Return to Mosquito Pond.

I went back to the pond the other night. This time I brought my kayak, and some bug spray. There were thunder storms all around me though so I didn't really need the latter.

After a hell of a drag and some serious bushwacking I was able to get my kayak into the pond. These tules are thick, and the sides of the pond are almost vertical. I was able to submerge my whole paddle before touching the bottom.

Once I got in and paddled around it was well worth the effort. I hit all the likely spots, and was rewarded with willing green sunfish. They smash a Hopper like nobody's business. I must've caught twenty or more.

This was the best one.

I expected to catch some bass as well, but not this time. I will be surprised if there aren't any in here. I did see about a fifteen pound koi,  so somebody has put fish in here. I hope they also put some bass.
The drag out was a nightmare. Did I mention vertical sides? I had to get the nose of my kayak on the bank,shimmy up to the front, and flop out onto the shore. At least the sunset was worth it.

Rucker Lake smallmouth??

I took a trip up over Donner Pass yesterday. I had read online that there were smallmouth bass in Rucker Lake. I packed up the Sammy, grabbed the old man, and hit the road at 4:30 am. The Google map was dead on, and we arrived at the lake right around 6. The parking area was about a hundred yards from the lake. We got the pontoon set up, and dragged the kayak down to the water.

I tied on a Byron's Knucklehead, and cast back toward the weed lined shore. On my first cast I got a strike while untangling my line. (There are lots of things to get tangled on a pontoon boat.) I missed that one but on my second cast I landed a small largemouth. Not bad.

This kept up for at least 10-15 fish. I switched to a streamer pattern on a sink tip to try to reach some bigger fish. No luck. I must of caught at least 50 largemouth of this size. I decided to go to the other side of the lake to try my luck.

The far side if the lake is much steeper and rocky. I was able to land three decent sized bass.

I caught a few green sunfish, and probably could have caught them all day with a nymph or dry fly.

I really wanted to catch a bigger bass so I moved on. I kept hitting the structure along shore, and was finally able to catch a good fish. He was just off the shore, next to a tree, on top of a large rock.

It was a good day, and a good trip. It was nice getting the old man out, and getting him into some fish too.

Rucker Lake was a great lake for a kayak or pontoon boat. You can easily paddle all the way around it. The fish were plentiful, but small. I would really like to fish it again in the Spring when the bigger fish are spawning.



I didn't see or catch a single smallmouth in Rucker Lake. If you ever have please let me know.