Mid-Severn report - 8/19/13 - An interesting sighting

[Fishinfool]

Launched at 0630 from a community access point as a guest. I had a few bites casting along rip rap, but nothing landed. Decided to head up and across the river, trolling about half way and then just paddling. Got to a spot on the west side of the river after about a forty minute paddle and started to have some action right away.

I was casting two jigs; a 1/16 ounce with a green or white 4" curly tail, and a 5/8 ounce jig with same. Landed a couple keeper perch ( for me, anything over 10 inches I keep), then a 17.5 inch rock. As I was looking away from one of the jettys, I saw the largest fish I had ever seen on the Severn come up the the surface. He was about 30 yards away and I could make out a dorsal fin about 4 inches wide and 5 - 6 inches in height. Wow, what the hell was this fish? I saw his tail spash the surface, it was several inches wide! Just for fun, I casted over but he didn't take it. That would have been fun.

Anyone care take a guess what it was? I am thinking cobia, or a huge blue cat?

So, I kept trolling and casting making my way back down river. I had a big strike but lost him. He still has the lure in his mouth unfortunately. I tie all my jigs/lures on with three half hitches and lock it in. Anyone have a link where I can learn a better knot?

Just trolling the 1/16 ounce near the rock jetty I caught the keeper rock, a little over eighteen inches. Soon after, the fatso jumbo yummy perch over 11.5 inches.

So, another day of quality and not quantity and a sighting of something incredibly large.

IMG-20130819-00126.jpg

[Shady]

Nice! Could the big fish have been a lost Dolphin?
I've always used a trilene knot and its served me pretty well...
http://www.animatedknots.com/trilene/

[Fishinfool]

I doubt it was a dolphin. It seemed larger than most dolphin caught offshore in O.C. anyway. Did you mean a porpoise? This bad boy had a vertical tail on him so it couldn't have been a porpoise.

Thanks Shady, I'll start practicing. I feel badly about the jig probably still in that (had to be a keeper) rock's mouth. I've never had that happen before.

[mweber02]

I like the improved clinch knot. I have never tried to trilene but the animation looks somewhat similar. Improved clinch with fishing line is super easy. Loop through the eye, spin the lure/swivel (I go about 8 turns with my 12lb test, fewer twists for heavier lines), put the tag end through the gap left at the end, then take it back to through the loop you create when you do that.

One of the fishing shows used to test certain knot types with different types of line but I never paid it much attention.

The two most important things are to find a good knot you can tie easily with practice, and WET WET WET the line before you tighten down on the knot. That last part I can't emphasize enough. Dry line makes for a loose knot and stressed line.

[On the fly]

I like the improved clinch knot. I have never tried to trilene but the animation looks somewhat similar. Improved clinch with fishing line is super easy. Loop through the eye, spin the lure/swivel (I go about 8 turns with my 12lb test, fewer twists for heavier lines), put the tag end through the gap left at the end, then take it back to through the loop you create when you do that.

One of the fishing shows used to test certain knot types with different types of line but I never paid it much attention.

The two most important things are to find a good knot you can tie easily with practice, and WET WET WET the line before you tighten down on the knot. That last part I can't emphasize enough. Dry line makes for a loose knot and stressed line.

+ 1

[sparky1423]

I also use an improved clinch. It's the only knot my father showed me and I never looked back. Remember tying this knot over and over when I was a kid, just for fun. I even use this knot when tying mono to braid, just like an uni-to-uni...no problems getting hung up in eyelets or slippage.

[Fishinfool]

Gents, great knot tips. Goodbye half hitches!

[AbuMasgouf]

I do the palomar knot (http://www.animatedknots.com/palomar/) for everything I can, and when I can't (as in can't put the loop around something) I use the improved clinch knot.

Question for ya, how much line do you put out when you are trolling a 1/16th ounce? I ask because it seems that it would be too light to get down...
Thanks!

[J.A. Veil]

Steve -

You are becoming consistent in catching keepers -- way to go.

I don't have any good idea of what type of fish you saw. There are large carp in the upper reaches of the river -- perhaps one of them moved down to the mid-river. It could have been a 30"+ striper. Or it could have been a large catfish. I hope you see that big fish again and catch it.

Regarding knots, I have used a Palomar knot for tying lines to lures. I use a double uni knot for tying leaders to main lines. This summer, I spent some time learning how to tie a loop knot. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...QEwBA&dur=3563 Now I use a loop knot most of the time when tying on jigheads. It allows the lure to swing around a bit more. I have caught a lot more stripers this summer than in previous years. It may be purely coincidental, but perhaps using a loop knot has helped make the jigs more attractive.

[HJS]

Maybe you saw a cownosed ray??? Many times they will swim very near the surface with the tip of each wing sticking straight up like two little shark fins.

I tie on a 7' mono leader of 20# floro to my 14# Fireline. I just use a standard clinch knot using 6 turns to tie on lures.

[Fishinfool]

I do the palomar knot (http://www.animatedknots.com/palomar/) for everything I can, and when I can't (as in can't put the loop around something) I use the improved clinch knot.

Question for ya, how much line do you put out when you are trolling a 1/16th ounce? I ask because it seems that it would be too light to get down...
Thanks!

Thanks for the knot tip Mustafa!

The line with the 1/16 ounce was out about 30-40 yards at the most. I was in no more than five feet of water, so any fish in the neighborhood probably sees the action of the curley tail. The keeper hit the white one.

[Fishinfool]

It may have been a ray, but I thought I saw what looked like a vertical tail swoosh the water. Then again, it may have been a very large carp. He was a big 'ol lazy fish. Really caught my imagination.

[Fishinfool]

Thanks John, and for the knots too! A seemingly little thing like which knot to use becomes a very big thing when fighting a bigger fish. The idea that the knot itself can help the action of the lure is intriguing.

A thirty inch striper, man o man. The stripers I caught today (and/or lost) fought like junk yard dogs getting kicked off a meat truck. I would need cardiac care after a thirty inch striper.

[Beerboy]

I use the uni knot. I like it because if you give yourself enough line to work with, you barely need to look down to see what you are doing. The animatedknots website AbuMasgouf posted calls it a Duncan and it's a great site. But, I like the non-sliploop that John posted. Need to learn that.

[J.A. Veil]

I use the uni knot. I like it because if you give yourself enough line to work with, you barely need to look down to see what you are doing. The animatedknots website AbuMasgouf posted calls it a Duncan and it's a great site. But, I like the non-sliploop that John posted. Need to learn that.

I fished with Walleye Pete several times this year and with a kayak guide in Florida. Both use the loop knot for tying jigheads to leaders. That was my incentive to learn how to tie it. It may not be as strong as the Palomar because the line passes only one time through the eye of the lure, whereas the Palomar uses two passes. However, the additional lure action allowed by the loop knot may bring more strikes. I find that I use more length of leader to tie the loop knot -- as a result, I can retie fewer times on the same leader.