Monday March 11, 2024. It’s been more than a year since my good friend, Richard Crook, relocated to Arizona. We had promised to reunite on the lake if he ever returned for a visit. Thankfully, despite the questionable weather, we managed to make it out today. I woke up to light rain and darkness after adjusting the clocks forward last night, and met Richard at the Dinosaur Point Launch. The lake appeared tranquil, with a promising forecast of minimal wind, so we set off towards the Bay of Pigs in search of the resident schools of fish.
Today’s solunar peaks were at 8:30 am and 2:30 pm. Upon reaching the bay, we spotted some fish schools near the bottom, quickly hooking five and landing two. Progressing along the dam, we secured another pair by 9:00 am. After that, we explored the Racks and upwelling, managing to catch one more. Despite the Trash Racks Pumps being inactive, there were swift-moving fish schools where the upwelling usually occurs, perhaps due to warmer water temperatures, as we observed no bait attracting fish to the deep water.
After limited success around the Trash Racks, I opted to fish the rocks at the north end of the dam where I had previously fared well. Unfortunately, the fish seemed either absent or uninterested. Although some fish followed the fly to the boat, none committed to biting, despite my attempts with different patterns.
Today, I caught a fish immediately after freeing the fly from a snag, reminiscent of a similar experience years ago with a fish over 20 lbs. On days like today, where the majority of our catches were from the bottom, occasional snagging indicates we’re fishing the right zone.
After exhausting our options on the east side of the lake, we sought refuge from the wind on the west side. By 2:00 pm, one-foot rollers were pushing across the lake, prompting us to retreat to Las Piedros to evade the wind. Richard had a successful catch with a nice striper along the shoreline, prompting us to conclude our fishing adventure earlier than planned due to the worsening weather conditions. The tally for the day was 10 hooked and 6 landed. While I wish the conditions had been better for Richard, we still enjoyed a couple of hours of pleasant weather before being forced off the lake. It was a fun day catching up with an old friend.
It’s late in CaliforniaThe voices are speaking lowAnd the winds line upPoint the direction they wanna goThe cold is hanging on nowThe heat will be here soonAnd those same old thoughtsComing back around like a black moon
Songwriters: David Crosby / Michael Mcdonald / James Raymond
Thank you so very much for making the effort to get me out on the lake again! The bite wasn’t hot but the company made it a good day anyway. I always love spending time with such a good friend and excellent fisherman. Only wish I could have seen Dan, Vaughn and some of the other guys. Next time !!
Glad you and Rich were able to get out and get a few. I wish I could have been on the lake too. I would have loved to have said hello and chatted with Rich. He’s a good buddy to a lot of us San Luis regulars.
It was pretty rough out there! Could barely stand in the boat in the afternoon …