Thinking about fishing, and other stuff

Weather was wonderful this morning - temperature about 50, overcast, a bit of wind, took the dogs for a 2 hour walk in the mountains behind our home. Heard a few quail calling in the distance. They have not really recovered since the last fires but I'm hopeful that the wet winter will bring back the local coveys. Nice just to see them, and good for dog work in the off season.

Last summer my cousin Rod presented me with a fine gift - a full set of float tube equipment. We used it on some Sierra lakes and I landed a couple of very nice trout. Now I'm thinking about bluegills and bass. There are a couple of small lakes close by, each only a couple of acres, but with a year-round water source. I've thought about fishing them for years but they are entirely circled with cattails. Now that I have the float tube I think I'll give them a whirl. I bought a half dozen poppers on-line and will have a go at it when the weather warms in a few weeks.

Also thinking about ocean fishing. The party boats out of San Diego can do pretty well. Surface fishing for bass, bonita, barracuda, and yellowtail starts in June or so. I've got a Shimano Bait Runner spinning reel (it can be put into free spool) and it works really well for fly lining a live sardine. I can toss those greenies 50 yards or more without any weight on the line, then put it in free spool and wait for a strike. Much more fun than bouncing lead off the bottom.