09-01-2003, 12:17 PM
[cool]According to my fishing log, which don't lie, TubeBabe and I last hit the water together on the morning of July 4th. My notes say that on that trip we caught some yellow bass, but the temperatures of both air and water were higher than ideal...from 80 to 105 air temps and from 81 to 84 water temps, during the hours we fished. We figured the fishing would not get any better until things cooled down.
Not believing our own predictions, we went fishing Saturday morning. It was time to get out of the house and on the water again. The last two months have been busy and stressful. We needed a fishin' fix. And, our motto is "FISHIN' IS ALWAYS GOOD...EVEN IF THE CATCHIN' AIN'T" But, on this trip, if we went to catch fish, we shoulda stood in bed.
Went through the open gate at Saguaro Lake just after 6 AM. The sky was clear and there was not even the customary morning breeze. Flat calm. Air temp 80 and water temp at launching 84.4 degrees. Way too warm. As soon as the sun came up over the hills to the east, the radiant heat began to raise the air temps quickly and by 9 AM there were beads of perspiration on my heavily sun screened arms.
We couldn't have asked for a prettier day though. And, being a big weekend for out of town camping, there were fewer boats on the lake than usual. As always, the scenery made the slow fishing more endurable.
![[Image: SCOU1712CustomImage3057070.jpg]](http://web.ecomplanet.com/SCOU1712/ServerContent/MyCustomImages/SCOU1712CustomImage3057070.jpg)
Although we saw lots of fish marks on our sonar screens, the fish were in an inactive mode. Despite marking several good sized groups of shad, there was no visible feeding activity by the predators. A few carp made noisy tail slaps on the water to announce their presence, but that was it.
We should have known that fishing would be "DEAD". The buzzards started circling over our fishing cove soon after daybreak.
![[Image: SCOU1712CustomImage3068014.jpg]](http://web.ecomplanet.com/SCOU1712/ServerContent/MyCustomImages/SCOU1712CustomImage3068014.jpg)
We went through our whole arsenal of baits and lures, but other than a few small bluegills, and some occasional more substantial "one-time" bumps, we were fishless. I even tried the "miracle" squid strips sent to me by JapanRon. NADA.
Finally, while pitching a little rainbow Roadrunner in to the bank, trying to find a foraging cat or larger sunfish, I had a major munch and the battle was on. The fish bored out into deeper water and took some line off the drag on my ultralight baitcaster. I picked up the walkie talkie and told TubeBabe that I had just hooked a catfish. As soon as I released the talk button, the "catfish" shot to the surface and showed that I was mistaken. It was a chunky little largemouth. Only 16" and 2.2 pounds, but it definitely stretched my string and bent my stick. Turned out to be the only fish over six inches I hooked all day.
![[Image: SCOU1712CustomImage3072351.jpg]](http://web.ecomplanet.com/SCOU1712/ServerContent/MyCustomImages/SCOU1712CustomImage3072351.jpg)
TubeBabe was practicing ecology and conservation. She was feeding worms to the swarm of 4" bluegill that were hanging in the shallows near the bank. Every time she tipped the baitbug with a new piece of worm, those little bait stealers would strip it off shortly after the cast hit the water.
She did manage to catch a "trophy" green sunfish, however. Those little tykes are beautifully colored, and have mouths and attitudes far larger than their small size. If we had been fishing in the late afternoon, and had brought heavy tackle too, we would have saved some sunfish for catfish bait. It is legal to use live bait in Arizona, and a favored food for large channel cats and big fletheads is a frisky sunfish.
![[Image: SCOU1712CustomImage3084833.jpg]](http://web.ecomplanet.com/SCOU1712/ServerContent/MyCustomImages/SCOU1712CustomImage3084833.jpg)
By ten o'clock, we were resigned to the fact that the fish did not want to come out and play. However, the boaters who stayed in town over the holiday were starting to hit the lake in greater force. As usual, in spite of the fact that we were the only people on the lake, out past the buoy line, every boat and PWC on the lake had to cut back into the cove and go right over top of where we were fishing. That usually ends the fishing, even when we are catching something.
Oh yeah, our old friends with the Hawaiian racing canoes showed up too. Although they had a tougher time getting out through the heavy weed growth near shore, they thrashed their way through and let us see how great they were...up close and personal.
![[Image: SCOU1712CustomImage0403498.jpg]](http://web.ecomplanet.com/SCOU1712/ServerContent/MyCustomImages/SCOU1712CustomImage0403498.jpg)
Actually, the above pic is one from my files. I get too disgusted to even burn a pic anymore. Nor did I actually shoot a pic, when I pointed my camera at a boat that motored close enough that I could have touched it with my rod...as he pretended I was not even there. However I did point the camera at him and asked "DO YOU MIND IF I TAKE YOUR PICTURE. I AM PUTTING TOGETHER AN ALBUM OF A$$#*&E PHOTOS."
We were off the water by 10:30. Water temp was up to 86.5 degrees and the air temp was just climbing past 100. It was time to leave the pond to the water toys and the poor traumatized fishies.
In the immortal words of the future governor of California..."WE'LL BE BACH'.
[signature]
Not believing our own predictions, we went fishing Saturday morning. It was time to get out of the house and on the water again. The last two months have been busy and stressful. We needed a fishin' fix. And, our motto is "FISHIN' IS ALWAYS GOOD...EVEN IF THE CATCHIN' AIN'T" But, on this trip, if we went to catch fish, we shoulda stood in bed.
Went through the open gate at Saguaro Lake just after 6 AM. The sky was clear and there was not even the customary morning breeze. Flat calm. Air temp 80 and water temp at launching 84.4 degrees. Way too warm. As soon as the sun came up over the hills to the east, the radiant heat began to raise the air temps quickly and by 9 AM there were beads of perspiration on my heavily sun screened arms.
We couldn't have asked for a prettier day though. And, being a big weekend for out of town camping, there were fewer boats on the lake than usual. As always, the scenery made the slow fishing more endurable.
Although we saw lots of fish marks on our sonar screens, the fish were in an inactive mode. Despite marking several good sized groups of shad, there was no visible feeding activity by the predators. A few carp made noisy tail slaps on the water to announce their presence, but that was it.
We should have known that fishing would be "DEAD". The buzzards started circling over our fishing cove soon after daybreak.
We went through our whole arsenal of baits and lures, but other than a few small bluegills, and some occasional more substantial "one-time" bumps, we were fishless. I even tried the "miracle" squid strips sent to me by JapanRon. NADA.
Finally, while pitching a little rainbow Roadrunner in to the bank, trying to find a foraging cat or larger sunfish, I had a major munch and the battle was on. The fish bored out into deeper water and took some line off the drag on my ultralight baitcaster. I picked up the walkie talkie and told TubeBabe that I had just hooked a catfish. As soon as I released the talk button, the "catfish" shot to the surface and showed that I was mistaken. It was a chunky little largemouth. Only 16" and 2.2 pounds, but it definitely stretched my string and bent my stick. Turned out to be the only fish over six inches I hooked all day.
TubeBabe was practicing ecology and conservation. She was feeding worms to the swarm of 4" bluegill that were hanging in the shallows near the bank. Every time she tipped the baitbug with a new piece of worm, those little bait stealers would strip it off shortly after the cast hit the water.
She did manage to catch a "trophy" green sunfish, however. Those little tykes are beautifully colored, and have mouths and attitudes far larger than their small size. If we had been fishing in the late afternoon, and had brought heavy tackle too, we would have saved some sunfish for catfish bait. It is legal to use live bait in Arizona, and a favored food for large channel cats and big fletheads is a frisky sunfish.
By ten o'clock, we were resigned to the fact that the fish did not want to come out and play. However, the boaters who stayed in town over the holiday were starting to hit the lake in greater force. As usual, in spite of the fact that we were the only people on the lake, out past the buoy line, every boat and PWC on the lake had to cut back into the cove and go right over top of where we were fishing. That usually ends the fishing, even when we are catching something.
Oh yeah, our old friends with the Hawaiian racing canoes showed up too. Although they had a tougher time getting out through the heavy weed growth near shore, they thrashed their way through and let us see how great they were...up close and personal.
Actually, the above pic is one from my files. I get too disgusted to even burn a pic anymore. Nor did I actually shoot a pic, when I pointed my camera at a boat that motored close enough that I could have touched it with my rod...as he pretended I was not even there. However I did point the camera at him and asked "DO YOU MIND IF I TAKE YOUR PICTURE. I AM PUTTING TOGETHER AN ALBUM OF A$$#*&E PHOTOS."
We were off the water by 10:30. Water temp was up to 86.5 degrees and the air temp was just climbing past 100. It was time to leave the pond to the water toys and the poor traumatized fishies.
In the immortal words of the future governor of California..."WE'LL BE BACH'.
[signature]
] Only thing I need is bait, decent weather, GPS and a fish finder. If the fish are there I will catch them. 
]