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Messages - albiec22

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 8
1
Wanted To Buy / Re: WTB: Drift Boat (2-3 person)
« on: February 22, 2024, 12:08:32 PM »
I would check out Bill Kiene's forum....

https://www.billkiene.com/forums/

You can also try calling his fly shop in Sacramento or The Fly Shop in Redding.


2
General Fishing Tips / Re: Fishing in the Rain?
« on: February 19, 2024, 09:44:16 AM »
We went out for a drive Saturday morning to Tracy area to check out the blossoms. They are about another week for peak bloom, but there were a few early bloomers. Simply amazing, we truly are blessed! If this was in Japan or China, there would be thousands of visitors. Here in CA, it was only us. I couldn't even get my teenage sons to get out of the car.  :smt009

Oh yeah, the kayak fishing part. I decided to make the most out of the short weather window and went to Quarry Lakes on Sunday, since it was close and all I wanted was to get out. It was a beautiful morning, sunny and still. Around 1pm, someone turned on the fan and I headed in. Skunked but happy I was able to get on the water.

3
General Fishing Tips / Re: Fishing in the Rain?
« on: February 13, 2024, 10:11:46 PM »
Thanks for the response AlsHobieOutback! Much appreciated. My main goal is to get the wife into some beautiful almond blossoms, the kayak fishing is a just side bonus. Happy wife, happy life.

Happy Valentine's day everyone!

4
General Fishing Tips / Fishing in the Rain?
« on: February 12, 2024, 12:40:07 PM »
Hi everyone,

It's been awhile since I've gone fishing and I finally have time off this coming weekend. Trying to combine an almond blossom cruise with the wife on Sunday with a fishing trip on Saturday. How do the Valley Lakes fish after a rain? I only have experience with Del Valle (terrible after a rain) and San Pablo (okay for worm and PowerBait). No clue on Camanche, Don Pedro, New Melones, etc....

5
CA Regulations / Re: Nonlead Ammunition
« on: January 13, 2024, 09:58:58 AM »
Thanks albiec! I haven't tried the Norma yet, just the CCI and you're right I think I just need to adjust my expectations. It groups tight enough at those 30yd ranges. Do you have any preference between the CCI and the Norma?

I don't have any preference between the two, just use whatever is available on the shelf and sight in your rifle.

Lately, I've been experimenting with handloaded 38spl cartridges with Barnes or Cutting Edge 140grain bullets in a 357mag 18" barrel singleshot rifle on varmints (ground squirrels) to see what works and what doesn't. I've been practicing to get 1" groups at 40 yards, but I also don't want to depend on headshots. If I'm off and it ends up a body shot, I would still like to keep some meat. It's not quite there yet, and it might never, but it's fun to experiment during the winter.

I may end up going down .22 Hornet, but I really like the simplicity of straight-wall cartridges. The next step would be 327, but then I'd have to order a custom barrel.

6
CA Regulations / Re: Nonlead Ammunition
« on: January 13, 2024, 09:45:30 AM »
If anyone has any suggestions for reliable lead-free 22lr let me know! I'm close to giving up and just getting a PCP for small game (as if I could justify the cost).

I dont believe Lead-free applies to rimfire caliber ammo... but I could be wrong....

Lead-free applies to rimfire. The only exception to lead-free are airguns, aka pellet rifles. And the lead-free only applies to hunting. You can use lead at the range or target shooting.

7
CA Regulations / Re: Nonlead Ammunition
« on: January 11, 2024, 08:04:48 PM »
Hi canadianjerkey,

Not sure what you mean by reliable, but I have used Norma Eco-speed and CCI Copper-22. You do have to keep the shots closer, as they don't group well at 100yards. Most of my shots are 30yards or less anyway. I only use lead-free 22lr with a singleshot rifle, it forces me to conserve and really focus on one-shot, one-kill.

Actually, almost all of my hunting is with single-shots....

8
General Fishing Tips / Re: Which line/test for rock fishing?
« on: July 19, 2023, 08:56:16 PM »
Have you tried to break off braid? There are instances where you will get hung up and need to break off. 50lbs braid is strong stuff and you need gloves to break it off. I once had to break off 40lbs braid rockfishing at the Farallones and I decided that 30lbs braid is good enough for me. I will also NEVER use a leader stronger than 20lbs, only because I want the leader to break before the mainline.

To each their own, this is just what I go by.

9
General Talk / Re: Tis the season.
« on: July 19, 2023, 08:42:43 PM »
Did someone say they need my secret carp fishing spots?

Black Butte Reservoir. Launch out of Buckhorn and head west to the North Fork Stony Creek arm. The inlet to the lake feeds into a large mud flat that is 2-3 feet deep. You will find carp cruising that area in the early mornings and afternoons. Sight fish using black wooly buggers or mohair leeches using a 5 weight floating line and make sure you drop the fly 2 feet ahead of the carp. If there is a pod of carp, you want to target the stragglers or tailers towards the end of the pod. That way you have a better chance of multiple hook-ups from the same pod if you are fishing with someone else. This is great practice if you are planning on going bonefishing or snook fishing. Make sure your fly reel has backing, because you will see it. And don't bother hand stripping unless you like line burns! Average carp is 5lbs, biggest I've caught was close to 18lbs. There are 20+lbs in there as well.

There are other places that have mud flats as well, but none are as productive as Black Butte or replicate bonefishing on the flats as well, IMO. Closer to home, Frank's tract is great, but you can't really wade, and the window for sightfishing is small (late fall game when water is clearer).

Say hi if you see me. Almost no one does.... :smt010 :smt044

10
General Talk / Re: Tis the season.
« on: July 19, 2023, 08:22:56 AM »
I'll give up a not-so-secret spot. Moss Landing. You can find sole and sanddabs in less than 100ft of water. Just need to find a spot that is close to the canyon or anywhere the upwelling gets funneled.

11
General Talk / Re: Tis the season.
« on: July 18, 2023, 09:35:05 PM »
Man !

We need to get you on a Hali, Albi.

If nothing else. I would be more than happy to gift you some Hali fillets.

Last year i ran into a herd of mackerel. Included in the hall were also spanish macks. The spanish macks meat was white and they didnt take as much care as the green backs that require constant icing..

LOL! I have caught Halibut before. Just not impressive enough to show people. 32" is my PB Hali. And I've only caught 4 total in more trips than I care to admit. My excuse to the wife is that I'm just going to get fresh air and exercise.  :smt005 TBH, I'd rather flyfish for carp in the shallows of Black Butte or the Delta. Plenty of 10lbers, awesome fight, and everyone is willing to share their secret spots!

The Tug is the Drug!

12
General Talk / Re: Tis the season.
« on: July 18, 2023, 07:11:00 PM »
Petrale and sanddabs are my favorites...

I've been focusing on sanddabs and macs my last few trips to the coast. Plentiful, great tasting, and not a twitch of guilt unlike rockfish. Monterey/Santa Cruz areas have been hammered since June, and I fear HMB will be the same since opener.

No salmon, new rockfish regs, and weird crab population fluctuations (see snow crab in Bering sea) have me appreciating the under-utilized species. Bluegill/redears, crappie (would like to break my PB, see photos section), heck I've even started looking at stocking on bass lures (btw, that market is crazy. $20 for essentially a Zara Spook?!??!) I have 10 flyrods collecting dust, time to get back to what got me started: panfish, trout, bass, stripers. Not to mention catfish, crawdads galore and last but not least carp. Yes, carp, the other other other white meat.

Sorry for threadjacking Bulldog! As others have said, that is an awesome haul! I've never, ever caught a limit of butts, lings or salmon and I've been fishing since I was kid born in the 70's. You guys have put in the time and effort and just rock! I only wanted to give a lot of the new members to reset their expectations and finding new ways to get a tug on the line. After all, just being on the water is a blessing.

14
Hi everyone,

I've been curious about night fishing the delta, but I never got the chance to actually do it. With the heat wave, I was debating going early to HMB for the opener. But then I remembered the zoo the last few years during salmon opener, and that decided it. Got to Tracy by 8pm, still was 90 degrees! By the time I rigged up and launched, it was already dark. I didn't want to navigate the river in the dark, so I went a short distance past Hammer Island into the Old River to find the cove that I had been scoping. With a 6000 lumen spotlight in hand, navigation lights and an LED pole, I made sure I was very visible on the water. Night time is spooky time, and I slowly made my way to the cove. I had a 10lb anchor with me in the bow, along with a small 3lb kayak anchor in the stern. Definitely did not want to drift off into the pumps.

I brought shrimp only this time (forgot the chicken livers, will remember that next time), and I had a hard time keeping bait on the hook. It seems the crawdads are really good at stealing bait. I also need to add a small float to the leader to keep the bait off the bottom, away from the crawdads. All learnings for next time. I pumped my sleeping pad, and got onto the ama. Man, it was comfortable! Like fishing from a hammock! There was a slight breeze to keep the mosquitos at bay, but every time I turned on a light, I was invaded by a thousand bugs. I figured out that if I just had my navigation lights on, the bugs were kept to a minimum while still attracting the bluegill and redear! Note to self, bring a light flyrod and poppers! Next time!

I turned in at midnight, lulled to sleep by chirping crickets and sonorous bullfrogs. It was sooo peaceful, a complete 180 from the daytime when every other minute a red-flaked bass boat blasts by. At around 3am, I was suddenly startled by a flapping and a piercing shriek. I opened my eyes in time to see a great egret soar 6 feet above my head. My first thought was that it was the Delta Ghost come to get me and gave a startled yell. The egret skimmed above the water and landed just beyond my bow. I had to take a few breaths to calm down before I drank some water, checked my bait (gone! Damn crawdads!) and went back to sleep.

I awoke to the sounds of the first bass boat buzzing by at 5am. Once awake, I saw rings surrounding me and again highlighted  to bring a flyrod next time. By the time I made it to launch, I already had 10 bass boats passing me. Packed up and home in time to make breakfast for the family.

No fish, but a great learning experience and an awesome adventure. Next time, I will definitely start earlier. Navigating the delta at night is not fun, and every familiar landmark looks like a capsize about to happen. Will most definitely be bringing a flyrod next time, along with a crawdad trap.

Tightlines and sorry for the long-winded post. I've been lurking for many years and have run into many members either in my yak or in my portabote. This trip was inspired by the adventures of Mr. X. As long as you know your limits, and have safety as a priority, it's OK to challenge yourself every now and then.



15
We went yesterday, didn't see a lot of squid....but caught plenty of sanddabs in 60-70ft of water, which was a nice surprise. Size 4 sabiki's seem to catch everything, squid, macs, sanddabs and smelt in a pinch. BTW, we were targetting macs, no luck.

Anyone know where the macs went? BTW, the fog yesterday was CRAZY. Make sure you bring lights, flagpole, etc. Heard on 68 there was a PB that had some engine issues 10 miles south of HMB and was drifting. Anyone know if the CG got to them?

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