Senior Fishing Trip – Mon. 06-11-12


It didn’t seem too long ago that the group of seniors I take fishing had just wet their lines. The clear, blue skies and mild temperature in the seventies combined to make for a great day of glorious fishing. The only things we needed were to be in a great spot and to have a little bit of God’s favor shine down upon us like the sun’s rays.

Our intended spot was the immediate shore area close to the NE 65th dock. Mr. S and Ms. A. met us there and were already fishing on the dock when we arrived at about 10:00a.m.


The two seniors that came with me wanted to start with worms. Mr. H. rigged his up by himself. I set up the Ms. D’s rod for bottom fishing with a worm. Next, I proceeded to get prepare my 7’ light powered Okuma rod with about a ½ oz worth of bullet weights, and about a 5’ leader and power bait dough.

Both anglers with me started getting nibbles from the get go so I took that as a good sign. Shortly afterward Mr. H. brings in his first fish. It was one of those bullhead sculpins. He couldn’t keep them off his hook.

I made my first cast and as soon as the bullet weights settled, battle number one was on! I couldn’t believe it. I was in a state of disbelief. It has been so long that the first cast I make on a fishing trip yields a near immediate hook up. I said to the group, “Wow… I got one!”

That got their attention in a hurry. I think they thought I must have been kidding as I started reeling in the line until they saw a silvery, torpedo-shaped body reflect the sunlight in the form a bright flash. It felt good to bring in one fish is a short amount of time.

It took them watching me hook into my second fish in less than ten minutes time before they changed gears. Unfortunately, I lost this bout. It also paid dividends in time save that I tied a good number of leaders the previous day. I had them both back in battle mode for trout in the bat of an eye.

The bite slowed but was steady for some of the anglers with us on the shore. A gentleman who was fishing with his family was responsible for the steady part.

For the next couple of hours, our group split their time between soaking bait (i.e., waiting for the darn bite) and adding more dough. I think the challenge for them was adjusting to this method of still fishing.

The bite was slow and steady for the folks fishing from the shore. I tried a variety of inline spinners but they would not have anything to do with those. I moved on to spoons and manage to hook into a very nice trout with a red Dick Nite (my first ever fish caught using a DN spoon) but eventually the trout freed itself of the hook.

Red power eggs were up to bat next. I slapped on a three red power eggs, casted it out and put it down when Ms. D asked me to tie on a new hook for her. It took me a couple of minutes to tie the knot and add power eggs. I looked at my rig after helping her and noticed my line was not pointing in the same direction I had left it. That could only mean one thing … The added tension to the line by way of reeling confirmed my suspicion that it was a fish, which, in addition to being hooked, manage to also cross my line over someone else’s line. Luckily, the fish was brought in safe and sound and tangle free. Whew!

Eventually, little Ms. D. made the necessary adjustments and landed her first trout. She was definitely excited after all of the trial and error she went through. Way to go, Ms. D! Your determination bore fruit.

We brought in a total of four trout. One was caught with power eggs and the other three fell victim of power bait dough. The trout caught and lost with the Dick Nite spoon was the only “bummer” of the day. Mr. S. and Ms. A, who were fishing from the dock did pretty well too. They continued to fish after we left and if I am not mistaken, I think they caught a few more trout.

Lastly, I just want to say I am developing an appreciation for this style of bottom fishing was so unlike the bass fishing techniques that I am accustomed to using. From the outlook, fishing with power bait and like baits (still fishing, as I dub it) it seems almost insane to just sit there waiting for the fish to come to you, at least from a bass angler’s perspective, where giving the lure life to entice a bite is the general rule of thumb. While this is still a new to me for this season, there is more to it than meets the eye. The angler still needs to determine the ideal length of leader to maximize the potential for a strike. My arm and shoulder got tired making countless casts with the inline spinners and spoons I used today. Fatigued muscles are something you don’t have to worry about when still fishing.

-ib

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