BobG
08-22-2005, 08:04 AM
The bass that have you talking to yourself during the day, are total patsies during the dark. Arrived on the canal about 3:30, and found myself all alone! :brow
I started throwing heavy plastics, and was instantly greeted to a steady stream of hits, bumps, hook-ups and fish. A simple dead drift seemed to produce far more hits than working the jig. The fish were right on the bottom, as most hook-ups occured after I dropped back some line to reconnect with the bottom. :brow
Pretty much the same mix as yesterday, but I did release one in the vicinity of 30+". Certainly not trophies, but a welcome relief from what's been happening most of the summer.
As the sun rose, the action switched to the surface, and the same bass I was hooking right on the bottom, were now breaking throughout the entire rip, and were once again uncatchable! (#$119) Wouldn't touch a plastic nor a small plug. Even the most recent imposter, the Deadly Dick was rudely rebuffed. So, with that I knew it was time to quit.
Catch of the night was a very large, very angry Great Blue Heron. :eek: Anyone who's fished the canal know these birds are nocturnal and love to fly just above the surface in the dark from place to place in search of food. I just made a long cast, when I heard the familiar "KWOCK" indicating their presence. I can see a heron flying about 10' above the water right at my line about 25 yards out, so I instictively dropped my line to avoid him. Well, I didn't see the other one flying 20' behind, and dropped the line right across his back. He went down like he was hit by a bolt of lightening! Straight into the water, upside down.:( Not good.
He was really caught in my line, and I was worried if my jig were to hang up, he'd sort of get anchored there 50' off shore. I was able to work him to shore, and into the rocks. He was making this ungodly racket the entire time. So I put the rod down, grabbed the line to hold him in place, and slowly walked towards him. When I got with a couple feet of him, to my surprise he simply stood there, motionless. The enormous bird, standing almost 4' tall, looking me right in the eye. I was worried about that vicious looking spear-like beak of his, but I thought I'd try this once, and if it didn't work I try tossing my jacket over his head.
I sort of pulled on the line to extend his wing. and was able to pull it to me close enough for me to gently hold it. The bird never flinched! Fortunately, the braid had just looped around the wing tip feather, and I was able to simply slide the line off. Once released, he let out a classicKWOCK and flew straight across the canal. :) :)
I started throwing heavy plastics, and was instantly greeted to a steady stream of hits, bumps, hook-ups and fish. A simple dead drift seemed to produce far more hits than working the jig. The fish were right on the bottom, as most hook-ups occured after I dropped back some line to reconnect with the bottom. :brow
Pretty much the same mix as yesterday, but I did release one in the vicinity of 30+". Certainly not trophies, but a welcome relief from what's been happening most of the summer.
As the sun rose, the action switched to the surface, and the same bass I was hooking right on the bottom, were now breaking throughout the entire rip, and were once again uncatchable! (#$119) Wouldn't touch a plastic nor a small plug. Even the most recent imposter, the Deadly Dick was rudely rebuffed. So, with that I knew it was time to quit.
Catch of the night was a very large, very angry Great Blue Heron. :eek: Anyone who's fished the canal know these birds are nocturnal and love to fly just above the surface in the dark from place to place in search of food. I just made a long cast, when I heard the familiar "KWOCK" indicating their presence. I can see a heron flying about 10' above the water right at my line about 25 yards out, so I instictively dropped my line to avoid him. Well, I didn't see the other one flying 20' behind, and dropped the line right across his back. He went down like he was hit by a bolt of lightening! Straight into the water, upside down.:( Not good.
He was really caught in my line, and I was worried if my jig were to hang up, he'd sort of get anchored there 50' off shore. I was able to work him to shore, and into the rocks. He was making this ungodly racket the entire time. So I put the rod down, grabbed the line to hold him in place, and slowly walked towards him. When I got with a couple feet of him, to my surprise he simply stood there, motionless. The enormous bird, standing almost 4' tall, looking me right in the eye. I was worried about that vicious looking spear-like beak of his, but I thought I'd try this once, and if it didn't work I try tossing my jacket over his head.
I sort of pulled on the line to extend his wing. and was able to pull it to me close enough for me to gently hold it. The bird never flinched! Fortunately, the braid had just looped around the wing tip feather, and I was able to simply slide the line off. Once released, he let out a classicKWOCK and flew straight across the canal. :) :)