After Work Cast Grab

Rising temperatures and the absence of wind had my casting elbow twitching and otherwise acting up. Some addictions come with physical withdrawals and despite the cloudy weather and a 10-hour workday…a Mattsabasser must fish. At the closing bell I rocket out of the office and was headed to the closest water to grab a few casts before dark. I expected to see bass cruising in the shallows. Instead a few crappie decided to keep me entertained.

(Above: Small but beautiful crappie. These fish look as if they could be part of the tropical fish section in your local pet fish retailer.)

Not seeing bass in the shallows I decided to walk the shoreline and fish the structure. A few casts in and panfish start nipping at the big bucket-sized lure. A quick downsize later and I am plinking small crappie about every other cast. Most were small and measured under 9”. From the thin look of the sides my guess is that these fish were in post spawn mode.

“Shoulda tried this place a few weeks ago…dangit.”

(One of the smaller crappie telling the tale of the tape. I am not a big fan of putting fish on the ground and more or less scoff at pictures of fish that look as if they are breaded with dirt. Just trying to get an accurate measurement.)

Releasing crappie may perplex a few of my readers, as they understand how good these fish can taste. Tender, flaky white meat makes this fish highly sought after. So many of these fish end up on stringers that a once upon a time hot spot can be thinned out after constant and methodical pursuit. I submit to you video footage that is virtually unseen in the Colorado fishing world…someone actually letting crappie go.

After a few minutes and a handful of crappie the action stops and the spot is more or less burnt out. I throw the bass gear again before moving on but that is a no-go in the bite department. Stop at the next structure point and repeat the crappie success. This time I get into a few 10’s with a bit more body to them.

(Above: This fish looks white in color. Back in the day I would refer to this as a white crappie, which is a misidentification. White crappie have stripes, black crappie have dots. Now you know.)

The level of fishing action rose as the dim glowing ball of the sun fell lower and lower behind the clouded veil of gray. I had maybe an hour or two before it slipped behind the mountains shrouding the trail in darkness. With so much of the lake left to explore I kept casting like a frenzied lunatic that often resembles my overall fishing style. Another cast over a fallen tree submerged in water and another good-sized crappie reaches the hand. This time I try to improve on my fish measuring technique.

(Above: Here is a crappie that looks a bit more slabilicious. Harvesting of crappie can help the population if done responsibly. Most crappie hunters fish them until they are gone. That is why the call of a crappie angler is usually…”I’m looking for another good crappie spot”.)

Just before I am ready to move further down the shoreline I run one more cast on the edge of the structure hoping for another big slab. Then a slightly heavier hit comes as I drop the lure to the bottom. When I pull the fish to shore I see it is a bluegill. My first gill of the year.

(Above: Generally I identify bluegill vs. sunfish by their mouth. A bluegill has a much smaller mouth as where the sunfish has a mouth very similar to the crappie. Bluegill are a member of the sunfish family and can interbreed with other types of sunfish. This makes hybridization quite common.)

Now I have pushed the daylight of my after work cast grab nearly beyond the point of no return. Fumbling my way out of here in the dark would not be the most perilous trip I have taken but still comes with its dangers. A ticket from the local ranger for being here after dark would really put a damper on the day’s overall results.

“One more cast…over there…on the flat shelf…” I cheer myself on and give the lure another sling.

Bam! As soon as the bait hits the water I see a heavy twitch in the line as it races off to the deeper water. Set the hook and start cranking. Sploosh! The fish leaps out of the shallow water giving a fierce headshake. The fish tries to run a few times and nearly wraps itself around a submerged fence post. One more crank, lift the rod tip and the fish is in the hand. A solid bucket in the 16’er range and averaging about 3-pounds.

(Above: I kinda flubbed the shot a bit here due to impatience and lack of focus. Woulda been nice to close this post out with a beauty bucket shot. Always room for improvement. I lightened the picture up a bit to show the color of the fish.)

All in all this was not too shabby of an after work cast grab. I managed to pull off a hat trick of sorts and managed not to destroy my shoes this time. Getting into a mess of panfish was a complete surprise. The bucket at the end was all bonus.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.

 

Oh Man…I think I broke blogger.

It has been so long since I have done any format tweaks that when some minor adjustments were made to my rusted old blog template the whole system went kaput. After re-wiring the waffle iron that I use for a modem the system finally booted back up. I didn’t lose any posts but did lose a ton of comments and my amazingly clever replies. Ok so I only lost one or two comments and my sort of clever responses to those. Not ever having thought of saving my comment replies…well…I will simply have to find the energy and time to redo them. Accept my sincerest apologies if I don’t remember exactly what I said the first time.

In closing, this Blogger malfunction could be my entire fault and maybe I will have to hire someone to do all of my format tweaks from here on out so this doesn’t happen again. Maybe then my blog would have blog rolls and a more professional looking layout. Then again it would probably cut into the fishing.

Good luck and good fishing.

Gray Day Bass and the Red Tooner…work with what you got.

Decided to limp the red tooner into some lake action despite the weekend cold front. Temperatures went from a near high 80-degrees on Friday to a low of 40 degrees by Saturday night. I was lucky to have the water still holding some of its warmth but the bass were hunkered down as opposed to cruising. Expectations went from slamtastic to “Oh man…this is going to be a lot like work”. Cold fronts can do a number on bass and today apparently was no exception.

Fish numbers were low and only one was respectable size. Due to layer upon layer of weed growth at this location my lure choice were deadstick style plastics such as the senko rigged weightless along with 3-4 inch grubs both Texas and Carolina rigged. All fish were caught either shallow in the weed structure or deep in the weed structure. The fish would hit the bait at the edge and at the bottom. One fish hit at the surface but that was just a lucky shot. I say this because it came at a time when the water was perfectly flat and it looked as if the clouds were going to break for a moment, which they never did. I ended up losing the fish in the weeds anyway so in retrospect it wasn’t that lucky.

The real champ of the day was the red tooner for holding air long enough for me to get a few hours of fishing in before going squishy on one side. The red tooner is much more pontoon compared to that of the green kick-boat. Even the trailer fits on the back better.

Rather than tearing apart the right side tooner for the fourth or fifth time and looking for the mystery leak I have decided to just go this year limping in. I will still use the green machine as it is a great kickboat but the red tooner will continue to see some water. Suffice to say that when faced with cold fronts and leaky tooners there is little choice but to work with what you got.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.

“Brown Water Bail!” (You probably had to be there)

Prologue: Every once in a while an incident occurs that ends up being one of those “inside jokes” that no one else will understand and they look at you in confusion every time it comes up. This pointless and non-fish bragging post is a story of one of those moments. I will do my best to recount this moment for the small handful of regular viewers. But without having been there the brown water bail concept may fall a bit short.

Brown Water Bail

One day Don and I rolled out to one of our prime time lakes trying to get a jump on the early season. The water was cold and stained from heavy rains and spring run off. Stained water is my least favorite and it put me in panic mode right off the bat. After 30 minutes of no bites I was trying to convince Don that we needed to get off the “hot spot” and haul everything to another venue.

“Dude…we need to start thinking about a Plan B.”

“Huh?” Don says with startled amazement. “Pull off of here? Go where?”

I could see that this would be no easy sell. Looking at the cold stained water my worry and lament grew.

“The water is really brown. If I don’t start seeing fish soon…we need to bail.”

Not more than 30-minutes later the sun peeked out of the clouds and the extra light kicked the action into high gear. We were landing fish right and left with some good-sized ones as well. Don looked at me with that expression as if my mental faculties were now in question.

“I can’t believe you wanted to pull off this water.”

“Yea, man. I went kinda Chicken Little for a second. The brown water and slow morning action…not a big fan of stained water.”

Don chuckles and then goes into a shriek-like turkey call, “Brown Water Bail! Brown Water Bail!”

I nearly hit the deck of my pontoon boat in laughter. Couldn’t even fish for the next 5-minutes. Now every time one of us sees the other waning in fear and self-doubt a call is given in the sprit of Chicken Little that day on stained water.

“Brown Water Bail! Brown Water Bail!”

Guess you had to be there.

Good luck and good fishing.

Trash pick up 2011…just getting started.

Weather is always a factor when it comes to my relentless pursuit of fish. But weather also plays havoc on my clean up trips. In recent years I have had a period of warm\dry weather at the end of January or even into February that has allowed me to do a good scrub at places I fish. This year I am playing catch up and just getting started. Better late than never.

(Above: Yours truly “mean mugging” it up with a fist full of trash. This was a quick trash grab on the creek after work. A little bit goes a long ways and I am just getting started. Better late than never.)

For whatever reason 2011 has been met with lots of cold, heavy wind, some more wind and then the wind really kicks up. The ground has been frozen or otherwise muddy making the trash pickup scene a lot less pleasurable. Seeing the newly hatched goslings I realized the trash removal is severely tardy for 2011. Wind or no wind…I was going to have to dig in.

Wind is one of the largest culprits when it comes to refuse on the shoreline of Front Range ponds. All it takes is one open dumpster, a tipped trashcan or even a spilled backpack to spray leaflets of pain all across the landscape. Rather than picking up the homework, little Timmy will simply take the “F”. A stiff breeze comes along and all of this refuse will end up at the one spot I plan to fish that day. The wind is so bad this year that I am finding license plates and other oddments from as far off as Nevada or even California.

One of the things that have brought me good fortune in regards to my fishing is trash pickup at places on a semi-annual basis. When people ask me, “Matt what is your secret for your fishing success?” I will often refer to the trash pickups and adopting a handful of urban lakes that fish better as a result of this practice. Or at least it seems that way.

Good luck and good fishing.

Don lands Monster Bucket.

So this Don guy that I fish with on occasion gets into some amazing fish. Saturday we are out on one of those lakes that requires a bit of driving to reach. Only minutes into the day and Don sticks the hookset on a huge largemouth bass. Seconds into the battle I turn my head to see the fish leap out of the water.

“Oh man…” I mutter under my breath with baited anticipation. “…you gotta land that fish.”

(Above: Here’s Don offering a few seconds for the photo op before letting the fish go. Admittedly Don is not nearly the fan of the shameless bragging as I am. Great fish!)

Don goes through some of the most dramatic highs and lows in regards to fishing that I have ever seen. For weeks he may be in a terrible slump only to bounce back with a jaw dropping huge fish catch the next day. This year started off pretty rough for the guy. This fish is a little bit of payback. Earlier fishing slump? The slump is in that fish’s gut!

This fish was caught using a black colored swim bait pattern. I may or may not elaborate on this pattern in subsequent posts. For now I will simply let Don soak up some of the shameless bragging and post a video of the release.

  

Good luck and good fishing.

Painted Turtle-a video short

While doing the evening cast for some mud bass I managed to catch and release a small painted turtle. These video shorts may or may not make into later video montages so I might as well post them when they are created and milk an extra post on the fishing blogilicious.

After so many years of fishing and coming across turtles I am starting to think that these creatures find me for some reason. Respecting nature means respecting all of nature, even turtles.

The sound was lost somewhere in the editing process. Maybe its time to update my ancient movie making software. Thanks for watching. Good luck and good fishing.

Mud Bassin’…not the best idea I ever had.

After leaving work I drive to a small pond for an evening shorebang cast. When I reach the water my throat gasps at how low the water levels have gotten. It has been a little over a year since visiting this place last and the reduction in volume was a bit unsettling. Still determined I walk the shoreline and immediately step into search cast mode.

The south side of the lake has gravel and rock structure that was easy enough to navigate. But step beyond the rocks and your foot sinks as if you were in quicksand. Halfway down the shoreline I make that mistake by trying to retrieve a piece of trash in the water. Within a blink of an eye I am up to my knee in mud on my left side.

“Well there goes a pair of shoes…maybe the slacks too.” I mutter digging myself out. Later I repeat the same action chasing a small painted turtle.

Then I reach the other side of the lake that is void of any rock or gravel structure save for a few odds and ends. My feet are forced a distance from the shoreline for fear of mud. I see a large swirl in the water in front of me signaling an attack of a predator fish onto something munchy. Sling out just past the boil and begin the retrieve. Nothing hits as I roll the lure through the sweet spot. About ten feet from shore the line signals a heavy hit. Wham! I swing back on the rod tip, feel the heavy tug. I fight the fish for a whole two seconds before it shakes the hook. A few feet further down I cast and repeat the same instance on yet another fish. Missing fish sends me into a spiraling tailspin of frustration. Taking deep breaths I manage to calm myself, take some moss off the bait and sling it out again. Another bite and this time I set the hook right on the first chomp. A fish battle ensues and the reality then starts to sink in.

“Getting this fish is going to be a mess.” I say stepping in a foot of mud for the fish grab.

(Above: Beauty mud bass and this tire typically lies under several feet of water. You have to brave some serious mud to land these fish.)

Get the photo op taken care of and endure yet another trip into the murky stink of soft shoreline for as gentle a release as possible. This muck is nothing more than layers of sediment accumulated over time and has the consistency of butter. Upon releasing the fish I slip up and dip my tackle bag into the mud on one side. Turn quickly to try and minimize the damage simply making things worse. The bag graces my fishing reel, my slacks, pretty much smearing my left side with mud. One look at my reel and I knew I was out of the game…at least for tonight. Hopefully the reel cleans up nicely and slacks I can get anywhere. Fishing after work does come with some hazards apparently.

(Above: Here’s a shot of the entry\fish-land area with my footprints in view. Those prints go about a foot deep near the water’s edge.)

There are times when my fishing addiction is more obvious than others and even I have to admit that my activity borders on psychosis at times. After some pleading from my family and co-workers at one point in my life I met with a psychiatrist to see if there wasn’t some sort of help for my problem. 30 minutes into the session I show him a few fish pictures from the previous year (this was January at the time). He looks at me and starts babbling like a fish crazed goober.

“Wow…how big was that fish? Where did you catch it? Can you take me fishing? I need to fish more…”

It was everything I could do to leave his office without adopting a tag along for next Saturday.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.

Ho Hum Tuesday run

Not much to brag about on this run and the entry of this post will sound a bit “ramblish”. I have a habit of dumping the post on trips like this adding to the pile of untold fishing adventures. Sometimes I pour my heart and soul into a post where as other times it takes everything I have just to write something up. This is one of those times.

The fish get smaller and smaller every year in regards to northern pike at this location. The cold front that sat right on top of my Tuesday run might have slowed things down a little as well. Each year gets tougher and tougher to go back. A once great fishery has now become an “Ok” fishery with a few big fish left. For me it is just a way to get a yearly pike fix in and look in on this old friend.

The no wading rule until Memorial Day actually might have helped me actually. My lighter 6lb mono with the braided leader allowed me a few extra yards of distance. I caught a few fish but the action was nothing like what it used to be. This may in fact be a natural cycle of sorts as the predator fish have pretty much eaten themselves out of house and home. The more the pike decline, the more it allows for other species like bass and bluegill to take a stronger hold. Maybe then the pike will have a real chance to thrive without constant stockings that are a temporary fix at best.

Sorry for the jumbling of the camera on this one. Filming in one hand and holding the rod in the other is probably not the best way to go for getting pike footage. Just trying to jazz up this post as much as possible.

Oh and then there was this guy. Apparently disregarded all of the people telling him about the “no wading” policy. Two guys were yelling at him from shore while I was casting the heaviest gear in my bag.

“Knew I should have packed those 1/2oz spoons.” I muttered landing twenty feet or so away from Mr. Cowboy Wader who just kept casting as if no one was there.

Eventually someone found the number for the visitor center and called to report him. This was about the time Cowboy headed out and was walking swiftly down the dirt road. He seemed spooked as if nearly jumped by a gang of raccoons that are absolutely huge out here.

I had enough dejection and small pike for the day but still managed to cast again at a few usual spots on the way back. Not soon after rounding the large cove did I see a white truck racing along the dirt on the opposite side of the lake. Within minutes the truck reached our Cowboy friend and there seemed to be a lengthy discussion, possibly some paperwork was exchanged. Of all places to break the rules (and be so blatant about it) this situation was a case of “there is one in every crowd”.

The other lake “Mary” was a side note at best. I pulled two bass out of the cattails that were maybe 14’er inch class at best. Bad weather started kicking in turning the water to chop with a mix of light rain. Instead of grinding out the last few hours around the entire lake I concede to simply scrounging my casts around the docks. Jig combo pulled out a few bucketmouths but just like the big lake it is a far cry from what it was.

Managed to get to the truck and exit before the really bad weather hit. The storm actually fizzled out and ended up being harmless rain and drizzle. In hindsight I could have fished another hour or so with no problems. But tempting fate and Colorado weather is something I do too often. An extra hour might or might not have changed this post from “Ho-Hum” to “Oh Baby!”. This is one location where it could go either way and it only takes one fish.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.

Bass found in Yampa River to be euthanized

Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Denver announced last week that they will begin euthanizing nonnative smallmouth bass that they remove from the Yampa River in spring rather than transferring them to Elkhead Reservoir east of Craig.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_17923043?source=rss

Too many of the relocated bass are escaping over the dam spillway, they say, and returning to the Yampa, where they threaten endangered native fish including the Colorado pikeminnow, razorback sucker, humpback chub and bonytail.

The Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program has removed and relocated an estimated 6,000 bass as well as large numbers of northern pike from stretches of the Yampa downstream from Hayden since increasing those efforts in 2003, recovery program Nonnative Fish Coordinator Pat Martinez said in a news release.

Matt’s Rant: I am not a big fan of the trout only management for the Yampa River and most of the western slope. Due to the fact that so much of that water is beyond my travel range, my dog in this fight is limited as well as my voice. If a “trout and chub only” scene is what the general public of that area wants…I guess that is what they are going to get. I feel genuinely sorry for those on that side of the divide that have fought this battle and lost. This program mentions nothing about nonnative trout such as the rainbow, brown or brook.

Even though my thoughts are completely biased towards multispecies where habitat is prime for their existence…I greatly encourage this debate on my fishing blogilicious. What are your thoughts?

Day of Wind

The first hour wasn’t too bad. The wind was around 7mph with a few gusts here and there. I plink two buckets right off the bat. One was from dink city but the second was a respectable 13’er maybe 14’er bass, pound and a half in the weight section. Things were looking ok.

Then the gusts got gustier and everything from dogs and dumpsters was getting tossed in an easterly direction. One belly boater headed to shore right away. Another decided to hang out for a few minutes before tucking behind the large island structure he was within flipping distance to. Shortly after another tuber joined him. Just me and the tooner with the whole lake now. All I have to do is row through constant 50mph winds. At this moment common sense abandons me.

“My rowing skills are invincible.” The voice in my head reassures myself falling back on years and years of amateur rowing prowess. “I can do this!”

Push the oars down, swing them around fast plunging the paddles deep into the water. Grit my teeth, plant my feet and power down on the oars with all my body can give. Take a deep breath and repeat the cycle over again. Then again. Again. Again Again. The whole time I am looking at the shoreline structure fading further and further away. In an effort to buy some time I toss my puny 10lb anchor into some submerged trees structure left long ago. The rope drops and catches in the branchwork. This will be my respite.

“Wait!…the shoreline is still moving.” My voice mutters in confusion.

My eyes look into the water and see the tree structure moving at about 7 knots with a huge cloud of sediment behind. I was dragging the tree structure across the bottom like a rake.

“Oh no.” It was all I could say. Scrambling for the rope I pulled the weight off the tree and resumed a casual coasting speed of 15 or 20 knots.

At this point there was little left to do but pick a line and drift to the best place I could find which was pretty much the shoreline on the other side of the lake. Any shoreline would have been better than the one the wind was pushing me towards. Trees covered the entire shoreline with wind tossed branches everywhere.

“This will be perfect for landing an inflatable device.” Cracked my voice working the oars enough to save me from the submerged tree trunk, then the large branch I didn’t see until the last minute and completely missed the one spot that could have provided decent portage.

Sometimes it is very tough to describe a Day of Wind without sounding like a scaredy-cat or overly exaggerate. In this case I am only exaggerating slightly and that is very rare. Maybe a video will help support my case.



My name is Matt and I'm a fishaholic.

Tooner Area 51 update-win some lose some

Get to the storage unit and I see that criminals have gotten there first cleaning my unit of nearly all quick to pawn items such as the trolling motor, battery, fish finder, air compressor and my custom pulling cart for some reason. As soon as the feeling of violation fades I quickly realize things could have been much worse. They left the red tooner with custom mods as well as the comic book collection I started as a kid. This break in will set me back a little bit in regards to electronics but nothing I can’t overcome. The best part is that I was still able to roll out and hit some water that morning. But that is not what I wanted to talk about.

Introducing the Sport LT ODC from Creek Company

With the red tooner showing signs of wear and nearly 5 years long in the tooth, I decided to start shopping around for a backup or all out replacement (which means that I still can’t find\fix the tiny pin hole leak on the red one). Looking over the new models of tooners on the market now I chose the Sport LT for it’s lightweight construction and sale price of 199.00.

After a month or two of use I can say that the Sport LT is one of the best “kick-boats” on the market and should be classified as such. The Gunnison model is a perfect example of a “tiny tooner” with roughly 350-375lb payload. Kick boats are meant to be worn with waders and can accommodate the use of fins rather than oars. An actual tooner is larger and the oars or motor are more practical. The payload increases with the larger models ranging anywhere from 450lbs and beyond. Better classification is needed for pontoon boats across the board in my opinion. If such classification exists, please forgive my ignorance and post a link to that reference in the comments section. I would be forever in your debt.

Pontoons: 8’ in length, 16” in diameter, heavy duty 840 denier nylon outer covers with 30oz PVC coated bottom panels, 30 gauge PVC single chamber Bladders fitted with Boston Valves. Comes with oars, seat, frame, built in cargo pockets, a stripping apron…pretty much everything you see in the photo.

A quick breakdown on the basic stats:

Weight Capacity: 375lbs

Overall Weight: 50lbs

Overall Width: 54”

Overall Size: 96”x54”

The back section of the frame is fairly unique as it has a mesh top and a bar that is raised just behind the seat. This allows a lot of options for me in regards to tying off anchors or adding accessories that clamp on.

The main advantage of the Sport LT is the lightweight design. This thing is a feather compared to other models and about half the weight of my red tooner. The swivel seat option will be my next upgrade as well as a continued migration of my custom mods. The frame diameter is smaller than the red one so re-doing the clamps is taking some time.

If you can go the extra cabbage I would suggest the Kenai model that retails anywhere from 400 to 500 clams. Basspro link provided below. The Kenai is a true “get what you pay for” version with higher quality materials and construction. The seat is slightly raised and the frame design is a higher profile lifting you out of the water more than the Sport LT. The Kenai is slightly heavier then the Sport LT but both are very light for their size. Kenai version states a 350lb pound payload as well but just looking at the thing in the store I know that a person could push the threshold more than the Sport LT. Not saying that I dispute the 375lb rating of the Sport LT model…just stating that the Kenai appears more durable and would have slightly more payload.

http://www.basspro.com/Classic-Accessories-Kenai-Pontoon-Boat/product/10217065/-1655677

Hope this information helps as well as explain why I haven’t been able to provide water temps lately. Good luck and good fishing.

Photos from the field

Through my adventures photos are taken that never seem to make it into specific fish posts. To be honest, a lot of my fishing goes unseen or heard. Even though these pictures may not be ready for prime time fishing posts, I have found a way to fit them in an excerpt called “Photos from the field.”

Mushroom in the Mist

(Above: Mushrooms can be found all over Colorado and I wish that I would spend more time learning about all the different varieties both edible and non-edible. My plant identification skills are getting better but still terrible. However, I am pretty sure this one is inedible save for wood ants, beavers and a few termites.)

Frost Corner

(Above: Frosty weather can set in quickly overnight and leave a landscape of white for the morning creek commutes. Most of the road is good but slow down before you hit Frost Corner.)

Tracks of Godzilla?

(Above: I am the first to admit that I may suffer from an overactive imagination but this is not a typical animal track or bridge marking. Either some tagger decided to bring a sledgehammer rather than a few cans of spray paint or something really big has marked their territory.)

It only takes a few flakes…

(Above: Colorado will get one or two snowfalls through April yet for some reason people are still caught off guard by these spring storms. It only takes a few flakes to mess up a smooth ride and you see wreck after wreck.)

…and sometimes not even that.

(Above: Quick side window shot of one of those people that try to defy common sense and drive way too fast for the conditions. The roads were wet in spots and icy in other spots. Not the best day to be playing speed racer on the side roads.)

April has been mild in regards to weather except for the relentless wind. Still prepared for that one big snow dump we receive around this time of year. We could really use the extra moisture here on this side of the divide. As always this blog is fueled by your support. Thank you so much for your views, comments and rates.

Good luck and good fishing.

Repeat on the Sho’ Bang

Just a quick photo post from a repeat shorebang adventure. Not a lot of fanfare on this one and hoping these pictures go mostly without notice. This is the time where bass can be pillaged, abused and lakes are literally stripped of too many big fish. I almost made the title of this post, “Move along folks…nothing to see here.”

(Above: 3lbs 11oz 18.5” in length.)

It is rare that I take stats of the fish I catch. A quick photo here and there is the real reward (it also helps with the shameless bragging). However this time of year I will take a few weights and measurements as bass both large and smallmouth will often display some of their best numbers. Due to extra time involved with this exercise the photos are reduced to one quick shot just to say I did.

(Above: 4lb 1oz. 19” length)

Creature baits were the ticket and more of what I expect for this time of year in Colorado. Dark colors were the only thing I tried and didn’t get any love on the crank or spinnerbait. Wind was not a factor from 8:15 AM to 8:30 AM. Hunkered down in one small cove most of the morning.

Mattsabasser note: This time of year is most crucial for bass. As the near their prespawn and spawning periods they become overly aggressive and territorial. This behavior can lead to their downfall if over harvest and bad handling occurs. Crimping barbs, and removing hooks carefully is key to keeping those fabulous bucket mouth lips pristine and not all mangled. Releasing the fish as quickly as possible should be understood and accepted practice to preserve the sport.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.

Amazing snakehead from Singapore-Anglers Outfitter

When it comes to apex predator fish the snakehead has created a lot of mystery and even terror in some regions. Here in North America the snakehead can be an absolute menace and displace or even wipe out native species. However there are regions where the snakehead is revered as a trophy fish of magnificent proportions.

Alvin Lim has captured some of the most amazing specimens of this species that I have ever seen which adds to my respect and awe. Generally the snakehead I have seen (on the Internet or TV of course) have been dark with no markings whatsoever. These examples are superb. I highly recommend checking these guys out.

Anglers Outfitter is a blog that I have followed for a while now and they constantly crank out pictures of some of the most exotic fish from their region and beyond.

http://anglersoutfitter.blogspot.com/2011/04/double-digit-snakehead-toman-our-good.html

I will toss out a few Wiki leaks for additional reference (really I am just being lazy).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snakehead_(fish)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_snakehead

Good luck and good fishing.

A good time to get cranking

(Above: This is a continuation of the earlier post. Normally I try not to shamelessly milk one trip for multiple posts but sometimes a double dip is worthwhile. In this case it may be prudent to cover one gear choice I talk very little about and that is the Rat-L trap style crankbait.)

When it comes to searching a lot of water it is hard to beat a lipless crankbait such as the Rat-L trap. They cast far, drop fast and rise up through the water column with a simple lift of the rod tip. Crankbaits are not my favorite lure this time of year especially when I am slinging gear from an inflatable device. But when it comes to searching a lot of open water in transition periods I find myself cranking.

This time of year the weather transitions from 70-degrees to blizzard and then gusty winds. This will cause the fish to transition from shallow and deep areas seemingly at a whim. Sure I will still hit the hot structure spots with jigs and soft plastics but more time is spent searching the fish out. Heavy winds limit some of my favorite choices such as the gorgeously skirted spinnerbait dressed with a soft plastic trailer just to look extra sluttish to the fish (honestly I thought about this option but could only cast it one direction in the heavy gusts).

For this trip I did a Mix-match the hatch using a color pattern that could cross over from bluegill, crawdad or even a shad. The black top, gray side and redish bottom might resemble one or all to a bass on a springtime feeding binge. Water was lightly stained so the lure choice was one of the darkest cranks in the box. (I only carry a few). The crankbait was matched up against the jig and a few other options beating them all at least 3 to 1.

As mentioned in the previous post, I like a 7’ medium\fast action rod for search baits and string everything up with as light of line as possible. The retrieve speed is slow with the occasional rod lift to bring the lure closer to the surface. Most of the bites came near the bottom so after a few fish my retrieve was modified from the standard rise and fall presentation.

(Above: Quick illustration from the Graphics Team that has been mostly absent of late. Maybe they are still upset over having Alan create my blog banner.)

Good luck and good fishing.

Two Pond Payoff

Another Saturday roll out and once again conditions were cold and foggy. I fished for two hours with one fish before packing things up and rolling off to another spot. Normally I would be stubborn and grind things out just to prove a point. For some reason this pond felt “off” or maybe just colder than it should.

(Above: Hand o’ Bass and the only bite I could scrounge up. Not a smallmouth by the way. Just a baby bucketmouth held at a bad angle. “Back you go lil scrapper.”)

Load up and move out. Extra gear equals extra pain but in this case you have to dance with whom you brought. So I have no choice but to strap down the green machine and haul everything to spot number two. Fog is lifting with the sun finally showing up around 10AM. Water is less stained at the Plan B but by now the wind is really kicking up. Grabbing the oars and power through the heavy chop my lips let out a sarcastic grovel.

“Been rowing every time I head out for the last few weeks…what’s another day?”

Thankfully there are a few steep ledges and a tree line or two that I can use for shelter. Hopefully the fish are thinking the same thing. Second cast in and the bait is mugged by a healthy bass.

(Above: Healthy bucket hitting the jig off the incline shelf. Big bite that felt like the 11AM Express.)

I’m running two presentations this time of year on two different setups. One rod is a 7’ medium\fast action working either spinnerbaits the modified cranks. The other rod is a 6’-6” medium\heavy action for the jig presentations. Both are generally tied with 6lb mono just to give the gear poindexters something to nitpick about. Both the jig and crank would pick up fish in each section that I moved to. The fish didn’t seem to be that picky as long as you brought something to them. A slow flutter motion close to or on the bottom was used most of the time.

By 2PM I had worked most of the shelter points as the sun cooked up the gusts even more. The last spot to hit was a small cove at the end of the steep ledge. There was enough time to run a few casts and let the wind push me back to the shoreline. First toss in and I snag the crankbait on something solid. The line doesn’t move and I think the lure is hung up on a log or rock below the water’s surface. Then everything goes nuts. The drag rings out as water boils in front of me. Fear, panic and sheer jubilation swell in my chest all at the same time. Loosen the drag, play the fish a little and I manage to grab the lip.

(Above: Two point deduction for the too far forward hold on this fish. Guestimate at 19-inches and a skosh under 4lbs. I’ll toss the scale on some really big fish before the season is out.)

The venue change made all the difference and it is amazing how one location can vary so much to the other depending on the day. This is one case where the two-pond hop locked me into some better fish saving the day.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.

Inside ColoradoCasters: “Mean Mugging”…explained

“Matt, why don’t you smile when you catch fish?” This is question number 3 or 4 in my most frequently asked questions pile. Viewers, co-workers and even family mention my grimaced looks that appear in most of my fish photos. Honestly I don’t actually try to look overly intense or even angry in my photos. This happens for a few reasons that I will now detail for no reason other than answer to milk a filler post and re-hash a few photos that help support my case.

(Above: For the record my face does wear a smile occasionally but feel that I look a bit silly when I do. In this picture I am more or less smirking because the camera slipped at an angle a half second before the picture was snapped. “Finally get a decent a pike and the camera nearly @#$$% falls in the water.”)

1. Most of my focus is on putting the fish in the best possible position for the photo and praying the fin slapper doesn’t freak out which happens far more than I like. There is very little focus spent on how I look in the photo. So typically the fish will look great but I will look terrible.


2. Getting the fish back healthy is always lingering in my thoughts while handling fish for pictures or just removing the hook. A lot of the time I actually try to hold my breath during the photo op as the fish has to do the same (more accurately the fish is choking).

(Above: One of my not so mean mugging shots where I look completely ridiculous. These are the moments where I am talking to the camera operator and come across as a complete goober.)

3. Sometimes there are problems and I have had to let the fish go without any shot at all. Batteries die, electronics fail and sometimes I have to explain how the camera works to a friendly passerby. As a result I think my face has now become a very serious stare waiting for the camera to go “click”.

(Above:  Set the camera and two seconds before the picture is snapped I hear a rustling in some wood debris a few yards away. A large raccoon crawls out and starts eyeballing my fish. So many things can ruin a fish picture opportunity.)

4. How much trouble is this photo going to cause and can I crop those trees out? This one may sound a little paranoid but fishing in Colorado is so serious that a number of people count trees, rocks and will literally pick the spot from your photo. Post a big fish up on the forums with just a few twigs and three guys will say, “Oh I remember that spot! Man I am going to fish there tomorrow!” Then I go back a week a later and the once empty parking lot is full of water slappers elbow to elbow. You would be surprised how good these waterhounds are…including myself. This is where the shameless bragging can really backfire on a metro angler.

(Above: Every spot is taken unless you want to squeeze in between some people and hope they don’t get upset. Competition and public pressure can get thick for the Metro\Front Range especially when the word gets out about a hot spot.)

5. Fishing is serious business for me so even with a big fish in the hands my mind is thinking there might be another fish close by. My photo ops take too much time away from fishing as it is which leads to a bit of anxiety when taking the pictures.

For these reasons and maybe even a few more my fish holding sour face mug will usually come across as a bit cantankerous or even angry. Once again I will stress that my not so warming expressions on my face is due more to intense focus than anything else. Hopefully this edition of Inside ColoradoCasters clears away some of the confusion and mystery that sometimes revolves around this Mattsabasser…admittedly I am often misunderstood.

Good luck and good fishing.

Underwater craw footage

Late March I am out on the Q and getting my clocked clean by wind and anyone with a trolling motor. Water levels are very low which has caused some of the deeper structure points to be exposed. A few large crawdads were posturing for position on a small island hovering below a few inches of water. One of the crawdads had lost a claw as well as a few legs on the same side. Still determined this crayfish was looking to face off with other mini-lobsters on the island shelf.



Winds were gusting over 30mph at times making filming very difficult. I also have to remind myself that this camera magnifies so my subject appears a lot closer than it looks when filming. I will really have to work harder on my video footage this year.

Good luck and good fishing.

Spring Buckets on the Shorebang

(Above: Spring bucketmouth bass caught from an urban pond where no boats are allowed.)

As much as I enjoy being on the water a lot can still be said for the shore game especially as we roll into prespawn bucketmouth mode. The Denver metro area has a number of small ponds that offer great fishing for shorebangers in a “no boats allowed” situation. Aquatic vegetation is still in winter mode making those smaller ponds a great grab-n-cast right now. Weed free water also allows for more variety in lure choice. Search baits like spinnerbaits, Rat-L traps and crankbaits are good options as long as you run them slower than you would in summer.

To find the fish look for the shoreline that collects the most heat. It also helps if there is deep water in the vicinity. Fish tend to harbor near their traditional spawn areas and shift from deeper water to shallow water periodically to feed. The additional heat sparks their metabolism which helps add a boost to the early season bass fishing action.

In this case I hucked a blue salamander on a 3/8oz Carolina rig weight towards the rock structure on the north side of the lake. Snow has retreated from this edge several weeks ago while the south side still has some icy crust in spots. This is an obvious indicator that is where the active fish will most likely be. Normally I go light with an 1\8oz weight for finesse but needed the extra ounces to reach the far shoreline guarded by the “wildlife habitat” sings.

Warm sides of the lake will vary greatly depending on the landscape and contours of the water you are fishing. The sun does not hang directly overhead in Colorado, more of an angle, which allows shading of the water more so on the south side. Generally you would think the south side to be the warmest as it is closer to the sun’s warming rays. But if there is a high ground ledge or tall treeline there will be a cooling affect. Rocks and bare ground will absorb heat if exposed to direct sunlight. This in turn will have a warming affect and where I will focus first.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.