08-02-2007, 09:41 PM
[cool][#0000ff]Petty4Life had NEVER fished Deer Creek before and wanted to float it with his new H3. After planning a Thursday trip, we invited LloydE go join us. He is usually up for any trip to a body of water with a walleye in it. He was already suiting up at the Walsburg main ramp when Petty and I drove up just before 6. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I had been under the impression that we could drive down to water's edge to launch our tubes, even though the ramp is closed to boat launching. WRONGO. It was a lo-o-o-o-o-ong hike to the water from where they have the metal gates chained across the ramp. And I did not bring my golf cart tube truck. Whata ordeal.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Lloyd had brought his new Fish Cat 4. After getting wind-handled in his Kennebec on our last trip, he decided he needed a more wind worthy craft. Had it all tricked out and ready to go, and he was the first to get launched. But, shortly after he was afloat Petty and I heard Lloyd wail. He opened his new box of crawlers only to find them dead and rotten. Bummer. Should checked 'em...but he din't. Petty to the rescue. He paddled out to meet up with Lloyd and downloaded a few healthier worms. What a guy.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I let both other guys get several minutes head start and then proposed a wager on first fish. Neither of them were man enough to go for it. Good thing too. I caught the first smallie of the day shortly after launching. T'wern't much. Turned out to be the standard 8" cookie cutter size we all caught plenty of for the rest of the morning.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I left Petty and Lloyd to work the smallie-infested gravel banks near the launch area while I kicked across to the steep rocky shoreline on the north side of Walsburg Bay. I casted a spinner on the way across and had a couple of light bumps. Once I got to the other side, however, it was nonstop action on bitty bass. As I worked down the long Walsburg arm, I had many sessions of 10 bass on 10 casts...and several of at least 20 for 20. Biggest I landed was just over 10 inches, with most in the CC range. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I kept rotating through different crankbaits and plastics, trying to find something the larger fish would hit and the smaller fish would leave alone. One of my offerings was a new version of a "jig spinner"...a jig poured with a wire and made into a spinner. When I tied on a chartreuse one, with a small chartreuse tube jig added, I could not keep the fish away. Every cast the bitty bass would whack it before it sank more than a couple of feet. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In one area, the bass bite slowed down and I tried "slow rolling" the little jig spinner out in slightly deeper water...about 12 feet. A hard thump and brisk battle resulted in a feisty little 13" walleye. Lloyd was excited by my report on the walkie talkie. I had another wallie on later, about a 20 incher, but it cheerfully refunded my jig before I could slip the net under it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I fished almost all the way to the end of Walsburg Bay, such as it is right now. The water is way down and the bay does not reach more than about half its usual length. There were a lot of bank tanglers fishing from shore on the south side, at the bottom of the hill where parking is free. I watched them pretty carefully for about an hour and did not see them bring in any fish. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The water depth had dropped from 60 feet, at the mouth of the bay, to less than 20 where I stopped going east and began returning along the south shore. I could see occasional fish on sonar, but they would not hit any of the plastics, spinners or hardbaits But, I got a hard whack on a silver spinner retrieved shallow in the middle of the bay. A beautiful 4-5 pound rainbow went airborne immediately...three times...before deciding that it did not really want to add my bling to its collection...and pitched it back to me.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Water temp was 72 at launch and warmed only a degree or so in the cool air. Mostly cloudy all morning, with a couple of rumbles of distant thunder and a few light sprinkles. I wondered if the thunderstorms of late might have the fish unsettled. At least we didn't have to battle the W monster.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Although the fish were small, we all caught plenty and had a good time. I did not lose even one jig to snags, but landed a couple of hefty ones. One even had the rotted remains of a fish that had been broken off on it. Yuck. I gotta quit setting the hook so hard. On another hookset, I clearly had something alive on my line, and it was fighting well. The harder I pulled, the harder it pulled back...and it was zigging and zagging a lot. Turned out to be a deep diving crankbait...in good condition. I also recovered a mushroom anchor that I spotted sitting on a drying mud shelf just above the water line. Don't use anchors much from my tube, but might be able to do some bartering with a boater.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Petty also had some luck of the non-fishing kind. He found a floating fabric wallet...with a soggy $20 bill in it...and no ID. Finders keepers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Poor Lloyd. Just as we were all heading toward the ramp, about noonish, He gleefully announced that he had a walleye hooked up. Petty tried to help out by telling him not to lose it. Way to jinx him Jason. Lloyd's wails of anguish at losing the walleye "at his flipperS" probably echoed clear down to the dam...and Charleston.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]For anybody who wants to launch a small boat or a tube, the island ramp is still accessible. There were a couple of ski boats on the water today but they were kind (smart) enough to remain a good distance from the tubin' trio.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If you wanna launch from the main ramp...fuggetaboudit.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I had been under the impression that we could drive down to water's edge to launch our tubes, even though the ramp is closed to boat launching. WRONGO. It was a lo-o-o-o-o-ong hike to the water from where they have the metal gates chained across the ramp. And I did not bring my golf cart tube truck. Whata ordeal.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Lloyd had brought his new Fish Cat 4. After getting wind-handled in his Kennebec on our last trip, he decided he needed a more wind worthy craft. Had it all tricked out and ready to go, and he was the first to get launched. But, shortly after he was afloat Petty and I heard Lloyd wail. He opened his new box of crawlers only to find them dead and rotten. Bummer. Should checked 'em...but he din't. Petty to the rescue. He paddled out to meet up with Lloyd and downloaded a few healthier worms. What a guy.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I let both other guys get several minutes head start and then proposed a wager on first fish. Neither of them were man enough to go for it. Good thing too. I caught the first smallie of the day shortly after launching. T'wern't much. Turned out to be the standard 8" cookie cutter size we all caught plenty of for the rest of the morning.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I left Petty and Lloyd to work the smallie-infested gravel banks near the launch area while I kicked across to the steep rocky shoreline on the north side of Walsburg Bay. I casted a spinner on the way across and had a couple of light bumps. Once I got to the other side, however, it was nonstop action on bitty bass. As I worked down the long Walsburg arm, I had many sessions of 10 bass on 10 casts...and several of at least 20 for 20. Biggest I landed was just over 10 inches, with most in the CC range. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I kept rotating through different crankbaits and plastics, trying to find something the larger fish would hit and the smaller fish would leave alone. One of my offerings was a new version of a "jig spinner"...a jig poured with a wire and made into a spinner. When I tied on a chartreuse one, with a small chartreuse tube jig added, I could not keep the fish away. Every cast the bitty bass would whack it before it sank more than a couple of feet. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In one area, the bass bite slowed down and I tried "slow rolling" the little jig spinner out in slightly deeper water...about 12 feet. A hard thump and brisk battle resulted in a feisty little 13" walleye. Lloyd was excited by my report on the walkie talkie. I had another wallie on later, about a 20 incher, but it cheerfully refunded my jig before I could slip the net under it.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I fished almost all the way to the end of Walsburg Bay, such as it is right now. The water is way down and the bay does not reach more than about half its usual length. There were a lot of bank tanglers fishing from shore on the south side, at the bottom of the hill where parking is free. I watched them pretty carefully for about an hour and did not see them bring in any fish. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The water depth had dropped from 60 feet, at the mouth of the bay, to less than 20 where I stopped going east and began returning along the south shore. I could see occasional fish on sonar, but they would not hit any of the plastics, spinners or hardbaits But, I got a hard whack on a silver spinner retrieved shallow in the middle of the bay. A beautiful 4-5 pound rainbow went airborne immediately...three times...before deciding that it did not really want to add my bling to its collection...and pitched it back to me.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Water temp was 72 at launch and warmed only a degree or so in the cool air. Mostly cloudy all morning, with a couple of rumbles of distant thunder and a few light sprinkles. I wondered if the thunderstorms of late might have the fish unsettled. At least we didn't have to battle the W monster.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Although the fish were small, we all caught plenty and had a good time. I did not lose even one jig to snags, but landed a couple of hefty ones. One even had the rotted remains of a fish that had been broken off on it. Yuck. I gotta quit setting the hook so hard. On another hookset, I clearly had something alive on my line, and it was fighting well. The harder I pulled, the harder it pulled back...and it was zigging and zagging a lot. Turned out to be a deep diving crankbait...in good condition. I also recovered a mushroom anchor that I spotted sitting on a drying mud shelf just above the water line. Don't use anchors much from my tube, but might be able to do some bartering with a boater.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Petty also had some luck of the non-fishing kind. He found a floating fabric wallet...with a soggy $20 bill in it...and no ID. Finders keepers.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Poor Lloyd. Just as we were all heading toward the ramp, about noonish, He gleefully announced that he had a walleye hooked up. Petty tried to help out by telling him not to lose it. Way to jinx him Jason. Lloyd's wails of anguish at losing the walleye "at his flipperS" probably echoed clear down to the dam...and Charleston.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]For anybody who wants to launch a small boat or a tube, the island ramp is still accessible. There were a couple of ski boats on the water today but they were kind (smart) enough to remain a good distance from the tubin' trio.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If you wanna launch from the main ramp...fuggetaboudit.[/#0000ff]
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