Sandy 7/30, 8/2, and 8/3

[Gator]

I fished with Gambler Wednesday evening to get a sense of things before my buddy came in from Boston for the weekend, and even though it was slow - we were 1 for 3, with a good 24 lb fish coming to the net - ultimately it didn't make any difference in our approach over the weekend since Thursday and Friday's NE blow screwed up whatever stability we had prior to then.

 

The decision on Saturday was easy. We ran offshore, setting down at the 28 line and ending the day at the 33 line. We must have chosen wisely, since it seemed like four or five boats from the river ended their NW troll quite near us before turning back toward home port. The action was steady, albeit not fast and furious. There were pockets of fish, mostly steelhead, cohos, and kings, and our tally for the morning set included four matures with about a dozen fish boated and a bevy of "nobody home". The temps out there were stable with the thermocline at about 65', and there was a good current surprisingly (to me) pushing West. We ran mostly DW superslim and Warrior XL spoons to keep the bows happy, but the kings snapped them up too.

 

After refueling with coffee and a Crosby's sub, the Saturday afternoon set started in 400' just West of the Nose and ended in 480'. The program and results were nearly identical, with perhaps a few more matures and a few less steelies. We only fished until 6:30 pm, since we had some clean-up, fillets to vacuum seal, and a single malt that needed consumption.  As an aside, on our way out we found something floating - it seems like somebody thought it would be easier to dump the whole thing than clean it. Must have eaten Mighty Taco or something.

 

Sunday morning brought rollers inside that portended a washing machine offshore, and with a six hour drive pending, we choose to chase browns to the East. We began near Wautoma and ended at Braddock's Point, veering between 25' and 35' of water. There was a good class of brown to be had, but we mostly left them alone in favor of their 12" cousins lol. Seriously, there were lots of little fish, great to see, but enough big fish to keep us smiling all morning. We ended at 9:30 in 110' with a good king. Hopefully the upcoming week stabilizes the lake and we start finding the fish in more usual haunts as we move through August. Tight lines and Meliora!

[WillsboroTrout]

Great report. We had the same issue out of Mexico with the "nobody home". Riggers must have popped 10-12 times then stopped completely like flicking a switch.