10-13-2006, 12:41 AM
[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe and I launched our tubes off the campground gravel beach about 7 AM. Air was definitely cool to the touch...about 40, but felt colder. I'm spoiled and wimpy. Water temp was 58 at launch and warmed to 60 by the time we exited at 1:30.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Light breezes to absolutely glass. Pretty morning. Just before the sun came up the mist starting rising off the lake and made some neat effects. Several flights of ducks whizzed by, right on the deck, hiding in the mist. Gunshots had started in the marshes by about 7:15. Heard several airboats crank up and TubeBabe was nervous about getting run over. No worries.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The gunshots also spooked a big flight of pelicans over Willard (big beaked ducks). Glad they didn't fly directly overhead. My tube don't need no whitewash, thank you. Been there, done that, don't care to go back.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We threw just about every kind of hard and soft lure that has ever caught a wiper but nary a boink. Started dragging minnows and caught the isolated and occasional kitty, but no concentrations of active fish as in the warmer times. We both had hard pops on the minnows that we reckoned might be wipers. But, as we remind each other, unless you get the fish in for verification, you can make it whatever species and whatever size you want. No real fisherman is going to challenge you...if they want the same courtesy.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Beautiful day, but slow fishing. We had to work hard to drag in about a half dozen kitties each. Kept a total of 7 for the fillet board.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I worked a long ways out on the north dike, in and out, from 5 feet to 20 feet. Saw very few fish on sonar and no shad schools. I suspect that the big concentrations of shad have headed for deeper water with the cooler temps.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Watched several trollers working within sight of where we were. Nobody seemed to stay long at any one place and there was a lot of moving around. Didn't see anyone bring in a fish from any of the boats. Also, when we hit the cleaning station there was no evidence of recent fish cleaning. Just some old dried out scales...probably from the trip Flycasting and I made on Tuesday.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]By the way, I recovered the pics from that trip and went back and posted them.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Sorry, no naked fish pictures in this post. We did keep a few bitty kitties but who wants to see more pics of those. Here are some scenery pics anyway.[/#0000ff]
[signature]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Light breezes to absolutely glass. Pretty morning. Just before the sun came up the mist starting rising off the lake and made some neat effects. Several flights of ducks whizzed by, right on the deck, hiding in the mist. Gunshots had started in the marshes by about 7:15. Heard several airboats crank up and TubeBabe was nervous about getting run over. No worries.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The gunshots also spooked a big flight of pelicans over Willard (big beaked ducks). Glad they didn't fly directly overhead. My tube don't need no whitewash, thank you. Been there, done that, don't care to go back.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We threw just about every kind of hard and soft lure that has ever caught a wiper but nary a boink. Started dragging minnows and caught the isolated and occasional kitty, but no concentrations of active fish as in the warmer times. We both had hard pops on the minnows that we reckoned might be wipers. But, as we remind each other, unless you get the fish in for verification, you can make it whatever species and whatever size you want. No real fisherman is going to challenge you...if they want the same courtesy.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Beautiful day, but slow fishing. We had to work hard to drag in about a half dozen kitties each. Kept a total of 7 for the fillet board.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I worked a long ways out on the north dike, in and out, from 5 feet to 20 feet. Saw very few fish on sonar and no shad schools. I suspect that the big concentrations of shad have headed for deeper water with the cooler temps.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Watched several trollers working within sight of where we were. Nobody seemed to stay long at any one place and there was a lot of moving around. Didn't see anyone bring in a fish from any of the boats. Also, when we hit the cleaning station there was no evidence of recent fish cleaning. Just some old dried out scales...probably from the trip Flycasting and I made on Tuesday.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]By the way, I recovered the pics from that trip and went back and posted them.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Sorry, no naked fish pictures in this post. We did keep a few bitty kitties but who wants to see more pics of those. Here are some scenery pics anyway.[/#0000ff]
[signature]
]