Hobby Sports

Another Pig Redear on a Five Weight.  Weighed just a hair under 2lbs.

Even with wacky weather this past week, Chul and I hit MVL once more before he sets off to the Tahoe area to fish some "real" trout waters.  With rain, overcast and cold weather we were hoping the bass would not be lock jawed.  Theoretically the bass should be still in the three stages of the spawn but given the early warm weather this spring I was not sure if they spawned early and are now finished.  Speaking with the boys at the marina, the bass we still spawning and the bluegill were just beginning. 

I gave Chul the Sage DS2 590-2 I built him and he fished that first with a gurgler.  Armed with my RPLX 10 wt, I started with a monster rattle popper Webb gave me.  The Charleton Reel, I was using was loaded with an ancient shooting head.  So ancient that the running line wasnt even integrated into the head.  This set up sucks.  Do they even still make set ups like this?  I certainly hope not.  I bored rather quickly with the 10 wt, as I usually do when I fish big rods.  So I switched to my recently repaired T&T 5wt.  Ive said it before and I will say it again, I absolutely love this rod.  Going from the 10 to 5 wt was like night and day.  I felt like I was casting air.  After seeing some bass in the shallows Chul switched to his 6 wt and sinking line.

The Days Arsenal.

Chul continued to get short struck until he finally landed a trout sized juvenile bass on an olive clouser.  I had snagged my Gourmet Silverside Minnow fly on some submerged structure thereby losing that fly, so I switched to a lightly dumbell eyed  purple wooley bugger.  Within a few cast I got hit hard.  I yanked him to the surface and it was another monster Redear.  Unlike the last time I caught one here, this one had a prominent red mark behind this gill spot.  This one measured just barely under 2lbs.  Although I come to MVL for the bass, I will never turn down monster panfish.  Both of us would missed a few more hits here in this location until we decided we should move.  The boat was crapping out on us so we had to go back to the marina and get a new one.  Very disappointing.

From then on, the rest of the day it shut down.  Literally.  Hundreds of casts and various flies produced not even a single strike.  The sun was starting to poke out of the clouds by then.  For whatever reason the fish became lock jawed and would follow the fly for a bit but refused to honor us with a take.  We did find two other locations that held monster bass.  I would guess at least 10 lbs maybe bigger.  Its always hard to judge fish size when they are in the water, they always look smaller than they actually are.  Towards the end of the day we did find a bluegill nest with at least 10 huge bluegills in the immediate area.  They were fighting, mating, spawning, or protecting but none wanted to open their damn mouth.  I have no ideal what happened to the water and why it just shut down.  Although the fishing sucked after having to come back to the marina, we at least managed not to get skunked.  We found 2 new locations where some of the monster bass are located.  Chul got to fish his new rod and I managed to fish two of my favorite rods that are now finally back in my arsenal (Sage RPLXi 890-3 and my T&T Helix 5wt S).

Today was an interesting day. This is the first time Ive ever had a miserable carp outing and was not upset about it, well up until I snapped my favorite T&T Helix 5WT SW. Thats the second time Ive busted this rod. The first time I snapped the tip by slamming my clouser at it while fishing Newport Bay with Yosh a few years ago. At least that time I was casting to fish. Today on the other hand I broke it retrieving a plastic bag. A PLASTIC BAG!!!! Up until then I was actually having a good time even though I was not hooking up with any fish.

The carp are spawning and have taken to the tules to mate. They are making quite a ruckus and its very entertaining and quite scary at times when youre not ready for it. Its the same feeling when a quail suddenly flushes at your feet after a long day of seeing no birds. It startles you pretty good. I literally saw 100 carp today. Most were thrashing in the tules. Others were chasing others off. I saw a pod of about 6, shoulder to shoulder causing havoc, splashing water everywhere. The fishing was near impossible. Firstly the wind was out of control. The 5wt was quite the chore to cast. Secondly most fish were in the reeds and the garbage, both natural and man made, in the water was excessive. Youd hook up on something almost every other cast. Its was annoying. Not that it mattered as the fish were all tight lipped and refusing even the most perfectly presented fly. There was one giant thrashing about in the center of the water that probably provided me the best opportunity for a catch. Unfortunately he was bit out of casting distance although that did not stop me from trying to get a fly to him. I got in the water in an attempt to give me better casting room. In doing so the muddy ground started to give and I started sink slowly until my wellington boots started to fill with that nasty ass smelling water. I managed a few casts where actually good ones too but he refused all my offerings before I repositioned myself. He was big, may have been as big or bigger than the 9.5lber I caught just a few days ago.

The carp were pretty tolerant of my presence and not nearly as spooky as usual. In fact I had several near my feet before rushing off. I even had one bump my Wellingtons. Eventually I realized that these fish had no interest in eating so I mentally quite fishing although I did throw a line here and there. That is when I should have stopped. I made one cast and got caught up in a plastic bag. Foolishly I yanked it to shore thereby snapping the tip section. GREAT. I guess its off to Marriotts to send it back to T&T.

Because Ive been busy with work, I havent done much other than that. I was supposed to do some dog work today at Prado but I decided to fish with Ed instead. Ill save the dog training til Friday.



The last time I fished the East Fork, the river was running high and fishing was beyond tough. Although we managed a few, it certainly was probably one of my worst outings there until today. This time the river was low, making wading a breeze. Unfortunately the water was milky and once I waded through it, I noticed that the floor was completely covered in silt. Looking at that water I commented to Ed that we ought to be fishing for lake trout. It honestly looked like glacial river water. I figured the fishing was going to be poor. I managed several dinks on my first several casts. Perhaps it was not going to be that bad after all. The first hour fishing was not difficult, the river fished as I always remember it. Fish were where they were supposed to be and they came up to take a perfectly placed dry. One thing though is holes, pockets or any "fishy" water would only produce a trout or two at most before that hole died. Normally these areas would produce at least a dozen rises.



About an hour fishing, the fishing essentially stopped. Trout would rarely rise to a dry. In fact I managed only a few after that. Ed commented how warm the water was, I had a hard time differentiating as its been some time since Ive been on the water. This most have been the culprit. Ed managed more than me during this time as he fished wet and subsurface. I refuse to do so on this piece of water.





All in all I caught somewhere in the teens mostly all within the first hour. All were dinks. None had any vibrant coloration as the ones Ive caught in the past. All were faded. I asked Ed and he said the same was true with his fish.



Although I enjoy anytime on the water, today was a bit of a joke. I have never worked so hard to get fish at the San Gab before, I was a bit discouraged. I eventually quit really fishing after a while and mostly watched Ed fish and threw my line only once in a while. Disappointing. Too bad, I guess thats fishing.



Found this at the parking lot. What the hell?

Japan- Suzuki, Yamame, Iwana, Ame-masu, Salmon

After quitting trying to acquire tickets for Barrett Lake this season, I managed to purchase one on the secondary market for today.  Ive been waiting for this day all season and not even jamming a hook all the way to the bend in my thumb the night before wouldnt deter me from enjoying this trip. We left my house just after 11:30 Saturday night and with a portion of the freeway closed to just one lane our trip to the gate took more time than expected.  With Ed about to pass out, I took over driving duties until we reached Alpine.  We made it to the gate at about 2am where we slept in the truck until they opened the gate at 5.  We were let into the property at 4:30 and we drove to the marina to retrieve our boat.  What would be normally an epic day at any other bass lake, is just a so-so day at Barrett Lake. Water levels are down and the Department of Water is continually releasing water. In all Eds years fishing this lake, he had never seen it this low. 
With our rods rigged, we headed to our go-to starting spot.  As the sun slowly began to rise we threw poppers with our 6 weights.  Ed with his Sage RPLXi with a Hair popper, myself with my Sage TCR and a Lazy Mans diver.  We both missed our strikes.  I managed to have the fish on only briefly before it cam unglued.  Once the the sun peaked over the mountains, we switched to sinking lines.  Ed was the first to switch to his 96" Sage TCR 6 weight with a 250 SA Streamer Express line with a chartreuse clouser.  I fished my favorite rod, the T&T Helix 5 weight SW with a RIO 24ft DC 150 grain line and a Crystal purple bugger.  As what seems to be our typical outing Ed connected with the first few fish, all bass, in the 2 pound range.  I connected with some palm sized bluegills.  Once a slight breeze started, bass began boiling around our boat.  Not wanting to miss the action we choose not to switch back to our top water rigs.  I casted directing into the boil and connected with my first two pounder of the day.   This action lasted for on and off throughout the morning. 

These interesting videos are from Tenkara USA about Japanese fly fishing originating hundreds of years ago. Even Joan Wulff gets in the action.

Ive waited months to finally board Eds boat.   We took it out to Irvine Lake in the hopes of slaying some bass.  The last time he and his son came during the spring, they slayed them.  His son even managed a 4 pounder.  Although young Kyle did not get any fish today at least he was able to see a bald eagle flying overhead.  We didnt start fishing until about nine.  Ed and his son fished gear as it was easier for three people to fish but moreover it was more convenient since his son needed a lot of help.  The lake was calm and the water clear.  Surprising given all the recent heat.  The morning was filled with missed opportunities.   Strikes were delicate and once you detected something amiss it was too late to set the hook.  I started with the ubiquitous purple crystal bugger but with no success I swapped it for a ASS fly.  As the sun began to cook us, we drifted along a treeline and I finally was able to hook up on a 1.5 pound bass.  This would prove to be the only fish for the day.  Throughout the day I switched from my T&T 5weight to my Sage XP 8 weight.  With the larger rod I tried various large patterns including a new crayfish pattern Ive been tying up lately but no fish was willing to be the first one hooked up on that fly.  Unlike my other trip on another buddys boat, we had no significant issue with the craft.  It nice to be on a proper boat with a trolling motor, fish finder and comfortable seats unlike most rental boats Im used to fishing out of. 

My coffin.  The Bibler Bivy

Sleeping in a bivy sucks.  Being partially claustrophobic doesnt help any either.  Add to that a slightly angled floor and you have a recipe for a rather sleepless night.  Throughout the night I woke up every few hours.    I choose to take the bivy to save weight and since it was going to be only one night I would just put up with the hassle. 

According to The Weather Channel the nightly temps were to be in the mid 50s.  While it was probably that warm around midnight, it was much cooler once the night progressed.  Chul had just brought a silk sack liner to save weight, and before I was envious since I had brought my Marmot down bag.  I had thought about buying just a silk sack before the trip and decided against it, Im glad I did.  We woke just before 6am to a very brisk morning and made breakfast.  I found some just add instant chili soup in its own cup at Ralphs and had that for breakfast.  It was not good.  Its funny, in the wild food always taste better.  It must be the fresh air and maybe your sense are then heightened.  But if food doesnt taste good out there then it must be really crappy.  I managed to make it somewhat edible by putting in some Italian rosemary flat bread I had picked up at the Claros Italian market when I picked up the salami.  They had cup-o-noodles and some random food as well.  I think both our meals sucked.  After our meal, I headed down to the water to fill every ones canteens.  I took my fly rod with me.  I casted to the pool Chul had landed his 14 incher and caught a 6-7 incher on the first cast.  No other fish wanted to take.  So I began filtering the water when they came down and asked if I wanted to start fishing or hike the trail to move upstream.  We chose to take the trail.

The Forest Moon of Endor.  Where are the Ewoks?

The goal was to reach the confluence, once we reached it we took the tributary to the right.  We fished the first few pools without a single take.  We moved on and found the area had been beat up pretty good.  Trees, limbs were fallen all over and the water was low.  After hiking no more than a quarter mile we decided to head out and hit the other water.    This side looked much better.  There were several pools along the way, many of them deep and holding several fish.  I was hooking on to a lot of dinks cast after cast.  It was like fishing the West Fork were each pool would produce 20 or more dinks.  After seeing Erica not catching any fish in a big pool.  I gave her mine and told her shell get a bunch of dinks out of there.  And she did.    Chul was on a pool up ahead and I saw him land a good fish in the 9-10 inch range.  He gave me that hole and just like the one I gave Erica this one kept producing nonstop dinks, so I gave it to Erica and it continued to produce for her.  I continued upstream to a beautiful huge deep hole that I lost a killer fish when my knot slipped.By this time Chul and Erica had made it to this hole and the whole had a enough room for all of us to cast.  On Erikas first cast she manage a quality fish.  I told her if it has my fly in its mouth I want it back.  But it wasnt the same fish.  I really wanted that fly back, a Skwala stonefly pattern since I only had one.

We continued to move on catching fish along the way.  Erika was working a pool with two large fish.  Chul and I were trying to spot for her but none of the two wanted to take.  I left them and reached the huge waterfall with a huge plunge pool beneath it.  I called Chul to get his ass up here and I managed a solid 10-11 incher on my foam ant.  I caught several more in that range here.  Chul had spotted a monster, probably 16 inches in there and missed him when it struck his fly.  He did manage some fish out of here before the pool died.  After that he tied on a streamer nymph and I decided to get crazy and tie a mini mouse pattern to try and entice that beast to take.  No such luck.  We decided to take lunch there and let the poole reset.  I sat eating my rosemary flat bread and salami on a huge boulder overlooking the pool.  In time the fish began rising again as a small BWO was going on.  I told Chul and I retied a size 10 Monkey Bum emerger I read about in a old issue of FlyLife I have on the coffee table the other day.  A fish took, a good one, but not likely the one Chul had chase his fly.   It was JUST another 11 incher.  Man, we are getting spoiled lately if a 11 incher is JUST a fish.   On most of our local watersheds most people would give their left nut for a 11 incher.  The beast would not take again this day so we moved back out of this section of water as it dead end here.

My last fish of the day.

We continued to fishing but at least for me the fishing slowed considerably.  It may have been due to the fact we were moving downstream now and the fish were spotting us or that the heat was picking up and the fish were hunkering down in the shadows and undercuts.  Who knows.  The takes that did happen were soft sips and if you were too fast or too slow to set the hook youd miss the fish.  We were making our way back to camp and I missed several good fish including one that Chul has missed on every visit here.  We reached the pool that had the 14 incher and I casted my fly in there again.  I had a very good fish chase only to look away once it swam near.  Chul though that may have been the pig he landed yesterday.  He wouldnt show his face again.   So I moved on to other pool that I caught the solid fish yesterday.  The dinks were aggressive in this pool but most were too small to hook onto my size 10 fly.  I finally managed to get one on, it was a good his but not the same one I landed yesterday.  But nonetheless it was a good fish to end the day with.  I moved down where Erika was working a small pool that she and Chul saw a 14 incher.  the fish would  not take even though it would show himself from time to time.  Erika named him Fred and we decided to load up on water before heading out.

I was fortunate to receive an invitation to fish Mission Viejo Lake this morning. Since only members of the Mission Viejo Association are permitted use of this lake, I am lucky to know a member. The lake has been stocked recently with rainbow trout from Nebraska Tailwalkers. Chul calls them ghetto steelhead, they are large shouldered fish with tiny heads. Although the lake has been stocked with them, my interest laid elsewhere. In particular the monster bass that live there. For years I have read about 8 to 16 lbs bass being pulled out of the lake. This was my focus. I could care less about stockers. I wanted my chance at a big bass or any bass for that matter.

Chul has fished here since he was young but has never caught a bass on a fly rod. To my recollection one of my first ever fish on a fly rod was a bass. I, for one, have always had a love/hate relationship with bass. I love the way they fight. I love the predictability of them. I love their never quit attitude. But I hate the ugly environments they live in. I hate the hot climates they are found in. I hate dirty water. Given all this I still love catching bass on a fly rod. In Southern California, unless you have a deep sea boat, the best fishing is for bass. So I go after them.

We began fishing just past 8AM. The lake is pretty clear and we spotted a few I the shallows. There were no takers in the morning. In one of the coves we saw a pair of monsters, at least 8 lbs but could have easily been much more. I casted to them but they didnt even consider my offerings. I started with the Scott S3S 7WT with a purple Burks V-worm then to a Foam Rabbit Tail fly. Eventually I tired of casting the big rod and moved to my favorite T&T Helix 5WT SW with the ASS fly and then Rattle Shad. I got a couple bumps but no serious takes. I switched to a purple bunny leech and fished that the rest of the day. Chul fished one of my propellor clousers and later switched flies. He managed his first bass on a fly rod on his 6 WT with a small black wooly bugger. In the same cove I had a serious take that bent the rod pretty good. Unfortunately Chul was maneuvering the boat at the time and I could get a good hook set as we were moving in a circle. The next cove over I did manage to set another bass. It was smaller and I managed to get to the boat before it went unglued. Afterwards I had several bites but was too slow to set the hook. The action all started after the sun peaked out of the clouds and heated the waters.

We fished until 2PM, about 5 or 6 hours and it only cost us $25. For a guy who has paid around $100 to fish Barrett and Newport Bay, MVL was a bargain. I look forward to hitting this place up again now that I have a little better idea on what I should expect.

With the bird season over, Ive been thinking of fly fishing particularly Japanese trout species. These fish are absolutely gorgeous. One day.

Absolutely an amazing video. Its no wonder this film won the Drake Magazine film contest. You got to love fish so big they no longer take insects and survive on meat.

Called Up From the Bench, Ghetto Steelhead, Missed hits, Monster Bluegill and Ass Rapings


Monster 2 Pound Bluegill (*Edit* This is actually a Redear not a Bluegill as previously thought)

With rain forecasted this weekend, Chul and I hit Mission Viejo Lake one more time.  After the last visit and armed with a little more knowledge, I was amped up to head out there.  Our original intention was to fish it yesterday but since it was a trout plant day, the lake was closed to fishing.

So we came today.  I am still convinced I can get one of those lunker bass that live here.  With that thought in mind I called up from the bench some old rods that have been collecting dust in the corner.  I brought my Sage RPLXI 9wt that has been fished so rarely that the cork handle is still clean.  I also brought, since breaking my favorite T&T 5wt, my Sage XP 5wt that I built years ago.  My game plan was to fish the big rod with my big articulated trout fly until I either caught a fish or became tired of casting the big rod.

"Ghetto Steelhead"

Chul was the first to hook up with a basszilla fly on his Sage 6wt.  To his surprise, it turned out to be a stocker trout.  It hit his fly hard and gave him many head shakes.  These are Nebraska Tailwaters and Chul affectionately refers to them as ghetto steelhead.  I was surprised how well it fought and how nicely formed the fins were.  Coloration was nice too.  These are not your typical DFG stockers that lie down and die when you hook them.  The fish was probably 18 inches or more and was rather fat and healthy.  It was a nice fish for a stocker.


We made into one cove where we were being thrown around like a rag doll by the wind.   With a purple wooly bugger I threw toward the middle of the cove and managed to get a fish.  I retrieved him toward the boat and noticed it to be a juvenile bass.  It popped off just before I tried to lip it.   I continued to cast in the middle of the cove and my line just stopped.  Initially I thought I sagged some submerged structure but then the line began moving.  The fish ran from the front of the boat and circled to the back going clockwise from the 12 oclock position to the 8 oclock position.  I was shocked to see it was a huge bluegill.  Due to its size, Chul initially thought it was a crappie when it was in the water.  I could not see it from my position but when I finally landed it, I was shocked.  This is the biggest bluegill Ive ever seen live.  I put him on the boga and he measured at 2 pounds.

I Roll Bandido-Style In Search of Big George

While fishing this cove a fisherman on the docks was telling us abut how he caught his trout and strung it up on his canoe, Big George, a 20 pound bass and his almost as large partner (the ones Chul and I saw last time) came up and hit his strung up trout.  I told him that is where Big George lives, we saw him last time.  His trout was at least 2 pounds.  Maybe I need to start casting even larger flies.  Maybe I should rig up some of those Marlin tube flies in a rainbow trout pattern.  We continued to fish here, though the wind was pushing the boat around.  I casted out and noticed my fly line was knotted up.  As I was fixing it my fly was hit hard.  Real hard.  I missed him as my hands were occupied and had no time to react.

Eventually we left this cove to head off to the other side of the lake.  There Chul managed a juvenile bass similar to the one I lost at the boat.  Here we were somewhat protected from the wind and casting and trolling the boat was much more manageable.  The fishing seemed to die after we left this cove.  We left at 5pm and called it a day.  It was not bad for a few hours of fishing. 

Chul with a Juvenile Bass

This Must Be What It Feels Like to be Ass Raped