Sober Stoner (Stone Lagoon 3-23-2017)

I went to Stone Lagoon last Thursday (I know you're shocked).    It was awesome.  It always is.  I got OTW at about 10 am. There was a light breeze and it was very sunny.  The lagoon has breached 2 or 3 times this winter but the breach was closed and the lagoon was filling up again.



I fished up the north shore for a while and landed at 17" fish.   It fought like hell and I thought it was going to be bigger.  It felt like it had shoulders on it, but I put it on the board briefly and it was 17".  (I released it).  Sorry, no pix on the board, the fish was very energetic and I did not want to hurt it.  You'll have to take my word.  (Hehe) This may be a steelhead but it is more likely a coastal cutthroat.  It's really hard to tell in Stone.








The wind started coming up a bit by 11:30.  Shortly after catching that fish I met a guy fishing from a tube.  "Ben" was from LA. (go figure).  He said he caught a 16" fish shortly before I got there.  He showed me a picture and asked what it was.  (He was trying for coastal cutthroat.) I told him it probably was but that the fish in here hybridize and it makes it tough to ID.



It was getting pretty windy by then but as I got up in the far north corner by the spit I caught another smaller fish.  I'd estimate it at 12" but I did not put it on the board.  Of course I released that fish as well.  Probably a coastal cutthroat ...



By now the wind was straight from the south and the chop was pretty strong.  I decided to cross the lagoon over to the south shore to shelter behind the hills.  It was a "wet crossing" but it worked, it was nice on that side.   I hooked another fish that went aerobatic and threw the hook (bummer!).  As I trolled down the south side I followed an otter for a ways, but the video did not turn out.   When I got to the camp ground I hooked another fish.  I got a look at it, but it came "unbuttoned" about 8 feet from the kayak.  (bummer again.)  At about 2:30 it started to drizzle but the wind abated completely so I kept fishing.  I went around past the boat ramp and back up the north shore again and I caught a herring!  It seems there was a little school of them there, I hooked a 2nd one too, but it shook loose as I brought it out of the water.  Both of them hit my little cleo.  I could meter them and I could feel them pecking at my lure as it went through them.  This is not the first time I've caught herring in Stone. I did it on a trip about two weeks ago as well.  Hit the little Cleo!  You know if there are herring in here they will help make the trout BIGGER!




It was no banana luck for me today!



OK ... I admit it, I was feeling a little shellfish.



Stupid GPS thinks I'm trolling in the middle of US 101!  (This is where I hooked the herring.)



Shortly after that the rain started to come in a bit stronger and the breeze picked up.  Time to go.  It was an awesome day on the water.  It always is.

I'm such a Stoner, a sober total Stoner. 

Great report once again. I gotta go get stone now 

Good Times, Synth Guy. 

thanks for posting/pics 

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