Posted By: lconn4
Martin Creek 1/01/21 - 01/04/21 06:50 AM
Woulda, coulda, shoulda gone to Naconiche but changed my mind and rerouted to Martin Creek, thinking I didn’t want to get skunked on the first day of the year. Got skunked anyway. It was cold 36 and windy and I thought I’d rather have 70 degree water on my hands than 50 degree, plus I just really like foggy lakes with smoke stakes billowing white smoke.
Had on all my warm weather gear, dry bag, and chemical hand warmers...on the water at 9:00 a.m. Knew from wind direction it would be hard to fish my shallow grass spots as the wind would be blowing 49 degree water from further up the creek into it, so decided I would try to deep crank the bridge first. Not much bait there and I wasn’t convinced what I was seeing on graph weren’t talapia. Water temp 68 degrees. It was 74 earlier in th week.
Want to crank the trees and stick ups along the way to discharge but wind is blowing me 2 miles an hour and when I get hung up it’s going to be a pain to use plug knocker to get bait unstuck. Decide not to even try and paddle on over to the discharge where I’ve seen two other boats headed.
About halfway there I paddle closer to bank and start chunking in 8 feet of water. Nothing. Lake is down at least 2 to 3 feet and my marked spots are void of the brush that used to hold fish. I normally don’t fish this area and it’s been several years since I’ve been up this way. Fish the bank all the way to discharge.
Thought for sure I would catch something here. Never saw anyone else get bit either. I don’t like fishing discharge at any lake from a kayak. If you hang a good one over the buoy cable it will pull a kayak right over it. Spend too much time rotating spots with everyone else then fish my way back to bridge.. Nothing.
Paddle over to the cut, don’t see anything but fish it anyway. Then fish bank back to bridge again.
Decide to fish shallow and start near eagle nest as there is a lot of grass in area and I had it marked the last time there.
Get my eagle pics and start throwing spinner bait and lipless crank bait. Nothing.
Tie on big swim bait that I caught a good one on last time and start tossing it around the stumps and pad stems. I get blasted. Fish is a good one, buries up in stems and as I’m reeling kayak to fish it comes loose. I’m encouraged. Miss one soon after, then 15 minutes I hang another that I couldn’t do anything with that breaks me off on a stump. The bad news is that’s the only swimbait I brought with me as I’d made a commitment to deep crank most of the day and I didn’t feel like paddle back to car to get other tackle box.
Started throwing other stuff... swim jigs, spinner baits, nothing. Paddled to the opposite shoreline and fished my way back to ramp. Right before dark I hear dogs fighting and barking then pigs squealing. See pigs come into opening and paddle over to get a better look. Counted at least 5 before I spooked them off.
Long day, zeroed, but enjoyed trying. I’ll kill em next time...just watch.
Had on all my warm weather gear, dry bag, and chemical hand warmers...on the water at 9:00 a.m. Knew from wind direction it would be hard to fish my shallow grass spots as the wind would be blowing 49 degree water from further up the creek into it, so decided I would try to deep crank the bridge first. Not much bait there and I wasn’t convinced what I was seeing on graph weren’t talapia. Water temp 68 degrees. It was 74 earlier in th week.
Want to crank the trees and stick ups along the way to discharge but wind is blowing me 2 miles an hour and when I get hung up it’s going to be a pain to use plug knocker to get bait unstuck. Decide not to even try and paddle on over to the discharge where I’ve seen two other boats headed.
About halfway there I paddle closer to bank and start chunking in 8 feet of water. Nothing. Lake is down at least 2 to 3 feet and my marked spots are void of the brush that used to hold fish. I normally don’t fish this area and it’s been several years since I’ve been up this way. Fish the bank all the way to discharge.
Thought for sure I would catch something here. Never saw anyone else get bit either. I don’t like fishing discharge at any lake from a kayak. If you hang a good one over the buoy cable it will pull a kayak right over it. Spend too much time rotating spots with everyone else then fish my way back to bridge.. Nothing.
Paddle over to the cut, don’t see anything but fish it anyway. Then fish bank back to bridge again.
Decide to fish shallow and start near eagle nest as there is a lot of grass in area and I had it marked the last time there.
Get my eagle pics and start throwing spinner bait and lipless crank bait. Nothing.
Tie on big swim bait that I caught a good one on last time and start tossing it around the stumps and pad stems. I get blasted. Fish is a good one, buries up in stems and as I’m reeling kayak to fish it comes loose. I’m encouraged. Miss one soon after, then 15 minutes I hang another that I couldn’t do anything with that breaks me off on a stump. The bad news is that’s the only swimbait I brought with me as I’d made a commitment to deep crank most of the day and I didn’t feel like paddle back to car to get other tackle box.
Started throwing other stuff... swim jigs, spinner baits, nothing. Paddled to the opposite shoreline and fished my way back to ramp. Right before dark I hear dogs fighting and barking then pigs squealing. See pigs come into opening and paddle over to get a better look. Counted at least 5 before I spooked them off.
Long day, zeroed, but enjoyed trying. I’ll kill em next time...just watch.