Finally got to the Lake about 11:00 AM on Sunday. For the last month all I've heard about is schooling fish and big spawners.
Thought I'd relax and take out my Tenkara Rods to terrorize the Red Devils.
First thing I noticed… The Urban Outdoorsmen have illegally moved back into the park by the bridge. I don't care if they refuse to accept free government housing… but they can stop using the lake as a trash can. I'm calling the Health Department again. The cops ran them all off about a month ago. Took 5 dump trucks to haul away all their trash.
Pulled up to a shallow point and cast my gold fly at a red devil and it was ambushed by this little peacock bass.
Moving along I thought I saw a bluegill so I cast next to the log. Mistake… a spawning peacock bass. Well, just hang on… either the fish or the 4# test leader will give up eventually. One 2 ½ pound peacock bass. I need to get a longer handled dip net or a fishing partner. It's amazing that a 3 to 5 pound peacock bass will eat a small gold fly. If you guys catch any spawning peacock bass, please check for my little gold flys. They are barbless and probably fell out of the fishes mouth, but I accidentally hooked 5 big peacocks and fortunately the 4# test leader broke before the Tenkara rod did.
Then I finally got into some red devils.. this one was ½ a pound.
See the holes in the bank? Some people say the armored catfish dig those. Others feel the red devils are the diggers. When ever you see those holes along the bank, the red devils are usually close by.
The 5-Bar generals were out in force. They stick close to the shore to keep from being eaten by the peacock bass. They make great live bait. This one is on the larger size.
I was casting to another big red devil when this thing grabbed my fly… A "black" devil? ??? I figure one of you guys will know what it is.
There were lots of red devils and they are fun to catch on a light Tenkara rod. First you spot them in the shallow water, make your cast and set the hook when they take the fly… oh, then you hang on. This one weighed one pound. Thats the fly… a #10 AH hook, some gold flash-a-boo, and a red glass bead. So cheep and simple, but the fish really love it.
Here is another one of those "I'm not sure what it is fish"…
This is a more interesting picture than just laying the fish down beside the rod. Gives you an idea of what the lake looks like too.
I was having so much fun that I hadn't noticed the peacock bass and largemouth bass were schooling… I just drifted out into the lake and when the fish started chasing shad and busting the surface right beside the boat… I cast. What do you know, a largemouth.
In 30 minutes I landed 3 fish and 6 more came unbuttoned… not sure how many swirls, follows and blowups where I just missed the fish. All in all it was a fun 4 hours of fishing. Those tropical fish love it when the water temperature tops 80 degrees.
The Hawaii Freshwater Fishing Association monthly bass tournament weighs in an anglers top 3 fish. Peacock or largemouth.. over 10 inches in length. Man, I had a limit of fish in my first ½ hour of fishing. I should have entered the tournament. LOL LOL LOL
