Southwest Area Park

[DonV]

Looking to get out during the day.

I am going to do Ft. Armistead tomorrow. I'm excited about the cats but just saw a real good report come in for stripers in the harbor.
http://www.snaggedline.com/showthrea...was-fun-today!
Let me know if you are intersted.

[freshstripes]

In the last few weeks my buddies and I have helped some fish that were very needy lol. A 12lb carp that had an entire stupid metal top bottom rig hanging from its mouth, a cat with a metal stringer still attached to its jaw and another cat that my buddy hooked through the split ring of a crank that was stuck in its dorsal. All fish now have a much easier time swimming. Unfortunately I can't say the same for the 6lb catfish swimming around with my Boga grips still attached to its mouth( still waiting on my dumba** buddy to replace those for me)

[freshstripes]

Shore, boat ,and Scanoe . Sold my kayak. Mostly fish from the Scanoe now and I love it. Put a swivel seat on it. My back is pretty jacked up and the kayak was killing me. I need to save for a hobie

[DonV]

Shore, boat ,and Scanoe . Sold my kayak. Mostly fish from the Scanoe now and I love it. Put a swivel seat on it. My back is pretty jacked up and the kayak was killing me. I need to save for a hobie

Where do you put in when you are doing the boat? Harbor Hospital. Southwest Park closes at night doesn't it? I can commiserate, got the screwed up back thing myself. Being in the kayak doesn't really seem to aggravate it but the loading and unloading does.

[freshstripes]

Crappy seat didn't help

[freshstripes]

Harbor hospital. It takes about an hour to get up into the ponds with two guys and a 55# trolling motor on the canoe

[freshstripes]

Maybe a little less if I didn't troll and cast part of the way

[DonV]

Harbor hospital. It takes about an hour to get up into the ponds with two guys and a 55# trolling motor on the canoe

Thanks, I haven't done any night stuff in the kayak yet but may get the nerve up someday.

[Excalibur]

Fishing Report: launched from the park around 9:30. Turns out that they were having an RC plane show so besides the road noise of 895 you also had lots of flying weedeaters. Those were cool but I will stick with fishing. One thing that really stood out was a model jet. That was crazy fast. Now back to the fishing. Trolled a spinnerbait from the launch up river to the bridge without any action. Saw some guys doing well on cats with minnows. Once up at the bridge, I was stopped by 2 nrp officers in a boat. They checked me for a license and distress signal. Check on both. Worked around bridge structure. No one home. In the first pond, I switched to trolling a rattle trap. Again no dice. Up at the junction to pond 2 there were a few folks fishing from shore. Up there I finally got the skunk off with a rat striper. Fished that pond a bit more and saw a separate nrp officer on foot. He was checking the shore guys. back to pond 1 where I picked up a feisty short striper on a twister tail grub. Nothing after that (despite a best effort) All in all, a good slow day on the water.

[DonV]

Next Time try a 4" Gulp Swimming Mullet on a jig head when trolling the river up. The stripers, perch and cats will hit them. Try the the main river channel where it comes around the sand island. I went over the island and as soon as my lure dropped into the main channel, got a hit.
BTW was a whistle adequate for a distress signal when in a kayak and what they wanted to see? I don't carry any visible distress signal. I have heard waving your paddle is one.

[Excalibur]

The officer asked me if I had a horn, whistle or bell? I have one of those orange whistles that DNR gives out and keep it clipped to my pfd . Not sure where the sand Island is that you mentioned. Is that on the right past 895 toward the end of the first pond? I saw a sandy beach with lots of gulls but didn't realize it was an island. After that I forked to the left side.

[DonV]

The officer asked me if I had a horn, whistle or bell? I have one of those orange whistles that DNR gives out and keep it clipped to my pfd . Not sure where the sand Island is that you mentioned. Is that on the right past 895 toward the end of the first pond? I saw a sandy beach with lots of gulls but didn't realize it was an island. After that I forked to the left side.

Thanks for the info.

Yes the sandy beach with the gulls is a little sandbar/island. If you stay close to it it will get very shallow, about 1-2". Coming across it you will find the edge of the main river channel that drops to about 6-8' that heads up to the right and back into the river proper. That is where I hit my 17 1/2"striper. The channel kind of s's around the island. Had someone else tell me the point right across from the island where the river curves around it is a good spot.

[Excalibur]

Thanks.. I didn't try that side. I'll have to check Walmart for the gulps and see if I can try again next week.

[freshstripes]

[Excalibur]

Hi DonV. Two follow up questions: Are they gulp (in a packet) or gulp alive in the liquid tub? Any color preference? I was thinking chartreuse.