Trev's US Trip

[Newt]

Thought I'd get a jump on things and try to get Trev's mouth watering.

I'm putting this in a seperate thread since it will be added to from time to time and would get too jumbled up in the "where have you fished" thread.

In case anyone has been on Mars lately (or just joined) Ziptrev is headed to North Carolina, USA, in May to stay with me and fish a bit. We will probably confine ourselves to one lake but it has enough variations to allow us to fish lots of different types of water and never have to leave the one lake.

This is the one. You will note lots of pickup trucks with empty trailers. All those folks were already on the lake when I got there.

And the autos you see with no trailers are the shore anglers. You gotta look closely but I think there may be one in there somewhere. Not particularly crowded the day I took this pic. Weather was acting up a bit and it was mid-afternoon on a slow fish day so lots of folks were already gone.

And the boat we will be spending lots of time in for a few days. A little tough to pick out detail but it is a 17ft aluminum hull with a 50hp mecury for main power. In the front, there is the trolling motor and the front fishing chair - convenient to the foot control for the motor (which is lying flat now but is mounted so it will swing upright easily.

In the center, the steering console (on the right as most boats are which is strange since our autos all steer from the left) and chairs for running. Top speed is around 30mph which is fine for the smaller lakes I fish. No more than 20-30 minutes to get anywhere on the lake. Rear is the other fishing chair.

I am hoping before the whole thing is over I can get Trev up front to run the trolling motor and cast at the same time. Possibly he may catch one of those tree fish while he is getting the knack of it though (tree fish = a limb high in a tree).

A picture of the boat landing and launch ramps (well, the back one is kinda hard to see). Only one boat in the picture but there can be up to a dozen waiting to put in or take out. The water back in this little pocket is around 7 ft deep but it will drop off to 25 ft before it hits the main lake which is around 60 ft deep at this point.

A view of a section of the lake. 30-40 feet deep. Take a look at the hill in the right side of the picture.

This is that same hill shot from right across the lake from it.

Comments are welcome. The more the merrier.


Newt Vail

 

[Ziptrev]

Watering NEWT?

How about Drooling!
It looks fantastic, but how can I ever repay you for this opportunity!

Really looking forward to May 9th and I,ve already placed a cancellation on the 16th!

PS Where's the barge that we tow behind to fill with fish?

Thanks a million for the preview,

Trev



Ziptrev

Shouldn't happen to a DOG!

 

[Adam S]

Hello

Newt the lake looks great, 40 feet eh , what types of fish are in it?
Catfish,carp,bass.. just guessing? great boats too, i could do wonderful things with a boat like that on the irish loughs. cant wait to hear how you get on.
good luck trev
ADAM

 

[Newt]

Well - the depth varies. At the upper Dam is it shallow /w rocks above the surface and gets deeper over the 8 miles to the lower Dam where it is around 70ft.

And yup. I mainly chase bass with catfish a close second and carp not far behind.

Wife likes the fishing as well. Here she is with a bass of around 3lbs (not large but fun). And she is around 5ft tall which gives you an idea about the rod you can see in her left hand.

I, on the other hand, am the proud catcher of a somewhat smaller bass. Not a whole lot bigger than the spinner bait he hit.

Newt Vail

 

[waxlion1]

Well Newt,

Show the old man a good time, as I know you will!
I think he'll still run a stick float with 10oz bottom hoping to catch a roach or two...lol

I hope you both have some fun, Please let us know how you get on...can't wait for the write up on this one.

Waxlion1

 

[MALC]

Newt,
Reading your post's previously was bad enougth (it sounded great) but now seeing the picture's of the lake/your boat and you and your good lady it now looks even better than it sounded.
My wife just looked at the pictures Newt and even she said it looks great over on your lake and she hates water.

Trev,
Your going to have one hell of an adventure in may and i wish you all the best of luck for your trip.




Malc
Fish with Friends @ MaggotDrowning.com

 

[Polepot]

Malc

I agree with your posting but should we not be wishing Newt the best of luck, afterall it is Trev thats going? LOL

Poles

 

[Guest]

Trev looks as tho you are going to have a good time you luck man,
Newt cracking pics, what a cracking lake, your good lady is around 5feet tall, i rekon the rod looks to be around 3.5feet?.
Great looking boat whats her speed?
Good luck with the curse Newt{LoL}

Andy

i'm going fishing

 

[Newt]

Thanks all. I am at least as excited as Trev about the whole thing. I love fishing and really enjoy having a companion who is a good and experienced angler but from a different style and different sorts of water. Makes it huge amounts of fun.

Toma - rod is actually around 4ft. Speed (at least I THINK you mean the boat) is around 30mph tops the way it is configured now. I could tweak/tune and add some parts and maybe get another 3-5mph but haven't felt the need as yet. The only time I "feel the need for speed" is when I am running full out and one of those fancy bass boats with the 250hp motor roars by me at 75mph and I wonder if I have somehow stopped without noticing. icon_smile_big.gif

My plan at this point is to spend Friday on the water with Trev using some of my spare rods and lures so he can get a feel for some lure styles he isn't already familiar with. Then, we will spend Saturday morning in BassPro so he can look around after getting an idea of short-rod lure angling. I figure the US economy can use a boost and since my pick-up truck has an 8ft long x 6ft wide by 2ft high bed for carrying gear, we can deal with whatever the man wants to get. icon_smile_big.gif

Would you believe that Jan (my wife of a little over 2 years now) had never fished before we married. Needless to say, she has caught the bug and is now as anxious to get on the water as I am - provided the weather isn't too foul. She is, and will probably remain, a "fair weather angler" and dislikes serious cold and rain. Rain is fine but only if the temperature is reasonable.

For any lure fans out there, here are a few we will be trying.

The ones on the top left are floaters with a soft body so when the fish takes a chomp, the hooks expose. Otherwise, nothing to hang so ideal for thick weed. (Esox - these are yours BTW and I hope Trev will take them back with him).

The top right one is a jig head /w weed guard and a soft plastic that has lots of salt and scent moulded right in. I think the fish taste the salt and think "blood" but at any rate, they are reluctant to turn loose.

Bottom left is a buzz bait. With the large blade, it stays on top easily and is fun to catch with because large preds usually smash it. Hungry maybe or possibly just irritated that anything would dare get close to them making that much fuss. The only tricky part is to not set the hook unless you FEEL the fish since they will often just smash at it - probably trying to stun it - and then come back to swollow it up.

Bottom right - just some random spinner baits I like.

Newt Vail

Edited by - Newt on 29 April 2002 7:01:01 PM

 

[teepee]

Newt to say i'm envious is an under-statement, great posting and pictures cant wait to read the outcome of Trev's visit the lucky sod.
all the best.

teepee.

 

[Trogg]

PAH

The pond in my back garden (yard) is bigger than that puddle you've got there Newt & my Kayak is bigger than that little punt you are sooooo proud of icon_smile_big.gif (ok ok so i'm dreaming but theres no harm in that)

Newt as you know i consider you, Todd (mtp) & Sam (catgetter) as close to family as you can get & i've already invited Todd, Beth & the boys to come n stay at my place for a holiday & the same offer is open to you my rednecked friend icon_smile_big.gif (hell i might even take you fishing with Dian, Jan & Me icon_smile.gif)

The offers there mate all you've gotta do is get here, you could try asking any friends that are still in the USCC to give you a ride, that way you can get some fishing in on the way over icon_smile_big.gif

Look after our Trev while he's out there mate cos we do want him to come home really (then again when he go's into a walmart n sees the tackle next to the beans he'll probably stay for good) icon_smile_wink.gif

Alan
You've just been moderated

Edited by - Trogg on 29 April 2002 10:34:17 PM

 

[Newt]

Trogg - I feel much the same about you my friend.

No idea if I will ever be in a position to make a trip over there but if and when, I will take you up on your offer.

Maybe I can get the idea of the sort of UK angling I keep reading about in the "where's fishing" threads. I only understand about of what I read in there. Or less.

What do you think a pike hiding in thick weed where it is "safe" from anglers will think of a nice, fat, slow, juicy mouse struggling thru it's lair? icon_smile_big.gif Esox should hopefully have his mice and frogs before the height of the summer weed time.

Newt Vail

Edited by - Newt on 29 April 2002 11:34:38 PM

 

[Dave]

Message to Trev, mate

Trev do you remember the time that I carried all your gear around the lake at Cromwell and lugged it down the path at Castle Howard and helped you load it into your car and......

Anyway, do you want a bag carrier once more, mate, pal buddy icon_smile_big.gif

Newt, those pictures look great and certainly gives us all a taste of whats in store for Trev.
Look after him and make sure he wears the life jacket once he's in more than 6inch of water, lol.

Dave

 

[Newt]

quote:Look after him and make sure he wears the life jacket once he's in more than 6inch of water, lol.

Dave - I have a couple of nice ones that inflate from a small gas cartridge if you get in the water. Otherwise small and not in the way.

My plan is to let Trev use one. Then after we have been on the water a while, if he is as pleasant as he seems from his posts, I will give him the gas cartridge to put in it.

Based on what I observed while fishing last Saturday - water at 68 to 70 surface temperature, I suspect we will not be able to fish a 3 mile section of shoreline I usually have luck with. There will be so many carp spawning and frothing that all the other fish will leave the area for a while. I expect the spawn to start any day now and it usually runs hot and heavy for at least 2-3 weeks. Still, the area is fun to watch even when not fishable from carp activity.

And for real excitement, the area below the upper dam is great for carp and catfish. It is a hydroelectric dam and the turbines take water from the upper lake at about 80 feet down and send it to my usual lake. The turbine blades do a nice job of chopping up any fish that pass thru so the area is constantly chummed with fish bits. Good catfishing unless they aren't running any water thru. Fella took an 80lb+ catfish from the area last summer. I'll get some pics next time I am there.

The excitement comes from the fact that water flow thru the dam is according to electricity needs and is controlled by a man in a control room in Eastern Tennessee - around 900 miles from the lake. The only warning they intend to loose the floodgates is an alarm bell and flashing lights on the dam about 45 seconds before the water starts racing thru.

Newt Vail

 

[esox.20]

Newt many many thanks for those lures. I am chomping at the bit to try them out. I have a pool available to me that is full of lillies so they should fit the bill perfectly. Again thank you. John

chill out go fishing

 

[Newt]

Well - Today is Monday and Thursday is the big day. Jan & I went fishing today and I begin to wonder if the curse is beginning to work it's way over ahead of Trev.

We were not the only ones fishing though. I saw this big fella take 3 fish while we were trolling toward him.

But he finally decided we had gotten close enough and moved across the little arm of the lake we were fishing.

Our best guess is that Jan caught around 50 sunfish today (all bigger than the one pictured) and one hatch-of-the-year bass who wasn't even as large as the sunfish in the pic. Didn't want to stress the little fella keeping him out long enough for a picture though.

My total for the day was 1 missed take. Ah well. Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug. icon_smile_big.gif

Newt Vail

 

[Geoff P]

Just a quick message from a jealous angler.

Trevor my friend you have a wonderful time, and I look forward to reading the book of the journey on your return.

Newt look after the old devil and send him back in one piece.

I am sure you will both enjoys each others company.

Have a great time.

Geoff

RSSG member - are you?

 

[Newt]

Geoff P - I will for sure keep Trev in fine fettle. He will do his angling from a comfortable chair for a few days and ride from swim to swim so no chance of turning the other ankle or anything.

Trev - I was reading thru the "where's fishing" and just had a horrible thought. Over here, we don't have pegs (or platforms or anything). Will you still be able to fish? Should I put a peg number on the rear fishing seat for you?

All - in case you happen to want more detail in advance:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well - the weather appears to be holding up nicely. You can check in at
http://www.wunderground.com/US/NC/Charlotte.html
to see what to expect.

And keep track of the lake level from
http://www.yadkin-apgi.com/ReservoirData/default.asp
Note that High Rock is the big lake and they usually draw it down if water is in short supply (as has been the case for the past 5 or 6 years). Not unusual to see it at -10 or -15 feet from full during summer. The others rarely ever get below -2 feet.

And take a look at a topo map of the lake if you want at
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=35.48667&lon=-80.17389&loc=Tuckertown
The view has the Tuckertown/Badin dam centered and Tuckertown runs north from this view but you can easily slide around and change sizes and all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Newt Vail



Edited by - Newt on 06 May 2002 7:45:26 PM

 

[Ziptrev]

Hell Newt,
Tomorrow will be the 1st time I've drawn a peg no. in 20 years!
I'm no carp puddle fisherman!
More a pot-holer and mountain climber after today!
The only 3 boats I've ever fished from are The Boston Wasp(a North Sea Trawler)
A day trip in a Bridlington Dinghy
and a Rowing boat on the Suffolk Stour at Flatford Mill (Constable Country)
Point me at water Newt, I'll get a line in it LOL
CYA

Trev

Ziptrev

Shouldn't happen to a DOG!

 

[ray]

trev/newt, just a quick one to wish you both all the best for the forthcomming international m/d convention, sun, cold budweiser, fishing i'm not really going green with envy.
take care gents, have a good time, catch you later.





a real angler takes his rubbish home.

original "clean banks campaign" slogan.