Combo Trip Report 3/17

Got to the Lake at Sunrise and it was blowing, sheep everywhere, visability was good but it was tough trolling.Trolled across the dam with 3' waves breaking over the bow got a small steelie 13" and a smallie. Trolled north against the wind to my goto spot just past it my rod get buried and the fish is jumping like crazy as I'm trying to get the rod out of the holder get it out strong fish running for the bottom then he turns to the boat and with the wind I reel like crazy but can't keep up and by the time I get the slack out he is gone . Troll that spot for another hour for another small steelie and another smallie. Then I shoot up the Warm Springs arm and the wind is blowing there too, troll up to the water ski area for a couple more smallies and a dink LMB.Stop in a cove to eat lunch and soak a couple Secret Agents but even there I'm drifting pretty fast and keep hanging up. So I give it up and troll back to the ramp for a couple of drivebys, I was not seeing any bait all day but on the way back just off the Marina I spot a huge school sitting at 100'.

Get up to the cabin and met up with John(Bird) and Naoaki and we fish the river pretty hard for a few smolts. Damn wind followed me there we were going to do a drift then pull back to the cabin but with the wind we just paddled back up river. My first river trip with Naoaki with no drama, he had an adult jumping right in front of him but he wasn't biting. I was just upstream from John and Naoaki when we witnessed  some spectacular thievery unbelievably unreal but I will let Bird comment on this as it is his specialty. This one event made the whole day worth it.

Steelhead Fishing is almost over in my section or river but Sonoma is almost readty to go off I can't wait life is great.
Sorry Adam left the Cam in the car at the lake here is a shot of the River.
 

Sounds like a productive day at the lake - way to tough out the wind.  Combo days are cool!   

Thanks for the report.

Im going to have to add Mickfish Mondays to my schedule and rip that lake a new one with you. I used to drive up the night before and crash in the truck in front of the gate at Yorty Creek.

I was at sonoma too.. put in at yorty at around 11... visibility still leaves something to be desired, but at least I was out of the wind... I didnt fish very long, maybe just 2-3 hours, with limited results.  The water is still too murky, and a too cold.  Saw a half dozen others fishing, but no one had much luck.  I agree though, it is coming soon...

Glad to hear no Naoki dumpings. Hey Mike let me know the next time your going out at the lake and i'll try to meet you. this week sucks but soon...very soon.

Thanks Mike for a fun afternoon.  Naoaki, good meeting you and look forward to fishing next time.  Good company, a bit windy, but always sweet to be on the river.  Christened the Mini with a steelhead ........ just wish it was his 20 lb uncle! 

Mike, I better relate the "rest of the story" before folks get the wrong impression regarding my expertise in spectacular theivery!   

While on the river we heard an agitated osprey calling. Looking up, the osprey had what looked to be a steelhead smolt and was being chased downriver by both an adult and juvenile bald eagles.  The eagles tail-chased and caught the osprey, forcing it to drop the fish. The adult eagle then spiraled down and snatched the fish in the air right in front of us. The adult eagle perched in a tree riverside about 30 yards directly across river from me.  The osprey's partner showed up about then and the two osprey chased and pounded the juvenile eagle all over the sky.  At one time the juvenile eagle was not more than a hundred feet or so above us on the river as the osprey were stooping and calling.  Spectacular scene with the screaming eagles and osprey. They sounded like jet fighters on their stoops with their wings cutting the wind.  Very cool! 

What is cool is that John studies Hawk as part of his job and in 35+ years of fishing the Russian I have never seen a Baldie and I have fished with him twice and both times seen one. That display was awesome I have watched Ospreys a lot and that dude was pissed even after the Eagles left he was still screaming and 3 guys with cameras were just going WOW never even thought about getting the shot. Hurry back John.

great report and effort.

I saw an osprey stick a planter at XJ-14 on the last very windy sunday. exactly where I've hooked up on a windy day before too.

John

Mike - we're 2/2 on eagles..............aaaaaaa little lower success rate on steelhead unfortunately.  Wait, do smolts count?     Look forward to fishing with you next time!
Take care - John

I didn't catch anything (few hook ups of smolts...) but my goal was not to dump that day so I made it ok (it was very hard to dump Fish'n'Dive for sure)!  Sorry Brian...
It was very nice to meet you, bird & that was super awesome that you point the bald eagles & osprey to me!!! I've never see like that before...
& awesome to see bright chrome 5/7lber jumped out of water three times right in front of me!   I couldn't leave the spot after that...
Thanks for another invite & let me use your Fish'n'Dive, mickfish!
Here is some pics
1st pic: the bald eagle munching fish stole from the osprey!
2nd pic: bird's checking out the bald eagle (it was right above him) & mickfish on back ground!
3rd pic: we're fishing hard...
4th pic: day moon!

Doing double days these days huh Mike?...SWEET way to spend the day off! PURE FISHING and all the MADNESS that follows it.
Can't believe you forgot your cam.!....but Naoaki had your back

that's kinda special when you've never seen one and then see 2 in a row..with the Bird man.
thanks for the pics and i'll be in standbymode, ready to hit it.