Ch-ch-ch-chilly at mendo

I went to Mendo today with my neighbor and the kid.  The weather was horrible.  Cold with 15-25 mph wind, lots of chop and whitecaps.  Even better it was warm at the house so we ended up being seriously under dressed.  We said what the heck and hit the water anyways.  Since no one else was as stupid as us, we had the lake to our self.



I put Chris in the bow of a tandem and my neighbor took my eX. We ran across the lake to seek shelter behind the campground penisula.  We found a pocket of calm water.  Before we even get the bait all the way in the water my neighbor hooks a nice smallmouth.  This turns out to be a good omen.

We troll a few more minutes and my neighbor get drilled.  This striper makes a number of runs and tows him around before giving up.  Nice 8# unit.  Two fish in a few minutes!



I saw fish busting off in the distance, but when we got ther it was too late.  We also ended chasing them into a real shallow area.  We turn around and my neighbor gets bit AGAIN!  This time its a dinky striper.  A bit later my son gets whacked but it pops off almost instantly.


We start trolling again and Chris get stuck.  He set the hook HARD (poor fishy) and he lands this one.  A gamey, but crusty largemouth.



A bit later my neighbor goes off again and this fish goes nuts.  His line is getting peeled way out there.  I thought he had a real toad, but it turned out just to be a real strong 10# striper.


We fish a bit longer and Chris finally gets a striper on the next to the last bait.  This one runs right for a bouy, so I ran it down while he cranked in line.  It saw the boat and made some runs before we landed it.  I was starting to think the tandem was jinxed.




It was getting colder and windier, so we called it good. We paddled back and it was one hell of a struggle to get to the car...but worth it!  I can't believe this bite is still going, it should have ended a month ago

It's a good day when you get outfished by your son! Did you even have bait in the water??  

I didn't have a line in.  When we do the tandem thing I paddle and he fishes.  He is a great fisherman, but with two lines out it can get ugly.  Besides, he loves the attention of a guided trip with dad.  
I brought a top water rod, but it never left the rod holder.

Looks like an exciting day with the wind blowing and the fishing turned on.  I've always enjoyed a good brisk day on the water.  

It is amazing that the stripers are still biting, or your just becoming the
Sensei of Lake Mendo.

Looks like an exciting day with the wind blowing and the fishing turned on.  I've always enjoyed a good brisk day on the water.  

It is amazing that the stripers are still biting, or your just becoming the
Sensei of Lake Mendo.

Great pics Sean! I'd like to head up there again but our friend Erik has got me addicted to Sturgeon fishing

I'd like to get just one keeper sturgeon before I get back into fishing for anything else.....this will be a great incentive for me   after all, I love casting compared to any other method of fishing  

Joel-I don't blame you, sturgies look fun.  They are on my list too.

jd-I don't know about being a sensei, but I definitley learned a lot this year about catching these in a variety of conditions  and extending my season.  I think it has more to do with spending too much time on the yak.

Sean - what camera do you use? Looking into getting one myself.

 

Joel-After my old Sony died I bought a Pentax 43WR.  It is a 4.0 mp water resistant digi. You can't take underwater pics but it can get seriously wet.  I keep it in the pocket of my PFD and it has taken hard shots from the surf etc., and so far so good. I just GENTLY rinse it under the sink when I get home.

I generally have it set on medium settings to keep the file size reasonable.  Pics have been great.  It isn't a budget unit though, but if you look around online you can find pretty good deals.  It also eats double AA batteries like I eat sashimi-both get expensive!

Sean, have you tried using any of the rechargeable AA's designed for digital devices?

I use'em for my FF and they've saved me a bundle.

I know what you mean about sashimi.  Eating at good sushi joints is one my most expensive habits too.

Chuck-I haven't gotten any rechargables yet, but I need to.  It seems like it would pay for itself quickly.  

I had a big party at the house last night for Leah's b-day.  Sush for 15 people...ouch!  But it was damn tasty.  My daughter love sashimi more than me.  She could break the bank eating yellowtail.  Hard to believe that there is GREAT sushi in Ukiah...just glad Yoshiki decided to move here.

speaking of Sushi...if you guys ever find yourself in the South San Francisco area...look up Yoko's. The Sushi Man's name is Nelson (owner). I used to work with him behind the sushi bar. Good stuff!  

When the Linda Mar Salmon was hot - I gave him some salmon for some unagi maki and maguro sashimi (over rice).....ooouuuhh yeah  

There is no better love than to be "in" with the sushi chef!  Yoshiki takes good care of me, and in turn the seafood fairy visits him occassionally.