Tony Buzolich
05-05-2014, 06:01 PM
For weeks now I've been getting calls about booking trips. Folks want to know when can they come, when is it good, when is the run at it's best, etc., etc. Sadly, I've had to put off a lot of people because of the questionable drought and poor water conditions in both rivers. The Feather is all but dry and the Sac has been blown out with mud from what little rain we did get a month ago.
I'm as anxious as everyone else about getting out there and all of my bait friends have been telling me about getting fish but its still been a waiting game for the water to clear enough to throw a fly. I'm happy to say for about a week or so now it's finally clear and very fishable and we've got a fair number of fish still coming up that have yet to spawn.
Len Alison was one of the people calling early that I had to put off till conditions improved. After seeing my report last week he wrote again and asked "When are we going?" Knowing that sooner is better we met at the ramp this morning and got on the water right at 5:30. Still dark we started as I always do at the top of my favorite wall and it's only a few minutes before Len hooks up to his first nice fish of about six pounds. Sadly it was still a little to dark to get a good picture.
We make another pass and I pick up one on the same wall. We drift a ways and decide to head farther downstream to another high percentage spot where I picked up my 17 pounder last week. A couple more casts and Len is hooked up again to another nice schoolie. We both miss a couple more grabs but can tell there's got to be fish here and again make another pass. My turn again and I hook up and we repeat the drill.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/009email_zpsfa01152a.jpg (http://s22.photobucket.com/user/buzolich/media/009email_zpsfa01152a.jpg.html)
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/004email_zpscbf79270.jpg (http://s22.photobucket.com/user/buzolich/media/004email_zpscbf79270.jpg.html)
Well, this action draws attention and other boats are watching us play these fish. You guessed it, we now have two more boats throwing rubber worms working our wall. Time to move and get away from the crowd.
We pick up several more fish and keep working the channel sides of good looking water. Len hooks up again, but this one is different. It's HEAVY, and it doesn't take off like the others. It wants to stay where it grabbed Len's fly. With pressure we move the fish away from the bank and try to work her into the middle of the river. Len's rod is straining but this fish is doing whatever it wants to do.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/006email_zpsb095d4f7.jpg (http://s22.photobucket.com/user/buzolich/media/006email_zpsb095d4f7.jpg.html)
Still staying deep and never panicking or taking off fast she still wants to go back to her staring point. This is a BIG fish and she's in total control. Moments later I hear Len cry out " She's off!" Damn! I was in the back of the boat taking action shots and Len was doing everything right. And sometimes they still just come off. When I say this was a big fish it was, but, we never saw it once. It just stayed down and did whatever it wanted to do.
Talk about disappointment. Both of us felt this loss, and even a couple more five or six pounders didn't seem to help make things better. But over-all it was a good day, a very good day. And hooking what might have been the striper of a lifetime will only bring back more good memories and the desire to do it again.
Tony
I'm as anxious as everyone else about getting out there and all of my bait friends have been telling me about getting fish but its still been a waiting game for the water to clear enough to throw a fly. I'm happy to say for about a week or so now it's finally clear and very fishable and we've got a fair number of fish still coming up that have yet to spawn.
Len Alison was one of the people calling early that I had to put off till conditions improved. After seeing my report last week he wrote again and asked "When are we going?" Knowing that sooner is better we met at the ramp this morning and got on the water right at 5:30. Still dark we started as I always do at the top of my favorite wall and it's only a few minutes before Len hooks up to his first nice fish of about six pounds. Sadly it was still a little to dark to get a good picture.
We make another pass and I pick up one on the same wall. We drift a ways and decide to head farther downstream to another high percentage spot where I picked up my 17 pounder last week. A couple more casts and Len is hooked up again to another nice schoolie. We both miss a couple more grabs but can tell there's got to be fish here and again make another pass. My turn again and I hook up and we repeat the drill.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/009email_zpsfa01152a.jpg (http://s22.photobucket.com/user/buzolich/media/009email_zpsfa01152a.jpg.html)
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/004email_zpscbf79270.jpg (http://s22.photobucket.com/user/buzolich/media/004email_zpscbf79270.jpg.html)
Well, this action draws attention and other boats are watching us play these fish. You guessed it, we now have two more boats throwing rubber worms working our wall. Time to move and get away from the crowd.
We pick up several more fish and keep working the channel sides of good looking water. Len hooks up again, but this one is different. It's HEAVY, and it doesn't take off like the others. It wants to stay where it grabbed Len's fly. With pressure we move the fish away from the bank and try to work her into the middle of the river. Len's rod is straining but this fish is doing whatever it wants to do.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/006email_zpsb095d4f7.jpg (http://s22.photobucket.com/user/buzolich/media/006email_zpsb095d4f7.jpg.html)
Still staying deep and never panicking or taking off fast she still wants to go back to her staring point. This is a BIG fish and she's in total control. Moments later I hear Len cry out " She's off!" Damn! I was in the back of the boat taking action shots and Len was doing everything right. And sometimes they still just come off. When I say this was a big fish it was, but, we never saw it once. It just stayed down and did whatever it wanted to do.
Talk about disappointment. Both of us felt this loss, and even a couple more five or six pounders didn't seem to help make things better. But over-all it was a good day, a very good day. And hooking what might have been the striper of a lifetime will only bring back more good memories and the desire to do it again.
Tony