A true bendo shot. Not wasted on a T-shark, ray, or BSB.
Though several of you guys may have thought that fishing has been slow or that fishing in LJ has not been good for the last 2 months well you have been sorely been mistaken. It’s been really nice to not deal with the flotilla, the squid armada, the plastic navy for weeks now and just enjoy some good old fashion summer fishing as it should be.
Well, I wish I could say it has been wide open for YTs last month this simply has not been true. It was a grind, a steady and productive string of fish. However, the lack of quantity definitely was made up for in quality. For the most part the fish were uncooperative and frustrating, but persistence paid off on the long days.
So last month I had been doing what I love to do most. Yep, you know what I’m going to say! SURFACE IRON!!!!! Forget the bait rod, forget about making bait, no more squid, no more cold nights it was almost too good to have been true. Just my 2 favorite jig sticks and big jig striking yellows! Could a yak fisherman wish for anything better? Oh wait, there is nothing better!
Oh, but it did get better! Within “the bite” I had two of the most explosive, close range jig strikes I have ever had! Ever! The first fish I will write about bit so close to my boat that it… well just read my stories:
Strike 1- With an abundant amount of fish around myself, Whizzbang, and sharonkayak I had just made my cast with my choice jig #1 and got blow up on by at least 3 fish. After getting outside of the school I burned my jig back to get ready for an instant second chance bendo. Being very careful to make sure my line was going on tight and level I kept my eyes on the spool. When I got to right about where I pick up my line and make my next hurl I felt the line tighten. Within the millisecond that the line tightened I thought WTF? There is no way! A piece of kelp probably or the jig is at the tip. But when I jerked my head up a wall of water met my face and a flash of silver, moss green, bright yellow dazzled my eyes. A YELLOW HAHAHAHA!!!!! No f****** way! I screamed so loud out of pure joy and surprise I scared Sharon out of her on the water pajamas. I mean the yellow bit literally on my bow, not off my bow. On my bow! C’mon!
Strike 2- Ok, this one was almost as good, maybe slightly better because I got to see into the souls of these fish before I hooked up. I briefly saw a loner and moved into the direction from where it had gone out of my view. I chased her down and she was joined by another one of her house wife friends and they were in a hurry to get to the salon. I chased them down and they finally were running across my frame. I made the presentation and they turned on the jig so hard I almost pissed myself. So here they come running and they are right on my jig, bumping each other out of the way to get the best seat at the dinner table. “Ok, here we go! ……..Ok any second now………C’mon hit it already!” I was saying in my head the entire time the jig was followed. Within 20 yards they were getting really close so I pulled a momentum change and they were getting really excited, literally an inch off the jig and within ten feet from me one makes a lunge for jig#2. But before it could eat it the other bumps her out off the way and swallows the jig and creates the flurry of white I look forward too with every cast and within the same proximity as strike#1.
(The secret to surface irons is the glasses).
Damn I love Irons!
So the moral of these stories; “Don’t get stuck on squid!” While all of you guys were trying your hand at the seabass mantra, a handful of us were having a blast alongside some monster Makos.
Let’s hope that the fishing gets better.
Like I said, "Quality!"