plumbertom1
06-10-2008, 10:00 PM
Picked up Bert at Bob Hope airport in Burbank and headed out the 210 east.
We stopped for a Mexican breakfast at a little place in Azusa then continued onward.
Turned south on the 15 for a stop at the BPS in Rancho Cucamonga, Bert had never been to one and I was looking for a new net with an extending handle.
After we finished there, went south to the 10 and east again to Blythe.
Crossed the river into Az. and saved $.46/gal. on a diesel fill up.
Can't explain that, there is only $.10/gal. difference in tax.
Ran up north of Blythe to B&B bait and picked up some crawlers and such. They were out of Goldfish but said they would have them after 4PM the next day. We left and went to fish for tilapia and sunfish, got a few for the bait bucket, just none too big.
Then a stop at the market for some thing to go in the ice chests.
Anyway, after grabbing some Popeye's chicken for later we drove south toward Palo Verde and started checking out the out flow canal until we came to a spot that looked like we wanted to fish it. Set up and started fishing.
We put up my new tent without the rain fly so it would vent and settled down for serious fishing.
Managed to pull out two small flats one for me and one for Bert in the 5-6 lb range. I may not seem like much but it was Bert's first flathead. That was all for the night.
In the morning I ran into Palo Verde for ice and while I was out I went to Cibola and fished a little for gills, caught two good sized ones and headed back to camp with a stop at a store for a couple of homemade beef and potato burritos.
We hung out with our lines in the canal all day with no action untill after dark except for one small channel about 2lbs Bert caught while fishing for sunfish.
Late afternoon I made a trip to B&B for goldfish and stopped by to see Dale and Billy Joe and admire Dale's new boat for a few minutes before picking up a couple of burgers and going back to where I left Bert at camp.
On into the night we fished. A little after dark I caught one more of those little rat flatheads, looked like the third of the same hatch.
Then I put on one of those Big Gills I caught, I knew they were too big for the rats to eat, and sure enough after a couple of hours it took a hard run down the ditch.
I was using a 9/0 circle hook so I closed the bail and waited for the pole to load up then just started reeling hard.
Man, I could tell this was no rat fish. He pulled out line and came back a little before pulling some more, I could see my line running back and forth across the canal and the occasional surface break by the star light ( there was no moon), When it would make a run to the brush I told my self to stay calm, f he ran in them he would run back out.
Eventually I brought it shore and Bert manned my new net to get it out of the Water. Turned out to be the best flathead I've caught in 30 years, somewhere between 15 and 20 lbs. I'd guess.
The wind was blowing like you wouldn't believe all day long. Bert tried to nap in the tent and was getting sand blasted by the sand fine enough to get through the mesh screen, and it continued to blow all night, at times blowing my tent close to flat. While we were sleeping in the tent several times it gusted so hard that the tent poles hit me in the head. But it calmed down in the morning.
We broke camp poured the sand out of the tent and moved up river to Mayfair park and got a camp spot for the Gathering. Put up the tent again (it's a two pole dome so it goes up quick) unloaded the camp gear and we were ready
Ray rolled into camp and got set up while Bert and I were out trying to get some bait at the canal and when we got back we ran up river for a few hours to fish with no result.
We fooled around in camp and tried for bait in the river the next day then Ray and I went out in the evening to try again while Bert went out with Gary to fish down river at McIntyre park area. The wind was blowing up river making the boat spin around over our lines and generally causing havoc so we called it an early night.
Saturday we hung in camp. Around 2:30 PM Dale, Billy Joe, Ryan and Sandy came to our camp and started putting together a fish fry for us all.
I opened up a couple cans of ranch style beans and heated them on my stove as Sandy used it to cook up a big pot of Cheese Grits while BillyJoe and Ryan prepared the catfish. Dale manned his deep fryer and roasted some ears of corn on the gas grill he brought. We had a fine meal in a short bit and everyone seemed to enjoy the food and camaraderie.
After clean up we all went back to get ready to go out for the final night's (for most) fishing.
Ray, Bert and I went down river to McIntyre and caught a hand full of sunfish for bait out of the lagoon there then ran out into the river to fish. Tried in few spots and one of them produced a couple of small channels (less than 2 lbs.) for Bert and one flathead about 6 lbs for me. That was it for the night.
The next day everyone was packing up to go home Ray Bet and I went up river by road to a launch ramp about 6 miles above the diversion dam and took a boat ride on the river. We fished a little and caught a few under sized small mouths, then ran back to camp so Ray could hook up and leave for home.
Bert and I went out to fish the main irrigation canal not far from the Park.
I put out a goldfish while Bert fished with a goldfish and some stinky stuff.
My gold fish kept acting like it was getting bit but then it didn't run. After watching that for few times I reeled it in and discovered it's belly had been torn out by a turtle. So I switched to stink bait. Never got a bite.
Bert, however, did get a bite. After waiting for ever his pole finally went bendo big time. He fought it to shore where I used my extended handle net to corral it. I brought it up into the light and it was a carp about 7-8 lbs. that ate his stink bait.
We fished a while longer then called it a night.
The next morning we went into Blythe for breakfast and then back to pick up camp and the drive back to L.A. I dropped Bert off at the airport about 5:30 pm then went the rest of the way home.
I didn't take a lot of photos but you can view them at;
http://picasaweb.google.com/plumbertom1
We stopped for a Mexican breakfast at a little place in Azusa then continued onward.
Turned south on the 15 for a stop at the BPS in Rancho Cucamonga, Bert had never been to one and I was looking for a new net with an extending handle.
After we finished there, went south to the 10 and east again to Blythe.
Crossed the river into Az. and saved $.46/gal. on a diesel fill up.
Can't explain that, there is only $.10/gal. difference in tax.
Ran up north of Blythe to B&B bait and picked up some crawlers and such. They were out of Goldfish but said they would have them after 4PM the next day. We left and went to fish for tilapia and sunfish, got a few for the bait bucket, just none too big.
Then a stop at the market for some thing to go in the ice chests.
Anyway, after grabbing some Popeye's chicken for later we drove south toward Palo Verde and started checking out the out flow canal until we came to a spot that looked like we wanted to fish it. Set up and started fishing.
We put up my new tent without the rain fly so it would vent and settled down for serious fishing.
Managed to pull out two small flats one for me and one for Bert in the 5-6 lb range. I may not seem like much but it was Bert's first flathead. That was all for the night.
In the morning I ran into Palo Verde for ice and while I was out I went to Cibola and fished a little for gills, caught two good sized ones and headed back to camp with a stop at a store for a couple of homemade beef and potato burritos.
We hung out with our lines in the canal all day with no action untill after dark except for one small channel about 2lbs Bert caught while fishing for sunfish.
Late afternoon I made a trip to B&B for goldfish and stopped by to see Dale and Billy Joe and admire Dale's new boat for a few minutes before picking up a couple of burgers and going back to where I left Bert at camp.
On into the night we fished. A little after dark I caught one more of those little rat flatheads, looked like the third of the same hatch.
Then I put on one of those Big Gills I caught, I knew they were too big for the rats to eat, and sure enough after a couple of hours it took a hard run down the ditch.
I was using a 9/0 circle hook so I closed the bail and waited for the pole to load up then just started reeling hard.
Man, I could tell this was no rat fish. He pulled out line and came back a little before pulling some more, I could see my line running back and forth across the canal and the occasional surface break by the star light ( there was no moon), When it would make a run to the brush I told my self to stay calm, f he ran in them he would run back out.
Eventually I brought it shore and Bert manned my new net to get it out of the Water. Turned out to be the best flathead I've caught in 30 years, somewhere between 15 and 20 lbs. I'd guess.
The wind was blowing like you wouldn't believe all day long. Bert tried to nap in the tent and was getting sand blasted by the sand fine enough to get through the mesh screen, and it continued to blow all night, at times blowing my tent close to flat. While we were sleeping in the tent several times it gusted so hard that the tent poles hit me in the head. But it calmed down in the morning.
We broke camp poured the sand out of the tent and moved up river to Mayfair park and got a camp spot for the Gathering. Put up the tent again (it's a two pole dome so it goes up quick) unloaded the camp gear and we were ready
Ray rolled into camp and got set up while Bert and I were out trying to get some bait at the canal and when we got back we ran up river for a few hours to fish with no result.
We fooled around in camp and tried for bait in the river the next day then Ray and I went out in the evening to try again while Bert went out with Gary to fish down river at McIntyre park area. The wind was blowing up river making the boat spin around over our lines and generally causing havoc so we called it an early night.
Saturday we hung in camp. Around 2:30 PM Dale, Billy Joe, Ryan and Sandy came to our camp and started putting together a fish fry for us all.
I opened up a couple cans of ranch style beans and heated them on my stove as Sandy used it to cook up a big pot of Cheese Grits while BillyJoe and Ryan prepared the catfish. Dale manned his deep fryer and roasted some ears of corn on the gas grill he brought. We had a fine meal in a short bit and everyone seemed to enjoy the food and camaraderie.
After clean up we all went back to get ready to go out for the final night's (for most) fishing.
Ray, Bert and I went down river to McIntyre and caught a hand full of sunfish for bait out of the lagoon there then ran out into the river to fish. Tried in few spots and one of them produced a couple of small channels (less than 2 lbs.) for Bert and one flathead about 6 lbs for me. That was it for the night.
The next day everyone was packing up to go home Ray Bet and I went up river by road to a launch ramp about 6 miles above the diversion dam and took a boat ride on the river. We fished a little and caught a few under sized small mouths, then ran back to camp so Ray could hook up and leave for home.
Bert and I went out to fish the main irrigation canal not far from the Park.
I put out a goldfish while Bert fished with a goldfish and some stinky stuff.
My gold fish kept acting like it was getting bit but then it didn't run. After watching that for few times I reeled it in and discovered it's belly had been torn out by a turtle. So I switched to stink bait. Never got a bite.
Bert, however, did get a bite. After waiting for ever his pole finally went bendo big time. He fought it to shore where I used my extended handle net to corral it. I brought it up into the light and it was a carp about 7-8 lbs. that ate his stink bait.
We fished a while longer then called it a night.
The next morning we went into Blythe for breakfast and then back to pick up camp and the drive back to L.A. I dropped Bert off at the airport about 5:30 pm then went the rest of the way home.
I didn't take a lot of photos but you can view them at;
http://picasaweb.google.com/plumbertom1