del valle 11/29

Significant holiday WAF resulted in a last minute 2PM putin at Del Valle (hey, I take it anyway I can get it). I only saw two mini-boils, up and down before I could get a cast out. On a countdown to 20+' I stuck what felt like a very nice fish, it went deep and sulked, but after a few minutes it came off. I also lost another after a few seconds on. I've been dropping way too many fish lately, I'm starting to think it's these new Clousers I'm tying with EP hair, I think it fouls too much and is messing up the hooksets.

If you leave after dark/guard shack closing, be very careful as you make the left turn to go back up the hill at the guard shack. Vehicles coming down the hill heading to the campgrounds do not stop on the right hand side like they would if the shack were open; they come barrelling down on the left hand side of the shack, and it looks like there's no stop sign there. It's difficult for the exiting vehicle to see the oncoming entering traffic. If I hadn't made an extra long stop and looked around, I would have been T-boned by an F-150 pulling a boat at 30+mph.


Anyway, some SideImaging/2D pics I took:


School off to the left



Sitting on top of fish (few SI marks mean mostly in 2D 20Deg cone)



bait, mostly off to the right



6 isolated fish (note no shadows, so fish are high in the water column)

WTG on getting out there, Mike. Thanks for the intel & sharing the SI images.

Really awesome report and detail on the SI product.  That is a real cool item to have on board.  Thanks for sharing.

Glad to hear you escaped the near collision.

Bryan

I've been dropping way too many fish lately, I'm starting to think it's these new Clousers I'm tying with EP hair, I think it fouls too much and is messing up the hooksets.

What size hook did you tie them on? I had many lucky with bucktails and 3/16 db eyes on this size chasing those elusive linesiders.

Keep on fishing!

LL

Boy oh boy is my sonar lacking!

What size hook did you tie them on? I had many lucky with bucktails and 3/16 db eyes on this size chasing those elusive linesiders.

I think I'm using 3/16 eyes on a light bass bug Tiemco #2? It's supposed to look like a smelt.


Near collision update:

The Del Valle park supervisor Michele Mueller told me that passing on the left of the guard shack was illegal, as that means crossing over a double solid. She took a description of the truck and boat, and will talk to the campground host to see if they noticed anything at around 5:30 Sat. There was no reason at all for that maneuver, and we're guessing either it was a homicidal idiot, or that the truck had lost its brakes. She said a vehicle did lose its brakes coming down the hill sometime ago, and plowed into a boat on a trailer stopped at the guard shack, luckily nobody was hurt.

Anyway, stay alert when you exit the park coming from the Marina, you're really vulnerable to downhill traffic and it's difficult to see.