High water/slow action

[Stan Wright]

Recent rains raised the water level about 10 to 12 feet overnight. It wasn't muddy, but water visibility was down to 1 foot on the North Fork and 2 feet or so on the South Fork of the lake. On Friday the water was almost high enough to be going over the spillway.

Clay and I were on the water by 7:45 and ran into Tom just before the bridge. He reported that the peacock bass had been schooling and chasing shad like crazy since he got there and the fishing was fantastic. (the action had just stopped with the rising of the sun over the trees)
We waited 10 minutes...... nothing, so we moved on. We did see fish surface for a second or two but never caught a thing, even if we were near the action. Also, nothing by working the shoreline. At noon we came home. That's the first day I can remember that we never caught a fish. We had our light fly rods and were looking for red devils.

I think if we had some cloud cover the peacock action might have picked up. All in all it was a beautiful day with pretty blue skis, light breeze, and good company. A very enjoyable day.

Since the water is so high, we can get around the trestle on the south fork.......I was thinking of taking the smaller boat way up stream and see if the smallmouth bass might be around.??????

Aloha,
Stan

[tucmaster]

Good to hear that the water level is back up and is clear, but sorry to hear about the slow action. Maybe the water temp went down with the influx of runoff from the recent rains.

High water is usually good for shoreline tuc action in the grass - I'm heading to the lake tomorrow and will report back on the lake conditions and hopefully on some tuc action.

Good luck and good fishing.

[Stan Wright]

I just got a call from Joseph and he said everyone was catching tukes at the boat ramp this afternoon....(Sat)..... live bait. Some nice size ones. He said his wife took pictures and he'll get the "story" posted soon.
Good hunting tomorrow.

Stan

[tucmaster]

As Stan indicated yesterday, the lake is at or near its highest level. The water is slightly murky but still has good clarity (about 1-1/2 ft.). The water level is way up into the shorline grass, making for exellect tuc cover. The tuc action is off the hook right now.

Early on, we watched unidentified fish surface-busting the shad in the middle of the lake in front of us. Minutes later, we landed and released three healty largemouth bass in the 2 lb. range that took our live baits. All three were not tagged, a good sign of successful natural spawning. We also got a skinny looking oscar today.

In terms of numbers, today was easily the best day of tuc action we've had in years. It was literally a continuous parade of tucs cruising the shoreline grass. At our shoreline spot, using 6 lb. test and live bait with a split shot about a foot above the hook, we landed and released 39 and 51 tucs respectively, averaging just over 2.5 lbs. apiece, for a total weight of over 230 lbs. The largest was a 5 lb. 3 oz. (again) male and we broke off at least 3 other fish over 5 lbs. on our By the end of our 5 hr. marathon, we were exhausted and trying to keep our baits away from the smaller pesky 2 lb. fish. Looking foward to next week.

NOTE: I live in Honolulu, far from the lake, and I only fish once a week, so I don't have the luxury of knowing the current lake conditions before I actually drive up to the lake, unless someone posts it in this forum. Because current lake conditions are not regularly posted, "Report From The Lake" is strictly intended to provide fishermen near and far with accurate information on current lake conditions, fishing action, occurrences, fishing techniques, etc. "Report From The Lake" is NOT intended as a forum for bragging. And while I do not divulge my favorite fishing spots for reasons previously documented in this forum, I do share all of my decades of Lake Wilson experience on locating good spots, fishing during high and low water conditions, rigging techniques, bait, and other info to help other shore fishermen (see my posts since last year). Fellow shoreliners, like Skunked and Modest Man, have taken tips from the many different posters in this forum, gone out on their own, worked hard, and have found success. So, my apologies to bloggers who see "Report From The Lake" as a braggin' post, and to those who disagree with my choice to keep my few favorite spots, located through decades of trial and error, confidential. Comments or suggestions on how to improve "Report From The Lake" are always welcome. Thanks for your understanding.

Good luck and good fishing. Tucmaster

[Stan Wright]

When I was with the TV show we tried not to give away peoples "secret spots". What's much more important is to take the information and use what you've learned to be a more successful angler where you fish. It's not the location..... it's how you fish. I've caught fish in one spot in the morning and nothing at the same spot that afternoon or the next day. I believe that the "how to do it" will get you more fish than the "where".

I'm glad you guys out there are willing to share your knowledge and love of fishing with the rest of us.

Stan

[leoric]

To Mr. Stan (aka the Forum Administrator):
May I suggest that this forum have a separate board that people can use to post their "reports from the lake?" The forum is growing with tons of different topics and posts. I think it will be much easier for the members to view reports if it were in a separate board. Thanks. -- leo