Coast Guard 9/9

[keithm87]

Headed out of coast guard yesterday with my buddy vinny and a coworker. As is always my luck it was the typical constant disaster, which started 1.5 miles from my house at 5:45 when a deer decided that it had been through enough and needed to end its life. With absolutely no warning until it was far too late, the truck barreled into it at 50+mph boat in tow. I stopped to assess the damage, which just happened to be ALL of the parts I just replaced 2 months ago from a different front end impact. Checked on the deer, and it was well past dead. With Vinny meeting me at 630 in waterbury I hopped in the truck and kept on the way. We got to the launch to meet my coworker, 2 minutes late for the planned arrival (all in all not terrible given the circumstance) my boat windshield had deer fur all over it, which I found impressive. We headed from the launch at 7:15.

4C90789E-9BBA-47E9-BF7F-D22B90D38755.png (507.32 KiB) Viewed 1672 times

DF81AF4D-36CA-47F6-A6EE-80CDCE1A7A6D.jpeg (233.88 KiB) Viewed 1672 times

The wind was cranking from the east at that point, but the waves were not very big, and as they say wind from the east fish bite the most... right? nope its least... We got out to my favorite area and got gear set, which went smooth, and trolled around the hump a couple of times. Sure Strike was out there as well but they were doing their normal route (hump area north along the appletree bay shoal, back south out in the deeper water) couldn't tell if they were on them, but we were NOT. Took us an hour + to get the first release, and that was a bump and run. finally around 9 we had the first fish on the line, and my coworker brought in a nice 8ish lb laker. another pass through the same area got us a second fish, in the 6lb class it INHALED a brown trout speedy down to the 3rd gill, and will be going in Vinny's smoker. After that it died in that area we were marking more fish and bait than I can ever recall all over the column, but there was no real hard thermocline (65 at surface, 64 down 70 61 at 80 and 58 at 90) I don't fish over 90ft down, not because I can't but because I feel like its not worth it, with the risk to the fish.

With the wind picking up we headed south toward juniper, and got 2 releases along the way, both bump and runs. As we came toward the shoal north of juniper, we got our 3rd fish. We were still marking a ton of bait, but out in the deep water to the west, there were seagulls and cormorants gallore, the gulls were dive bombing and gorging. there was bait everywhere down 50 or so, but with the gulls eating we decided to head towards them to see what they were feeding on. I pulled up a rigger to change a giant spoon to something more salmon friendly, and the swivel on the big jon pulley gave way. Perfect! Just what we needed with the waves picking up. I carry a spare pulley and swivel, but with the waves getting the old one off and not slicing my finger off was a struggle. eventually I got it off and the new one on. We got to where the birds were and found bait stacked from the surface to 50 feet down, but had no luck in a couple quick passes.

We moved back in and finally found some active fish in the basin just south of dunder and juniper. We ended up picking up 10 more fish in that area with about 15 releases before calling it a day at around 3. I also hooked and lost what was the biggest fish I have ever hooked (might have just been the hardest fighting) Fishing my classic spin glow setup, the rod fired, and it was immediately taking out drag, I got to it and hammer set the hook, the rod was making a U and after 2 minutes of gaining 0 ground on the fish, despite tightening the drag and trying to hoss it it came off. Not sure how big it was, but I think it must have been champ! Total for the day was 13 landed, 8-9 missed. Lure of the day by far was the spin n glo, rerigged to run behind an 8 inch Yeck Dodger (up from my 6 inch luhr jensen I have run for 2 years). fish were all caught 70-90, most right around 90, over 100-125.

Oh and the water fleas are out in force bad!

853067F5-3B9B-4A69-89A4-5CC5D38A6249.jpeg (151.37 KiB) Viewed 1672 times

[Gecha (Gerry)]

Always an adventure when you go fishing.
Glad no one got hurt (except the deer).

[fishy1]

wow a deer run into your pickup to start the day. ugh. a good report and pics dont like those fleas as my nephew came in early down here thick with them and they almost stopped the boat. he is considering putting the boat up for winter already. every so often you will hook into champ out there i know i have and call them ghost as you know like the catfish i been chasing for a few years that always finds a way to escape. in the fathers day derby in 2016 trolling in wesport area a rod fire with my tournament spin n glow on it and my freind could not budge it down 92 feet. 2 miles later we think he got it up to about 25 feet finally and started its head bobbing and shook lose. you will get him next time.

[riddlervt]

Wow, sounds like an adventure! But you hung in there and caught fish.....
Did you keep the deer? Probably hamburg at 50MPH.....
Good read
Riddler

[keithm87]

No I was headed fishing. I called a buddy to go make sure it was dead and dispatch if needed (wasn't moving when I looked at it) he said it looked like it had bled a fair bit out the mouth, and that of course meant that it would have hemorrhaged internally as well, so meat would have been destroyed. He works for vtrans so I believe he took it to wherever they take roadkill.

[Bulldogbish]

That one you couldnt move will make you want to hit it again soon. Good job! And sorry about the damage to the truck. Hate seeing deer go that way, broadheads and bullets are much better!

[Reelax]

Wow,Keith, great read... you need to collect your reports for a book. It would be hilarious...

[keithm87]

They all seem funnier after the fact, but at the time of when I’m holding a thin steel cable pulling a 12 lb ball 100 feet down barehanded, or pulled over on the side of the road examining a dead deer, or swimming to shore in 33 degree water they all seem a little less funny, but it does seem like I have a lot of funny mishaps in hindsight!

[dipsydiver]

I always keep a pair of work gloves on the boat for handling cables.

[ThreeBuoys]

I will comment and attest to the Fleas......they suck.

[digitroll (ron)]

I was out for 4 hours yesterday and we cleaned gobs and gobs of fleas off the Lite Bites and the rigger rods. It's now as bad as Ontario.

[keithm87]

Yeah the slide diver was the worst for me. I run 30lb big game mainline on my rigger rods so they were not bad, but that gob in the picture was on the lite bite. So bad I couldnt even reel it in. Going to have to make a flea file like they use out there on Ontario

[tmcaul]

Fished Friday late afternoon in Converse. A few fleas. Fished this morning out of Coast Guard and there were lots of them. 2-3' rollers, pretty good wind, and those dang fleas made today a very frustrating outing.

Tom

[ThreeBuoys]

I was only out for maybe 2 hours and I just got way too frustrated with the fleas.
Called it a day. How is the launch at Coast Guard? I have my boat in the water most of the year, but pulled it out yesterday at the Malletts launch. As I was coming in in got below 2 feet (1.8 -1.7 ft) but got a little deeper right at the launch. (2.0 -2.1). I'm guessing Converse is about the same?

[keithm87]

coast guard is good to go. Always deep enough and generally pretty low traffic. Only issue there is the harbor. There was a concert saturday, and there were boats anchored almost blocking the entrance to the launch area.