Water has been warming up nicely. Temps are in the mid 70s. Topwater fishing has been good in the early morning hours. The Community holes are filling up fast with all kinds of cruisers, pontoon boats, etc. Just the other day, a pontoon boat with 8 bait fishermen pulled within 10 yds. of my boat at 0630 and started fishing. Can you believe that? The guy's name was Rocky. I took a photo of his pontoon boat and his registration number. I'm not sure if I'm going to report the guy to the PA Fish and Game Commission or not. I'll have to check and see if that will do any good. I know it's NOT just me this guy has crowded on the Lake, he did it to another bassboat. In fact, the other bassboat was a Guide on the Lake, Ray's Guide Service. I heard Ray got into a shouting match with Rocky after I left. I had a few words with Rocky myself. If this persists, Rocky's ignorance, I may have to give my old friend Jerry a call. Jerry would be paying Rocky a friendly visit and letting him know about proper fishing etiquette.
Hot air temps this week will be driving up the water temp to the mid-to-high 70s. With the increased water temps comes increased feeding. i.e. bass will be eating more often..especially at night and early morning hours. During the day, when the sun gets high, the fish will be headed deep. You can bang the banks all you want and you'll come up short. Better patterns during the day (then banging the bank) would be fishing under the docks (where the temps are cooler and sunlight not as bright) and on deeper points (where the same conditions exist).
If you've never fished at night, July and August are the best months at the Pack. I like fishing at night. There are no pesky pontoon boats or cruisers out at night. The water is calm. The temps are cooler. The topwater fishing is AWESOME..in addition to jig and spinnerbait fishing. I've caught my biggest Largemouth at night with a Jitterbug. You can also run into a school of Stripers at night feeding on Threadfin Shad. When the Striper's start busting baitfish at night, you'll know it. It will sound like somebody is drowning.
Fish ON! Rob
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Lake Wallenpaupack Fishing Report- 6/17/12
I didn't fish on Sunday because there were two tournaments on the Lake. I figured the fishing would be tough..and it WAS according to Bill Albright, local guide. I woke up at 0500 to hear about 30 bass boats flying down the Lake. Conditions looked good, overcast skies, slight breeze, etc. but the fishing was tough. The winning bag was 8 fish for 15 lbs. Normally, when the fishing is ON..that bag weight would be closer to 20 lbs., if not over. The winning Smallie weighed 3 lbs. and the winning LM was 4.5 lbs. (I think). I went down to the dock around 0900 and saw four bass boats in our Cove (Goose Pond Cove). All four boats were pounding the bank..to no avail. I knew if they didn't have at least 3-4 fish in the livewell by 0900 it was going to be a long day.
I always wondered whether 30+ boats zooming down the middle of the Lake at 0500 puts the bass in alert mode- i.e, a negative feeding mode. I wouldn't doubt it. How else do you explain the low weights at weigh-ins when just a week earlier, w/ similar conditions, you would have brought a 20 lb. bag in? And, the guys in the ABA tournament are some of the top fishermen around..trust me.
Regardless, the water temps will REALLY warm-up this week with mid 90F air temps. The higher water temps will definitely fire up the fish. i.e. they'll be moving more and eating more. There is no doubt that the Topwater bite will be on early. The action doesn't last long but when it's ON..it's ON! It's a lot of fun.
I'll be out there on Saturday morning from 0500 til 1100. I like to get off the Lake when I see the first jet skier/PWCs/Waverunners (whatever you call em). I hate those pesky things..they're freakin' annoying to say the least. Water skiers are also annoying..especially the ones that love to buzz our bass boats close to the shoreline. Almost got in a fight years ago because a water skiing boat kept buzzing my bass boat 20 ft. from the shoreline. I casted my jerkbait at the driver as he blew by me at 25 mph and damn hear hit em..ha. He shut his engine down and said, "YOU ALMOST HIT ME YOU A$$HOLE". I said, "I'M SORRY I MISSED. I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO RIP THAT BIG NOSE OFF YOUR FACE". It was pretty funny. Can you believe that though? The guy was buzzing by me no more than 30 ft. off the shoreline at 0900 in the morning with nobody else on the Lake..sheesh.
Until next report- FISH ON! Rob
I always wondered whether 30+ boats zooming down the middle of the Lake at 0500 puts the bass in alert mode- i.e, a negative feeding mode. I wouldn't doubt it. How else do you explain the low weights at weigh-ins when just a week earlier, w/ similar conditions, you would have brought a 20 lb. bag in? And, the guys in the ABA tournament are some of the top fishermen around..trust me.
Regardless, the water temps will REALLY warm-up this week with mid 90F air temps. The higher water temps will definitely fire up the fish. i.e. they'll be moving more and eating more. There is no doubt that the Topwater bite will be on early. The action doesn't last long but when it's ON..it's ON! It's a lot of fun.
I'll be out there on Saturday morning from 0500 til 1100. I like to get off the Lake when I see the first jet skier/PWCs/Waverunners (whatever you call em). I hate those pesky things..they're freakin' annoying to say the least. Water skiers are also annoying..especially the ones that love to buzz our bass boats close to the shoreline. Almost got in a fight years ago because a water skiing boat kept buzzing my bass boat 20 ft. from the shoreline. I casted my jerkbait at the driver as he blew by me at 25 mph and damn hear hit em..ha. He shut his engine down and said, "YOU ALMOST HIT ME YOU A$$HOLE". I said, "I'M SORRY I MISSED. I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO RIP THAT BIG NOSE OFF YOUR FACE". It was pretty funny. Can you believe that though? The guy was buzzing by me no more than 30 ft. off the shoreline at 0900 in the morning with nobody else on the Lake..sheesh.
Until next report- FISH ON! Rob
$1M Fish Swimming in the Pack
PPL’s Lake Wallenpaupack Welcomes Anglers in National Fishing Contest
Somewhere in the depths of Lake Wallenpaupack a largemouth bass, walleye or a rainbow trout may be swimming with a $1 million tag and waiting for a juicy worm as part of the nationwide “Wanna’ Go Fishing for Millions?” contest sponsored by Cabela’s®, a leading outfitter of hunting, fishing and outdoor equipment.
“Lake Wallenpaupack is a popular destination for anglers throughout the year, and now they have another reason to come here in search of a possible million-dollar fish and other tagged fish that qualify for other prizes,” said Paul Canevari, PPL’s community relations director for the Pocono region.
“The contest is being conducted in several locations across the country, so when Cabela’s approached the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission about a suitable location in Pennsylvania, we were honored that they chose Lake Wallenpaupack,” he said. “If you haven’t visited Lake Wallenpaupack, now’s a good time to experience it and come prepared with your lucky lures and love of the outdoors.”
Lake Wallenpaupack is one of 12 lakes in Pennsylvania and one of 19 states nationwide participating in the Cabela’s contest with fish stocked with prize-winning tags. Bodies of water chosen for the contest are in states where Cabela’s has retail stores. The contest started Saturday, May 5 and continues through July 8. Prize winners will be announced online after July 8.
Contest details are available at www.cabelas.com/fishformillions or at any Cabela’s retail store.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
2012 Skeeter TZX 190 Woes (Cont'd)
a. Carpeting- I have a spot where the carpet was glued on top of a dried blob of fiberglass. It will probably wear through in time. For now, I'm leaving it alone because it's near the edge where there is little foot traffic. On other 2012 TZX 190s, I've heard the carpet had to be re-glued in a spot because it became loose after a hard rain.
b. Side Imaging Transducer Install- the rear sponson design of the TZX 190 does NOT allow the SI transducer to get a good look out either side (port or starboard). I had to buy a mount for $100, made by www.sternmate.com, to get the SI transducer down & out from the transom to get a better image. The image out the port side is still not so great (when the engine is trimmed up) because of the E-Ladder. Image out the starboard side MUCH better than original.
c. Cable bundle routing- the cable bundle routing out of the engine contacts the rear deck lid. This creates two problems: 1) it's going to wear a hole in the rear deck lid compartment in time and 2) it puts excessive pressure on the cables when the engine is tilted/trimmed up. In fact, on mine, there was so much pressure on the cables it popped the retaining clip inside the engine holding the throttle cable in place and I lost both my throttle and gear lever. Had to tow the boat back to the dealer to fix.
d. Rubber Motor Stick- Yamaha/Skeeter introduced a new motor toter called a "motor stick". This stick of rubber is supposed to fit over the port side trim piston rod to take the stress off the transom when trailering. Problem is, to install it on the piston you MUST trim the engine to the fullest upright position. When you do this, it SMASHES the cables (coming off the engine) into the rear deck lid. (see c. above). Yamaha/Skeeter has a recall on the motor stick. My dealer replaced the motor stick with the old fashioned motor toter that connects to the lower unit of the engine and rear trailer roller.
e. Humminbird 798 ciHD fishfinder- head unit was defective, had to go back to HB. New head unit works fine.
f. Fire Extinguisher bracket- dealer installed the Fire Extinguisher under the driver seat. The first time I stood up, the back of my sneaker hooked the bracket latch and broke it. Dealer sent me a new one. I taped the strap so it can't catch on my shoes/sneakers.
g. Thru the hull transducer Y-cable- Yamaha/Skeeter/Dealer/Whomever did NOT connect a Y-cable from the thru the hull transducer and my SI transducer. So, when I was up on plane, I had no depth reading at speed since the SI transducer was out of the water.
h. Trailer loading- it is EXTREMELY hard to load boat on shallow/flat ramps. If the trailer is in the water too far, the bow of the boat will dive under the trailer winch roller. If the trailer is out of the water too far, the boat bow clip will NEVER come close to the trailer bow roller. I still can't find the sweet spot after 6 attempts. I'm going to try to silicone spray the bunks next time. I'm not concerned with the boat falling off the trailer (because of the slick bunks) because the ramp is so shallow and I NEVER undo the bow clip and backup until the boat transom is in the water.
i. Engine setup- not sure the engine is mounted at the correct height. Still trying to figure it out. I'm only getting 61mph GPS with just me (185 lb.), 1/2 tank gas, calm water, mid 60 temps, and light load. I was counting on 65mph minimum with a 175 hp HPDI engine.
j. Cleats- the pop-up cleats are VERY difficult to pull up. I sprayed them with WD40 and it's a little easier.
k. Lid latches- the hidden lid latches are terrible. They are VERY difficult to open and very sharp. I cut my finger on the rear deck lid latch. Had to take a dremel tool to it to round off the edges.
Wish Yamaha/Skeeter would authorize/ok the use of a jack plate on this boat. I think it would help eliminate at least 3-4 of the problems I listed.
Fish ON! Rob
Monday, June 11, 2012
Lake Wallenpaupack Fishing Report- 6/11/12
Absolutely hammered em topwater on Saturday morning with my friend, and Professional Guide, Bill Albright. That's the nice thing about going with a guide, if there is action to be had, they know where it is. I'd say in a 4 hr. period we caught at least 12 smallies in the 2-3 lb. range. It was a lot of fun.
On Sunday, I went out on my own (in the morning) and tried OTHER topwater spots with little success. In fact, other than the bruiser Striper I caught on topwater (my first in years) the topwater action was non-existent.
Both days, similar weather pattern- overcast skies, little to no wind. So, I can't see the weather being a big factor on why we caught em good on Saturday and not on Sunday. Definitely had to do with where we were fishing.
Water temps remain in the high 60s low 70s on both days. Only fished for 4 hours each day (0600-1000). When I see or hear the first jetski it's time to get off the Lake. I detest jetskis..just wasting gas as far as I'm concerned.
Fish ON! Rob
On Sunday, I went out on my own (in the morning) and tried OTHER topwater spots with little success. In fact, other than the bruiser Striper I caught on topwater (my first in years) the topwater action was non-existent.
Both days, similar weather pattern- overcast skies, little to no wind. So, I can't see the weather being a big factor on why we caught em good on Saturday and not on Sunday. Definitely had to do with where we were fishing.
Water temps remain in the high 60s low 70s on both days. Only fished for 4 hours each day (0600-1000). When I see or hear the first jetski it's time to get off the Lake. I detest jetskis..just wasting gas as far as I'm concerned.
Fish ON! Rob
Monday, June 4, 2012
Lake Wallenpaupack Fishing Report- 6/3/12
Post-Spawn Blues!
Got up at O'dark thirty yesterday morning. Air Temp 52F, Water Temp 69F, skies clear, little to no breeze. Fished Goose Pond Cove out of my kayak. Caught nothing but dinks (red eyes, sunnies, etc.) Was throwing worms, tubes, etc. (small stuff) because I knew it would be tough fishing. There was NOTHING on the bank and not even marking much in 12-15 ft. of water. I know they are there though. They don't go far after Spawning. They're just NOT in a positive feeding mode..that's all. Got off the water by 0930. Can't say I was too disappointed in getting off the Lake.
Seems like the Smallies are in the "Post Spawn" blues stage right now. Just three weeks earlier you could catch a limit of fish (good size) in less than an hour. Now, you'll be happy to catch a single legal size fish in an hour. Having said that, Bass Fishing Season doesn't open up in Pennsylvania for another couple of weeks..so please Catch/Release (quickly) if you do catch one.
Also, water is up to the high water mark for the season. It's all downhill from here...lake level wise.
The good news is, the Lake is warming up..and so will the fishing too. Topwater fishing (for Smallies) is right around the corner. There is NOTHING better than watching a BIG A$$ Smallie annihilate a Topwater Lure. Well there is, "landing" it.
I'll be up again this weekend and will be on the water with the BIG boat and will be covering a lot of area. Fish ON! Rob
Got up at O'dark thirty yesterday morning. Air Temp 52F, Water Temp 69F, skies clear, little to no breeze. Fished Goose Pond Cove out of my kayak. Caught nothing but dinks (red eyes, sunnies, etc.) Was throwing worms, tubes, etc. (small stuff) because I knew it would be tough fishing. There was NOTHING on the bank and not even marking much in 12-15 ft. of water. I know they are there though. They don't go far after Spawning. They're just NOT in a positive feeding mode..that's all. Got off the water by 0930. Can't say I was too disappointed in getting off the Lake.
Seems like the Smallies are in the "Post Spawn" blues stage right now. Just three weeks earlier you could catch a limit of fish (good size) in less than an hour. Now, you'll be happy to catch a single legal size fish in an hour. Having said that, Bass Fishing Season doesn't open up in Pennsylvania for another couple of weeks..so please Catch/Release (quickly) if you do catch one.
Also, water is up to the high water mark for the season. It's all downhill from here...lake level wise.
The good news is, the Lake is warming up..and so will the fishing too. Topwater fishing (for Smallies) is right around the corner. There is NOTHING better than watching a BIG A$$ Smallie annihilate a Topwater Lure. Well there is, "landing" it.
I'll be up again this weekend and will be on the water with the BIG boat and will be covering a lot of area. Fish ON! Rob
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