Sandy Creek - 5/5 Shakedown Report - Smells bad....

[carpedium]

Like Skunk.

 

Started out the morning late - got on the water around 8:30am. Had a two friends of mine on board, one of which has never been out before. Headed northeast first thing out of the mouth, and marked nothing until around 55 FOW. slowed down and found a really well defined thermal break out at ~70 FOW. Water was pretty clear, hard to find any color - maybe it was my new sunglasses!

 

Set up right on the thermal break and saw some really good hooks with bait on the graph - very promising! Started with 5 rods:

 

- Mag Dipsy with mountain dew spinny Crazy B. Fly, out 50, then 80, then 100

-  Downrigger with 30 minute spoon changes, natural colors then greens, then purples. Tried the whole water column, tried 10 to 100 ft off the ball. Added free slider. 

-  Downrigger with spoons, then switched to  cowbells and spin & glow (white/red, blue/red, chartreuse, blue/white), then switched to Lhur jensens version of the grease trap with splin/glow   combos.  Then glow frog at the bottom. 

- Mag Dipsy with various spinny combos, then ran clean spoon. 

- Flatline down the chute with various sticks, then added 3/4 oz finned weight with leader to get some depth to address hooks at the 1/3 of WC. 

 

Did not bring the boards/mast due to trying to keep it simple.

 

I have never worked so hard for so little action! Only other time I have been skunked was the first time I was out on the lake fishing trout/salmon.  Packed it in around 2pm. No hits. 

 

Either day it was a beautiful day!

 

 

Any ideas gentlemen?

Edited May 6, 2013 by carpedium

[Legacy]

i tried the shallower water both saturday and sunday mornings. we set up around 50 fow both days and trolled northeast out of it and never moved a rod inside of 90'.

[LongLine]

I took a couple lakers right off the surface out 100-140.  I wouldn't be surprised if the fish were quite scattered but within the top couple of feet of water.  Also fast & erratic helped a little. 

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[carpedium]

Yeah, we made it out to around 150, but didn't stay long since it seemed like all the marks went away. Maybe that was my issue, also, only having one line in the upper 10' probably hurt as well. We did figure 8s and messed with speed, but my probe batter was shot (that's why they call it shakedown right?) so my speed was GPS dependent - also another potential issue. Either way, thanks for the additional info. 

[gokudl3]

Only suggestion is you should of ran cowbells right off the bat. We had a quick start as I set up in 90 and my two riggers with cowbells stayed pretty busy for a while. We were 13 of 18, all but one on peanuts and a whits spin doctor taking the other hit. I kept my riggers withing feet of the bottom all the way to 145, my right arm got a good workout cranking that rigger up

[carpedium]

Only suggestion is you should of ran cowbells right off the bat. We had a quick start as I set up in 90 and my two riggers with cowbells stayed pretty busy for a while. We were 13 of 18, all but one on peanuts and a whits spin doctor taking the other hit. I kept my riggers withing feet of the bottom all the way to 145, my right arm got a good workout cranking that rigger up

 

wow, yeah I bet your arm is feeling it. Are peanuts all you ran, or did you also run spin/glows with no results?

[gokudl3]

I ran two cowbells with peanuts and two wire divers with flasher and fly, also tried mc rockets

[PD Buoy]

Hate to wish for a blow but I think that's what the lake needs to turn the fish on. Guess it's coming this weekend. We'll see what happens!!!