THE FIRST FAT WORM
Sunday, 25 Nov, 2018
Location: Lake Murray, SC, Murray Shores boat ramp, aka, "SCE&G #3"
Weather: Overcast and grey, light breeze, No rain
Temps:
Crappie were the focus for many, and a few wily guys got themselves some stripers.
Inside the truck, in the Sanctum Sanctorum, some magic was brewing.
My old Samsonite "tackle bag" was stuffed with all the goodies one might need, but I was interested in only one thing:
I intended to drag a rubber worm around the rocky bottom on a Carolina Rig.
(If the Carolina Rig is unknown to you, here's a link): Carolina Rig Wiki
To this end, I snatched up half a dozen random worms as I left the house
and shoved them into my pocket. I had no real logic to my selection, either.
By God, I was gonna wet some worms - which ones weren't all that important at this stage.
I should probably say at this point, that I am not a soft plastic worm fisherman. I have never caught a fish on one in my life.
The truth is, I have avoided PVC worms for years, and over the last 5 years I've made matters worse by going almost exclusively into fly fishing.
After years waving the fairy stick, folks, this was uncharted territory; I'm a stranger in a strange land.
Before leaving the truck, I pocketed five or six sinkers of various weights and I was set.
My confidence wasn't high, but I was going for it.
* I did a blog post about these glasses awhile back: Cheap Sunglasses
The reel is one of 3 Mitchell 300's I have, and its paired with a Mitchell 'Outback' rod (no relation to the hat).
I consider the Mitchell 300 the best medium spinning reel ever made for freshwater, and I look for them in decent shape. If I have my way, I'll never use another. If you have one to sell at a reasonable price, I'd like to hear about it.
The rod was an eBay score from several years ago, and is a natural with the reel.
All this travelogue chatter is leading up to one thing: Bass Catching Success!
The Carolina Rig, I'm pleased to say, lived up to its reputation. It isn't the right choice when weeds, tangled wood and heavy snags are present. But on a relatively clean and rocky bottom like we have on our man-made Southern impoundments, its a good choice.
The worm I used is a tattered, two-toned orange-ish thing that I found along the shore years ago. I've kept it all these years, and put it on because it kinda matches the orange-ish clay bottoms we have around here.
WORM UPDATE: I have since learned this is a Culprit®, 7.5" Original worm, in a color they call, "Tomato." It is a transparent chartreuse outer skin, over a red inner core, with lotsa shiny flecks to round out the appeal. Since I caught my first soft-plastic bass on this baby, I went ahead and did my duty - I got a whole bag of the things!
Culprit Original Worm
The fish took the worm unceremoniously as I dragged it along, and it did so with some authority. The rod bent firmly, and the fish was stuck. It was kinda anti-climactic, really.
I was expecting some sort of tip-off that it had taken the bait - maybe the line would jump.
Or perhaps, I'd feel a thump.
Or the line would go sideways.
That's what they always say, isn't it?
"Watch the line! Look for it to do odd things. Feel for it to jerk sideways...." or whatever.
But there was none of that.
It was just there, and so I popped him with a couple more hooksets to make sure.
After a minute or so of play-and-recover, I had the bass in hand.
A guy named Larry was on the ramp recovering his boat at the same time, and he used my cell phone to capture the moment for posterity.
SUMMARY
After reviewing the pics, a couple things jump out at me
1, I don't take a half bad picture.
2. I look fat, because:
- I'm wearing multiple layers of bulky clothing, a fly fishing vest stuffed to overflowing with gear, a tippet lanyard with three spools of line, and a big warm coat, and,.
- I'm fat.
For my very first fish caught on a PVC worm, though, I'll take this little 2 pounder.
By Wednesday, I reckon it'll be up to about 5 pounds, having put on weight the more I tell the story.
I'm gonna call it, "Two Fatties In A Fish Story," ... and a story not soon forgotten.
Tight Lines, and thanks,
David
Palmetto Fly N Fish © 2018
Comment, subscribe and visit us on Facebook at: Palmetto Fly N Fish
Sunday, 25 Nov, 2018
Location: Lake Murray, SC, Murray Shores boat ramp, aka, "SCE&G #3"
Weather: Overcast and grey, light breeze, No rain
Temps:
- Air temp - 53° F
- Water Temp - 55° F
Tackle:
- Rod - Mitchell "Outcast," 7', medium action
- Reel - Mitchell 300
- Line - 10 lb. test mono, 8 lb. leader
- Technique - Carolina Rig, soft PVC ribbon tail worms
"SCE&G #3." Just the name makes me smile.
This is one of my favorite spots, mainly because it is just off the main part of Lake Murray, SC. The water stays pretty clear, year round and it has deep water nearby.
It is a recreation park and boat launch maintained by the South Carolina Electric and Gas Company, one of 7 similar spots around Lake Murray (41 miles long, 4 miles wide, 380 feet deep).
The lake, as you might have guessed, feeds a power generating station at the Dreher Shoals Dam above Columbia, SC.
Its big, and even has its own lake monster, known affectionately as "Messie"... which has its own website, in case you're interested: http://www.lakemurraymonster.com/
"Stanley," my old Ford F-150 truck, pretty much knows the way to this familiar location.
We've been here many times.
Oh, and for the record - my wife names everything, from kittens to pickup trucks.
She's a good-lookin', kindhearted woman, and I grin and bear it; "Stanley," it is.
The parking lot at SCE&G #3 had lots of trucks and empty boat trailers today... yessir, the Fishing Fraternity was out in force.
This is prime time for fishing on the lake - the hordes of zoom boaters, jets ski maniacs and trashy picnic'ers are gone, but the water still isn't too cold for the fish.
Crappie were the focus for many, and a few wily guys got themselves some stripers.
The porta-potties were even clean, much to my surprise.
Messie didn't make an appearance, I'm sorry to say, but it was good day to be here, my friends, a good day indeed.
Inside the truck, in the Sanctum Sanctorum, some magic was brewing.
My old Samsonite "tackle bag" was stuffed with all the goodies one might need, but I was interested in only one thing:
I intended to drag a rubber worm around the rocky bottom on a Carolina Rig.
(If the Carolina Rig is unknown to you, here's a link): Carolina Rig Wiki
To this end, I snatched up half a dozen random worms as I left the house
and shoved them into my pocket. I had no real logic to my selection, either.
By God, I was gonna wet some worms - which ones weren't all that important at this stage.
I should probably say at this point, that I am not a soft plastic worm fisherman. I have never caught a fish on one in my life.
The truth is, I have avoided PVC worms for years, and over the last 5 years I've made matters worse by going almost exclusively into fly fishing.
After years waving the fairy stick, folks, this was uncharted territory; I'm a stranger in a strange land.
Before leaving the truck, I pocketed five or six sinkers of various weights and I was set.
My confidence wasn't high, but I was going for it.
Here are my grungy old Outback Hat, and my Renegade, Mike Iaconelli "Ike" sunshades.*
Dont leave home without em.* I did a blog post about these glasses awhile back: Cheap Sunglasses
The reel is one of 3 Mitchell 300's I have, and its paired with a Mitchell 'Outback' rod (no relation to the hat).
I consider the Mitchell 300 the best medium spinning reel ever made for freshwater, and I look for them in decent shape. If I have my way, I'll never use another. If you have one to sell at a reasonable price, I'd like to hear about it.
The rod was an eBay score from several years ago, and is a natural with the reel.
Here are the temps I encountered. The stabilized air temperature was 53 degrees F, while the in-water temperature at the shore is 55.1 F.
I'm convinced that if you're not at least checking water temps in your fishing excursions, you are leaving out a crucial piece of the mental angling game.
This is not a high-dollar, lab quality thermal probe, either - it's a common aquarium thermometer.
It is accurate to 0.2°, which is good enough for me, and you can pick these up anywhere aquarium supplies are sold.
A few views, Ol' #3 Boat Ramp
The back side of the peninsula is a wood-choked little cove that sometimes yields decent fish in the warm months. It gets pressure-fished hard each weekend by the day-users, though, so I get here early and leave when they start showing up.
The tree roots are high and dry in this pic, as the water levels are low.
Normally, all that is visible is the top.
The ramp is well maintained and wide open. Its a super nice launch point.
You can also see that this portion of the lake is wide open, too.
It looks big in this pic, but its just a teeny, tiny piece off the main lake.
All this travelogue chatter is leading up to one thing: Bass Catching Success!
The Carolina Rig, I'm pleased to say, lived up to its reputation. It isn't the right choice when weeds, tangled wood and heavy snags are present. But on a relatively clean and rocky bottom like we have on our man-made Southern impoundments, its a good choice.
The worm I used is a tattered, two-toned orange-ish thing that I found along the shore years ago. I've kept it all these years, and put it on because it kinda matches the orange-ish clay bottoms we have around here.
WORM UPDATE: I have since learned this is a Culprit®, 7.5" Original worm, in a color they call, "Tomato." It is a transparent chartreuse outer skin, over a red inner core, with lotsa shiny flecks to round out the appeal. Since I caught my first soft-plastic bass on this baby, I went ahead and did my duty - I got a whole bag of the things!
Culprit Original Worm
The fish took the worm unceremoniously as I dragged it along, and it did so with some authority. The rod bent firmly, and the fish was stuck. It was kinda anti-climactic, really.
I was expecting some sort of tip-off that it had taken the bait - maybe the line would jump.
Or perhaps, I'd feel a thump.
Or the line would go sideways.
That's what they always say, isn't it?
"Watch the line! Look for it to do odd things. Feel for it to jerk sideways...." or whatever.
But there was none of that.
It was just there, and so I popped him with a couple more hooksets to make sure.
After a minute or so of play-and-recover, I had the bass in hand.
A guy named Larry was on the ramp recovering his boat at the same time, and he used my cell phone to capture the moment for posterity.
SUMMARY
After reviewing the pics, a couple things jump out at me
1, I don't take a half bad picture.
2. I look fat, because:
- I'm wearing multiple layers of bulky clothing, a fly fishing vest stuffed to overflowing with gear, a tippet lanyard with three spools of line, and a big warm coat, and,.
- I'm fat.
For my very first fish caught on a PVC worm, though, I'll take this little 2 pounder.
By Wednesday, I reckon it'll be up to about 5 pounds, having put on weight the more I tell the story.
I'm gonna call it, "Two Fatties In A Fish Story," ... and a story not soon forgotten.
Tight Lines, and thanks,
David
Palmetto Fly N Fish © 2018
Comment, subscribe and visit us on Facebook at: Palmetto Fly N Fish
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