Report From The Lake - May 14, 2006

[tucmaster]

My brother-in-law and I fished today (as you've probably figured out by now, my brother-in-law moved back to Hawaii from Texas last month). The color of the lake is back to normal. The water level is still high in the California grass, and water clarity is very good, about 3+ feet.

The action today was steady, but the fish we were fortunate enough to land and release were small. We caught a total of 32 tucs - 7 runts under 1 lb., 15 over 1 lbs., 7 over 2 lbs., 2 over 3 lbs., and one 4 pounder, the largest of the day. We're going to change the fluorocarbon leader that we've been using, because our leaders quickly broke off on 6 larger tucs that looked to be in the 4-5 lb. range.

On a different subject, I purchased my first digital fish scale about 3 years ago. Since that time, I've been regularly keeping written notes of lengths and weights of most of the larger tucs that I've caught. This info is helpful when estimating the weight of a tuc when a scale is not handy. From my personal notes, here are the lengths and average weights of tucs, starting at 18 inches in length:

18 inches = around 3 lbs.
19 inches = around 4 lbs.
20 inches = around 5 lbs.
21 inches = around 6 lbs.
22 inches = around 7 lbs.

I have not yet caught a tuc over 8 lbs., but from the above info we can guess that an 8 pounder is about 23 inches. The general rule of thumb seems to be about a 1 lb. increase in weight (above 3 lbs.) for every inch over 18 inches in length.

Cabela's sells a "ruler" decal that you can stick onto your rod as a handy way to measure fish. Or, you can mark off inches on your rod with a permanent marker, reflective tape, or rod wrapping thread.

Good luck and good fishing.

[JeffFaulkner]

Those numbers are making me want to get on the lake. Are you using livebait? If so what kind? I would love to know.
Thanks,
Jeff

[OO7:BASSINASSASSIN]

Tucmaster, are the tucunare schooling or in pairs? I have not gone much, and when I do go, it is for about an hour. The small ones are in small packs but almost all the bigger ones are on nests. I also have seen one pair with a fry ball. Not much to try for since I avoid pairs. I have seen a few sickly looking ones also.

[tucmaster]

Hi Jeff - We use three different kinds of live bait, that we catch wild in a local stream:

(A) 2 to 3-inch long liberty mollies. These minnows are common and are called "medaka" locally. Go to fishbase.org and do a search for "Poecilia Salvatoris" to see what they look like;

(B) 2 to 3-inch long tilapia; and

(C) 3 to 4-inch long banded jewel cichlids, "Hemichromis Elongatus" (see fishbase.org). These are the small cichlids that are the tuc's primary food source in the lake. I often catch them as a byproduct while catching the mollies and tilipia.

In my experience, live baits in the 2-3 inch range seem to be the most effective on good-sized tucs. Although large tucs will take a 1-inch bait, the runt tucs and red devils really love the small baits, so we use only the larger size. I keep my bait well-aerated and lively - this is what I mean when I talk about "good" live bait.

Depending on how the tucs are biting, we either free-line our baits or sink them to the bottom using a split shot. Each kind of live bait has its advantages. The mollies swim on the surface, so you can usually see the tucs approaching, and the topwater strikes are fun. For finicky tucs, you can use a split shot to sink a molly to the bottom. The tilapia usually dive down to the bottom on their own, without using a split shot. The jewel cichlids are like candy to a big tuc.

Note: When using live jewel cichlids for bait, they will almost always immediately dive straight into cover (grass or brush) and get your line snagged, so I only use them when I have to - on the big educated tucs that shy away from the mollies and tilapia. Often, we see a big tuc and can't get him to bite mollies or tilapia, but when a cichlid is dropped in front of him, he doesn't hesitate to take it.

Hope this information helps. Good luck and good fishing.

[tucmaster]

Dub-O-7 Bassin Assassin - The tucs we've been seeing and targeting are cruising in small groups or packs - they are not in pairs or nesting. Like you, we stay away from nesting or guarding pairs. Most of the big tucs that we broke off yesterday, we spotted them cruising the shoreline alone.

We too have been seeing a lot of small "runt" packs around, and I think you're right that most of the bigger ones are probably nesting. But we're seeing enough cruising packs of the 3-4 lb. fish to keep things interesting, and sometimes these cruising packs will have a bonus 5 lb. or larger fish cruising with them.

For example, yesterday we saw one cruising pack of about 5-6 fish in the 3 lb. range, with one bump-head male approaching 5 lb. But that particular pack cruised slowly by and didn't even stop to look at our baits, no matter what kind of live bait we tossed at them. Probably more interested in spawning.

Good luck and see you out on the lake.

[OO7:BASSINASSASSIN]

Thank you for the information tucmaster. I probably just have to keep looking for the right area.

[skunked]

Wow! You guys caught a lot of fish. Also, thanks for all the helpful info. I will try my luck this weekend. Hopefully I can catch at least one!

[tucmaster]

Bassin Assassin - Keep at it. There are good spots and not-so-good spots all over the lake, so it's a process of elimination. You mention that you usually fish for about an hour, so I assume you're a shore fisherman. An hour doesn't leave you much time to scout an area thoroughly.

As I've mentioned before, I'm happy to share my experiences if it will help others.

*If I had only an hour to fish, I'd do it when the tuc action seems to be best - to me, that means either mid to late morning, or late afternoon.

*The areas I fish that consistently produce good tuc action have two things in common - (1) I see tucs frequently (not just occasionally) cruising thru the area, and (2) when I don't see them, I hear them sucking in bait at the surface or busting bait along the shore. If neither occurs in the area you're fishing, it may be better to cross that spot off your list and move on.

*Or, with only an hour to fish, I'd fish the boat ramp area in the late afternoon/early evening. Although it can get crowded when word spreads that the tuc bite is on, the locals know that the tuc action there can be good. It's easy to fish, and you can maximize your one hour of fishing time in an area known to produce good action during a certain time of day.

*The steep, tree-shaded shoreline to the right of the ramp (as you look out toward the water) holds tucs. If you follow the dirt path beneath the trees and watch quietly, you can usually see some good tucs cruising beneath the floating logs and submerged root masses along the shore. A lot of people fish in the area, so the tucs there are no dumb, but with live bait you can usually hook a few.

[leoric]

I don't know if this question makes sense or not, but is there a way that you can rig a live bait so that it's weedless. cause man, I get stuck a lot using livebait. thanks.

[JeffFaulkner]

You can try a weedless hook like this one below. They are pricey though.


Also. I Started using a bobber with a split shot by the hook so I could sink the bait, but not all the way to the bottom. I leave like 4ft between the hook and the bobber and then I put a spli shot about 5 inches above the hook.

Hope this helps.

[OO7:BASSINASSASSIN]

Thank you for the advice Tucmaster, I will keep those things in mind when planning my next trip. Those short trips are after I finish work, I find it very relaxing but I like to see some action also.