plumbertom1
09-29-2008, 04:23 PM
I got to Rays house around 5pm on Thursday evening ands we finished up a few minor details before getting on the road about 7:00
The drive across L.A. and out to the desert was clear sailing with only a couple of minor brake checks.
We crossed the Salton Sink on the west side of the Sea taking the better highway 86 from Indio to Brawley and on to I-8 where we stopped at Van Der Linden Road and pulled up on the canal bank for the night, thinking we might fish, but we were both to tired to put out a line as it was after midnight, so we just hit the rack for the night.
In the morning we had to back track a few miles to Holtville and add a few gallons of fuel to Rays camper to be sure and make Yuma.
When in Yuma we made a gas stop to fill the camper and the boat, then on to Mr. G"s for breakfast burritos (not as good as they should have been), then on to Albertsons for consumables.
Finally Squaw Lake and we put the Boat on the water. While Ray readied the boat I made us some sandwiches while hiding from the heat in the camper with the A/C running.
The combination of 100+ degree heat and very high humidity made it very oppressive to be out in.
Then we went on the hunt for bait. We motored into Little Senators Wash from Squaw via a side channel and went to drop shotting crawler pieces along a rock wall. That produced a good number of Green sunfish and Bluegills in a size range from too small to almost too large and every size you could want in between.
With a good tank full of bait we returned to our camp and ray started up the BBQ where he fired some pork strips while I steamed some broccoli and baby bok choy to go with it, while still hiding in the camper.
After dinner, as the Sun went down, we headed out onto the river for the nights fishing.
We set up at the upper opening to Little Senators wash and put out our bait. After about an hours wait I got a run on my hand sized sunfish and closed the bail allowing the fish to load my ten foot Kat King rod. The 10/0 circle hook did it's job and I had a fish on my 40 lb P-line.
It only took a few minutes to bring in the cat and Ray netted it cleanly.
I thought it was a flat head because it ate a good sized bait but on inspection it turned out to be a nice channel about 8 lbs.49689
I re-baited and put out my offering again and less than an hour later I got another run, this time it was a small flat about 5 lbs. (no photo)
We gave the spot a little while longer with no action so we moved down river to the opening to Squaw lake where we didn't get any interest for over an hour or two then called it a night about 2 AM.
In the morning, after a fitful night trying to sleep in the heat, we started up the generator and turned on the A/C so we could sleep in for a bit.
Breakfast was diced leftover bratwurst and pork strips scrambled with salsa and cheese burritos. Then I cleaned the fish and went back in the Camper to nap for a while longer.
Around 2:30 we went back out to get more bait and hit up the same backwater as before although we did better this time in the back of a few overgrown coves.
When we had a good supply of bait we went back to camp and Ray heated up the charcoals again while I prepared the T-bones. As Ray grilled the steaks and Mexican onions, I stayed inside under the A/C and steamed some Yellow squash to go with them.
We chowed down like kings and then hit the river again.
This time we fished in the California Channel at a couple of places with nothing happening untill we hit a hole we had been told about. Almost as soon as I got my rig settled I got a run that I missed and ended up hung on something. Broke off and retied.
A short while later I got another run which I also missed and got hung up again. This time I retrieved a snag that weighed about 15 Lbs but decided that release was the best thing, so I let it go back into the water.
Third run for this spot I hooked up solidly but broke off in the middle of my leader. When I inspected the leader and the line above it, I discovered it was frayed badly as if it had been dragged across either a rock or a sharp edge of some type.
During all this Ray never got a run but when he tried to retrieve his line he found himself hung solidly. We gave it up in that spot and moved down channel to a couple more places with no further bites for the rest of the night. about 5 AM we headed in and rested as best we could untill we could start the A/c again.
We upped camp around noon and went home.
The drive across L.A. and out to the desert was clear sailing with only a couple of minor brake checks.
We crossed the Salton Sink on the west side of the Sea taking the better highway 86 from Indio to Brawley and on to I-8 where we stopped at Van Der Linden Road and pulled up on the canal bank for the night, thinking we might fish, but we were both to tired to put out a line as it was after midnight, so we just hit the rack for the night.
In the morning we had to back track a few miles to Holtville and add a few gallons of fuel to Rays camper to be sure and make Yuma.
When in Yuma we made a gas stop to fill the camper and the boat, then on to Mr. G"s for breakfast burritos (not as good as they should have been), then on to Albertsons for consumables.
Finally Squaw Lake and we put the Boat on the water. While Ray readied the boat I made us some sandwiches while hiding from the heat in the camper with the A/C running.
The combination of 100+ degree heat and very high humidity made it very oppressive to be out in.
Then we went on the hunt for bait. We motored into Little Senators Wash from Squaw via a side channel and went to drop shotting crawler pieces along a rock wall. That produced a good number of Green sunfish and Bluegills in a size range from too small to almost too large and every size you could want in between.
With a good tank full of bait we returned to our camp and ray started up the BBQ where he fired some pork strips while I steamed some broccoli and baby bok choy to go with it, while still hiding in the camper.
After dinner, as the Sun went down, we headed out onto the river for the nights fishing.
We set up at the upper opening to Little Senators wash and put out our bait. After about an hours wait I got a run on my hand sized sunfish and closed the bail allowing the fish to load my ten foot Kat King rod. The 10/0 circle hook did it's job and I had a fish on my 40 lb P-line.
It only took a few minutes to bring in the cat and Ray netted it cleanly.
I thought it was a flat head because it ate a good sized bait but on inspection it turned out to be a nice channel about 8 lbs.49689
I re-baited and put out my offering again and less than an hour later I got another run, this time it was a small flat about 5 lbs. (no photo)
We gave the spot a little while longer with no action so we moved down river to the opening to Squaw lake where we didn't get any interest for over an hour or two then called it a night about 2 AM.
In the morning, after a fitful night trying to sleep in the heat, we started up the generator and turned on the A/C so we could sleep in for a bit.
Breakfast was diced leftover bratwurst and pork strips scrambled with salsa and cheese burritos. Then I cleaned the fish and went back in the Camper to nap for a while longer.
Around 2:30 we went back out to get more bait and hit up the same backwater as before although we did better this time in the back of a few overgrown coves.
When we had a good supply of bait we went back to camp and Ray heated up the charcoals again while I prepared the T-bones. As Ray grilled the steaks and Mexican onions, I stayed inside under the A/C and steamed some Yellow squash to go with them.
We chowed down like kings and then hit the river again.
This time we fished in the California Channel at a couple of places with nothing happening untill we hit a hole we had been told about. Almost as soon as I got my rig settled I got a run that I missed and ended up hung on something. Broke off and retied.
A short while later I got another run which I also missed and got hung up again. This time I retrieved a snag that weighed about 15 Lbs but decided that release was the best thing, so I let it go back into the water.
Third run for this spot I hooked up solidly but broke off in the middle of my leader. When I inspected the leader and the line above it, I discovered it was frayed badly as if it had been dragged across either a rock or a sharp edge of some type.
During all this Ray never got a run but when he tried to retrieve his line he found himself hung solidly. We gave it up in that spot and moved down channel to a couple more places with no further bites for the rest of the night. about 5 AM we headed in and rested as best we could untill we could start the A/c again.
We upped camp around noon and went home.