Went back to Bethany Lakes this evening to try out a homemade Doughbait. Worked well... caught several Catfish with the largest going just over 16"! But, did lose a Bruiser that broke the line. Not a bad outing; really like the Circle Hooks I picked up while on the coast. Getting a lot more hook-ups and no deep-hooked fish!
Fished Bethany Lakes this evening and caught several Catfish on Dough Baits. Fun stuff on light tackle! Even had a few Bruisers, estimating a couple that went 17"+!
While surfing the net noticed a fishing tactic used for fishing piers and other elevated locations....
Tactic calls for casting a heavy weight for distance, then attaching a "Slide Rig" (also called a "Trolley Rig") that holds the bait. The bait then slides down the line until it reaches bottom. Works well for heavy baits that are too heavy for casting and "fragile" baits that may break up on the cast or on impact with the water.
After checking a few sites online, managed to construct a "One Way Slide Rig" using materials on hand. Then, tested it out at Bethany Lakes. Worked well for fishing "fragile" dough bait; however, next test will use a heavier weight.
Also, the key to using this rig is elevation; higher elevation allows the bait to slide more readily down the line.
Fished Kroger Park this evening and caught two Bass and a Turtle on a Black Bead Head Leech Streamer. First Bass hit the fishing fly on a slow retrieve; second Bass struck immediately after the fishing fly landed in the water. Second Bass was the larger of the two, measuring just over 12.5" in size. Not a Bruiser but enough to take the lead in August's One Fishing Fly Challenge!
Stopped by the feeder creek that runs into Bethany Lakes this morning. Noticed some surface activity despite the shallow water. Tied on a Bead Head Leech Streamer and soon after landed a little Bass. Then, lost a bigger Bass, then caught some Bluegill and Sunfish. Surprised the shallow water held so many fish.... A lot of small ones but there were a few bigger ones mixed in as well!
Caught a few fish - Sunfish and a Bluegill, right after the rain storm passed Bethany Lakes. Fish seemed tough to locate and water was murky from the rain runoff. Managed to find a few fish lurking in the shallows but no Bruisers!
Checked out Packery Channel - North Jetty to closeout the trip to the Coast. Observed a number of Sea Turtles swimming about. Pretty cool to see them; saw very few if any back in the 80's. Looks like they are coming back to the area!