Soft water fishing

[Garry2Rs]

How are you guys making out for ice?

I understand that some guys are still soft water fishing. WOW! The weather must be quite mild up there.

 

Buck and I have been having a mild winter too. As you might recall daytime highs are usually between 65 and 70F in the winter. It's the overnight low that determinants how long it will take to warm back up the next day. This year in Yuma overnight temperature dipped into the low 40F before Christmas, but since then it has been better. Winter is usually over by Mid-February, so it can only get warmer from here on.

 

The trout stocking program seems to have hit a snag...I don't think any fish were put in during January.

Yesterday my neighbour reminded me that we had done pretty well fishing for Small-mouth Bass in the main irrigation canal, about ten years ago.

 

 

Today I went out for a couple of hours and got two. The first was about 2 pounds and hit a Crappie grub. The water is clear and you are standing on a steep bank looking down onto the water. These canals used to have weeds lining the bottom. At that time I used a spinner and fished like a wet-fly fisherman, casting across and down stream, letting the bait swing with the current, before retrieving. I would then take a couple of steps and cast again. This covered the water but it was slow going.

 

This year there are no weeds...I drove alone the bank looking for cover. When I saw a rock pile I stopped and surveyed the scene. This has become sight fishing and if I looked carefully I was able to see the fish.

 

The first one that I caught I saw leave it's holding spot and drift down stream with the bait before it committed...Pretty cool to watch!

 

 

The second one was larger, 4 pounds?...It hit a gold Panther Martin spinner.

It too followed, as I twitched and shook the spinner, but it wouldn't take it until I let the bait fall back toward the bottom. I have to think the fish wasn't willing to bite anything less than about two feet from the surface...

 

 

The fish are usually in small schools and quite spooky.

Sometimes they must see me or my first cast spooks the whole herd.

I know that not all the fish I see are Bass, I recognize some as Carp, and I know there are Tilapia in the canals too.

 

Anyway, I can only seem to catch one fish from a group, then the rest either ignore me or simple move out of the area.

Lots of fun!!!

Garry2r's

[Beans]

You're a lucky man...tells yer mother !!!

 

Warm weather...sight fishing...and catching...

 

Me envious...Naw...not me...