The work week and a tough week in the gym left me mentally and physically exhausted. I thought about waiting until Sunday to go fishing just to be able to sleep in Saturday but I managed to pull together enough energy to put the kayak on top of the vehicle Friday evening. The only thing that could pull me out of that hole was the thought of being on the water fishing. I just can't pass up that opportunity. Hit the road early Saturday morning to head out to Canyon Lake. I launched from Comal Park around 6:40am, as the cove looked to be shallower than others in the lake with smaller creeks within it. There was also an intriguing island at the end of the cove but my low energy level (and battery level in the go pro) forced me to abandon heading out to it. I began fishing a small grass patch next to the boat ramp (closed due to low water but perfect for kayak launching). You can actually see the patch on google maps. I would have loved to have a top water frog but no such luck. I tossed around it for a while with a watermelon grub and wacky senko. No bites. The wind made it difficult to fish so I headed across to the wind protected rocky shoreline. Fished with a spinnerbait, grub, and Carolina rigged wacky senko. It took my about an hour to realize that a Texas rig was best suited for the shoreline as I hung up several casts. Before heading into the creek, I tossed a crankbait in the deeper water off the shoreline. I saw and heard several blowups on the top of the water out deep. I have read too many articles lately that say to slow it down and pay attention to the signs. Fish hitting the surface are one of those signs in my opinion. Best guess is white bass, as I caught one on my troll in and saw other boats catch trolling. I for sure saw a largemouth destroy something out in the middle of the cove. The Hobie would have been nice to have at that moment to troll around the cove and catch both. This trip made me want to retire the Pelican and it will likely happen next month. I fished the creek with a Texas rigged senko. The rocky banks with sharp drop-offs were completely unfamiliar territory for me. No doubt I should have thrown a different setup, but I stuck with what I knew how to fish to my detriment. I had a good bite (robbed me of my senko) on the main cove shoreline further out towards the main lake. This was about the time my go pro died on me. That coupled with the feeling of frustration over being "stumped" made me head in around 10:30 (also the party crowd was overtaking the cove). If I had one tip, it would be to arrive EARLY. Jet skis and ski boats will make it impossible to fish by around 10am. Beautiful lake but also very challenging for those unfamiliar with it. Looking forward to being back in the salt next week. Let's hope I can get the Hobie in shape to make the trip. Enjoy the video report.
After two years of being locked up in storage, I finally brought my kayak out, making the necessary repairs to make it seaworthy. I decided to make the short drive to Calaveras. Have never fished the lake in a boat so it was a day of learning the waters and how to work the gopro. Temperatures started in the high 70's and remained cooler most of the morning. Was on the water by 7 and fished till 11am. Winds were light but the sky looked threatening all morning. Trolled the dam area with a craw crankbait, spinnerbait and rattletrap with no takers. Decided to make the long paddle to the crappie wall to see what all the fuss is about. Was not impressed. 50 people standing on a wall chunking live and cut bait. Only saw one fish landed while I was in that area. Jigged a gold spoon and used a spinnerbait while drifting around the wall. Was going to attempt to fish the bank along the crappie wall for bass when a small aluminum boat cut me off and proceeded to cast net for bait right where I wanted to fish (thanks buddy!). Headed back to the dam (trolled w/ a crankbait on the way there) and fished with a Carolina rigged plastic craw. No takers at the dam or in the small reed patch next to the launch spot. I should have fished the reeds for bass instead of heading to the crappie wall. Usually do well at Fayette in the reeds. The long paddle wore me out so I guess I will save that plan for the next trip. Enjoy the video report. |
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July 2019
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