Hybrids Water Cold

[Bruce Litton]

For hours the fishing was slow--two trout, a pickerel, a perch--trolling. I was about to hang it up and fish nightcrawlers. I made another approach to a favorite spot, nailed a five-pound hybrid, and that's when it all began for us. Mike got one, and that gave me a lot of relief; I got another almost four, and this is what really hurt until I caught that second: a much bigger bass tore off on a streaking run. If you've hooked big hybrids, you know that uncanny convulsive power they have, like bursts of electrical energy. The situation proved I had set the drag just a LITTLE too tight, and the bass snapped my 12-pound test fluoro leader just like the action of an iron wrist, snapped it not at the knot, thank God, but I kicked myself anyway. Lost another five-pounder, threw hook at boat, had another pull off on a run, and missed a few hits, so we enjoyed action.

Water 56 degrees at start, 59 when left.

[Eskimo]

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Sounds like a good day on the water. Hybrids are like that where you won't see any all day, then suddenly you'll catch bunch in as many casts. Then they're gone.

My guess is they move in tight schools and when they see one lunge at a lure it motivates the others to start feeding.

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[henro]

How are you trolling for them? Bait rigs with herring? Lead core?

[River Renegade]

Nice report sounded like a blast out there. Those hybrids are mean and fight tough gotta love that.

[Bruce Litton]

How are you trolling for them? Bait rigs with herring? Lead core?

Flatline. Rapalas. I got a good deal on three Sutton spoons, Ebay. Those wafer-thin, silver-plated trolling spoons that really seem to suggest herring. Weighted one of them with a quarter-ounce tungsten, figuring that sinker is less of a complication ahead of a barrel swivel five feet up the line than lead or steel, since tungsten is dense, smaller-per-weight. Rig works. Spoon rode four or five feet down. But never got a hit on that.

[henro]

Oh ok so they're shallow. This was a day trip right?

[Bruce Litton]

Oh ok so they're shallow. This was a day trip right?

Yeah, we started before sunrise, and fishing remained slow until approaching noon a little chop and sun got on the water. Fourteen feet minimal, and as deep as 18--apparently hybrids rush up and slam those three to four-foot running Rapalas; in any case, I know sometimes they swipe and don't get the hooks, and then take chase and slam another eight feet or so distant.

I really gave the eight-foot running Smithwick I go yesterday, having returned, and I just can't give it extra rod-jerking action I can with balsa. No hits on the Smithwick.