Really Big Day At Irvine: What A Difference A Real Lake Makes!

[klymons]

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[cool] After my last fish trip to SARL(stands for "Sorry @$$ River Lakes") I was more than ready to actually catch fish. For once, I was 15 minutes early--not too many people ahead of me in line. I drove over to the famous "West Shore" where the fishing is usually pretty good.

For the first two hours--not even a bite! Of course, the group next to me--a boisterous cluster of construction workers playing hooky--were catching fish like crazy! Really serious fishermen, right? Not! Most of them were so drunk they could barely cast straight! Meanwhile, I'm sitting there drinking coffee, trying hard to wake up and catch some fish.

I used every color of Powerbait, Crave and Zekes--nothing. I tried all my fish scents--Pro Cure, Berkeley, Siberian, etc. Like the guys next to me, I was using a 2 lb. test leader, small sliding sinker, and casting out about fifty feet. In fact, I was having so much fun I nodded off sitting on my car seat while watching rod tips and bobber set-ups that never moved.

When I awoke, I noticed my bobber on my nightcrawler rod was next to the pole. But nothing was moving! I thought maybe one of the "kegger dudes" next to me had snagged my line. As I started to reel up the slack, I got bit by what seemed like a runaway Volkswagen! My drag was screaming as line raced out. Then the fish jumped--it was a veritable toad--huge! After a few worrisome minutes, I finally netted a beautiful rainbow.

It weighed out at 8.3 on my portable scale! The guys next to me started whooping like Banshees! "Totally awesome!" they yelled. And yes, it was. By now, I was fully awake. And forget the dough bait--I put nightcrawlers on both my poles. Well, it started to get slow again, so I dragged out my lunch--some fried chicken and potato salad--and waited for another bite. Well, after eating,

I got sleepy again. When I woke up--well, you guessed it--the bobber was against the pole and another nice rainbow was pulling drag. This one wasn't as big--"only" 5.7 on my scale.

Well, I decided to stay awake this time, but it got slow again. I looked at my watch--almost 2PM. Just about time to go if I was to beat the rush-hour freeway traffic. So I broke down one my rods, put most of the gear away in the car, leaving one pole still left in the holder.

Thinking of the long drive, I decided to make one last visit to the portable john. After taking care of business, I opened the door as one of the fishermen next to me starting yelling: "Hey, you're getting bit!" And yes I was! Before I could even grab the rod from the holder, another goliath rainbow was doing his best jumping marlin imitation. In fact, before the fight was over, he had jumped three times! Somehow he didn't spit the hook, and I finally put the net under him.

More whooping and hollering from the beer boys next to me--and with good reason! 6.0 exactly on the portable scale!

When I finally got home, I walked in the door and my wife asked me: "How did you do?" I pretended to look all and depressed. "Not too well," I said, "I only caught three." Then I picked up my fish bag and dumped them in the sink.

You should have seen my wife's eyes--they were as big as saucers! After we had a nice fresh rainbow trout dinner, my wife turned to me and said: "I don't think you should go to Santa Ana River Lakes anymore." Well, sometimes I disagree with her, but this time she was right on the money!
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[klymons]

[cool] Thanks for the kind words. I really love to fish, and I fish anywhere and everywhere, from getting "rocked" by thuggish yellowtail at Catalina, to battling grumpy tilapia at Balboa Park Lake. As for getting photographs, I tried to get my wife to snap my Irvine lunkers, but the camera battery was dead. and we were both too tired to deal with it. I barely had enough strength to clean and eat 'em! Speaking of cleaning, two of the huge rainbows I caught were females, totally packed with roe. What's the best way to cure the roe so you can use it for bait? I know Pro Cure makes a curing solution, but what about homemade methods that are quick and easy. I tried my favorite search engine for some roe recipes, but they all seemed too complicated--only use purified water, wear rubber gloves, use Borax, don't use Borax, do the hokey pokey etc. I know that roe is killer bait. About two years ago I was at Laguna Niguel getting thrashed by the "skunk." The guy next to me kept reaching into his cooler, baiting his hook, and then flipped it out about twenty feet or so. Every cast, he was hooked up within seconds, and limited out very quickly. I asked what he was using, of course, and he said trout roe. As I was admiring his stringer--all three pounds or larger--he asked if I wanted some of his roe. Well, since I pride myself on not being a complete idiot, I said yes. And the rest was history. The trout were taking numbers to get a taste of my roe bait. Within a half hour you could have put a fork in me--I was done! One of the best trout limits I have every caught! So any help with roe curing would be greatly appreciated. As for my next trip, I'm not really sure. Maybe jump on one of those "all sand dabs, all the time" sportfishing boats. . .a return trip to Irvine would be great. . .of course there's always Castaic or Pyramid for stripers--I've got some great trout imitation lures I have yet to try out. . .then there's Piru, which, I've heard, is literally stuffed with trout. . .and I haven't been to the San Gabriel River since the Clinton administration. . .or I could "go local" and visit Bouquet Canyon Creek--great trout fishing but watch out for the poison oak!. . .But. not matter where I go, I will post a detailed fishing report--the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me Izaak Walton! And I will try to get some photos posted. Meanwhile, it's back to work, the fisherman's curse!
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[TubeDude]

I used to live in Sacramento and did a lot of steelhead and salmon fishing. I would freeze the roe in single skeins, in a plastic baggie, from which I squeezed as much air as possible. Don't rinse it in water. Thaw it in the refrigerator a day or so before you want to use it, then cut it into bait sized pieces with a sharp knife or scissors. Spread the pieces on a paper towel and sprinkle a little borax and a little sugar on the roe and let it air dry for an hour or so.

Learn how to tie a "roe loop" on a baitholder hook. Open the loop and then tighten it over the small cluster. You can also use a few wraps of bright red thread to hold the eggs on. Don't try to thread them on the hook. Some guys make up little bags of roe in cheese cloth. I always had better luck letting them hang loose. Big fish gulp them down.

Hope this helps.
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[klymons]

[cool] Tube Dude, thanks for the info! Your recipe is a lot easier to follow than some I found on the internet. Also, have you ever used roe for chum? I don't know whether this is legal or not, but I have seen it done. It seems like a handful of roe tossed out in the water would really "ring the dinner bell" for some hungry trout!
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[TubeDude]

[cool] Always check for the legality, but yes, chumming is usually a good way to draw in fish. I think the effectiveness is sometimes more a matter of scent than actually feeding the fish, although it doesn't hurt to get them used to opening their mouths and scarfing down the same thing you have on your hook.

A trick I learned a long time ago, which brings in the fish and doesn't waste a lot of bait, is to take some of what you are using and squish it up in some small mud balls. You can throw the mud balls farther than small pieces of bait, they sink to the bottom and gradually release the scent into the surrounding water. The fish know there's food in the area, but go crazy looking for it. Of course you make it easy by serving some up on your hook.

This works really well with garlic scent and with anise oil (licorice) too. I sometimes doctor a bottle of salmon eggs with some garlic powder the day before a trip. Then, putting some garlic scent in the spot you will be soaking your bait gets the fish tuned in on it.

If your supply of freah roe is limited, I don't know if I would recommend using it for chum.
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