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CAMANCHE
CAN REALLY SPOIL A GUY!
By: Ron Wilson
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Ken Moore with a couple of nice Camanche Trout |
March 3, 2005….. Ken Moore of Ripon and I fished Lake Camanche last
Saturday. We were after those huge Camanche Trout.
We launched at safe light and headed for the 5 mile per hour buoys, where
we would start fishing. I started with a blue silver Ex-Cel behind some
Vance blades and a red Ex-Cel to finish off the spread.
With two guys having two rod stamps, you can cover the depths and a
variety of lures to see what the fish want to eat!
We trolled for a half hour before our first strike. It was at 25 feet deep
on the blue-silver lure. The fish was a hot one with jumps and runs giving
Ken a battle on the light equipment I use.
The lightweight rods I use make big fish out of little ones and when you
get a 3 pounder on the line, they fight like really big fish! Ken finally
got it to the net and held it up proudly saying, “Boy this is a real nice
one Ron”. I said it’s OK but it’s not what I’m looking for.
Overcast skies and a trout at 25 feet instead of on the top line lure
didn’t make sense to me. We kept trolling towards the dam as that seemed
to be where the action was as all the other boats we saw were heading in
that direction.
Another half hour and fish number two struck the red and gold Ex-Cel lure.
That made sense as it’s the same color the fish were on at this time last
year. I think it resembles a carp minnow. I tried other lures similar but
the next fish was on the same lure at 17 feet.
I
reeled in the top water and put on a gold and red lure behind a dodger and
put it back out 200 feet behind the boat. Took off the blue-silver and
replaced it with a fire-tiger Ex-Cel as we past Hat Island.
The same rod scored again with the gold and red. Ken was having a ball
while I complained, “Yes Ken they are nice trout, but they are not what I
am looking for”!
As we approached Little Hat Island the top water rod straightened out and
the fight was on! Ken said, “I saw a fish jump way behind the boat”. “I
know Ken”, I said, “Just keep reeling that’s the one on the end of your
line”! Still not the fish I’m after but a nice one in the 3 pound class
peeling line, jumping and giving Ken a work out!
Fish number 4 in the box followed by 3 short strikes on the long line rod!
The fish were beating me up. I had been fishing for almost 4 hours without
patterning the fish.
Maybe the weather had something to do with it. Wind, clouds, sun, and then
no wind at all. The fish had come from right on top down to 25 feet!
At 11 a.m. I was trolling back toward the marina and varying the bait
depth from 100 to 50 feet, when a pattern suddenly found us!
The wind had picked up and it seemed that the fish had moved up close to
the edge of the underwater humps in 50 feet of water and we were nailing
one to two fish a pass on the firetiger red-gold Ex-Cel’s.
Ken said, “Well that’s 9 in the box, one more and we can call it a day. We
haven’t lost a fish all day”. I said, “There you go again Ken, do you
remember what happened this morning when you said well at least we don’t
have any fog and then a couple miles down the road there it was”!
I
said, “The next fish might be the one I’m after, but I have my doubts
getting it in the boat”.
We hadn’t gone a 100 yards when fish number 10 was on, another nice one
but still not that 5 pounder I was looking for.
We got the fish to the net and as I scooped it up, the fish went right
through the rotten net and fell back into the water! Hum, sometimes things
just happen, or am I just being superstitious again! The next fish jumped
about 3 times and threw the lure high into the air!
The firetiger pattern was working, but our luck was souring! The next fish
came to the boat and Ken released it, to small I guess and then finally
fish number 10 went in the box and it was time to go home.
It was only 1:00 in the afternoon and we had a good fish pattern going but
it was time to go clean them.
We had a great sack of fish that weighed over 20 pounds, Ken was really
happy with the days fishing and couldn’t understand why it was just a ho
hum day for me!
For the last couple years I have usually been able to catch a 5-pounder or
better during a days fishing and I am just plain spoiled I guess!
Oh well there is always a next time so I will return in a couple weeks and
see if that 5 pound plus trout is hungry yet!
For more information about Camanche Lake go to
http://www.camancherecreation.com/. |
