A Day Of Dead Batteries

It's Friday so I decided to head out to Lake Camanche and soak some Power Bait. What Friday has to do with it opposed to any other day, I have no idea. Just threw that in there.

Got to the lake about 9:00 after stopping for coffee at Java Drive. Set up at the same spot I've been in for the last three trips out there and put out one rod with rainbow Power Bait and the other with Hatchery Pellet Power Bait.

Then the waiting began.

Took a few shots with my camera just to show I wasn't alone.

To the point

Reuben in the green jacket

Far off fisherpeople

With the way the last two trips went, I waited until 10:00 for the first bite. If you remember, the last two times I was out there the first bite came at exactly 10:00.

When I left home my camera had 2/3 power. Figured that would be enough for the day. When I got the first bite, which was NOT exactly 10:00 (more like 9:45) it was a biggie. Was on the rainbow Power Bait.

About 5 pounds

Got the camera out for the "proof of catch" picture and the battery showed DEAD. Took the picture anyway and luckily it came out.

Next was to get out the handy dandy Berkeley Digital Scale and that battery was dead too, so no positive weight. 

That was it for the day. Only saw one other little one caught by the guys at the point. I only caught one, but one was enough. 

When I got home, I put in the backup battery in the camera so I could transfer the pictures and that battery was dead to. 

Now both camera batteries are charged (you know this by the fact that you are viewing the photo's) and new batteries are in the handy dandy Berkeley Digital Scale for the next time I catch a "biggie". 

That's it for today. 

Stay tuned.  

Hello, Anybody There?

Saturday morning at La Casa Kautz and I decided to give my wife a morning without me under foot.

Got up early, loaded the truck with the necessary fishing accouterments and with the temperature at a nice freezing 32 degrees, headed for Lake Camanche.

When I got to the lake it was a balmy 42 degrees, but temperature wasn't the problem. If I hadn't been familiar with the lake, would have completely missed it in the fog.

Can you find the lake?

Set up two rods with rainbow Power Bait and threw them out somewhere. Barely could see your hand in front of you face. OK, wasn't quite that bad at lake side or I probably would have parked my truck in the lake. Did I mention my wife calls me Mr. Exaggeration?

In 42 degrees, I had my parka on, gloves, ball cap, ear muffs, yes ear muffs, and in my gloves, chemical had warmers and I still froze. 

To bolster my frozen body I also had a cup of coffee from Java Drive and a couple glazed donuts. 

And there I sat. I think there were other people out there, but I couldn't see them. Like fishing blind. 

Alright, I'll stop with the super fog stuff. It wasn't quite that bad. I could see all around the cove and out the peninsula, barely, but it was still freezing. I'm getting wimpy in my old age.

I watched the other people and no one was getting any bites. Quiet as a mouse out there. Then right at 10:00 just like a week ago yesterday I got the first bite. Oh, forgot to mention I replaced one rod with a Power Bait called Hatchery Pellet and fresh rainbow on the other. If you haven't seen Hatchery Pellet Power Bait it's a solid color dark brown. Looks kind of like poop in a jar. 

The bite came on the Hatchery Pellet, but it was just a bite and then gone. While I was reeling in that rod, I got a bite on the other one. I think what happened is the fish hit the Hatchery Pellet and when I didn't pick up the rod fast enough (hard to sometimes with gloves on) he went on to the next one. 

I turned out to be a Mt Lassen Rainbow about 14 inches and maybe a pound or pound and a half. I gave to the guys at the end of the peninsula. 

That was it. No more bites for me or the others. I think I got the only fish of the day, but it was a fish and once again I avoided the skunk.   

I got out, froze, had trouble walking on the rocks, but I did catch one. A good day over all. 

Stay tuned. 

If You're Going To Start Fishing 2020 This Is The Way To Do It

My wife had the day off work and was off to Folsom to a quilting class present she got for her birthday last month.

I had the option of staying at the house and being a Haus Frau (that's German for house wife) or doing something else. What would you have done?

I went fishing of course.

You all know I have this arthritis problem in my back and hips, but I also have something called peripheral neuropathy. About 20 years ago my toes started to get numb. Doctor said I should wear more comfortable shoes. As time went on, the numbness spread through my feet and up my legs. Next doctor sent me to a Neurologist and he diagnosed it as peripheral neuropathy. He said about 40% of people that have it, don't know why.  It has currently stopped just below my knees. Some years later, in the hospital recovering from a heart attack I mentioned to a nurse about it and she asked questions.

Back in the 80's I worked for an oil company.

When I worked for that company, one of the processes we had was to remove writing on the drums with Acetone and re-stencil with what ever information needed to be on the drum. We did this without wearing gloves because we didn't know any better. She said that was why. Now I'm in the 60%. Doesn't change anything. There is no cure.

As recently as a month ago I started having trouble with my right foot. Thought I stepped on a rock or something when I was out at Camanche in December and maybe bruised my foot. Not the case. It's just the neuropathy getting worse.

After all that, what I'm getting at is that walking on anything other than a flat surface is extremely hard, BUT I'm not going to let a little thing like not being able to walk very well stop me from fishing.

So, as my wife left for her quilting class, I left for North Shore Camanche. Got there about 9:15 and put out two rods with rainbow Power Bait. Since it's almost impossible to stick a rod holder in the ground out there I did the usual "lean the rods against the tacklebox" trick. 

Lean the rods against the tacklebox

Scanned the lake to see if anyone else was there and there were a few to my left.

They  are there, might have to make the picture bigger

Next to me was an old friend I haven't seen since last Winter. Reuben fishes North Shore regularly and over time we've become friends.

Rueben is down that way, but that isn't his truck.

Back to fishing. The first bite of 2020 came at exactly 10:00. A nice little 14 inch Mt Lassen Rainbow. Since I don't keep what I catch, I gave it to Reuben. Sorry, didn't think of taking a photo.

Continued to soak Power Bait and between 10 & Noon, I caught 2 more that I also gave to Reuben. Both were pretty good sized. Maybe a couple pounds. Again no photo's. It seems to be a bit of trouble trying to reel in a fish, stand with my cane, get a net under the fish, and whip out the phone for a photo all at the same time. You'll just have to take my word for it. After all, would this fisherman lie to you?

I decided to call it a day at Noon. Packed up my chair, put the tackle boxes in the truck and reeled in the rods. First one zipped right in. Second one was a bit of a struggle. There seemed to be a fish on the line I didn't even notice was there. Turned out to be the biggest of the day coming in at about 3 pounds.   

Surprise !!!!

Yup, about 3 pounds

It's kind of sad when you don't get excited any more with a 2, 3, or 4 pound fish. Seems when most of the fish you catch are that size you lose perspective.

A hell of a way to start a new year. Happy 2020. I hope the rest is just as good. 

Stay tuned.