not a bite. That is unusual, not even a bite on the Slider. Snipped a great read! Put new 12 pound line on one outfit and 15 on the other - both Pline Flourocarbon. Rigged both with 3/16 head, one with the Tmac Bamabug and one with a black Trick worm. Got a good nights sleep. Next post, day two. Ronnie http://fishing.about.com Way to go. I hope tomorrow is as or better for you. Dan |
#4
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Sunday - February 24 - Day 46
Cooler this morning and more fog. No wind and clear sky. Ran straight to the rocky point expecting to see a boat but no one was there. Caught a 14 inch keeper on about the fifth cast on the shakey head. Just after I put it in the live well I heard a boat and it was the two guys from yesterday. They did not see me in the fog until about 100 yards away then they made a sharp turn and went to the point they had been on yesterday when they saw me catching fish. Kept working the point and every time I got a little ways off it they headed toward me. Finally I heard one of them cuss and say "might as well leave." They ran about as far away as I could see and stopped and started fishing. I worked the point and eased out to nearby points, too. After a few minutes I looked up and they were headed toward me. I cranked up and idled back to the point and they turned off and ran back up the lake. Last time I saw them. I worked down to the next point and cast up to the shallows. Felt some rock then a thump and set the hook. Solid four pound bass at 8:30 - felt good with two in the boat, at least five pounds. Would take a decent catch to catch me. Worked back into the creek to a rocky secondary point and caught another bass, good 2 pound fish. Fished on around the cove and the point before the one I caught the good one on yesterday got another two pounder. Four in the boat at 10:00. I was happy. Kept fishing around the area and at noon got my fifth keeper off the rocky point. Figured I had about ten pounds. Left and went to some shallow hydrilla and got out a big swim bait. Threw it for an hour over the hydrilla but no bites. A nearby rock pile caught my attention and I went to it and caught a 13 inch fish off it on the jig head. Would not cull anything I had. At the 2:00 weigh-in I had the only limit today and it weighed 10 pounds. The biggest one I had was 4.02. That gave me first with 10 weighing 21.95 for the two days. Second place was 14.38 and third was 6.97. While loading boats Brent found out he had bad bearings. He had all the tools and grease but no bearings. I carry and extra set and they fit his trailer. Brent is a mechanic for a Chevy dealership - got them changed in a few minutes. I headed to Santee Cooper to fish for two days - fishing the Southern Regional Fed Nation tournament there in early April and this was my only chance to check it out. Never been on the lake. Will post about that trip later. Ronnie http://fishing.about.com |
#5
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On Sat, 1 Mar 2008 18:37:28 -0800 (PST), Ronnie
wrote: Sunday - February 24 - Day 46 Cooler this morning and more fog. No wind and clear sky. Ran straight to the rocky point expecting to see a boat but no one was there. Caught a 14 inch keeper on about the fifth cast on the shakey head. Just after I put it in the live well I heard a boat and it was the two guys from yesterday. They did not see me in the fog until about 100 yards away then they made a sharp turn and went to the point they had been on yesterday when they saw me catching fish. Kept working the point and every time I got a little ways off it they headed toward me. Finally I heard one of them cuss and say "might as well leave." They ran about as far away as I could see and stopped and started fishing. I worked the point and eased out to nearby points, too. After a few minutes I looked up and they were headed toward me. I cranked up and idled back to the point and they turned off and ran back up the lake. Last time I saw them. I worked down to the next point and cast up to the shallows. Felt some rock then a thump and set the hook. Solid four pound bass at 8:30 - felt good with two in the boat, at least five pounds. Would take a decent catch to catch me. Worked back into the creek to a rocky secondary point and caught another bass, good 2 pound fish. Fished on around the cove and the point before the one I caught the good one on yesterday got another two pounder. Four in the boat at 10:00. I was happy. Kept fishing around the area and at noon got my fifth keeper off the rocky point. Figured I had about ten pounds. Left and went to some shallow hydrilla and got out a big swim bait. Threw it for an hour over the hydrilla but no bites. A nearby rock pile caught my attention and I went to it and caught a 13 inch fish off it on the jig head. Would not cull anything I had. At the 2:00 weigh-in I had the only limit today and it weighed 10 pounds. The biggest one I had was 4.02. That gave me first with 10 weighing 21.95 for the two days. Second place was 14.38 and third was 6.97. While loading boats Brent found out he had bad bearings. He had all the tools and grease but no bearings. I carry and extra set and they fit his trailer. Brent is a mechanic for a Chevy dealership - got them changed in a few minutes. I headed to Santee Cooper to fish for two days - fishing the Southern Regional Fed Nation tournament there in early April and this was my only chance to check it out. Never been on the lake. Will post about that trip later. Ronnie http://fishing.about.com Well Ronnie, I think you've recovered from that no fish day with me. g Glad ya won! Dan |
#6
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Nice story and congrats on another good job fishing.
Gary |
#7
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It sure is nice to read your accounts, Ronnie. Congratulations on putting
together some winning patterns under tough conditions. Joe "Ronnie" wrote in message ... Sunday - February 24 - Day 46 Cooler this morning and more fog. No wind and clear sky. snip |
#8
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Well done!!
Jim |
#9
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Ronnie, as always, I really enjoyed your report, and congrats on another
good outing! John |
#10
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On Mar 6, 9:38*pm, (John B) wrote:
Ronnie, as always, I really enjoyed your report, and congrats on another good outing! John Thanks Just got home from the Top Six at Clark's Hill. On Monday my partner and I both limited out in the same little creek - I had 10.45 and he had 9,8. Yesterday my partner and I both limited out there again - my five went 7.05 and his 8.5. We wore that little creek out all day both days. Yesterday was cloudy - I think bigger fish would have moved up if the sun had been out - we caught our bigger fish Monday after the sun had been out most of the day. I got 11 keepers that day and culled four of the first five I caught later in the day. With live fish bonus I had 18.5 - took just over 20 to get a check, 24 to make the state team and 30 to win. Sure did hate to lose a 3.5 pounder yesterday, my smallest bass yesterday was just 12 inches long and probably weighed less than a pound. Needed to cull it. Not meant to be. Old If Frogs had Wings thing! Ronnie http://fishing.about.com |
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