Mendo Saturday 5/5

LOTS of kayaks, nice weather, no shad, a few fish.

There was about 15 or so yaks on the water.  There were no shad in the AM so Fendente ran to get $45 dollars  worth of minnow for the masses.

Stripers: Polepole got bit in Crappie Cove, Fendente and I got fish off of Rocky Point, Kicknbass also picked up a nice fish.

Lots of folks got other species.  Mahi and Mooch got a smallies, Bill had a huge crappie...not sure where the day finished...needed to finish my house project.

My striper went a bit over 31 and was about 13 pounds...released.

Nice fish I see you have one of those nice fish grabgers with a measuring tap.Very handy

No striper love for me again! It's been seven days since I last landed one. I'm going through withdrawal's! I did manage two largemouth and one smallie! It was nice to see all the yak's!

CHEERS!

And a couple more...

Great outing fellas.  Can't wait to hear the details from all the others.

Wish I could have made it but the price of gas is KILLING me.  Gonna have to trade the Tundra in for a scooter.  Think I could mount a rack on it? 

Saturday was pretty awesome day. 2nd cast of the day I land a massive crappie on a 5" zoom fluke. Fishhunter snapped a pic of it, you better post it dude!  After landing the crappie I trolled a minnow a bit and whamo, 18" LMB.



Then things slowed down a bit. Mooch and I saw a small bust and we paddled over. No love though. Mooch did pick up a little smallie.



We heard PolePole had one in the boat in Crappie Cove so we headed to that side of the lake. Along the way Mooch missed a very striper'ish bite. We fished crappie for a while we no love for me so I paddled back the Barn Cove and had to pull the "Pretend to not be fishing and eat lunch" trick. Bingo fish on! It put up a pretty good fight and I got a 26" in the boat. A few minutes later PolePole is on with his 2nd fish of the day.







Awesome day on the water.

left the house at 4:30am to arrive at MENDO@700. No bait till fendente made the run for the shop.He returned and the HUNT began........I paddle out to the other side of the lake and see??.....DOWNED WOOD!! and could not pass it up without a few tosses of my senko(i got this little problem,i know). As I paddled to the area, I see Bill,and says," can't pass that up Huh ? " He tosses into the first tree and BAMMO

PIC#1~ Bill and his hogg-crappie

O.K. an hour later/two snaggs lost....jdyak paddles by as i shout wut-up?  I share my problem with him as he stops for a quick chat, then off around the point he paddles.
I then promise myself, NO MORE SENKO TOSSING!?!?.....and drop my minnows for what I came up for...STRIPERS!

As I hit the point, i marked some bait and had hopes of a minnow-slurp....then jdyak says he just got a #7 in the area, so I take him up on the invite, as we hunt together.

i'm trollin with #8 braid & #10 fluro-leader on a (orginal) FIRST SCHOOL- UGLY STIK and I let out half the spool.
This is the rod that gets SLAMMED!!....it hit it soft at first, then i pick up the rod and feel nothing?.....then it shoots in the opposite direction and IT'S ON!!........I tighten the drag as soon as he starts peeling, I take a look at my other rods' line to make sure its not crossed, it ain't......I now look back at my reel and there NO MORE LINE ON THE SPOOL, but a few wraps of the base-mono???.....NOOOOO!!!....I grab and hold the spoll (death-grip-like) while tucking the pole-butt under arm and start to paddle one-handed to make-up some ground?(water) on the beast....it's working me BAD as i paddle and continue to catch-up a bit.......soon the spool-void is filled and I am now HURTIN(my arm)  .....jdyak was followin me the whole time telling me "Oh,I THINK THATS GONNA BE A BIG ONE,the way he's towin you around".

PICS #2,3 ~ 30" and 12lbs of LUV....CP&R'd

WTG Adam...you have good mendojuju!

Adam you have mastered the take a picture of yourself holding a fish method!

NCKA invades Lake Mendocino.....

Papa Bill and his LMB....

Rick / Fendente and his big stringer.....(first time fishing Lake Mendocino)

Andy / kicking Bass, a Mendo local - with his striper of the day.....

my mendo trifecta...

1) my 15 inch SMB (caught and released using a zoom fluke)....
2) LMB on a zoom (CNR)
3) a mutant striper caught mooching a minnow (CNR)

I found a bass lunker hole and picked up these 3 (one drop after another)...

2 were caught mooching a minnow
1 caught jigging a zoom luke

All measured between 19 to 21 inches