Buckhorn report - now with CORMORANTS!

[maybe]

Well, it was the 3rd Wednesday of a week with 2 blue moons, so JeffBornFishin and I snuck off to the lake for the afternoon. Blue skies, light winds, very little boat traffic....perfect.

 

We weren't even out of the marina before I'd made my first cast (well, heave, really), and caught a beautiful 120-incher. After a 30 second fight and graceful boatside release, we were on our way. Many thanks to our marina owner for getting his wooden sailboat stuck in the shallows - it was a new pb for me.

 

No matter what we threw for the rest of the afternoon, only the little dinks were biting. Interesting colours - pumpkinseed really lit up, bluegill abnormally gray, and a few smallies had some really interesting turquoise going on. Can't remember the last time we saw so many WGSF. I'm happy to play with panfish all day, but Jeff....well, let's just say he wasn't doing cartwheels up in the bow:

 

 

Somewhere around 5pm, we were scooting up the east side of Buckhorn when Jeff pointed to what he thought were crows in the dead tree on Flat Island.

 

 

They looked a little long in the neck to be crows, so we swung in for a closer look and saw....2 dozen cormorants.

 

 

Swinging west through the narrow passage at the top of Fox Island, we spotted another big flock of them floating in the water. Didn't stop to take more pics, but I'd guesstimate there were 30-40 of the blasted things. Odd - a couple of them were holding their wings up like an old Firebird emblem. Not flapping them or anything, just sitting still.

 

Back at the marina, I wasted some time watching the baby fish darting around in the weeds between boats. Most of them are still tiny and nondescript, but there were a couple of largies that're starting to look like actual fish. Maybe 1.5cm from back to belly and 4.5cm long. Cute little things.

 

If anyone's got tips for forcing a point & shoot into focusing below the water surface, I'm all ears. The "manual focus preview" sweet spot arrangement Canon threw into my camera just doesn't work in this situation.

[smbhunter]

I know that island well, we used to call it crap island. In another couple of weeks, that small island will be nothing but cormorants and their leftover white goo. They use that one island as a main resting point during migration times, and some will use it throughout the season. I'm actually surprised that there is still some green foliage left on the island.

When the cormorants hold their wings out, they are just drying off their feathers.

 

If traveling around this island, or any other cormorant infested island, travel on the upwind side of it. The smell is one of the worst I have ever experienced.

[limeyangler]

No wonder that tree is dead with all the cormorant p@#p all over it.......great report, cant help with the camera question but would love to se the results if ya figure it out!

[ricoboxing]

If anyone's got tips for forcing a point & shoot into focusing below the water surface, I'm all ears. The "manual focus preview" sweet spot arrangement Canon threw into my camera just doesn't work in this situation.

maybe if you try using a smaller aperture setting (a higher #), it may be in focus below the surface.

[Greencoachdog]

Nice report Ad.!!!

 

The Cormorants hold their wings out like that to dry them.

[BillM]

I hoped you tried to atleast kill a few of them with the boat.

[Leecher]

Great report and pics TangledLines

 

Congrats on the PB and thanks for sharing

Leechman

[Guest Johnny Bass]

Great Report. Why anything isn't done about those Cormorants is beyond me. When is enough enough? When every Island starts to look like a nuclear bomb hit it? Not to mention all the fish they are consuming!