Braving the 90 degree plus heat last week, I ventured over to Lone Lake to chase Grass Carp again. The heat, well I assume it is the heat, and the lack of vegitation had turned the lake into a soup of algae. It was colorful and interesting in a way but it was eerie. I wasn't sure if I even wanted to put my boat in the water and after I got in the water I really wasn't sure I wanted to fish. I had gotten a good start on the day. There wasn't even a breath of wind. The algae looked like it could have been in the swamp where Yoda meets Luke Skywalker. It looked like it could have been some sort of nuclear run off. It really was uncomfortable at first. I moved around the margins but of course could not have begun to see a fish feeding in all of this. I spent more than an hour without making a cast and thought I should probably just head home.
A slight breeze came up and started to move the slime towards the southwest corner of the lake. That is until the wind changed directions and started to bring it back. After a while I did have some partially open water and was able to land one fish on a "Real Grass Fly". I estimated that he was 27 1/2 inches and about 9.5 pounds.
I did bonk him on the head with a Seattle Mariners kids's souvenir bat and dispose of him in accordance with the WDFW Grass Carp Reduction guidelines. As an aside that little bat seems to be getting as many "hits" lately as the Mariner's bats are but whatever. I called it quits after a few hours.
As I said, the slop was eeire. It was worse on the surface but was also clouding the water below the surface. I don't know if I will do this again.
Inspired by the slop, I really think I am ready to go catch some Carp on a dry fly. (Commons and Mirrors) Yup, next week, that's what I want to do, catch some Carp on a dry fly. I am tying the flies this week and getting ready for the big trip. Wish me luck.
That picture is freaking me out too. Is that bloom due to the grassers eating all the vegetation? Crazy.
ReplyDeleteHi John. I don't know for sure what it is due to actually. I just got off the phone with another guy who was there the day before I was and we both feel that it is from virtually all of the vegetation being eaten. Since we have never seen it before and since we have been fishing there for nearly 40 years it seems to be a safe bet. Still, neither one of us is a biologist so we are not sure. We both think that the situation was exacerbated by the consecutive days of heat in the mid and high 90's. The pictures don't actually show the extent of it. The pictures I took trying to capture how far the stuff extended all over the lake don't show it well. Picture the slime carpeting hundreds and hundreds of yards and that is what it was like. It will be interesting to see what happens, or has happened, when the wind comes up hard again.
ReplyDeleteThe Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife had hoped we would eliminate 100-150 fish by September 1. We are never going to make it. It will be interesting to see how big these fish are next year and what happens to the water.
It really does help inspire me to get ready for chasing Commons and Mirrors on a dry fly next week. Not that I needed much extra inspiration.