Mead 8-9-14

[wolfs4evr]

Jellyworm... I lied when I said I'd be out there if the weather (wind) wasn't in that other post... Fishing does suck and I blame the water level for the majority of that statement. I don't care about hot just wind and it was hot today and not windy but... I gotta catch something. This blows. All the $$$ in the boat, equipment, etc, etc and no where to fish anymore w/o lots of travel.

Last trip out was in April. 16 feet higher than it is now. I figured the fish still got to be there I caught piles of them in a couple week period back then. Same with coves. The old ones would be gone but new ones will show. NOT. Old ones gone and nothing new. Surprised me big time. I spent more time today just toodling along not casting trying to find a place to bother making a cast and there isn't many at all up north. Grrrrrr... DAM tough finding a spot worthy of a cast. I hit here and there from the Echo ramp up the west side as far as one can go and back down the east side and there isn't much to bother talking about. No secret new spots were found that is 100% for sure.

At a loss... Maybe down south somewhere. Not a area I fish much. Echo/Overton seemed to a be a huge waste of my time and gas $$ to make the drive up there.

We caught some fish but dam so not worth the drive/time to me! 9 made it to the boat. 2 LMB, 6 SMB and one dink Striper out of a super quick boil next to the boat. There is 2 fish out there swimming with my frogs in their mouths too. 4 blow-ups on frogs and connected with 2. Snapped my line just as quick as they grabbed my frog on the I wish I had 50lb braid spooled up hook-sets that I gave them. What I get for 30lb braid with a 17lb mono leader. Nothing specific used to catch the few we did. Various this and thats... Lucky Craft Sammy, drop shot, spinnerbait, squarebill, Texas rigger worm, etc all caught somthing.

August is also soooo not my month. Getting to be a repeat. Last August and then again this August... Grrrr



The best SMB caught. Second cast this morning on a LC Sammy Topwater.



What a shame to see the old Echo Marina looking this way...


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[jellyworm]

Wolfs4evr,

I continue to applaud your effort to locate and catch bass on Lake Mead! I always enjoy your posts because you make it seem like we could have been there right with you. Saying "that's why they call it fishing instead of catching" doesn't really help cover the cost of getting out there at the end of the day. But take it from someone who is retired on disability, the bad times help you remember the good times even more. And it seems the older I get the more I enjoy replaying the times in my life when I had a good day of fishing!

Thanks again. [fishin]
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[StarsnStripers]

I feel your pain with the exception of the nasty hookset in the thumb. That's why I havnt been posting cuz there is really nothing to post about. Only been out a few times this summer and its been tough and humid wich I hate twice as much as the heat.
All I can say is football is here and cooler temps and better fishing usually comes with it.
Cmon October!!!!!!!
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[wolfs4evr]

Thumb.... YA. Not a hook set. You would think I would learn from my past. That was let me hold onto the fish by the bait I am casting while I reach for the pliers to remove the other hook from his mouth. That is the extra special way of hooking one self. Especially when he his doing his jiggle here and jiggle there maneuvers while the second treble hook is embedded into ones flesh. At least I had someone with me this time. I held him down good while Madi got the other treble hook out the fishes mouth. Last time I was alone and that was a circus trying to figure out how to hold 'em down solid so he couldn't jiggle and get the hook out. Dam tough to do with 2 hands... Striper last year. SMB this year... What I get for trying to avoid getting the hands slimed and going for a "quick" release.
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[wolfs4evr]

Catching wasn't so much the issue. Lack of places to attempt a catch was the extremely frustrating part. Current water levels limited that to just about none at this time up north. It will take lots of time for the vegetation to catch up to the lower levels.

I am thinking this years US Open is going to be one of the worst ever (toughest) on record. Frustrating fishing for all that enters.
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[cacoon]

I see your pictures, specifically the one of Echo Bay. In the far back of the photo it looks like concrete, is that the original boat launch?
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[wolfs4evr]

The cement in the far right corner of the picture is the bottom part of the main 1/4 mile long or so Echo ramp. Everything else is dirt out to the where the tractor tires are tied up. Not the greatest picture but what one gets out of a cell phone at distance. The entire marina infrastructure is sitting on dirt...

The temporary Echo ramp is like 1/4 to 1/2 mile to the left of the picture on the point I am parked on as we where leaving. It was a busy ramp too. Never seen it that busy. When we got off the water there was like 60+ rigs parked out on the point at the temporary ramp. 95% where ski boats, etc. I never ran into another person fishing. At least for Bass. Several boats where out for Striper fishing.
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[StarsnStripers]

Yes the old ramp is easy a quarter mile dry and the marina is almost completely on land. what a waste of what was once a very healthy marina. Now its only a pile of scrap angle iron and tin roofs.
I have found some ok fishing near what used to be kline hole but nothing like the spring. The water seems to be holding steady at 1080 so they are obviously letting more water out of powell to keep up with the down river demand. Hoover dam is still pumping water like crazy but the elevation has been steady for the last 2 weeks or so.
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[wolfs4evr]

Here is a shot from the top of the "temporary" Echo ramp out on the point past the main marina. Starting to be a hike...


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[wolfs4evr]

Last year this same time... Looking back at old posts.

70 fish on 8-10-13

[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=836736;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;page=unread#unread"]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/...d;page=unread#unread[/url]

Then 8-15-13 I don't know how many I caught here but I posted 10 fish an hour plus my first treble in the hand...

Also in that same post we caught 40+ on 8-17-13 and we avoided a tournament that day. Thus the good spots....

[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=837699;search_string=Mead;#837699"]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/..._string=Mead;#837699[/url]

BIG difference reading those two from August 2013 compared to what I posted yesterday...
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[cacoon]

wow I remember a friend taking me to Echo Bay because no one was ever there. We launched literally from just past the fish cleaning station by the motel. Echo Bay was always my favorite place to fish. Thanks for the updates.
Cacoon
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[ihuntforfish]

Lol! Weird, whizzle just sustained the exact same injury in the exact same spot on the exact same hand
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[wolfs4evr]

Since Madi was with me I should of had her shoot a vid of the removal... After thought... But doubting she would of done it. She ran as fast as possible to the front of the boat to avoid seeing what I was doing. lol

Glad it was a hand/finger. Not a highly sensitive area and was fairly "easy" to push through and remove w/o having to bite down on something... Last time at least the hook had gone in and out making it just a snip of the barb and reversal. Having the force a hook through does kinda suck. I debated the wrapping of braid around the hook and yanking it out method for a minute but again I doubt Madi would of went for that method. I was strickly informed if that ever happens to Madi I must pack up quickly and go home and let a doc remove it from her verse doing it myself... lol Women...

Another after thought... After the last time I did this I was going to put a decent set of side/wire cutters in the boat. Forgot and paid for it for a second time. I had to slide the hook off the squarebills split ring verse just cutting off since all I had was needle nose pliers. That was fun one handed.
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[StarsnStripers]

Y a I stuck 2 pair of cutters in the boat. My buddy caught a 20+lb striper down at willow a while back and the fish thrashed in the bottom of the boat and stuck 2 hooks from a big ass treble on an ac plug in his leg. Lots of fun trying to get one of those pigs to stop bouncing... Kinda funny since it wasn't my leg... HAHAHA
Live and learn I reckon
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[TheWhizzle]

Man! This has been the month for hooks in the body.

I did the same exact thing you did Wolf. Grabbed the sammy and the striper thrashed. I gut lucky though. My Thumb bone took the hook, so it didn't go all the way in past the barb. Crazy painful though, having a hook point in your bone.

Erawk took a couple friends out a week ago and his buddy hooked his girlfriend right in the back. That was a trip to the E.R.

Then I heard Dave Pikey took a hook in the hand the same way last week, but it was at willow on a 20 pounder.

Ouch!!!!!!!!
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