Mendo 8/19

Got up the lake about 3pm Saturday just when everybody was getting off the water. I was going to fish but hanging around the campfire won, Had a great time BSing and eating Joel's hand rolled Luimpa, Adam's killer Grilled Chicken & Veggy Fajita's he went all out, it was good. Hit the SL at about 6:15 I was in a hurry because the weather changed overnite and we had a very high cloud cover and I was hoping it would get the Stripers bitting. Trolled around CC for an hour for 1 good take down, and a small hitchhiker Came off without killing the minnow before Dan showed up a few minutes later a big BB jumped in front of me. I let out a little line and pow fish on it was heavy and came right to the boat looked down LMB then it sees the boat and takes off and I see it's side big smallie 17". Troll in circles for another 1/2 hour. I'm graphing tons of bait but no stripers then I notice arches and small schools right on the bottom in 35/45' so I put on a little more weight and slow my trolling way down so I am bouncing bottom.  half way through my first pass I see tip twitching and then my rod gets slammed Woohoo heavy fish smoking the drag look over at my other and the tip is buried and the line is flying off the reel grab that one stick it between my legs loosen the drag and fight the other fish, I sorta horsed the fish so I would have a shot at the other, I lucked out they went in opposite directions and no crossed line. Netted the first and grabbed the other rod tightened down and fight on using a LG ultra lite Koke rod and 6lb test great fight lipped #2 and what a rush couldn't believe I got both 29",30".

Gave Dan a minnow, Mooch shows up then Dan gets slammed lands it then Mooch gets one. I switched over to lures for a little BAM practice Mooch and Dan wandered off. Didn't get much on lures couple of dink LMB and a squawfish. Heard Mooch screamming and he got another striper down by the Dam where Adam,Juan and Randall where. I threw out a couple Shadraps and took off to join them on a very fast troll went about 100' and got slammed 22" striper. Great friends,Great Food, Great Weather, Too many laughs thanks guys had a great time.         

Nice catch Mike. I was there camping with the wife and was fishing the north end. Sorry I missed you.

Great Report Mike, Sounds like everyone had a good time. Wish I could have made it, but way to busy right now.  These mendo get togethers are always alot of fun.

John

Damnit, I shoulda stayed the night and fished Sunday. 

Great report Mike!  Wish I could have been there with you guys... reading "action" reports like that is the next best thing.

Backslider

RockHopper, you're lucky you didn't spend the night. As soon as we hit our truck beds for some much needed sleep the knuckleheads came out in force. Barking dogs were also busy keeping me from peacefully drifting off. The knuckleheads consisted of young drunk guys wandering around late at night, stumbling around in the dark, walking right into my truck's tailgait and bouncing off like a pinball in another direction. 
But hey, it gave us all something to talk about on the water, meow.
Thanks all for the food and great company. Top quality BS-ing around the fire and on the water. Two limits of stripers and i think of Mike and Joel. No smallmouth and i think of Adam. Pedals and teeth, I think of Dan. Big feet and i think of, well, who else, Randall!
I also hear Mooch is in the market for some fly gear.
Beuller?

guys wandering around late at night, stumbling around in the dark, walking right into my truck's tailgait and bouncing off like a pinball in another direction. 

THAT was toooo funny  I heard the drunk also "bounced" off Randal's truck and then stumbled upon Adam,while he was taking a late night piss  . Then I heard Randal comanding the drunk to tell the barking dog to shut up.....and so he did  I wish we had video of the whole thing.....pretty PRICELESS COMEDY RIGHT THERE  

And yes...the WCI's (World Class Idiots) were present at the camp grounds...yet, it turned out to be a comical night 

Saturday morning pics...

pic1: Adam/Fishunter and Juan/Mako1 at the launch ramp....

pic2: Randal,Adam,Juan and Mike by the Island....

Pic1: Mike / Mickfish had the hotstick of the day....again

pic2: Dan...formerly known as "Dan da Lurker"......now known as "Shart-Attack-Dan" 


pic3: Juan / Mako1 with a nice SMB........Bueller?

....so i go to car/bed-blowup to BUMPIN LOUD(music?) and a barkin dog(right across the road) a side-tilted bed to keep sliding/adjusting on and a drunk guy that can't find his campsite(abandoned truck w/blasting-music).I must have fallen asleep at some point, cuz I awoke to someone "stumblin around" our site?....the oh, i got to pee feelin hits me and I get out to hear Randall yellin(after his threat of shootin the dog!) at this guy "hey! your on the otherside of my truck!(x2)...he walked a few yards and came right back,"I'm lost" he said....BigFt' kindly redirected him and told him to" GO TELL THAT FU($%^ DOG TO SHUT UP!!....the says"i know" and went into thier camp and yells,"if that dog doesn't shut up,someones goona SHOOT IT!....the things that one witness while trying to relieve himself!  

pic1~ Randall/BigFt. on the hunt at the south of the dam.
Pic2~ I'll let you fill in the blanks....errrrr,crack? (i found a watch here that still worked and was holding the corrct time too)it took a-lickin and kept on tickin!
pic3~ Mooch's DBL.

It's gonna be fun trying to get the stripers on the lures during BAMIII .........can we weigh-in LMB incase no one gets a striper?
Book your spot.......it's all about the GET TOGETHER DEAL for me.........see you all soon.......i thought there were cabbies here?!

on sundays hunt, I stuck to my guns and went "mako1-commando style" throwing the artificials that have produced for him, not me. My goal for this day was SMALLMOUTHS and I hunted every drop/change in depth where i marked fish on the T.V.
My first hit came from right in front of the ramp.It was sitting at the top of a big drop-down,I passed over,saw it,dropped the YumDad.....as it hit bottom,i locked it and "twanged" the line a few times...Fish on!, brought it up and it LET GO, i quickly opened bail to drop it back, FISH ON AGAIN!

I kept zig-zaging over areas til the T.V. showed fish that I read as SMB or fish in ready to attack mode all day.It gets frustrating when you know there there, but they are TOO SMART for what i got to give em'.Then came the southside of the island. I marked BIG ARCH's on the T.V. at mid-depth and at the bottom and stayed there trying after Juan and Randall gave up.Another LMB was pulled from the spot using my *newfound love-jig" the YumDad! 

pic1~ 19" LMB on a hand-painted jig & Yum crawdad(A FIRST on a JIG!!)

pic2&3~ 18" LMB that was hunted til it gave up

pic4~ the YumDad in full effect (until now, they were just used to make my"collection of stuff" look cool in the tacklebox.just the night before, Randall complmented me on how nice it looked hanging from the end of my pole.

Thanks for posting your "secret lure" Adam....mighty nice of you to share your intel with the rest of us  Good Karma to you bradah 

Thanks for posting your "secret lure" Adam....mighty nice of you to share your intel with the rest of us  Good Karma to you bradah 

It's not the lure itself, it's the "secret" brand of fingernail polish i used on it! GLITTER for added BLING, baby! 

Thanks for the Memories everyone. I havn't laughed like that in a long time. Mike, the steaks were great and you had the hot hand for the weekend. Very nice stringer. Adam worked the hardest, food and fishing. Iv'e never seen someone work and finesse fish like Adam. Mooch, you should write a book "Inside the NCKA" your insights on fishing and the crew are priceless. Not a bad stringer ether. Good to see Juan again and his local logic paid off at the campfire and the lake. Dan supplied the sweet cigars for the evening, Dustin hung out till the last minute and I could tell he wanted to stay. It was a great time with plenty of other people showing for the weekend, Sorry we missed you James. Can't wait for Oct!!

Forgot to mention this: There is now a live bait and tackle shop right next to the North Boat Launch  It's owned and operated by the same fella on the South end of the lake. I'm not sure what time he opens but I do remember buying some minnows from him on Sunday BEFORE 8AM 

Just and FYI