3 Skunks- Where The Land Meets The Water

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As the official Last Place Team of the Monroe County Offshore Classic among boats that weighed a fish (meaning almost everybody) - our intrepid Trio thought it best to change the scent of the boat.  A special dance and some spray later, we set out on a 4 hour tour this morning still working out the stinks - errr…I mean kinks.  
Due to a boat dock debacle where our trusty “Just Add Water” got to stay on land until the end of June, this was only our third trip of the season.  An earlier trip would have been nice, but two months on land with the boat uncovered lead to some friendly lichen gracing the boat and its canvas.  I should have learned about Wet-n-Forget about 13 hours of cleaning earlier.  Having the classic be our shakedown was probably a bad idea, but we made a nice donation to those who won!  You are welcome!

As we prepare to have a better showing for Sandy Creek, we got some great intel from those who boated fish at the classic about WTF- where the fish are.  
Today we came out of the inlet and turned straight North to 65 fow to start a slow troll out heading Northeast, then running along the Webster coast between 85 and 115 feet.  Our setup was to be two riggers with two dipseys and two 10 color leadcore pulled off tx44 inline boards.  
”Was to be” is a critical statement.  Running a smaller 42 second spoon (one of the few spoons I have that I honestly remember the name of thanks to Mariano Rivera) we were able to set out the two leadcores and the dipseys running spin doctors and flies before we got our first hit.  TECHNICALLY - we got three rods in fully with one placed in the holder to be dealt with later (45 feet back on a two setting was not where I wanted it.). Those three trebles on the 42 second though sunk in deep, pinning a 15 pound king’s mouth shut.  Thank goodness it did, as pulling that tx44 to the boat resulted in about a 45 minute back and forth just to get the board to the boat.  Man the fight of a planer board going under water is amazing!  Great work out!  Once the board could be appropriately brought to the boat though, we gazed around to realize we were way out of where we wanted to be with the wind pushing us back in from 100 to about 80fow. 

Apparently we didn’t know where we NEEDED to be though rather than WANTED To be as just as the mighty king on the leadcore finally got close to the boat and aspirations of Genny Light gracing our lips in celebration ran through our minds, the too short dipsey  with a Blue Dolphin Spin doctor that had not even been set out appropriately while we fought the in-line board fired. “Zing” went the reel!  Whoosh went another king (smaller) leaping out of the water.  Just what we needed- doubles to really cause us to squirt obscenities and dance around on the back of the boat.  With some three stooges grace and acrobatics, both fish were brought “safely” to the boat, netted and no hooks penetrated our lovely skunk tails.  Always a benefit!

Slime cleared from the deck, back away went the leadcore on the tx44.  Back away went the dipsey, and a momentary lull graced us as a nice couple of guys on a great Pursuit boat were coming back towards us from Webster, waiving as they went by AND catching a fish at the same time.  We commented their technique was much too calm and relaxed, and involved none of the normal chaos and interesting odors that we spray all over the boat as we fish.  Still, the score was Skunks 2- Kings 0.
With a sigh and slight trepidation by the lone deckhand who knows how to deploy the gear, as the other skunks frolic and drink merrily talking about a variety of stinky escapades, the decision was made to deploy the downriggers with some mag spoons as had been recommended.  We had trolled to 70 fow and the hooks on the screen had disappeared so a long slow turn back into the wind was started right after the riggers got set down at 60 and 70 feet down with black and white patterned spoons.  As our overly cautious turn (due to prior week debacle where the wind caught us and crossed our lines as they went dead slack and we spun in circles) was completed and we were back trolling West in 90 fow the hooks on the screen returned.  As an educational discussion about “hooks” and streakers coming into the riggers ensued as little lines showed up all over the screen, and the ubiquitous wicked tuna beeps were made verbally by our trio, sure enough one of those little streaks was another king about 16 pounds.  Being closer to the boat and fooling us into thinking this is much better without the tx44,  the king quickly taught us a lesson as it charged straight into our wire diver setup on the starboard side.  Having gotten it out of that fun rod dance, the king decided it wanted to get a better look at us and charged at the boat running up alongside of us.  That was when thoughts of a net came to mind, but our scent was not welcomed and the king did its best run of all zipping away before we could land it.  Dancing and shuffling ensued as two of us repositioned ourselves in the slight waves for a second crack at it, achieving the feat just before it ran itself into our kicker motor.  Skunks 3-Kings 0.

Back down went the spoon, more blood and slime rinsed from the deck, and a new odor filled the air as cigar smoke mixed with salmon slime on the net and sea fleas graced us.   Hardly had time passed when POP- off went the other downrigger.  The outcome of that riggers location being different than the first didn’t matter though, as yet again the king charged head long into the wire diver, which with our new found skills we much more swiftly dealt with.  Thinking it best to pull that before any other issues arrived as we fought this fish, the wire diver was removed to clear space. “HA HA!”  We said!  We outsmarted this one we thought!   Feeling we had to learn another lesson as we were too smart and smug at this point, this king wanted to really see if we could move by moving slightly further over in the spread and actually getting itself slightly hooked up on the tx44 board out on our starboard.  Fearing calamity we jumped to get that unhooked, DID IT - took a big sigh of relief - and POP - off went the other downrigger.  Doubles again for the skunks.  
As quick studies we more adeptly shifted the three participants in a round Robin fashion this time around - with one skunk fighting the first fish till it was close to the boat, the second skunk trying to keep some control on the second fish as the third steered the boat.  As the first fish got to the boat, skunk two handed the second fish to skunk three to fight and steer at the same time, as netting occurred.  With a 16 pound salmon thrashing in the boat, skunk three handed skunk one the rod for fish two as skunk two dumped salmon one back in the water.  Skunk two then took over the boat as skunk one handed the rod back to skunk three to fight fish two. Skunk two then handed the boat over to skunk one so skunk two could again net fish two. Skunk three then said he was hungry, and decided this one needed to face a surgical procedure on the docks.  Following this elaborate mating dance ritual, the three skunks looked up and realized- Skunks 5- Kings 0.  The day was at a time to get to shore and do some cutting.  The surgical team scrubbed up and got to work on the dock, realizing that Bay traffic can create more waves than the lake. Closest any skunk came to taking a swim was standing on the docks.
All marks were basically 90 fow - 110.  Lots of fish all around 50-75 feet down.  Most kings were mid teens with the biggest one being 18.  Colors were black and white with some green on the spoons - with both mags working and smaller ones.  Dipsey with the spin doctor was only down 40 when it took a hit.  Fleas weren’t too bad, but were present.  

Thanks to our good friend and winter time Genesee fishing buddy Captain Larry for some tips, the guys at the Classic weigh in line that we eavesdropped on, and the guys at the IBFG for sharing as well.  

We’ll be stinking it up all summer now!

🦨🦨🦨
 

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We were the couple nice guys in the Pursuit boat that passed you while fighting a king. We may have  appeared to be calm and relaxed, but anything but, when that king takes a 200 copper to 450. Not sure about the interesting odors spread all over the boat while fishing, not sure I wanna know. 😎

Thanks for the post and tight lines 

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Lol!  Well you sure had us fooled!  That was a calm collected looking pair on a nice boat. No matter what it was like on there, you sure look like you had it locked down.  Did you land that fish?  That area we marked a lot but if you slid in too far down the Webster coast where it shallows up it was dead.  Maybe some bait on the bottom but that was it.  We slid back out coming back West and marked a lot.  

[UNREEL]

Unfortunately we dropped that fish 50ft behind the boat on a 200 copper. Tons of bait and marks in that 80-90 ft depth, however yesterday was a different screen.