Thursday 8/11

[WET]

Got to the lake at 8:30am, fish were busting everywhere from Country Yard to Boy Scout Island. By 9:30 we had caught some tucs and largemouth’s so me and couple of my friends (their first time on the lake) headed to the north fork to explore and try to complete the infamous Triple Crown. I was excited to make it up there cause that’s way out of my distance when im in my kayak. We were in my friend’s 12ft aluminum boat with a small battery powered trolling motor, usually used for crabbing. I was confident on getting that smallie, we tied the boat up to a tree and walked to the rapids. Caught a nice largemouth on a spinner in the deep pool right infront of the pilled rocks and it had a tag! # 3923 and phone # 944-8514…. Sorry couldn’t get a weight and length, left everything in the boat, I did get a pic tho, the tag was covered in algae, I had to scrape it off to get the # so im guessing its been a while since it was caught. My friend caught a nice largemouth also on a popper in the same pool. However no smallies I fished bellow and above the waterfall? Or rapids, using the same lures that never seem to fail in other streams….. so frustrating. But that was least of our worries, when we got back to the boat and started our long trip back we discovered the battery was dead……. And we started our long paddle back, luckily we brought 2 small oars. We left the North Fork at 2:30. It was rough it took about 4 hours which seemed like 8 just to get to BBP. I was hoping that we would run into some other boats there that could maybe tow us back but there was no one…. It was like 6:30 already. We stopped at BBP and took a 30min break and used some live bait, and caught a few tucs and largemouth each. It was what we needed after paddling for the last 4 hours. At around 7 we started our journey back to the boat ramp.... as we went through that shortcut behind boy scout island the fish were still busting everywhere more then in the morning, there were 3 people on kunia pt fishing with live bait they were catching one after another. From far I saw the guy catch a nice size tuc, he took the hook out a took it back into the forest and returned without it, so we paddled towards them before we got there they caught another but threw it back. As we got close I asked them if they were keeping the fish, he laughed and said “no,” I told um I saw him take one back into the woods and his friend quickly responded saying, “ok he just kept one” I asked him what it was and he said “Oscar” with a smirk…… its sad that there is just nothing you can do, as we paddled away I saw them catch a couple more and they released them, I wonder how many they kept before and after we were out of sight. By then it was almost completely dark and fish were still busting all around us, I wanted to throw a lure in so bad but we had to get back it was dark already, ended up not getting back till 8:30. Don’t think my friends will ever join me out on the lake again haha. Where was everybody???!!!

Heres a few pics....







^^^Tagged LMB^^^
#3923
Phone# 9448514







Dark Side!

[roadwarriorsvt]

Man, that sounded like a long day. At least you guys caught fish! Seems the smallies get more scarce when the water gets lower. I tried many times before I got the Triple Crown. The harder it is to get, the more you'll appreciate it when you do get it. Sorry to hear about the paddleing adventure. Two deep cycle batteries might be on the list for next time.

[marcusn]

wow nice largmouth, what is that worm in the mouth in the 5th pic? sorry to hear there was people keeping tucs. i always see people near boy scout island keeping them. WHY? do they taste good? is their family starving to death so bad they need to eat them? anyways nice report!

[WET]

roadwarrior: yeah way to long of a day, we were planning on getting out by 2. Still cant believe i didnt get dat smallie. I think that was my one and only chance to get the crown unless i can catch one in the lake.... 3 batteries to be safe next time, if there is one haha

marcus: Thanks, i have no clue what kine worm that is... my friend from cali gave me a couple when we were fishing for smallies..... Idk why they keepin um, i would never even think of eating anything out of that lake! hopefully they get sick from it.... or maybe they keep a couple to put in their pond or something at home, but i doubt thats the reason.

[Ca_Bass]

And we started our long paddle back, luckily we brought 2 small oars.

Your story reminded me of a similar experience on Wilson. Same thing happend to me but luckily I wasn't as for up the lake as you, what was not so lucky was I had left the ores in the bed of my truck I was about half way between Morgans Points and Blue Boat Point went batteries had no more juice. Then I realized.....I was up "a well known" creek without a paddle. My buddy and I paddled back with my battery box lids and when our backs had enough of that we used sticks as push poles/paddles. I think it took us about 2.5 hours. When we finally got back I said to my buddy, at least we caught caught some fish...he quickly responded at least you caught some fish and I caught 1! It wasn't too long after that when I met Bill and he had just upgraded his outboard and I bought his 3.3hp from him.

[WET]

damm battery box lids thats crazy.... 2.5 hours sounds fast! haha.... almost had my dad pick me up from the dam take me to the boat ramp grab the truck and go back by the dam and carry it out..... but we decided to man up and paddle..... its a good thing we all caught fish or i think my friends would have killed me

[Stan Wright]

At least you had a paddle.

[WET]

dont know what i would have done...

Any updates on that tagged LMB i caught??!!.....

[Stan Wright]

Wet,
That's my phone number on the tag... there is an answering machine. (I never pick it up) Sorry it took so long to get back to you... I was out fishing.

Anyway, here is the history of your fish...

First tagged:
3923 LMB 13in 1 ½lbs (Y) Blue Gill Bay 6 March 2008.

(Recovered 18Mar11, 16 ½, 2 ½ lbs @ same location, caught by Pegasus on live bait)

(Recovered), 12 June 11, 2.01 oz. Caught in HFFA tournament. No length or location.

And now recovered by you... way up at the Waterfall. (no weight or length)

[roadwarriorsvt]

This fish is almost classic of most of the LMB in out lake. It got up to 2 1/2 lbs., then started declining in weight. Sad,.....

[WET]

Thanks for the update.... sorry i couldnt get a length or weight we tied up the boat and walked up, only had my pole and camera, i was expecting to only catch smallies up there not a largemouth.... it was caught on a white spinnerbait..... yeah da fish had a big head but it was skinny...... can anyone get tags?

[Stan Wright]

I'm working on getting more tags...