Just before I launched I talked with a nice gentlemen named Wayne, who asked if I heard any reports or had any luck lately. I told him I hadn't heard too much, but I was going to explore with my fishfinder and try to find some new (to me, anyway) holes. I launched the Hobie a little before 11 on a really low point in the tide and with a good bit of skim ice on the slower parts of the creek. Open water surface temp was 38* and salinity near zero. The temperature was pretty constant at all the spots I fished and didn't change much during the course of the day. I started off fishing in the deep area (4-6ft) downstream of the bridge for a while. I saw lots of marks but didn't catch anything. I met some guys in a john boat that said the action was down at "The Cedars", where the perch stage early on and during low tide. I headed down there with them and cast around a bit and searched for the deep hole that's supposed to be out there. I met another kayak angler along the way, and he joined us for a while before he headed upstream. I didn't find the hole (most of the area was ~2-3ft with some spots near 4ft relatively close to shore). I headed farther downstream past a couple small creeks but didn't find any deeper water. The surface salinity down there was 2.5ppt. It was around noon, and the wind picked up, so I headed back upstream. I ran into Wayne in his yak. We headed back toward The Cedars in search of the deep hole, but I gave up after a bit and headed toward the bridge while Wayne continued fishing there.
I fished the deeper area where I caught pickerel last March. After a few casts, I hooked one that shook its head twice, dove, and hung me up on a stump. I lost the fish but retrieved my lure (a silver #2 Mepps Comet). Hence, "skunkish". I cast a few more times to see if I could find it, then I headed upstream. I headed a little past the first hard left turn (as you head upstream) in the creek. No fish, but I found a new deep hole (6-8ft) that I'll definitely hit later in the season. I headed back toward the bridge, briefly fished my pickerel hole again, and called it quits a little before 3.
Here's a pic of the only thing I landed all day:
I pulled curly tailed jig off a stump. It was in pretty good condition and made up for one I lost earlier. That pic was also an experiment to see if I could smile for a self-portrait.
So the tally for today:
Caught 0 fish
Met 5 other kayakers (who were also skunked)
Met 4 other guys in boats (2 guys per boat) who were also skunked
Met 2 skunked shore fishermen.
Paddled (not pedaled) the Outback 3 miles.
At least I was in good company. p Despite the poor catching, everyone was in high spirits from the respite from cabin fever. As for lures, I used white and chartreuse curly tailed grubs, the Mepps Comet, a gold Silver Buddy, a floating Rapala, and a suspending Rapala. Some of the guys I met were using nightcrawlers and grass shrimp and only got a few nibbles. Wayne didn't have any luck, but he did find the deep hole (~6ft) down by "The Cedars", so I have another spot to try later.
I fished the deeper area where I caught pickerel last March. After a few casts, I hooked one that shook its head twice, dove, and hung me up on a stump. I lost the fish but retrieved my lure (a silver #2 Mepps Comet). Hence, "skunkish". I cast a few more times to see if I could find it, then I headed upstream. I headed a little past the first hard left turn (as you head upstream) in the creek. No fish, but I found a new deep hole (6-8ft) that I'll definitely hit later in the season. I headed back toward the bridge, briefly fished my pickerel hole again, and called it quits a little before 3.
Here's a pic of the only thing I landed all day:
I pulled curly tailed jig off a stump. It was in pretty good condition and made up for one I lost earlier. That pic was also an experiment to see if I could smile for a self-portrait.
So the tally for today:
Caught 0 fish
Met 5 other kayakers (who were also skunked)
Met 4 other guys in boats (2 guys per boat) who were also skunked
Met 2 skunked shore fishermen.
Paddled (not pedaled) the Outback 3 miles.
At least I was in good company. p Despite the poor catching, everyone was in high spirits from the respite from cabin fever. As for lures, I used white and chartreuse curly tailed grubs, the Mepps Comet, a gold Silver Buddy, a floating Rapala, and a suspending Rapala. Some of the guys I met were using nightcrawlers and grass shrimp and only got a few nibbles. Wayne didn't have any luck, but he did find the deep hole (~6ft) down by "The Cedars", so I have another spot to try later.