[Salty Nick v2]

After a long run of skunks, my luck seems to be improving - so far this year, I have piled up skunks at Bean Hollow, Carmel, two at San Luis Reservoir, and one at Quarry. Last week I got a couple fish at Quarry, then this morning I got lucky and limited out by 9am on planter trout.

Started out earlier than usual this morning at 5:30am - could already see lots of LEDs scattered along the shoreline in the dark. Got a couple early tentative bites that didn't stick, on rainbow PowerBait. At 6am, a guy sets up right next to me, even though the shoreline around me is quite empty - that's urban fishing for you. Shortly after, he gets a super-hard bite and the line is screaming off his reel! This thing must've been huge, as his pole is pretty big for trout fishing and I later saw (after crossing his line) he was using some kind of chartreuse braided line. He fought the fish for a while, a guy came over to help net it - but it somehow got off. I think he probably tried to horse it in.

Later, around 6:15am, he gets a small planter trout. Then, I get a flurry of action for the next half-hour and land 4 fish - none that big (from 12"-14"), but it's fun. 3 bites are on the same chartreuse power worm & egg (this is where a hook disgorger comes in handy), and one on rainbow PB. Action dies off, and I don't get another bite 'til 8am, and it just lets go. At 8:30am, I decide to move a little further down shore, and at 8:45am I get my last bite and fish on the same power worm & egg - this one's a little bigger at 16 1/2" and has nicer fins and orangish meat. I'm off the water by 9am, perfectly-timed as the wind starts to kick up.

I was very lucky compared to other guys I could see - only a few fish came up. The guy who was fishing next to me didn't get anymore fish while I was there. Now if the swells would just die down.

Salty.

[red fish]

Nice quarry limit! Still looking to draw first blood there..

[bigunindaboat]

Looks like a cool place to fish, all the spots I fish up here have steep banks or snot slippery wet clay.

I bet that holdover is going to be fine eating. Do you ever smoke trout?

BUIDB

[Salty Nick v2]

It's an 'ok' suburban lake to fish - mainly, close to home. I try to fish as far away from others as I can.

If I catch a good limit, with at least one or two 'biguns' (sorry), like a 4 lb'er or more, I'll smoke 'em (in other words, not too often). I like smoked trout, just the fine bones are a pain.

Salty.

[clayman]

Glad to hear the fishing year's perking up for ya Salty. 16.5 inch rainbow is solid!

[Salty Nick v2]

Thanks, Clayman - but nothing like your Almanor exploits! These are 'city-fied' planters, although some of them put up a decent fight. I was doing post-op on them as I cleaned them - one had a belly full of powerbait, and one had a big fish pellet filling up its gullet (fresh from the hatchery, I guess). I think the last bigger fish with the full fins was probably a holdover from an earlier plant - flesh looked much better than the others and tasted pretty good.

Salty.

[slowriprun]

Back in the day, one of my favority flies for urban ponds was a pellet fly, suspended under an indicator. What's the lattest trout food color? Deadly. lol. Used to be very effective.

[Salty Nick v2]

Pellet fly - who'd a thunk? Match the hatch to the extreme. This thing was pretty huge - about 1/2" in diameter and a couple inches long, and was greenish-brown in color. I'm pretty sure it was a food pellet, unless the trout ate a piece of goose poop - naw, was too distinctly pellet-shaped though.

Salty.

[seabass_seeker]

Aw man, I missed your trout reports. Haven't had much inspiration to hit the reservoir for any this year, the $8 fee plus gas to get up there can add up. Then there are the days you skunk and think that the same fish is swimmin at Lake Costco for less that you spent... sucks being a broke college student...

[itsakeeper]

Congrats on the limit salty.

itsakeeper

[dsch2251]

Nice!, Limit by 9AM and leaves the rest of the day open for you. I have been thinking about hitting the reservoirs for some put and take trout action lately because of the way the ocean has looked this last month or so.

[IRPescador]

Congrats man! Couple of good dinners right there

[frozendog]

Nice limit of trout. Fishing is fishing - whether you are out trout fishing or slipping and sliding on the rocks.

I know what you mean about company - you're fishing all by yourself in a wide open spot and a stranger parks themselves right next to you. I go fishing to fish - not make new friends or tell fish stories - unless it's planned ahead with friends.

[drudown]

I wish the swell would subside for a day 'er two as well. Hefty lookin' stringer ya got there Jeff. Always entertaining to see your Quarry reports.