Merrill Creek Res. 5-27, ONE LAST SHOT !

[AndyS]

Talked it over with Lard yesterday afternoon and he didn't seem too happy about making the trip, just as well for him, fishing was slow !
After hashing out some family buisness late last night I finally got the green light, I didn't hesitate, I started packing for MC.
On the water by 7am and it was a completely different lake from yesterday. I guess yesterdays thunder storms really put the fish down. I read in a book that it is common for a lake to shut down after thunder storms, such was the case. Fished hard and could only scare up a handful of stockie browns. Finally I connected with a broodstock. I didn't try to get the small #8 Mustad 3906 hook out of the fish. I think Manny Luftglass was right in saying if I try to get that 5 cent hook out of the fish I will only kill it, so I cut the line, in time the hook should rust out.
Had some rumbles of thunder in the distance so I came in near the ramp, and so did others. I set up in 35 FOW and didn't find any love there, called it a day shortly after that. I just got a call from a buddy who up there now and he said the surface temp. went from 66 yesterday to the mid 50's today, and he said the same, fishing is slow. He did get a 10lb. brown is his boat yesterday.
Well, I had a great vacation, didn't hit a fraction of the places I said I was going to hit but had fun beating up MC nonetheless, still looking for another double digit brown trout from there but it almost seems as hard as finding a needle in a haystack. I know there has to be a 15lb. brown in there and maybe some even bigger.
I will continue to write my letters and send e mails about the natural reproduction of lake trout in MC, I also have names and phone numbers of those who work at MC.

Todays brown trout, not very pretty but I got him in the boat.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwhRE4Sj1cA

1st photo from yesterday, 2nd a photo of a 9lb. brown from MC in early April (angler unknown)

What a nice trout!!!.....Great day for sure!!!!

[Fishon1982]

Great job on reeling the big brown in around the anchor line..

[FASTEDDIE29]

HAHAHAHA, I don't know how you got that fish in!!! That was a pretty chaotic video. Great job!!!

[slider]

Andy: beautiful job landing that nice brown....Anchor ropes are usefull to hold boat in place..But trout seem to have a nack for tangleing fishing line up in them...I don't anchor much but a trick we use is to let out the anchor till reaches bottom, then tie on a gallon bleach bottle or or somethin comparable, throw that over let out another 60 or 70 feet of line..then tie off to boat..keeps the main anchor line a good ways from boat..Not 100 per cent fool proof..But works pretty good..Good luck Slider

[AndyS]

I remember when Manny L. used to give seminars on double anchoring. He would drop anchor and back up 100 ft or so and drop another anchor, then come tight somewhere in the middle. What scares me about this is guys trolling near by. I have guys troll VERY close at times and I'm afraid if I had all that anchor rope out I'm sure they would hook it. I like the bleach bottle idea. Sometimes I feel like I'm playing it safe being strait up and down on the anchor. Usually the brown trout stay on top and the anchor rope usually isn't a factor, lake trout on the other hand make a bee line right for it and before you know it they have 6 or 7 wraps on it and they are gone.
Thanx for the heads up, I'm always willing to learn and try new things.

[flatcreek]

Had a guy troll over my ancor and hook his downrigger to it today at MC. We stayed calm and all went well. Picked a couple small browns and three lakers, kept two of those pesky lakers Andy. What are your concerns about the lake trout reproduction? Should there be a limit like RV or what? We all want the best for these lake, there the only ones we have.

[AndyS]

Keep writing those letters !!! I wrote to Dave Chanda himself, he is the head honcho over at F&G.

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/contactform.htm

Come to the F&G meetings in the spring when they have the open house to listen to people.