Ten years of Litton's Fishing Lines

Today marks 10 years since I began blogging in 2011. Most of you weren't following then, and though the content was often quirky, I did faithfully write about outings as I do now. Within a few months or so, Litton's Fishing Lines will  surpass half a million visitations, although including my other blog, Fishing In New Jersey, we're well past that number.

When I began blogging, I wasn't yet aware of the NJ Fishing.com message board, the NJ Fly Fishing board, or the various sites on Facebook, which I visit fairly regularly, and some of you have seen some of my posts. There are loads of information available on those sites, so I thank you for participating on this one. You can see photos of big fish daily elsewhere, whereas you don't see a big fish here each day. You can always access older posts and see some.. 

I never got into blogging to compete. As I say, I didn't even know "the competition" existed, besides the outdoor magazines and other blogs. I like to think I'm doing the same thing now I did 10 years ago--giving fishing word. Picture, too, but mainly word. Thus, Litton's Fishing Lines. I wasn't thinking of cocaine when I chose the title; I was thinking of sentences. 

Out in the Rain

The water hasn't warmed enough. I'm sure it did significantly under yesterday's sun, but every night it's losing heat...and with today's clouds, heavy rain, and 53-degree high, didn't warm much. 

I knew sticking to the big, throbbing spinner was probably my only shot at a bass, but nothing hit.

Some Small Bass on Jerkbait and Topwater Plug

A day that defied spinners. 

Bedminster Pond remained calm the entire hour and fifteen minutes I fished. Fifty-nine degrees when I arrived, 52 when I left.  Maybe it was cooler in the damp shadows than by the highway. 

I first made my way to the pond's edge at a corner, the surface exploded in dozens of boils, though the fish weren't large. Maybe a few nine or 10-inch bass. I couldn't tell. I cast one of the two large spinners I made the other night, which throbbed heavily as I expected it would, a good rendition of the Savko Special I caught an 18-incher on three years ago here, a big blade and a string of lightweight beads on the wire. Nothing went for it and I quickly advanced to the next spot.

It blew up with four times more fish basking in the sun. Dramatic. "Holy shit," I said out loud. But again, none very large. 

Nothing hit the spinner and I wondered if I had a Rebel Minnow in my box. I did not, but among other sinking plugs, I had one about an inch-and-a-half-inch long that sinks very slowly. On the first cast, I caught a little eight-inch largemouth. Nothing else would hit, so I moved on, once fish quit regrouping and boiling the surface as I cast over them.

Subsequent spots had no fish basking, but I did catch a smaller bass on the plug as I made my way back, switching to a little surface plug. That exercise resulted in two more bass of about eight inches.

Like last year--small bass. And though I did see small fish out in the middle get busted, I saw no other evidence of larger. They must be in the pond, because the last few years have involved no thick ice that could have resulted in a fish kill. 

Smallest bass

 

Gave Bedminster Pond a Try

Open Water in North-Central Jersey

With Daylight Savings Time, I had time to fish after work today. Other days, I don't get off until 7:30. Thirty-nine degrees out when I arrived at Bedminster Pond before sunset, I had earlier thought that I seem to have always avoided fishing here when it's below 50. Sometimes a bass will hit a spinner when the water temp is down in the 40's. I thought of that shallow bottom absorbing abundant sunlight and warming a little better than the air temp. And then I got there and cast for a half hour or so.

Best moment involved a split second when my favorite rod, a St. Croix medium power, released vivid memory, the feeling of its effectiveness during the normal season, the pride I take in it when I'm regularly catching largemouths over three pounds. Actually, that memory came more from the years I fished the banks of certain ponds. Good ones where I can count on bass that big. Since I've been fishing lakes more in recent years, I probably catch more of my bass on my medium-heavy Speed Stick. 

I was just thinking at work today that when I retire, I want to fish especially one of those ponds I used to fish.

 

Light-weight spinner I built from component parts. The hollow nickel beads are light, but I managed 50-foot casts.

18-Inch Largemouth

Gave the KLG a Shot

The river ran a little high. I could see that, but someone told me 225 cubic feet per second. He said normal is about 175. Also told me the water temp was 45, which is up a notch from winter conditions. 

As a graph inclines, we're on the way up.

I had thought of trying a larger plug, but I kept with my one-inch Rapala Countdown. Not that it caught any trout, but I got a little more practice with it. I told my wife,  who I walked with, "A try at the fish is never wasted. Each teaches you." 

So that's it for trout until April 1. Unless you fish a spot like the Ken Lockwood Gorge, always open. I plan on trying for bass until then. 

You Could Hear Ice Melt Yesterday

Looking ahead now to trolling hybrids, the most exciting fishing I do. Doubtful my son will join me. He graduates Boston University on May 16, but probably stays up there until he begins study in the fall for a Master degree.

He recently had me read over an application essay for a summer job with a company in California. (He would work from Boston.) He did cutting edge work at artificial intelligence in the quest to better understand the Higg's boson, or as the subatomic particle is nicknamed, "the God Particle." That's in his favor for getting any job in his field. The quantum AI work he would do this summer is the Silicon Valley variety.

Will be interesting to see if he and I ever go for hybrids again. I kind of think we will.  

It is cold tonight and I'm not motivated to check the weather. I did put my ice fishing gear away for the season. You could hear the ice melt yesterday.

Aeroflex Pounded

Why it's called Aeroflex

I got word of access from the road, but I figured I would take the lazy man's approach and go on at the boat launch. 

Like so many dozens of others.

I can't remember ever seeing so many holes cut. Most of them were iced over, but man, these fish have taken pressure.

I hauled my sled straight out so as not to set up too close to guys to my right and left. I had to go back for stuff, because my Flexible Flyer just does not do the job in total. Later, I would call my wife, and she told me the obvious. Get the dimensions of a Jet Sled. Just maybe it will fit in the attic. 

The power auger cuts holes a whole lot better than before I sharpened the blades, but it still isn't up to what it was. Either I need to sharpen those blades better, or the shaft doesn't turn as fast as it used to. It's probably the blades. 

Ice was a foot thick and melting fast, temps climbing nearly to 50. I set five tip-ups in water 25 to 30 feet deep, and then walked towards shore and began cutting more holes. I remember a weedbed there from four years ago, where we had some topawater action just after sunset, though the pickerel were small. We had caught all of our good fish in the back of the lake. Today, I would gaze down lake and sort of wish I made it harder on myself.

The water did not drop off fast along this shoreline, but it did drop very quickly from six feet down to about 14 and on down into deeper water. I set my tip-ups in a line at 12 to 14 feet. I had set one in about 20, but I pulled it, because I found no evidence of weeds there.

Even the trout and salmon will cruise above residual weeds, by what I've gathered. Why not? Weeds attract life, and that's what they eat.

The entire area near the boat launch had been absolutely pounded. From in close all the way across, and I had slugged my stuff at least 400 yards down lake, maybe more. I never gave up entirely on a flag rising. I jigged a little, too. And among nearly a dozen other ice fishermen, one of them did catch a trout. There's good habitat and there are fish. 

I dumped the remainder of my shiners into a hole, and since I could fill the bucket with stuff, I did manage to haul everything without going back for a second round. 

Summer