Just get up and go. - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

JoeBeck · 03-06-2011, 11:17 PM

I saw this place mentioned in a post late last year, did some research and it sounded like a good place to take a weekend trip. A short drive from San Diego, a primitive campsite right on the Colorado river, good fishing, I was eager to check it out. Shiloh and I had planned on spending new years here but weather dictated otherwise, we then planned on presidents day but again had to cancel because of rain. This Thursday Shiloh said it would be fun to go fishing this weekend. I couldn't agree more and had already been planning to fish LJ myself. Now that I knew she wanted to fish, I figured hell lets pack up and go on a trip, this place has been on my mind, I checked the weather and it was on. We packed up the pickup and headed out Friday afternoon. It's funny, sometimes it's best not to plan, just get an idea and go.

part of the road out there

I thought this place was going to be primitive camping It turns out the campsite was not primitive at all, it had two tables, canopy and a bathroom. The only thing primitive about it is there was no drinking water which we had planned for and brought our own.

Shiloh's brother joined us Friday night and Saturday morning so I brought the extra yak

Fish in this area include Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, Channel and Flathead catfish and bluegill. We fished for Bass during light and catfish during dark.

Fishing was a little bit slow but we finally figured out what they were biting on catching a handful of small largemouth bass. No striped bass. Tried a lot of different artificial baits, the dropshot worked the best. I was hoping to get some top water action but it just has not warmed enough yet.

Catfish were easy to catch, a fish about every 15 minutes, all micro size though, not one good one. Still fun

Shiloh got a baby flathead, if you don't know about flathead cats, look it up, they get huge! Last week the ranger said a 45 pounder was caught, don't tell the locals I wrote this, no fish in La Jolla

After sitting in the dark, playing with chicken liver and warms, drinking cold beverages, you have to finish the evening big before waking up and doing it all over again.

We had good weather, between 80 and 85 degrees on and off wind until it started blowing pretty good around 12:30 today.

This was an amazing place to paddle a Kayak, we discovered that there were passage ways that navigated through the different sections of the inlets, reminded me a lot of the paddling we did in Texas.

Like I wrote earlier all small fish, Shiloh got the jackpot with this one. Not bad for a girl who is going to have a baby in just about 4 weeks, no big WSB or YT but certainly a trip to remember and a fishery I'll continue to explore

fishinkid2010 · 03-06-2011, 11:28 PM

Very cool report! That place looks like a ton of fun to fish, especially being so secluded. Next time you find those tight lip largemouths, try throwing a fluke (like a Skinnybear or Bass Assassin) on a light weighted EWG hook. Twitch the reel handle really erratically and throw near cover... one of my go to methods!

dmrides · 03-07-2011, 06:31 AM

Joe, looks and sounds like a pretty nice weekend. 4 weeks to go, still paddling a kayak and out fishing the boys, that's awesome.

walrus · 03-07-2011, 07:03 AM

One of my favorite places.

Last year the lake was so choked with duck weed that you couldn't paddle through it. I'm glad to see it's died off.

If you after the big cats, get on the river and fish the undercut banks.

Congrats on the fish.

Amish Ed · 03-07-2011, 12:54 PM

Thanks for the report. I love fishing the river.

steveooo · 03-07-2011, 12:58 PM

You guys do the coolest stuff

Wife is a trooper

Jimmyz123 · 03-07-2011, 01:17 PM

Great report, man that looks like a fun place to go.

Siebler · 03-07-2011, 01:27 PM

That is by far my favorite part of the river to fish. Sure is nice that there is a ramp/opening to launch form now. I remember the first thing we used to do when we got there was wading through the tulies to cut an opening that youd just barely fit the kayaks through.

How was the road out there?

No stripers on the rock wall? Cats inside the lake?

Looks liek you had a good time, I need to make a trip soon.

JoeBeck · 03-07-2011, 03:16 PM

Siebler,

Road out there was fun, a lot easier than I expected, pretty smooth. How you describe launching the kayaks prior to the ramp is what I had expected, they definitely have created a nice campspot with easy water access.

No striper, read they like shad so I tried cotee cracker shad, as well as some different shad crankbaits and small spoons, nothing. Also read they like cut bait but besides chicken liver and warms for catfish we were using artificial baits. Only the 2nd time I've fished the Colorado river waters so still learning. Took awhile to get the largemouth bass to start hitting too, turned out chartreuse colored baits were working the best.

We were catching plenty of cats in the lake, all small though. We mostly stayed in the lakes and inlets enjoying not having to paddle up stream as well as finding new little hideaways to fish such as the rock wall. Took awhile to start seeing the small paths cut through the tulies, if I didn't have a river map I don't think I would have found them.

Good trip, like I said definitely a fishery I am going to continue to explore. I want to get out there when the top water action goes off. It would also be a fun trip to put the Kayaks in upriver around Blythe or a little higher and have a car in Yuma. Float down river, fish all day, camping on the way, and drinking some beer

.

FishinKid: Next time I'll try the flukes, I've had success on flukes fishing the SD Bay. Thanks for the advise, I've enjoyed reading your bass fishing post.

bellcon · 03-07-2011, 03:32 PM

epic as always Joe

Holy Mackerel · 03-07-2011, 03:48 PM

Great post! How far of a drive?

You two expecting? If so congrats!

sammysamsam · 03-07-2011, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeBeck

Siebler,

Road out there was fun, a lot easier than I expected, pretty smooth. How you describe launching the kayaks prior to the ramp is what I had expected, they definitely have created a nice campspot with easy water access.

No striper, read they like shad so I tried cotee cracker shad, as well as some different shad crankbaits and small spoons, nothing. Also read they like cut bait but besides chicken liver and warms for catfish we were using artificial baits. Only the 2nd time I've fished the Colorado river waters so still learning. Took awhile to get the largemouth bass to start hitting too, turned out chartreuse colored baits were working the best.

We were catching plenty of cats in the lake, all small though. We mostly stayed in the lakes and inlets enjoying not having to paddle up stream as well as finding new little hideaways to fish such as the rock wall. Took awhile to start seeing the small paths cut through the tulies, if I didn't have a river map I don't think I would have found them.

Good trip, like I said definitely a fishery I am going to continue to explore. I want to get out there when the top water action goes off. It would also be a fun trip to put the Kayaks in upriver around Blythe or a little higher and have a car in Yuma. Float down river, fish all day, camping on the way, and drinking some beer

.

FishinKid: Next time I'll try the flukes, I've had success on flukes fishing the SD Bay. Thanks for the advise, I've enjoyed reading your bass fishing post.

Cut anchovies on the carolina rig always works on both stripers and catfish for me. I usually fish around Blythe though.

Tman · 03-07-2011, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeBeck

Good trip, like I said definitely a fishery I am going to continue to explore. I want to get out there when the top water action goes off. It would also be a fun trip to put the Kayaks in upriver around Blythe or a little higher and have a car in Yuma. Float down river, fish all day, camping on the way, and drinking some beer

.

Count us in...Clay can be the designated navigator...

Siebler · 03-14-2011, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tman

Count us in...Clay can be the designated navigator...

Maybe mid to late June? Shouldnt be all that hot out there around then. Maybe 90's.

Ive done trips in September that were a killer though with temps approaching 120 so 90's is nice.

THE DARKHORSE · 03-08-2011, 12:16 AM

Looks like a fun family trip.

Cactus · 03-08-2011, 05:50 AM

Great pictures! That's one of my favorite lakes. Once the water warms up you'll be able to catch a bunch in there with flukes!

03-06-2011, 11:17 PM	#1
JoeBeck Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Diego Posts: 370	Just get up and go. I saw this place mentioned in a post late last year, did some research and it sounded like a good place to take a weekend trip. A short drive from San Diego, a primitive campsite right on the Colorado river, good fishing, I was eager to check it out. Shiloh and I had planned on spending new years here but weather dictated otherwise, we then planned on presidents day but again had to cancel because of rain. This Thursday Shiloh said it would be fun to go fishing this weekend. I couldn't agree more and had already been planning to fish LJ myself. Now that I knew she wanted to fish, I figured hell lets pack up and go on a trip, this place has been on my mind, I checked the weather and it was on. We packed up the pickup and headed out Friday afternoon. It's funny, sometimes it's best not to plan, just get an idea and go. part of the road out there I thought this place was going to be primitive camping It turns out the campsite was not primitive at all, it had two tables, canopy and a bathroom. The only thing primitive about it is there was no drinking water which we had planned for and brought our own. Shiloh's brother joined us Friday night and Saturday morning so I brought the extra yak Fish in this area include Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, Channel and Flathead catfish and bluegill. We fished for Bass during light and catfish during dark. Fishing was a little bit slow but we finally figured out what they were biting on catching a handful of small largemouth bass. No striped bass. Tried a lot of different artificial baits, the dropshot worked the best. I was hoping to get some top water action but it just has not warmed enough yet. Catfish were easy to catch, a fish about every 15 minutes, all micro size though, not one good one. Still fun Shiloh got a baby flathead, if you don't know about flathead cats, look it up, they get huge! Last week the ranger said a 45 pounder was caught, don't tell the locals I wrote this, no fish in La Jolla After sitting in the dark, playing with chicken liver and warms, drinking cold beverages, you have to finish the evening big before waking up and doing it all over again. We had good weather, between 80 and 85 degrees on and off wind until it started blowing pretty good around 12:30 today. This was an amazing place to paddle a Kayak, we discovered that there were passage ways that navigated through the different sections of the inlets, reminded me a lot of the paddling we did in Texas. Like I wrote earlier all small fish, Shiloh got the jackpot with this one. Not bad for a girl who is going to have a baby in just about 4 weeks, no big WSB or YT but certainly a trip to remember and a fishery I'll continue to explore

03-06-2011, 11:28 PM	#2
fishinkid2010 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: La Mesa Posts: 386	Very cool report! That place looks like a ton of fun to fish, especially being so secluded. Next time you find those tight lip largemouths, try throwing a fluke (like a Skinnybear or Bass Assassin) on a light weighted EWG hook. Twitch the reel handle really erratically and throw near cover... one of my go to methods! __________________ Need a custom rod wrapped? PM me! http://s686.photobucket.com/albums/vv222/fishinkid2010/Sample%20Rod%20Wrapping/?albumview=slideshow

03-07-2011, 12:54 PM	#5
Amish Ed Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Grants Pass, OR Posts: 1,906	Thanks for the report. I love fishing the river. __________________ Amish Ed You can't catch it again if it's dead!

03-07-2011, 01:17 PM	#7
Jimmyz123 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,385	Great report, man that looks like a fun place to go. __________________ No better time than being on the water, God Bless, JimmyZ

03-07-2011, 01:27 PM	#8
Siebler Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Richland Oregon Posts: 1,547	That is by far my favorite part of the river to fish. Sure is nice that there is a ramp/opening to launch form now. I remember the first thing we used to do when we got there was wading through the tulies to cut an opening that youd just barely fit the kayaks through. How was the road out there? No stripers on the rock wall? Cats inside the lake? Looks liek you had a good time, I need to make a trip soon. __________________ CJ Siebler

03-07-2011, 06:31 AM	#3
dmrides Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Point Loma Posts: 584	Joe, looks and sounds like a pretty nice weekend. 4 weeks to go, still paddling a kayak and out fishing the boys, that's awesome.

03-07-2011, 07:03 AM	#4
walrus Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Baja fish camp Posts: 478	One of my favorite places. Last year the lake was so choked with duck weed that you couldn't paddle through it. I'm glad to see it's died off. If you after the big cats, get on the river and fish the undercut banks. Congrats on the fish.

03-07-2011, 12:58 PM	#6
steveooo Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,921	You guys do the coolest stuff Wife is a trooper

03-07-2011, 03:16 PM	#9
JoeBeck Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Diego Posts: 370	Siebler, Road out there was fun, a lot easier than I expected, pretty smooth. How you describe launching the kayaks prior to the ramp is what I had expected, they definitely have created a nice campspot with easy water access. No striper, read they like shad so I tried cotee cracker shad, as well as some different shad crankbaits and small spoons, nothing. Also read they like cut bait but besides chicken liver and warms for catfish we were using artificial baits. Only the 2nd time I've fished the Colorado river waters so still learning. Took awhile to get the largemouth bass to start hitting too, turned out chartreuse colored baits were working the best. We were catching plenty of cats in the lake, all small though. We mostly stayed in the lakes and inlets enjoying not having to paddle up stream as well as finding new little hideaways to fish such as the rock wall. Took awhile to start seeing the small paths cut through the tulies, if I didn't have a river map I don't think I would have found them. Good trip, like I said definitely a fishery I am going to continue to explore. I want to get out there when the top water action goes off. It would also be a fun trip to put the Kayaks in upriver around Blythe or a little higher and have a car in Yuma. Float down river, fish all day, camping on the way, and drinking some beer . FishinKid: Next time I'll try the flukes, I've had success on flukes fishing the SD Bay. Thanks for the advise, I've enjoyed reading your bass fishing post.

03-07-2011, 03:32 PM	#10
bellcon Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: San Pedro Posts: 999	epic as always Joe __________________

03-07-2011, 03:48 PM	#11
Holy Mackerel Señor member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,627	Great post! How far of a drive? You two expecting? If so congrats!

03-08-2011, 12:16 AM	#15
THE DARKHORSE Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Seven minutes from the launch! Posts: 987	Great photos, Joe! Looks like a fun family trip. __________________

03-08-2011, 05:50 AM	#16
Cactus Junior Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 9	Great pictures! That's one of my favorite lakes. Once the water warms up you'll be able to catch a bunch in there with flukes!