Lake Chabot 1/29/2011

Had a pretty good day at Chabot Saturday... though I need to quit rolling out of bed so early to get there at 7:00 AM, because it seems like the bite never turns on until at least 10:00.

I've had success the past few weeks trolling panther martin spinners, jointed rapalas, and kastmasters, with one usually far outperforming the others on any given day.

Saturday was cloudy and foggy, so I chose to use a gold kastmaster, which eventually paid off once the trout started biting. The water was glassy calm in the early morning, but a breeze that picked up around 10:30 coincided with my first fish back between the dam and Half Moon Bay. I ultimately ended up with two more for a total of three rainbows by the time I pulled off the water. All in all, a decent day at the lake!

This first photo is from the previous week, but goes to show how calm the water can be there:



Here's a photo of my new milk crate setup with rod and net holder. It's working great so far, but I'm not sure I trust it trolling for bigger fish. Currently it's bungeed down- might have to come up with a more robust attachment scheme. I'm also not a huge fan of having the rod behind me, because I get a kink in my neck over the course of a day on the water keeping an eye on it. But it's out of the way of my paddle, so it'll work for now.



And finally, the fish of the day:







Cheers!
Greg

 

Nice work! Those fish must have been fun!

good looking fish greg, thanks for the report and pics.  I love trolling the panther martins as well, black and yellow patern with the gold blade

WTG Greg,
Cool report/pics
Tad
 

Nice job gettin on those Chabows! And you're right, Ive never caught an early mornin fish there, but for some reason Im always there at 7 too   

nice pics.. thanks for sharing..
used to fish there long ago as a kid..

still hung up over the fuss and fees there though for kayaks.
but it is scenic.
daviator

For trolling you can tuck the rod butt under your calve. Lay the rod across the other thigh and tucked it in against your ribs. You will feel the bite against your ribs. Lift the rod with one hand, towards center, as you put down the paddle with the other hand. As soon as you have two hands on the rod you're ready for action. This is how Howard McKim's people teach it when kayak fishing for Salmon in Ketchikan, Alaska. It worked for me - see my avatar

That first pic is awsome, water was like glass

Nice report.    and nice fish

Nice job on the rainbow Greg.

Jedmo

For trolling you can tuck the rod butt under your calve. Lay the rod across the other thigh and tucked it in against your ribs. You will feel the bite against your ribs. Lift the rod with one hand, towards center, as you put down the paddle with the other hand. As soon as you have two hands on the rod you're ready for action. This is how Howard McKim's people teach it when kayak fishing for Salmon in Ketchikan, Alaska. It worked for me - see my avatar

I like this idea a lot and will definitely try it next time I'm out- thanks for the tip! So, does the rod tip end up going through your armpit, or over your shoulder?

I've previously tried trolling with the rod tucked under one thigh and then over the other, coming out perpendicular to the kayak, but it was hard to get the position just right to not interfere with paddling.