Long Sault Redux
Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2014 9:23 pm
I went to Long Sault last week and I all I caught were these:
I went back this week; Well by hook or by crook, lucky or not I managed to land my personal best. More than double my previous PB of 7lbs.... My new manual scale indicated the weight at about 17 lbs.
Not a monster but a nice fish.
It was a slow take I watched my rod tip go down and the baitrunner start to give line. I picked up the rod and felt the weight of the fish. I knew it was big and I was getting nervous.... It took line and went straight for the bottom. I was wondering what cover a fish would break for as I saw no visible structure by the rip rap I was fishing. It went straight into the weeds and buried itself in them... For a while I wasn't even sure I still had the fish on but I did get the occasional pull on the drag... I had my 9ft MH rod and 40 lb braid. I new I was not going to be out muscled today... I did not want to the pull the hook so I reeled slowly and deliberately. It fought against every inch of line I took. In hindsight I should have the drag set a skosh lighter. I watched the fish come up out of the depths turning and and trying to head back down every time I reeled in some line.... When I got it to the top it was exhausted.
Now, I looked at my net and the fish and there was no way this guy was going to fit into it. I really wanted a picture of this one so I stepped into the water, picked it up, carried up the rip-rap and did a CPR.
No other carp but I was more than satisfied.
I made some time to fish a culvert which had some moderately fast current to it where I had caught some gobbies and perch last time out... I decided to poke around and see if anything else was there. After some careful observation I noticed there was a definitive stratification of fish.. Near the top and in the full current were the perch.... Hanging on just below current were the Gobbies. But there was a group of fish that was hanging on mid depth at the horizontal edges of the current, seeking shelter in the weeds a coming out periodically to nibble on my worm. I switched from #8 to a #22 and reduced the size of the worm on the hook and caught one of these:
By my reckoning this is a blacknose shiner. I lifer for me.
I went back this week; Well by hook or by crook, lucky or not I managed to land my personal best. More than double my previous PB of 7lbs.... My new manual scale indicated the weight at about 17 lbs.
Not a monster but a nice fish.
It was a slow take I watched my rod tip go down and the baitrunner start to give line. I picked up the rod and felt the weight of the fish. I knew it was big and I was getting nervous.... It took line and went straight for the bottom. I was wondering what cover a fish would break for as I saw no visible structure by the rip rap I was fishing. It went straight into the weeds and buried itself in them... For a while I wasn't even sure I still had the fish on but I did get the occasional pull on the drag... I had my 9ft MH rod and 40 lb braid. I new I was not going to be out muscled today... I did not want to the pull the hook so I reeled slowly and deliberately. It fought against every inch of line I took. In hindsight I should have the drag set a skosh lighter. I watched the fish come up out of the depths turning and and trying to head back down every time I reeled in some line.... When I got it to the top it was exhausted.
Now, I looked at my net and the fish and there was no way this guy was going to fit into it. I really wanted a picture of this one so I stepped into the water, picked it up, carried up the rip-rap and did a CPR.
No other carp but I was more than satisfied.
I made some time to fish a culvert which had some moderately fast current to it where I had caught some gobbies and perch last time out... I decided to poke around and see if anything else was there. After some careful observation I noticed there was a definitive stratification of fish.. Near the top and in the full current were the perch.... Hanging on just below current were the Gobbies. But there was a group of fish that was hanging on mid depth at the horizontal edges of the current, seeking shelter in the weeds a coming out periodically to nibble on my worm. I switched from #8 to a #22 and reduced the size of the worm on the hook and caught one of these:
By my reckoning this is a blacknose shiner. I lifer for me.
