Q:: Spruce Run..LOW? Launch OK?

[Eskimo]

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Judging by the massive number of boats and sailboats on the water this past weekend, I would say there is no problem launching boats into the water.

The low water and crowded conditions seem to be making some people act nutty. This past Sunday evening, I anchored my ten-foot kayak in a quiet cove because there were too many boats trolling around to paddle the open water. While I'm anchored, this boat comes up behind me and this guy starts reprimanding me for not having a bow light. I started to explain the law law to him, but he wasn't listening, so I just let him yell at me for like three minutes and he moved on. When he got about a hundred yards away he hooked a bass and started screaming and carrying on like an overly dramatic porn star during the "money shot" scene. I have no doubt that all that noise was to get my attention. It was very important to him that I acknowledge that he caught a fish. Weirdo.

Earlier that evening a guy in an enormous 19-foot bass boat drove right up to me, and from a few feet away asked me how I was doing. I couldn't believe someone would get that close to me in a boat that big to ask a stupid question. I suspect he just wanted to look inside my kayak to see what baits I was using.

The week before, I had a guy "wing me" with his big boat and ask me if I wanted the hybrid he caught. I declined, and was about to question him as to why he killed a fish he didn't even want, but I decided I didn't want to have that conversation with him. He continued to troll around getting close to me again and again.

With the water levels this low, I was able to spend the afternoon padding into coves and getting out to walk the shoreline and pick up fishing lures. I have fun doing this and can see how lure trends change from year-to-year.
For example, a few years ago I found a lot of umbrella rigs, but this year I haven't found any. From that, I theorize people are using fewer umbrella rigs.

The thing I'm finding this year that I haven't seen before are European-style carp feeder rigs. These are various pieces added to a rig that deposit some chum or bait near the hook bait. Most of them are just small coils of metal, but some are quite intricate. One of them was a contraption that looked like a tiny bird cage about the size of a baseball. It was crafted from stainless steel wire and had a spring-loaded door on the bottom.

The other new thing I'm finding are tiny drones or drone-like toys. These probably have nothing to do with fishing, but rather reflect new types of toys people are playing with at the campground or elsewhere on the shore and losing in the water.

The vast majority of snags are just bare hooks. There was either live bait or plastics on those hooks before they broke off. The object that snagged the most hooks was a long piece of rope attached to an abandoned anchor. There were so many hooks in that rope, I was afraid to touch it.


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[tycomps]

"like an overly dramatic porn star during the "money shot" scene"

'droppin l _ _ ds'?

[tycomps]

Originally Posted by Fred E. Goose

I store it in a tight space that's in the woods, so upside down keeps it from filling with water, leaves, debris, and helps keep the critters from getting into it. Well, except for a spider here and there. I kept it rightside up once, because my back was shot at the end of that day and the next weekend when I got back to it, it was full up to the open drain of muckwater and all kinds of stuff. Now I always flip it to avoid that. It's a 26-year-old aluminum in pretty good shape, and I try my best to keep it that way.

thanks for the tip!

[Mr Mayor]

Jeez didn't even know some guys were still posting here on my thread.

Anyway, the launch was easy, the ramps are useless due to level... easily 20+ feet the bottom of the ramps "curb", so we launched from the sand/stone. The enclosed worked like a champ as always, in and out in 3 minutes or less, AND all the tackle just stays in the boat.

As for fishing... ^%$%^&* skunk. Funny thing is, I was there in darkness and saw some absolute GIANTS jumping 2 and 3 feet out of the water... soon as the sun broke, and I got out on the water, the wind kicked up and nada.

MM

[Anthony]

I may go tomorrow (Friday). wish me luck!..lol

[Jigman13]

Those giants are likely carp

[logs22]

Originally Posted by Anthony

I may go tomorrow (Friday). wish me luck!..lol

I took advantage of the warm temps last night and made my last late night SR mission before I move my boat to their winter storage area. Wish I could say it was productive but alas, skunked. Water temps still in high 50s and marked a good number of fish. Most seemed to be cruising around 15 ft or hugging the bottom in 25-30 ft off water off the rocky points in western half of lake. No signs of life around the creek inlet where I thought they would be after recent rains or by the dam/rip rap or mid-lake hump which is now under only 6 ft of water.