Wind: E @ 10 then NE @ 15-20
Tide: Good Outgoing
Water Temp: 70 deg F
Water Clarity: Stained
Waded some flats in East Bay yesterday morning with a friend of mine. We were in the water by 6:45a, greeted by overcast skies, a light drizzle, and an approaching front.
I started throwing a Day-Glow Corky Fat Boy and he threw a chartreuse Catch 2000. By the third cast, he was hooked up with a solid 19" trout.
After another 20-30 minutes of fan casting in the area without a bite, I switched to a pink/silver Catch 2000 and made my way down the shoreline. After walking about 50 yards, I saw some bait flip and immediately got a hit. I set the hook and fought the fish for a bit before it came off... felt solid... at least 20"+.
The next cast, I slowed down and concentrated on my presentation... twitch, pause, twitch, pause, twitch, pau... "THUMP". This time I didn't rush my hookset. Similar to a top water strike, I waited to set the hook until I felt the weight of the fish.
When I did set the hook, she came to the surface, swirled, and took off running. I've caught my share of 23-25" trout but this one was different. My rod tip danced with the familiar "trout" head shake but I had my doubts because it had the strength of a red.
The next 5 minutes seemed like an eternity. After several runs, I finally got a chance to see her... it was a trout... a big trout.
I eased her in the net and called my buddy over.
I'm 6'5" and I was barely able to get my hand around this hefty fish. I held her up to the rod ruler and she measured 28".... beating my personal best by 1.5".
As luck would have it, I left my waterproof camera in the boat and so did my friend. Instead of taking a chance of killing the fish, we took one more look and let her go.
We didn't get another bite on that flat. We chased birds until the front arrived at 10a then fished some protected water till noon. Finished the day with a nice box of 16-20" trout and a 25" red but that pales in comparison to the way my morning started.
Tight lines....
Tide: Good Outgoing
Water Temp: 70 deg F
Water Clarity: Stained
Waded some flats in East Bay yesterday morning with a friend of mine. We were in the water by 6:45a, greeted by overcast skies, a light drizzle, and an approaching front.
I started throwing a Day-Glow Corky Fat Boy and he threw a chartreuse Catch 2000. By the third cast, he was hooked up with a solid 19" trout.
After another 20-30 minutes of fan casting in the area without a bite, I switched to a pink/silver Catch 2000 and made my way down the shoreline. After walking about 50 yards, I saw some bait flip and immediately got a hit. I set the hook and fought the fish for a bit before it came off... felt solid... at least 20"+.
The next cast, I slowed down and concentrated on my presentation... twitch, pause, twitch, pause, twitch, pau... "THUMP". This time I didn't rush my hookset. Similar to a top water strike, I waited to set the hook until I felt the weight of the fish.
When I did set the hook, she came to the surface, swirled, and took off running. I've caught my share of 23-25" trout but this one was different. My rod tip danced with the familiar "trout" head shake but I had my doubts because it had the strength of a red.
The next 5 minutes seemed like an eternity. After several runs, I finally got a chance to see her... it was a trout... a big trout.
I eased her in the net and called my buddy over.
I'm 6'5" and I was barely able to get my hand around this hefty fish. I held her up to the rod ruler and she measured 28".... beating my personal best by 1.5".
As luck would have it, I left my waterproof camera in the boat and so did my friend. Instead of taking a chance of killing the fish, we took one more look and let her go.
We didn't get another bite on that flat. We chased birds until the front arrived at 10a then fished some protected water till noon. Finished the day with a nice box of 16-20" trout and a 25" red but that pales in comparison to the way my morning started.
Tight lines....
Comment