AllenOK
New member
Luvs was right, I was planning on going fishing. Only caught two, neither worth keeping. Other folks were catching lots of fish; I just didn't have the soft plastic swimbait that the fish were wanting. That, or I washed my hair wrong......
I was again reminded of why is best to AVOID public-access fishing areas in national holidays. Shortly after I waded out to where I was fishing, some folks showed up on a platform above and to the left of where I was fishing. They had surf rods. They promptly threw a couple bottom lines out due south of the platform, effectively preventing anyone from casting/retrieving lures/bait in that area. Another guy gets a third surf rod out and starts casting plugs into an area I'm working.
Now, I'm using new rod. 10' 9" med-light IM8 Steelhead rod. Basically, a surf rod, but really light and whippy. I've got some pretty good range with it. So does the guy using the surf rod. He has range, as well as elevation. The outside areas of our casting ranges intersect. I was respectful enough of him to not intentionally cross his line with mine.
This goes on for about an hour. I'm not catching anything, guy next to me is bringing in small Stripers about every 15 minutes or so. Then I notice that the folks with surf rods are packing up and heading back across the bridge. GOOD! Now, the current bend is accessible. This area contains some big rocks in the current, providing ambush opportunities for the bigger predators.
About 20 minutes, something tells me to look behind me. Sho' 'nuf, the crew with the surf rods has waded out to the bar I'm on, and is busy setting up shop. They again cast out two rods to the area they previously had bait, but now from a different angle, effectively blocking access to that entire section of the hole. They started talking to the other guy that was there, as he was back re-rigging his pole. I pulled out my fly rod and tried some streamers. I got about 4 casts when one of the yahoo's walked right up, and starts chucking a spinning rig where I'm casting. I look, and his two buddies are wading out to join him.
Now, I need ROOM to toss a fly around. I had to watch really carefully, as I need just as much distance BEHIND me as I want to cast in front of me. I DO NOT want to slap someone's head with a hook. I'm using an "across and down" style of drifting a streamer. Of course, my line and fly are basically right in front of the guy that just walked up. He's in danger of getting his knees tagged with a hook.
I look around. I notice another person has walked up, but is quietly sitting back, assessing the situation. After a minute, he gets up and starts walking to the next hole downstream, a few hundred yards away. I look at the guy that was there with me all day, and he says that the gent that just left said it was to crowded. I agreed, saying these other folks had blocked off most of the hole, and were crowding everyone else out.
I ended up packing up and leaving. I had already been there nearly 4 hours, and wasn't catching anything.
That's why they call it "fishing" instead of "catching".
I should have packed up my kayak and headed off to a small lake nearby, to get the early-morning topwater Bass bite with the fly rod and some poppers or grasshoppers. Or, up the creek that runs through town. OR, the small lake on the same creek, patrolling the shoreline looking for floats, lures, etc.
I was again reminded of why is best to AVOID public-access fishing areas in national holidays. Shortly after I waded out to where I was fishing, some folks showed up on a platform above and to the left of where I was fishing. They had surf rods. They promptly threw a couple bottom lines out due south of the platform, effectively preventing anyone from casting/retrieving lures/bait in that area. Another guy gets a third surf rod out and starts casting plugs into an area I'm working.
Now, I'm using new rod. 10' 9" med-light IM8 Steelhead rod. Basically, a surf rod, but really light and whippy. I've got some pretty good range with it. So does the guy using the surf rod. He has range, as well as elevation. The outside areas of our casting ranges intersect. I was respectful enough of him to not intentionally cross his line with mine.
This goes on for about an hour. I'm not catching anything, guy next to me is bringing in small Stripers about every 15 minutes or so. Then I notice that the folks with surf rods are packing up and heading back across the bridge. GOOD! Now, the current bend is accessible. This area contains some big rocks in the current, providing ambush opportunities for the bigger predators.
About 20 minutes, something tells me to look behind me. Sho' 'nuf, the crew with the surf rods has waded out to the bar I'm on, and is busy setting up shop. They again cast out two rods to the area they previously had bait, but now from a different angle, effectively blocking access to that entire section of the hole. They started talking to the other guy that was there, as he was back re-rigging his pole. I pulled out my fly rod and tried some streamers. I got about 4 casts when one of the yahoo's walked right up, and starts chucking a spinning rig where I'm casting. I look, and his two buddies are wading out to join him.
Now, I need ROOM to toss a fly around. I had to watch really carefully, as I need just as much distance BEHIND me as I want to cast in front of me. I DO NOT want to slap someone's head with a hook. I'm using an "across and down" style of drifting a streamer. Of course, my line and fly are basically right in front of the guy that just walked up. He's in danger of getting his knees tagged with a hook.
I look around. I notice another person has walked up, but is quietly sitting back, assessing the situation. After a minute, he gets up and starts walking to the next hole downstream, a few hundred yards away. I look at the guy that was there with me all day, and he says that the gent that just left said it was to crowded. I agreed, saying these other folks had blocked off most of the hole, and were crowding everyone else out.
I ended up packing up and leaving. I had already been there nearly 4 hours, and wasn't catching anything.
That's why they call it "fishing" instead of "catching".
I should have packed up my kayak and headed off to a small lake nearby, to get the early-morning topwater Bass bite with the fly rod and some poppers or grasshoppers. Or, up the creek that runs through town. OR, the small lake on the same creek, patrolling the shoreline looking for floats, lures, etc.
