Hot Ditch

[Bay Runner]

I went to the Hot Ditch today with an old friend of mine John Galo, who grew up in Deep Creek and has been paddling since he was 12 years old. I managed to catch two speckled trout up to 19 inches. There were about five other boats in the area and in four hours of fishing I didn't see anyone else put a fish in the boat. I noticed that netting bait was a real priority for them. The cast nets came up empty also. John said that there wasn't much discharge from the power plant.

We put in at the town of Deep Creek and John said that it was only a mile to the Hot Ditch. My miles are a lot longer than his. I figured it closer to three miles one way. It was a great day for paddling. I've seen the boat ramp that is right at the Hot Ditch but if we used that, we couldn't have paddled.

Speckled Trout - 3 pounds - 19 inches
http://www.members.cox.net/bayrunner/images/Hot%20Ditch%20trout.jpg

[George Z]

Nice report. Glad you hooked up. I would have enjoyed it even more if you had told us whether you caught them with bait, lures or your hands.[grin]
Half of a fishing report is well...one half of a fishing report.

[rick c.]

If you paddled down from Deep Creek, you passed some nice fishing areas on your way down. I fished the area last Friday and caught more and better fish in the stretch from the cove past it about a mile. Slow trolling yozuri gold minnow and soft baits. Had 2 19" on at once at one point.

[carp]

Nice feesh!!!

What kind of fish finder do you have and how did you mount the transducer? I just bought a t120 and I want to install one on mine.

[Bay Runner]

The two fish that I caught were with a spec rig, a redhead jig with a pumpkin seed grub with a firetail. Both fish were caught on the trailing hook about twenty four inches back from the jig with a smaller grub the same color. Sorry for the oversight on the lures.

I'm using a Lorance X47 bottom finder/fish finder. The transducer is glued to the inside of the hull with Lexel. I'm using an electric nylon stuffing tube out of the top of the hull for the plug cord. That way it's water tight. For power, I use two 6 volt lantern batteries, jumped together to make 12 volts. I've used the same two batteries for a long, long time. They don't seem to want to wear out.

[George Z]

Thanks, Bay Runner. I like the idea of the trailer. I know other folks that use them and have success with them but I haven't. Will try again.