February 2008

Placeholder for February 2008 reports

February 8 & 9, 2008 - Fished Baffin for troph trout with a couple of guides. SS, TA, CG and I fished with with guide A the first day and guide B the second day. JG, RS, MD, & JBM fished with guide B the first day and guide A the second day.

Feb 9 Guide B's boat: We went back to the shallow, grassy area with clear water that the other group had fished the day before. The wind had picked up quite a bit, so the water was a bit more off color. SS caught several on topwater. I threw a Texas Chicken regular corky and caught a 25 inch 6 pound fish. Around noon we moved to the area that we had fished the day before. We hooked up with a number of smaller fish after moving to the second spot. Later in the wade, we ran into a long spell without a tap. TA had a good blow up on a topwater. I switched to a pink skitterwalk and after what seemed like 50 casts, was violently bit by a good fish. While I was playing the fish, she made a run toward me and tailwalked shaking her head. I felt slack for a second and my heart burst as I thought I had lost her. She turned course and I again felt pressure. The second set of hooks had pulled free leaving one solitary hook in the bottom jaw. After landing her and snapping a couple of pictures she was revived and set free.

After another half hour without a tap, I switched back to the Texas Chicken regular corky. I had a Norton quick-lock on the end of my leader for quick changes of lures. After 15 minutes or so, I felt the solid "thwock" of another big trout. I set the hook and leaned back to play the fish. Suddenly the pressure was no longer there, not even the feel of the bait. I quickly reeled in to find that the bait had corkscrewed off the quicklock. I clipped off the quicklock and tied on the mossy back Corky Fatboy. After another half hour, I felt the "thwock" of another good fish. I played the fish and thanked the good Lord for allowing me to have this great day on the water with this wonderful fish and the good company of my friends. This fish measured 28 inches and weighed 7 pounds.

Guide A did not perform a good service for the other group. He allowed two other boats of his friends to fish among his charter. He topped this by boarding his friend's boat and layed out on the deck enjoying a cool one. After a long wade, he watched my friends work their way back to the boat rather than picking them up. They caught a few trout along the way, but this was the last time we'll fish with him.

Feb 8 Guide A's boat: We launched at 6AM and ran South to Baffin. The guide cautioned us to make sure that our drag was very light. He demonstrated by easily pulling line off his reel with a pinch of his thumb and index finger. He suggested that we throw a mix of Corkys, Topwaters, & Tails to see what they preferred. He was throwing a Texas Chicken Corky Fat Boy. I elected to throw a Pink FatBay. TA threw a BlackBack/Pearl Fatboy. SS threw a topwater and CG threw a Pink Fat Boy. The cool morning warmed up rapidly as we threw Corkys. The guide caught at least 4 good trout with the largest being 28 inches, 7 pounds. TA also caught at least four trout that went better than 5 pounds with the largest being being 28 inches, 7.5 pounds.

After throwing all day without a bite, I switched to a Texas Chicken Texas Trout Killer. I threw it for thirty minutes without a tap. The major was supposed to be 1:30 PM and at 1:15, I got bit by a nice 18 inch trout. The skunk was off my back and now I could relax. A half a dozen or so casts later, I felt a solid bite. I leaned back and felt the pull of the fish. Solid fish, I thought. After playing the fish on the light drag, I brought my new personal best trout to hand. She measured 27.5 inches and weighed 7 pounds. After a few pictures, I released her. I was enjoying the moment and my friend GG shook my hand to congratulate me. That wonderful watermelon smell carried through the air. I jokingly told CG I was rubbing the pheramones off my hand onto his. With his next cast, he caught the twin of the sow trout I had just released. This was a great day on the water for me and my friends. We caught a window of beautiful weather three days after a front had passed through. The sky was bright and sunny and the winds were light. The fish were caught in off-color water to boot. We fished the same area all day.

Feb 8 Guide B's boat: This group went very shallow for the first wade. JBM caught a trout that all agree went 30 inches and may have exceeded 9 pounds. As he was holding her, the hook pulled from her lip as they attempted to place the boga grip on her lip. She gently rolled and swam away. A bittersweet event to say the least. The other group caught many other fish up to 24 inches. Most of the strikes seemed to come on pink or Texas Chicken Catch 5s.