Fish in a Barrel

I went out on my yearly FatherInLaw/SonInLaw trout fishing expedition on the Tohickon on Wednesday. They had stocked it on Tuesday, and I wanted to make sure that it had been stocked, as the last year, we went prior to it's stocking by mistake, thinking that all trout streams are stocked prior to opening day, which proved to be untrue. So, on Tuesday after work, I went and proceeded to catch and release about 25 trout, mostly salmo trutta but there were a few oncorhynchus mykiss mixed in. I was using red mealworms for the most part, and they seemed to work very well. I didn't have any issues with my respooled reel either.I worked all my usual riffles and eddies that I have figured out over the years would hold trout, and had a nice old time. Things were looking good for Wednesday morning. Wednesay morning rolls around, I pick up some coffee for the Old man (he's 72) and I and proceeded to meet him at his "spot". His legs are going, so he can't walk too far, so his "spot" is within easy access of the road, but in a less than ideal location of the stream, in comparison to the areas I have success with. It is slower, and there isn't really much structure for the fish to hold on. I got to the spot first, and began fishing, with little success. I use a trout float, with about 1.5 feet of leader to the hook, and a splitshot or two for eight, and try to keep the bait just above the bottom, looking as natural as possible with the flow of the creek. My FatherInLaw, on the other hand, likes to bottom fish, using just splitshot and a leader,which in most cases would be successful, but this year it just caused him grief, as the bottom was all weedy and snaggy due to the creek being low. after 3 hours of hard fishing, I had caught 5 trout, 3 small ones, and two decent sized (11 inch) salmo trutta. I also caught a bunch of lepomis macrochirus which are a sideproduct of using mealworms, as they wont usually hit a spinner, but love mealies. Anyways, my FatherInLaw gavce up without even catching a lepomis macrochirus, whihc is quite unfortunate, but a refelction of his choice of location and fishing styles, and his set in his ways refusal to change to a more effective tactic. After he left, I switched to a spinner, I only have three trout ones, a silver kastmaster, a gold phoebe, and a black and gold mepps, and proceeded to catch 5 more salmo trutta after another 2 hours of hard fishing, mostly on the gold phoebe. I don't really see what the real big deal with the stocked trout fishing. They will die off in about 8 weeks if not taken to creel, and though there are many stocked, i would personally like to see less stocked if it would mean larger size. Even more preferable, I would like to see more emphasis put on other fisheries, but I guess the PA Boat and Fish Commission makes most of their licence dues from the very casual trout fisherman, who only goes out on opening day and a few others.
Ah well. I'm about half done my roll of film of fish pictures, I'll have quite a few to post when I finish the roll. I'm actually hoping to get the wife shopping this weekend for a digital camera. Wish me luck!

Exorcism of the Gremlins

Well, it's been a week or two or more since the Supreme Avenging Overlord has updated the blog, completely due to the fact that I havent taken the F.U.C.K.ing boat out due to inclement conditions, and other factors, such as the duties around the home front. I took the F.U.C.K.ing command vessel out to Lake Galena two weeks ago, the water had been drawn out to fix the dam last fall, and since the winter has been less than overly precipitous, it hasnt come ven close to it's normal level yet, I'd say it's about 15 feet below normal. Let's just say, it takes a real hardcore fisherman to struggle to put the boat in at launch ramps that are obviously made for higher water levels. And struggle even more to get it loaded onto the trailer after fighting some heavy winds with only a trolling motor. Another note on the trolling motor is to next time get one with a little more balls. The one I have now is the one rated for the boat, but in a headwind, or on the river, it'll be a headache and a slow and scenic ride if you know what I mean. I did capture a small micropterus salmoides, a 17 inch stizostedion vitreum, and a pomoxis nigromaculatus though, and read many large fish on the fishfinder that I'm assuming were morone saxatilis encamped at 32 feet.
Yesterday and today, (04/15 and 04/16) I also ventured out, this time to the Nock, where it was windy yet again. I have to say I don't care much for fishing in the wind, as it is a pain the ass to detect strikes, but my boat handling is improving slowly but surely. Yesterday, I captured 3 micropterus salmoides one of them being a 3.5 lber. It was a really nice morning, foggy to start, few other boats around. After I got home, I decided to head out to catch some of the trout the state has stocked in the Nesh. Going out on opening day is always an adventure, but I avoided the real hordes that show up early in the day. I caught 5 trout, 4 being salmo trutta and one an oncorhynchus mykiss in about an hour and a half, and missed alot more strikes as I was fighting major line twist on my spool, and I was getting extremely annoyed when I couldnt cast where I needed to because of it. Needless to say, that line has come off, and I've respooled with Sufix Elite. Hopefully it works better.
I also went to the Nock today, but all I caught was a bad case of windburn as it was blustery as hell. I just anchored on a protected area off a point, and experimented. Obviously the fish were at Easter dinner somewhere else, as I had one light bite the whole 6 hours I was on the water. I also tested the livewell for the first time, it leaks abit, it will need a bit of caulking, just another one of those pesky gremlins that I'm finding out about as my experience with the boat gets better. I'd also like to lower the bunks abit, for better shallow water launching, and I need to find a solution to the rod storage problem. When I have a fishing partner on the boat, space will be at a premium.