Mendo - Dec. 8-9

Before I even post the report, I'd like to say "Thank you!"  to Papa Bill for giving me a hand-me-down Mac computer. Bill.....you are the wind beneath my wings 

Saturday: Met Mike/Mickfish at the bait shop at 8AM...only to find out that they now open at 9AM...so we waited....and waited and then waited some more The lady in charge came in late to work So we got our minnows, launched and met up with Dustin/rockhopper and joey/grammar police. We all fished all the "go to" areas but it was only Dustin that managed to convince a striper to bite. I got the skunk offf the yak by catching (photoed and released) a 17 inch LMB. Mike caught some SMB and LMB as well. Wind picked by noon and the South side of the lake was bruuuuutal. Mike and I seeked shelter by staying on the North side. Dustin and Joey got their feet dry early in the PM and Mike and I stayed till the sun went down. Hit camp site # 3 and Mike brought some bacon-wrapped pork and I had got some salmon fillets from Trader Joes. What a feast!!! Thanks Mike!!!!


Sunday: Mike and I were on the water by 10 AM. Kiel and Sail Fish followed soon after and then Naoaki and Jim. I met  Holy Toledo and his Dad (sorry, forgot your name) and then met another father and son team - Rory and Tyler. It seemed like the "sons" were doing the catching  Holy Toledo and Tyler both caught stripers. I would like to personally congratulate Tyler for catching his first striper on his newly aquired T-140  Good job my man  and welcome to the madness  . I'll lett the others chime in with report. For me, no striper love but got the skunk out of the yak with one little bull head. Weather was GORGEOUS and water was FAC (flat-ass-calm).

It was nice seeing old faces and meeting new ones. 

pics to follow.....

my Saturday LMB....caught with a new rapala lure

my Sunday fish (released) and Tylers first fish on the yak 

pics of the water level at mendo.....

The south ramp and the stream that enters Mendo.

The South end of the lake. To the very right of the photo is were Bam Camp is....

As I trolled the channel right next to Bam Camp, I saw the familiar striper marks on my FF's screen...but to no avail...


Before we headed in on Sunday, the cloud formation looked beautiful 

forgot to mention how cold it really was at mendo....here's Sunday morning proof 

Mooch,

It's good to see you back on line. You've got my vote for he-man of the weekend for staying out in the cold. Burrr! Nice report and nice photo's.

CHEERS!

Pickup ReelKnots at 7:00am and arrived the baitshop at 9:15am.  Got in the water around 10am and heading North to find the fishes.  I peddled for 2 hours along the East shore toward the North ramp and back to the point without marking any fish on my fish finder!  The water was soooo low at the North end, I saw a sunken UFO that look like a kayak.  Saw 3 fishes on the FF around 12:30pm and got my one and only took-down of the day.  I set the hook but no love and it killed my baitfish!  Got a call from Mooch that he marked lots of fishes by the dry creek at the North end so I went back there but the fishes were gone (either that or Mooch was smoking something (o;)
Heading back to the ramp to find-out that ReelKnots already back on shore with his limit of Strippers.  I gave it one more try at the Crappies Cove but nothing there either.  I enjoyed the beautiful sunset as I peddling back to shore.  Another nice day on the lake with or without fish ...

I'll post the pictures later today.

As windy as Saturday was Sunday made up for it weather was perfect no wind all day. Saturday hit all the spots for 1 drive-by and a couple of dink BB dropshotting.

Sunday started trolling a shadrap and Joel's new secret lure toward the buoy line across the dam, once across I reeled in the rap and started casting toward the sand island heard a splash behind a small LMB hit Joel's lure just floating on the surface. I was marking a lot of fish on the bottom in 60' OW so I drift over them and my minnows were super freaked but no takers. Slow trolled to Crappie then Barn for nada drifted at Long point for lunch then trolled across the lake to the tanks headed back to the buoys. Just after turning parallel to the shore my shallow rod get hammered and line is screaming off the reel. After I struggle getting the rod out of the holder I tighten down and he just keeps going he slows I work him back to the boat he comes to the surface but then runs straight down and sits on the bottom and I can feel him swimming but can't move him,then he just buries the rod on a long run I look at my reel and I see spool so I tighten down and let him pull the boat dicey with 150yds of 6lb in the water . He then stops and fights all the way to the boat then after a couple of more runs he comes up totally spent. I was amazed he was only 29" best fighting Striper I have ever caught at Mendo, and it was worth the wait. Released to fight another day.

Dustin what Site were you in I walked around but didn't see any Kayaks?

Tyler way to go on your first Kayak fish on your first trip nice Kayak.
You could see it in Tyler's face he was pumped and Bit, he will be spending a lot on time on the water.
Keil nice of you to show us how to catch fish, just get a VHF

Fish and Bamcamp in center taken from just south on the North ramp.

Tyler in his new ride and Jim hanging at the buoys

I sure wish there was some kind of threat we could give that baitshop. They got us by the short-curleys for sure!

Good to hear that the madness is still highly contagious!  and that there is never two bad days of weather at that lake.  I missed the goodtimes (this time) but will be attendeing the rest in the future. 

great reports by the "three" of you, proving that you have to FIRST, find them and then try to get them to open up their mouths. Not easy when you've got to combine the two.

Mike~ i had the pleasure of getting one of those "best fighters" last time too!  thought it was a 20lb'er.
 
Mooch!~ you forgot to mention the vegies and water you consumed also!    i dont recall pork-on-pork or salmon fillets on that list of foods you need to start eating more of....yes! this is a ballbust!

Sonny~ the Mendo Gods will eventually smile upon you......or you should have followed/listened to Kiel, he knows what he is doing there, even if he has no FF. (he's my boy!)

I twice tried to post all 4 pictures unsucessfully.  Here is my third attemp with 2 pictures at a time:

Beautiful day on the lake and sunken UFO:

that yak looks like a perfect-tweeker-recovery-project!     

Mooch and his secret spot + beautiful sunset: