TAKE 2
Having just returned from Carson City (where going up the hill to Tahoe I saw the biggest brown bear I've ever seen trying to cross the road) I knew I'd have to get to the boat early in order to gear up for another WWN. In the old days you'd pack a carry bag with all your gear in it. Plano boxes filled with hard baits, plastics etc. Throw the strap over your shoulder and your off. Theses days for me anyway, it's a cloth shopping bag with 35lbs of plastic and 4 plano boxes. None of which I used. (Being a good Boy Scout, the Motto "Be Prepared" is where it's at.) So I arrive at the boat at 10am, repack 36lbs of stuff I'm not going to use and rig 9 (yes 9!) rods with everything from a frog to a DS. (the invention of rod sox really cut down on the tangled mess you used to have). OK we're ready what possibly could I need more of. Off to Ladds.
Arriving at Ladds, I'm surprised Josh is already there. Not only is he there, he's at the front of the line. Ah, the line. We had so many boats that the way everybody lined up, they were blocking access to the ramp. What a zoo. (Hope the "Bearded One" got some good video of it) Anyway I digress. So off we go. time 3:10. (BTW Josh tells me he hears they're catching them on rattle traps. Guess who DIDN"T bring his rattletraps)
1st Stop. No sooner do we arrive then Josh receives a work call. Take the front he says. Next cast with the chatterbait and we have our first fish. Now I'm starting to think this might be the night as we've never had a fish in the well, while boats were still running. Well nothing more, so off to the next spot.
SPOT 2 We've got good current flow, but lots of grass. Time after time my CB has to be coaxed out of the weeds. Ya know with that mushy feeling. So I cast up to the sparse tules, and the DA feeling starts to creep in. On the retrieve that weedy, mushy feeling stikes my CB again, but this time instead of grass, my CB is returned to me via a 2 -3 lb larry tossing his head. (I swear he was smiling at me) Anyway, I learned to set the hook. (as it turns out with that fish we would've cashed a check)
I suggested to Josh, we make a long run, which we do. Putting to the back of the 5mph zone we notice a significant drop in water temp.
STOP 3 While fishing in the back of the slough a white truck pulls up and out pops...........Ken Ma.......oops no its Andy Giannini. Andy has been on this board several times. So for the next 25 -30 minutes Josh and I are chatting with Andy. Its good to see faces attached to names you see on here. Gotta get back to fishing. I suggest to Josh we fish the rip rap with tules. We should probably flip them. Sure enough Josh picks up a 2+. (that missed fish is starting to hurt). Flying by the seat of our pants, we decide to fish the rip rap at the warmer end. As we putt down the sloug again, I tell Josh to stop and fish the sparse tule island with grass. Josh is throwing a CB and I'm chucking mine. Now what I failed to mention earlier, in our second spot I got a small striper. You know a striper bite from a larry bite. Well I toss that sucker up there and on the drop off I pop it off the weeds and whack! Just like a striper and the line is peeling off. Josh grabs the net and asks is it a bass. This is where the DA comes into play again. I tell Josh to fish, its a striper. It acts like a striper, pulling line like a striper, but just like a normal partner who doesn't listen.(can any of you guys relate to that?) The fish shows herself. The striper had changed its stripes and now has lateral lines and is green instead. Good thing my partner doesn't listen.
We slip her into the net and into the well. My guess was 8.09. Josh didn't have a clue, although he said that's probably big fish money. WEIGH IN
So for the second time since partnering with Josh, we stay to weigh in. Pulling up to the scales Richard says how many fish. Caleb's there with the camera and I say 3. Eyes are poping! 3??? I can see the looks. Right now Caleb has big fish, Richard asks "you want to weigh a big fish? Yep, and the battle begins. She would roll, back up, turn to the left, then back up again. She was tuff to get out of the well. Finally with one last act of defiance she stuck me good with her dorsal and the blood came gushing out my little finger. I lifted her out and on the scale she went. 7.97 is what I heard, but I was too busy mugging for the camera.
Total weight was 11 something. That weed fish would have bumped us up into placement. Well if you haven't come out to Windy Wednesday Nights at Ladds, you're missing out. Despite all the fiascos, its a great way to break up the week and oh yeah did I mention FUN. Specially thanks goes to Richard and Gerry who work very hard to make this a fun, no hassle time.
TL
FE
PS We'll see if something more detrimental can happen next week.
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