Mendo reprot

Went up to Mendo this last weekend with the wife. Fished Fri/Sat. All Friday and morning on Friday I stubornly stuck to atrificials. I had one on Friday morning and lost it as I was wrestling the rod out of the holder while the line was screaming out. Nothing the rest of the day. Only saw one other caught by a PB with minnows, so I didn't feel too bad. Next morning before I got in the water there was a guy out there on a PB that had one one, using minnows. As I paddled out he had another on, and then missed another. The graph was showing fish, so now I'm hopefull and confident I should hook one. After watching him and his daughter hook several fish and me not touching a thing, my confidence was slipping.... Then as the morning went on and my drought continued I kept at it trying several areas. By late morning still nothing to show for my efforts  I see several other PBs towing stripers around and watched one guy get two in about 10 minutes  Every one of them were using minnows... For a lake that doesn't have local minnows available, I sure was surprised how many were being used. By lunch time I'm getting pretty discouraged, and decide to throw in the towel. Besides the winds were picking up. I packed up the yaks and had lunch and talked it over with the wife. Do I go to a freinds property on the way home and go for bass in his ponds and turkey hunt or drive over to C.L. and buy some minnows?..... Wife says you came for stripers didn't ya? So let's go get some minnows. Gotta love her  So we head over the hill and come back with 10 minnows and a stiff wind on the lake. I went out after setting both yaks up again and got on the water around 3:30. Hooked and landed a 10lber after an hour. My first one on a minnow!!! Later the wife came out  and I hooked and landed another twin to the first one. Then my wife landed her first one near the same size, and I landed a third one just as it was getting dark. Made up for the rest of the empty paddling.  Met Juan out there an hour or two before dark. He stayed with lures for nadda. Good to see ya again bud. Took a couple pics with the new camera after dark. Don't have it with me writing this, so no pics. The warm spell definetly helped the bite. I'm sure Sunday was even better. Never saw any fish surface the whole time tho. Weather was perfect. Had some idiot yelling most of the night in the camp sight across from us. Sounded like he was on meth. Wife talked to the ranger the next day and he said they got several complaints about him, and they sighted him. Good trip, but for the nut next door.

Man, the wife kicked down right there, jonesz!  Letting you go for minnows and come back to fish.  I'm glad you hooked up or it would've been a really frustrating day!  Way to go, and thanks for sharing the Good Times.   

That brought TEARS to ME EYES!....giving in to the minnows after a tough day of hunting with the artifs', then having a BLAST X2 must have been SWEET!!
Grats' to both of yous' on your first minnow'd Striper!
and thanks for the latest from MendoLand!
 

Oh nooo!   Jonez has gone to the "Dark Side" ....welcome aboard

Sounded like he was on meth.

I found a syringe at my campsite last year, (K'yen).  I guess a few folks like to go up there to do their partying.

Maybe that syringe was being used to inflate worms?  LOL.  Weird thing about mendo, I always had a bit of difficulty with artificials in the spring, but in the fall they work really well.  I don't know if it has to do with the bait pattern or what...  Maybe because all the spawning that is taking place, the availability if bait fish causes them to lock in on minnows?

Goin' to minnows. Humility goes a long way to humbling a man.... I gotta admit they were fun to use and there is technique to it for sure. Especially in the wind. Fun to watch the minnow panic just before the slam!!! I would see the fish on the graph, then see the rod tip start bouncing, then wham!!!  My theory in the spring, is most of the bait are still lower in the water colum, and the fish aren't chasing the bait around so much. Also lower temps lowers the matabolism of the fish so they don't feed as aggresive. Later when they're pushing the bait up, an artificial does a good job of imitating the bait movements. Make sense?....

My theory in the spring, is most of the bait are still lower in the water colum, and the fish aren't chasing the bait around so much.

But I thought that the shad in that lake spawn in the spring and that was the reason for the spring topwater bite, especially shallow near shore?  I must be confused.  Ah, what else is new?

Michael

My theory in the spring, is most of the bait are still lower in the water colum, and the fish aren't chasing the bait around so much.

But I thought that the shad in that lake spawn in the spring and that was the reason for the spring topwater bite, especially shallow near shore?  I must be confused.  Ah, what else is new?

Michael

 

Just got off the phone with Scwafish he said the shad are a no show still..

Just got off the phone with Scwafish he said the shad are a no show still..

So it sounds like I had it right but this just happens to be an odd year.

Does he have any theories as to why they haven't shown?  Possibly the stress from last year's water issues?  Very curious.  Are all of our bodies of water going to hell?  

Michael

So it sounds like I had it right but this just happens to be an odd year.

Does he have any theories as to why they haven't shown?  Possibly the stress from last year's water issues?  Very curious.  Are all of our bodies of water going to hell?  

Michael
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The weather is probably the culprit , they are late. The hot-cold weather has done the same thing to the bass spawn.

Maybe after this warm-up (startin on friday morning@7) the water will be just right ALL WEEKEND LONG!!  
I tried hard to NET the shad that were there along the north-dock, at this time last year, to NO avail!...while I watched the boils, over by the creek mouth.
maybe this is the weekend.....crossing fingers!  

Guys:

I think you all are missing the moral of the story here.  To save the WAF he had to go to the minnow.  That is a mighty fine woman you got there Jonesz.  I think she was your best catch of the day.  Thanks for the Mendo report, see you all on the lake Friday.

Jim

Inseine
"That is a mighty fine woman you got there Jonesz.  I think she was your best catch of the day." Your right about that!!  It was a great day! I won't be there till mid morning Saturday tho, so I'll see out there. As for the shad, it's all about the temps. This has been the slowest warming spring in a long time. Everytime the water starts to warm it cools back down. The morning temps last Friday were 59 degrees.  By Saturday afternoon after some pretty warm weather, it was 63. We need mid 60s for active fish. Soon grasshopper, soon...