Pitching Maribou To Ribbons And Shelves

It's some strange hours that yours truly works on Friday nights - ruins my Saturdays...I did try to get some outdoor time in for the last hour or two before the sun went down by stalking the nearest trout stream. My freezer is running low on fillets, and I have not found one good use for the frozen pollock my wife gets from the store now and then.

The drought is playing hell with these streams. The flows are low, the streams shallow. I've seen more ice on them this year than I have in the ten I've been fishing them. There are fewer places for fish to hide. This winter has got to be tough on them. I almost felt bad for them enough that I was talking myself into not keeping any. The simple rig : light spinning gear and a 1/16 oz. black maribou jig -

The places a fish might hold were few and far between. Some may find spots under the ice shelves that lined the creek, giving the open water the appearance of a ribbon winding down the middle. After getting absolutely no takes in the ribbons, I figured I'm going to have to pull the ol' bass fisherman's trick out of the hat, the one where they'll plop a frog on a lily pad, let it sit, and then drag it off.

The only real strike that I got last night was when I dropped my jig off the ice shelf hanging onto the small rock dam in the photo above. I felt tension on the line and as I pulled to set the hook, a brown trout (not a large one, maybe 8 - 10 inches) rolled at the surface just off the ice, and then my line went loose. All the attempts I made to get him to strike again were futile. Oh well, an hour or two of frozen hands and low light is better than none. Hopefully after this ice storm moves through the area, I'll be able to make it out again. Monday, possibly.

Until next time, take care -

Casey