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Catching
Bass and looking for Doves
By: Ron Wilson
August 29, 2002.... With the past weeks weather being colder
than normal followed by a slight warming trend and now cooling off
again, you better check to see if the doves you planned on hunting this
Sunday are still there. Doves will move to other areas with the
slightest weather change.
 Last Sunday Norval Pimentel, his little son Anthony, Tim Paes
and I went to Kelsey Bass Ranch. It was about 9:00 a.m. as I drove too
the ranch to meet the guys, I saw very few doves on the way and once
there I only saw a couple doves near one of the feeding areas for the
cattle. Where there were usually lots of doves I only saw those two. Had
the weather pushed them somewhere else? Normally you see them around the
lake because there is no hunting allowed in the lake area.
I went fishing to test some Camanche Jack’s plastic baits
and catch some bass. Conditions weren’t ideal with the lake water
level being low and a full moon all night long. However, there still was
a little black bass action.
I quickly caught a couple on a black frog with red legs, and
with no further action from the bass I decided to go down after them and
switched to Camanche Jack’s leaches. Tom Lucas Jr., from Autolife
Autoparts and Sporting Goods, had given me a bunch to try and see if
they would catch fish. Tom explained that you had to use them a certain
way and showed me how to rig them.
I started off fishing the leach weightless at the inlet that
is very shallow, 3 feet and less in some areas. I pitched the bait out
on some moss, pulled it off and as the bait sunk, the moss just kind of
humped up as a bass that was under it came up and ate it! No monster but
a real nice dark green backed bass in the 2 lb class.
The rest of the guys finally arrived and we got in the boat.
We couldn’t get any more topwater action; I guess the full moon all
night long had the fish off the bite a little. We had to finesse the
fish. Norval used a ripbait and Carolina rig while the rest of us used
frogs and Carolina rigged leaches and brushhogs.
While we tried several baits, the most effective was Camanche
Jacks leaches. The larger leaches worked best and the colors were brown
with black flake and the salt and pepper with a blue line in the heavy
part of the leach.
This bait kind of resembled a Predator Purple Ghost in color but the
action and look was completely different.
We had a great time with lots of camaraderie. I am not sure
whose turn it was in the barrel but I think everyone got put down at one
time or another!
I took a couple pictures of Norval with one of his bigger
fish and when Anthony caught one he showed it to me and then tossed it
back in saying jokingly “I see if your not on the Stratos Boats
National Team like my dad you don't get your picture taken”!
We struggled all day long and at 3 p.m. Anthony had to leave,
so the rest of us took a break and sat under the trees by the lake. We
figured Norval had boated 12 fish while we had about that many, or
possible a few more between the three of us. Norval was kicking our
tails that was for sure! Biggest fish caught was in the 3-pound class.
While sitting under the shad trees relaxing we looked at the
smog covered rolling foothills. Its kind of unpleasant to think that its
only going to get worse before it gets better, I guess when the valley
folks start kicking
the bucket from too much smog emission and pollutions the laws governing
pollution will be changed on the coast so that all their dirty air
doesn’t end up in the central valley!
Around 4:30 p.m. Norval seemed to have dosed off so Tim and I
got up to sneak off with Norval’s boat. However, Tim let the ice in
his water bottle rattle as we were leaving and Norval caught us.
In the next hour and a half we managed a fish apiece. We
tried top water again but it wasn't going to happen so we decided it was
time to go.
The doves finally started coming into the area around the
lake at about 4 p.m. in bunches of 6 to 10, a good sign for hunters in
the Snelling area for this coming Sundays dove opener.
On the way home I kept an eye out for doves. A single here
and there but mostly when I saw them they were in groups and sitting on
telephone lines that were near almond orchards getting the last rays
from the setting sun before going to roost.
You might want to use this Saturday to scout for the dove
season opener this Sunday! |
