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Weekend Pad hunting

tbayboy

By tbayboy
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tbayboy

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After I posted a 'want to go fishing' message on the Hook up forum I got a note form Mikeh saying that he was going to head up to pigeon to try and find some lily pad bass and offered me a spot on his boat. Luckily he didn't know how bad I am at flipping pads (sat. was my first time trying really).

 

Saturday

Being the long weekend we rushed out to get on the water at the early our of 11 am :). The bite started off kinda slow along some spots that Mike knew with just this little guy coming to say hello:

 

<a href=" IMG_1585 title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1160/1032153647_437a97852f_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_1585" /></a>

 

We then decided to explore a bit (isn't that always the most fun anyhow). First we cruised through a promising canal but nothing at all. That was disappointing so we figured we'd troll through this one little bit behind an island and Mike got another little guy out from some pads near the shore. After realizing my aim with a baitcaster needed some work I gave up and put a tube on my spinning rod and dragged past the line of pads to a bit of rock just as we left the little channel and what do you know, our biggest of the day:

 

 

<a href=" IMG_1586 title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1105/1033002480_b1787ef476_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_1586" /></a>

 

Back to exploring and voila - Mike finds a little back bay full of pads and he was like a kid in a candy store. The sizes weren't anything crazy but it was great watching Mike work the pads.

 

<a href=" IMG_1594 title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1226/1033042244_a8e0f5f703_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_1594" /></a>

 

Not sure how great it was when I missed a few hits but finally, sticking with my tube, I got my first bass from under a pad:

 

<a href=" IMG_1588 title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1044/1033014006_a127ff0322_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_1588" /></a>

 

After the fun in there we tried trolling for Muskies for a while but didn't have any luck. Finally we ended the day drifting a set of weed beds and pulling out sunfish and small smallies before calling it a day.

 

 

 

Sunday

 

On the way home Mike said he was thinking of going to Scugog on Sunday and invited me along for a second day on the S.S Skeeter. Don't have to ask me twice so once again I was at Mike's place at 9am and we were flying across the bog heading for the river and a date with some more largies.

 

On the way we tried to get in a couple spots Mike remembered having luck at but the weed growth was just too much hassle so we tucked right into the river and almost right away Mike got down to business with the flipping jig:

 

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For some reason I thought putting the camera sideways would make it easier to view the video - Scorsese I'm not so here's a better look:

 

<a href=" IMG_1598 title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1203/1033055682_6a82f1d945_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="IMG_1598" /></a>

 

Not to long later I had a hit and yanked back with a might hook set - and found my line drifting in the wind. Argh - a quick check and sure enough the knot had come out. Talk about feeling like an idiot. The day before I'd had the same thing happen and Mike had suggested a try a palomar knot instead of the clinch I was using. This jig was still tied with the clinch.

 

Fine, switch to the tube rigged line, I'll retie the other later. 20 minutes later - same thing. ARGHHHH. That one was a palomar knot but either cut the end too short or something else. I don't know but when Mike caught his next big bucket I was still fuming and forgot to take a picture :(

 

We worked the river for a bit longer and a few hits but not much luck. There were tonnes of bass boats around (pre fishing the next tournament Mike guessed) so we decided to head to some other spots. Turns out it wasn't meant to be for that afternoon - we either found our way blocked by thick weed growth or just flat out no bites. We toughed it out though and as the sun started to dip down we were casting spinner baits (me a little one, Mike a big muskie killer one) and during my retrieve I see this guy dart out and smack the lure:

 

<a href=" IMG_1603 title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1092/1033066974_9dacc2130e_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_1603" /></a>

 

hooray, I'm not skunked and I caught a muskie! Not much of a muskie but after having two knots come unraveled and 6 hours of no fish you can imagine how happy I was to get this guy in the boat. Mike had another bigger one hit pretty hard but didn't commit and he had a great blowup on a topwater but again no hook ups. A bit later I finally brought in my only largie of the day. He wasn't very big so I tried the old "hold him near the camera" trick:

 

<a href=" IMG_1604 title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1437/1032215441_91bc416edb_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_1604" /></a>

 

Had a nice big hit a few minutes later with a couple arm jaring head shakes but then he/she gave one more big shake and popped out my poor spinner bait, now a few hairs shorter on the skirt and bent about 90 degrees. Would have loved to land that one but oh well.

 

We kept at it for a bit longer with Mike extending the cut off another 15 minutes every time we had a hit or a fish and I'm glad he did because my trusty little spinner bait, bent back to the right shape gave me one more bit of fun for the night with a smallie that just did not want to come near the boat. A nice jump and several runs later Mike got the net under her - 19" and 3lb 3oz make this guy my new personal best smallie:

 

<a href=" IMG_1607 title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1226/1032144933_b904854a5e_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_1607" /></a>

 

So two days down and two new lakes both thanks to Mike and his great boat and great teaching (I'm gonna figure out this pad thing if it kills me).

 

Monday

Today I decided to hit the Grand for a couple hours. Fishing wasn't working for me with just 3 hits and no hookups in the couple hours but I had the privelage to see someone who really knew how to fish:

 

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name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

 

Kinda hard to see in the video but yep - he caught a nice two talon wide + some bass that he then took up into the trees. At least someone got a fish today :)

 

Thanks again to Mike for driving me around the Kawarthas and to everyone else who pm'd me with the offers. This board continues to impress me with the generosity of its members.

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tbayboy

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It looks like a good time because I don't have pictures of the boat making coleslaw and chocolate milk trying tying to move around scugog or the unproductive hours trolling on pigeon or of me screaming about how my knots kept coming undone :) But yeah, it was a fun couple days, next time we'll manage to fill in those middle hours with some fish I'm sure, I even ordered some real muskie baits this week - go go strong CDN $. Of course that's assuming Mike ever lets me back in the boat after my disastrous attempt to back the trailer into the water :rolleyes:

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