Dim Gray, Post-frontal

[Paul Roberts]

Mapping

I spent half my fishing time (8hr day) continuing the mapping of my ponds offshore areas with sonar. Anything of interest I'd make shoreline references so I could line up and locate it on future trips. I transfer the maps into my journal at home.

I made straight transects (using shoreline reference points) off the most interesting (diverse) shorelines trying to locate anything unique. I then make ever-widening concentric rings around an area of interest. I also probed with a 1/2oz football jig to feel the bottom and better define what I'm seeing on sonar. I took a single 15 on the football when I passed through a brush pile: tiptaptipWap! Wap! Wap! That one's a fish!

15 on *** 1/2oz Flat Football head, 'dozer skirt, Rage Craw trailer.

This "pond" is a small reservoir built to catch snow melt from the mountains via ditch. The plains are very dry and reservoirs and ditch networks were built over the past 130 years to support agriculture. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of such small reservoirs dotting the plains along Colorado's front range. This particular res is newer less than 50 years old. It was a low-lying area (realize this is the flat plains) that was once a stream bed that had moved its course south a ways who knows how many hundreds of years ago.

The res is rip-rap lined at the low end and mostly dead flat across the bottom -11 to 14 feet deep throughout. There are a few drop-offs; a couple seem to run almost the length of the pond and quite straight obviously from the initial construction -maybe also part of the old stream bed. There are some large boulders (left over from rip-rap work) and some that appear to be concrete slab chunks (there are some, now nearly buried, in the woods near shore). There is also brush and saplings (these dry plains do not grow many large trees mostly shrubs), and sparse remnants of these are scattered across the bottom. Overall it's pretty boring water.

Small saplings and the stump of a small tree.

Brush.

Here's a really good screen shot of the rock pile at the deeper drop-off (see thread Brilliant Blue). It shows what I believe is a concrete slab. There are rip-rap boulders around but some of the unseen rock chunks are very abrasive, really chewing my line up likely concrete. Notice to the left and above the brush trunks, the branches that appear to be hanging in space. Sonar screens are 2D, where transducer cones are 3D with a plane at the edge picking up and distorting things at the edge. Such "floating things" could be fish or branches/brush. Tough to tell for sure, unless they are well separated from bottom or brush. The one on top of the slab is likely a fish. The thin lines near the stumps are gas bubbles being released from the bottom. Notice the really hard returns (yellow) around the rock pile and especially on the slab face.

The most interesting area on this little res (so far) is a large rubble/cobble bar likely used for gravel before it was flooded, or maybe it is the spoil pile from excavation. Regardless, it is an obvious piece of structure and is a consistent fishing spot.

Fishing

This mapping is slow going in a float tube, an investment for the future, and after 4 hours of it I was ready to get some fishing in. When I first arrived I made a short walk along the shoreline to get a bead on shallow activity. On the brilliant blue day a few days ago my walk yielded one mature bass obviously conserving energy. Today I spied three right off the bat: a 14 and a 15 cruising the shoreline loosely together and nosing into shallow areas. Tucked safely away under wood, rip-rap, and shoreline grass root masses were very small bluegills and YOY bass (now ranging from 1½ to 3+ the larger with VERY fat bellies. I also spotted a nice ~18 holding in 2fow next to shore on a steep bank. When it spied me it slowly moved off to some sunken brush gaining enough depth (at least another two feet) to disappear from sight.

After a dry week we are back in El Nino weather: overcast, and some threatening T-storms. Sunday/Monday would have been my target days a front came through but I couldn't get away. Today (Tuesday), BP was up and rising yet we had nice dark low lying clouds obscuring the blue that barely peeked out here and there.

Surface temp was 75F; 73F at 11ft at 12 noon. Surface rose to 77F at 4:30pm. Depths maintained 73F.

I started my fishing along the shoreline, just to get a bead on that potential pattern already bolstered by my earlier sightings. I caught a 13inch right away on the Slider/worm, then had a leak and had to pull ashore and look for the culprit likely a hook *****. But it turned out to be just a valve loosening Phew!

I put back in, cast to a steep shoreline with some flooded shoreline brush (I knew would be full of bass-snacks) and came into a heavy weight. It bolted and had me back-reeling (8# fluoro), and then leapt twice. It was an 18er or a bit better (unmeasured, unweighed) and had taken the Slider-n-worm way back in. It appears this fish inhaled the little slow moving worm (6 slim swimming tail), trapping the worm in it gill rakers.

18+ on 1/8oz Slider U and 6 swimming worm.

Jig-worm trapped against gill rakers.

By then a big rain cell passed close and a big wind came with it, so I abandoned the big pond, shouldered my tube and my hand-full of rods (5) and hoofed over to another small pond nearby. This pond is so small I was able to map and fish as I went. It had a flat silted bottom (9-10 feet all across) with steep banks and a shallower end of 7feet. The only cover was overhanging shoreline shrubbery and two small brush piles obviously thrown in by someone at one time. These brush piles each had a cloud of YOY bass and bluegills hovering and dimpling over them.

I expected to crush em with this layout. I used a 6T-rigged swimming worm and a 1/4oz Mango Jig, and a deep crank. I plied the entire shoreline, paralleling it; swimming the more open areas with the worm, pitching that Mango INTO the overhanging shrubbery (where Mango's shine) or swimming it deeper than the worm could reach, and covering the depths with the crank. I came away realizing there was little to offer bass in this pond. I caught two a very thin 13 on the worm, and a very thin 16 on the jig from one of the brush piles.

Mango Jig and #11 pork trailer (pre-softened). You can cast this jig into trees, over slop, into brush, onto shore anywhere! It swims open water beautifully too. GREAT jig.

Thin 16er from Small Pond. This fish is not sick, actually healthy, just not a lot to eat apparently.

The blow had subsided so for the last hour and a half I plied the big bar on the big pond. I caught 3 more here from 14 to 16 on the Slider-n- worm and a small 3 swimbait. One thing that's especially fun about this small res is the lack of cover makes jumpers out of these bass. Every one did vertical tailsprings. In most waters I fish it's all vegetation below and those bass dive for it. But here the bass go airbirne. If it's a good one, and you want to be sure to get her in hand, you gotta snub em down as you feel em coming up. I let a couple have their way and paid the consequences.

Dim Gray postfrontal tally:

13, 13, 14, 15, 15, 16, 16, 18 -and dropped two good leapers.

Brilliant Blue post-frontal tally (See thread "Brilliant Blue"):

10, 10, 11, 12, 12, 15, 19+

Not a fair comparison really as I didn't exactly retrace my steps, but I'd have to say the darker day was an easier fishing day. Interestingly, I didn't catch any smalls (<12) on the darker day. I caught the shorts on the bright day during a period of wind rippling the shallow hump they were on.

[Quitlimpin]

Another great report from the Godfather of the Float Tube

[Tokyo Tony]

Great report Paul, and some nice fish there :-)

I need to get a better depthfinder for my canoe, like the one you have. Seems pretty nice for a portable one.

[Paul Roberts]

Great report Paul, and some nice fish there :-)

I need to get a better depthfinder for my canoe, like the one you have. Seems pretty nice for a portable one.

Hi Tony,

I did some research before I bought. First, I went with Lowrance bc, from what I'd read, provides less filtering and thus wider coverage. Since I'm mostly in shallow water, I wanted coverage.

I went with Lowrance over Eagle bc, and this may not be accurate, the sales guy at BPS claimed the Lowrance is made with higher quality parts; the Eagle 'skimps' here and there.

I went with color for two reasons: A quicker read on bottom density, and, more importantly, the color units have a higher vertical pixel count (320) in the compact units. I obviously needed a compact unit on a float tube.

If a compact unit (pretty small package) isn't such an issue I would seriously consider the larger high res units. HB makes the highest pixel count (640) in a b/w unit. That could be really nice too.

That's as far as my research took me, and I'm happy with the unit I have for it's purpose.

[Surgin]

Paul, I love your reports. I can see by reading your posts that I still have alot to learn when it comes to reading my Lowrance. I bought a 125X. I love it, I just don't always know what I'm seeing or looking for. your reports have helped me a great deal. Thanks and keep up the good reporting.

On a side note I see your in Colorado. I'll be there visiting an uncle in Aurora the second week of September.He has promised to take me fishing while I'm there. He said the lakes and whole area there is just incredible. I can't wait to see it.

[Mottfia]

Great report. The pictures really give great detail to what your looking at. One question tho. Where did you find the graph for pressure and temp?

Mottfia

[Paul Roberts]

Paul, I love your reports. I can see by reading your posts that I still have alot to learn when it comes to reading my Lowrance. I bought a 125X. I love it, I just don't always know what I'm seeing or looking for. your reports have helped me a great deal. Thanks and keep up the good reporting.

On a side note I see your in Colorado. I'll be there visiting an uncle in Aurora the second week of September.He has promised to take me fishing while I'm there. He said the lakes and whole area there is just incredible. I can't wait to see it.

For sonar stuff see the thread "Depth finders, maps, and structure oh my!!" in the General section. Really good links there.

CO mountains are spectacular, moreso in contrast to the plains, which are flat to rolling and nearly ecologically devastated. Many of those irrigation reservoirs have good warmwater fiheries. Most are private, more and more are turned over to, or given, public access each year. You should have something decent nearby. I fish a handful of these public waters in the Boulder area. I'm pretty much a homebody and haven't expanded my range much since coming here 9 years ago. Guess, for my interests, I've got my hands full with what I have.

[Paul Roberts]

Great report. The pictures really give great detail to what your looking at. One question tho. Where did you find the graph for pressure and temp?

Mottfia

They come from weatherunderground.com.