This week it’s all about the BEEF! Bobby Roast Beef said that the last week for him has been a wild ride.
First, he hit up Stockbridge Bowl for a sample of the multi species offering and he said that the slick, calm water combined with very little cloud cover, had him wondering how this would ultimately turn out; Luckily it was exactly what I was looking for! Bobby said that he tried to follow a drop off as best as he could in his kayak, casting up shallow and retrieving back out, allowing his 3″ minnow presentation to fall off the ledge. Bobby managed to upgrade his rainbow trout for the month to 16 inches, not once but twice. He shifted gears and really became dialed onto yellow perch as a focus. He reported that there was no shortage of perch darting all over the place, some nipping at the tail of his bait. In the process of looking for a bite he managed a small rock bass, which would solidify another point in his scavenger hunt derby. As I worked back towards the ramp I managed to hook into a yellow perch, coming in at 12″; I was amazed at the fight the fish put up! Just missing the mark for a state pin, I released this beaut back to the depths and left feeling quite accomplished. Bobby said that the presentation for all of these fish was a steadily retrieved 3″ baitfish profile rigged on a 1/8oz. jig head and that occasional twitches did seem to incite bites.
Thursday he had some plans to fish with an old friend and having only planned on a few hours they picked a local pond with some species that he knew if he was lucky, he could pick up more tournament points with. As luck would have it, all largemouth and more 16″ rainbows! A fantastic outing, catching fish and catching up with an old friend… but the largemouths were keyed into finesse jigs and weightless worms fished shallow. That trout were clobbering my rooster tail! It had also dawned on me that for my next outing I would be prepared with items to keep some of these rainbows… why not, right!?!?
Sunday BRB headed back to the Swift River; to target the two trout species he still needed to hook into: brookies and browns. He said that he launched the kayak and headed downriver, ready to head as far down as possible where he actually had never fished previously. I had to play games with some local fly guides who seemed to forget that they’re in a public body of water, and they need to allow access for other boaters to pass. After I got past the congestion, I did hook into a rainbow! This fish measured at just a click below 18″ so while he didn’t need that species for his points total, it did upgrade him and add to his total inches (which are used to break ties). I dispatched this guy and he is actually lunch for my daughter and I today! Continuing further down the river where things opened up a bit, Bobby hooked another, you guessed it, giant rainbow trout. He joined his brethren in my cooler bag, after bleeding out in the net. He made his way further down and said at that point the bite seemed to die. He also said that the wind also became a bit much out in the open, and looking at the clock I was going to be running out of time, if I wanted to clean these fish at the ramp. So, I turned the ship around and fished my way back. Managed a tiny chain pickerel on the same rooster tail I caught these bows on, but that would be it for Sunday.
Last on the docket for the week Bobby made it out to a Springfield fishery on Tuesday morning. He said there was no wind to a very light wind to start and partial clouds. Again in search of crappie, brownies, hell even a catfish would help give me a point! He said he launched and threw that same 3″ minnow pattern and they were CHOMPING! He landed half a dozen nibbler bass that housed this little plastic baitfish and managed (yet another) stocker rainbow, and a chain pickerel! Another unbelievable numbers day, but not the right species to help my cause.
If you’re getting out there this weekend folks stay safe! The weather out there Saturday looks like a great day especially if you want to get onto some of those freshly stocked trout! Tight lines!
Wild Woman 