Lake Wohlford 2/6
When I was at Laguna Beach fishing for bass this past Friday 1/30, as stated, there was no swell and you could walk way out as far on the rocks as you wanted without the worry of being washed off or even getting splashed by waves.
At Dangerous Dan Point I could access platforms I have never fished before. There, one particularly large tide pool contained several six- to ten-inch opaleye swimming around. I tried to take an underwater picture of them but they managed to elude the lens by ducking behind rocks.
Golly darn I wish I hadn't seen that... now I'm thinking I should take a bucket of green bait there on Sunday 2/15, as long as the swell is down. You can see from the overhead map a boulder-strewn area of sea bottom from shore to the first big rock, just like opaleye prefer.
Meanwhile, I was reading the Lake Poway trout stocking schedule and saw they are to put in an extra 1,000 pounds over the regular 1,500 from Nebraska on Thursday, February 5, to ready the impoundment for a youth fishing derby on Saturday the 7th. I figured I could fork over the $11 to park and fish on Friday the 6th, when the fish will be acclimated enough to eagerly bite and there would be less chance of a heard of screamers stampeding around.
This morning at six the gate to the lake was open, however the bait shack where you purchase permits was not. I thought, well, the hours of operation here are from sunrise to sunset, maybe it isn’t exactly sunrise yet. Too eerie was the empty parking lot. The specter of a little rain shouldn’t keep most anglers away from a fresh stock of three to eight pound trout.
As I sauntered back to the truck, Ranger Rick approached. I said howdy, did we get our fish stock yesterday? Enthusiastically Rick replied, yes we did. I looked around and asked, where is everybody? The lake is closed to fishing today, he stated sternly. Why is that? We’re getting the lake ready for the youth derby tomorrow, you can’t fish today. Melancholily I blurted, okay, see ya, and got out of Dodge before an embarrassing fit of burgeoning rage was released from within.
That was a pisser, poor little me, I drove for an hour in the rain for nothing. Seemed like I read the whole o-fish-al website yesterday, seeing not one thing about today’s closure. Driving off I pondered, now what?
About the only other happening close by is good ol’ Lake Wohlford, which also was supposed to have received a 1,500-pound load of Nebraskians yesterday. I inquired with the nice lady at the Wohlford Café; she indicated they were indeed planted 24 hours ago, right on schedule. I purchased the now $7 permit and was on my way.
To the boat dock area across the street and veering left, I set up my PowerBait rig at the first point, then commenced the flinging of the Rapala rainbow trout X-Rap. I picked this spot for the fact they dump the fish into the lake at the boat ramp, which is only 100 yards away. Surely many of the new inhabitants will be near.
Damit, I just snagged my $8 lure and had to break it off. I retied with another Rapala, a broken-back floater in rainbow trout. Five casts later the improbable happened when the lure I lost miraculously floated to my feet for the easytrieve. That never happens.
Soon the misty air turned squall at an angle that was in your face as you looked out over the lake. Thirty minutes of casting my lure into that had me packing up for the Oakvale side, where at least the wind would be at my back.
There, I set up camp at lake’s edge below the eagle tree from last week. Yup, they’re still here and looking awfully bored. My lure casts now fly farther but nothing is hitting. My PowerBait is soaking but nothing is biting.
An hour later, around nine, a dude shows up at the shallow point area where Chuck and I started fishing last week. He cast two rods with bait and pulled up a seat. About fifteen minutes later he jumped up, fought and reeled in a big fat trout. I said, well then, at least there’s hope.
In a driving rain, I tried casting my bait rig as far out as possible, close in and midway out; nothing bit by noon. No hits were detected on the lure.
But bro over there cranked in another one on his bait rig right in front of another pair of fishless anglers who showed up around the same time. He wasn’t using light line either. As soon as the fish was at his feet he was able to lift the three or four pound fish out of the water and bounce it on the wet sand.
Not thirty minutes later he was on to another of the same size, which he added to his chain stringer.
Now I know how it feels, as in the old days I would be that guy, the one who catches all the fish right in front of everyone. Apparently those skills I possess no longer.
I should have paid Homer a visit to inquire what the big bait secret is but I was too tired, wet, cold and bitchy to be good company. All I wanted to do was go home and crank up some rock ‘n’ roll to get happy again.
I finally found a small news item on the left side of the City of Poway website concerning the youth derby, where it said Friday is closed. DOH!
*****
Surfers reporting more shark sightings
Rare sea lion spotted outside Newport Harbor
Group to sink steel hull kelp cutter off Catalina dive park