The Opening

I left my window open
Was it the same over there?
It's been fun.
The snatches and glimpses.

I still don't know you.
Probably never will.
Thanks for being an inspiration.
The Benjamins are rolling in!

I opened the door. You were grateful.
That's how history began.
Lights was the beginning.
Then came the kulture.

All this time. It's been a game.
If school is a game, I've almost won.
Next up: the Bonus Round!
Do I get extra points?!

You wanted to!
You wanted to!
The angels didn't deserve to die
They weren't angels at all.

My suicide is a calculated one.
It's one where I die to live.
Don't live to die.

Rough Rants / Titles / Songs

This life will be the death of me
A lit'l bit 'o this to kill my own skin
__________________________
I knew you for a while
It's gone downhill from there
When will you see
That life without Him is vanity
A puff of air, a blink, a flash
__________________________
Why can't we all just get along?
I finally got around to writing this song

Daiwa Sweepfire Saga: 1000b and 1500b

So after checking out the (most inexpensive) models of some of the light and ultralight reels at my local tackle shop (TB), I was shown the Daiwa Sweepfire 1000, which was selling at the shop for $28.99.

After checking out eBay and after research about line, capacity, and rod/reel balance, decided to buy the 1500b for $20. The seller sent me the wrong model (the 1000b), and after correspondence, decided to let me keep the 1000b (for his mistake) and sent me the 1500b for free.

This all came about mainly because this seller is a top-rated seller, with all positive feedback (meaning no negative or neutral feedback). This was a blessing in disguise, as he wanted to keep his 5-star rating no matter the cost.

So in the end, I received 2 reels for the price of one, giving me more versatility for trout. I still plan on using both for trout, but now have the option of using the 1000b for 4 or 6 lb. test, and the 1500b for 4, 6 or 8 lb. test if I need it. The 1500b fits the medium action rod that originally influenced me to buy the 1500b over the 1000b, so now I simply have to buy an ultralight rod to match the 1000b and I'll be set!

DJYS (or TYJ!)

10.29.2011 - LPD - Best single day of fishing action ever!

So last Saturday we (Jer, the bro, and I) headed out to the dam, brought along the kayak and inflatable raft, and had the single best fishing days of our lives.

Arrived at about 7:30-ish and got on the lake at around 8-ish. Cast around and didn't catch a thing 'til we got to the mouth.

Jer hooked up with 5 fish even before we had a bite, but then we got ours. Most were 8-9 inches, but in my estimations we caught over thirty (30!) fish that day! It was crazy!

We caught no browns whatsoever, but this may have been due to our 10 lb. test...

We're definitely looking into the P-Line Floroclear (4 or 6 lb. test) to rig up for our reels. Nick suggested this and I've seen some good reviews of this line, and he and I both think that we would've gotten the bigger fish had we been fishing with the clear P-Line, as I could easily see our 10 lb. Berkley Big Game test in the water in front of the lures.

All in all it was an epic day, topped off with an Orient Express outing to celebrate a day dear to my heart.
Here are some pics from that day, dear reader:

1st trout off a lure: 10.23.2011

This Rainbow Trout was the first I've ever caught off a lure.
The bro caught his FIRST FISH ever off a LURE on his FIRST cast of the day.

1 John

1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Pier Fishing DAY 1: Coast Guard Pier

So I've had the fishing itch for a long time now, and seeing as it's a little bit of a drive to any good freshwater fishing spots, I was stumped. Last Saturday was Fleet Week, and as you can tell (dear reader) from post before this that I gleaned quite a lot of info from Denny. So I thought, why not try pier fishing?

So I look up some piers and decide to head out to Coast Guard Pier in Monterey. Line in about 2:55, and within 5 minutes get a small black or blue perch. Within the half-hour I get 5 of these guys, all too small (about 6 inches). Then the Coast Guard people say they're shutting down the pier for about an hour and a half for "flare exercises." We all go in front of the black gates and start fishing. This is when I started talking to Wind, Alex, LaMarque, Terry, and finally Sergio. Got a lot of good stuff from the locals. That's what Stevie G. said: "Talk to the locals!"

Anyway, they finally open the gates and we all go back. We had discussed two different strategies:
1. Casting in the gap between the rocks and kelp
2. Casting over the kelp and letting the tide bring the rig in.

I caught all 6 of my little black/blue perch using the first strategy, and then about 1/2 hour before closing time (the pier closes at sundown), I tried the second strategy, using squid only (I'd caught 5 of the six perch on bloodworms, and the other one on squid). I cast over the kelp, got my line tight, and about 30 seconds later this guy got on:

It's inevitable that you're going to get snagged, but you just have to try to roll with it and watch your line and the kelp, making sure you know where your rig is in relation to the kelp and rocks at all times. This is why (so far) I've seen that only one pole is needed for this type of fishing. The bites can be very small, and sometimes the small fish peck at your bait so much it'd be impractical to have more than one.

The diversity of ethnicities of the fisherman (locals) who I talked to was quite interesting. Here's the rundown:
   LaMarque: African-American
   Sergio: Mexican-American
   Alex: Caucasian
   Terry: Asian-American
   Wind: Old Chinese Guy (in a motorized chair)

SF Fleet Week 2011: Jets and Fishing Tips

Woke up at 5:45 ante meridiem. Ate breakfast and after Jer came to out house, we headed out.
Get to our spot across from the Marina Green (after parking under the bridges about a 15-minute walk down) which happened to be quite packed out, and one of the first things I see is an Asian guy with a super-thin 8 or 9-foot fishing pole. So I go over there and start talking with him.

As it turns out, Denny is from Hong Kong, here for 2 half-year stays in the States while his sister gets her art degree. I picked his brain for as much info as I could. Here are some tidbits of info:

1. He was using yellow (not sure what type...his accent was pretty thick) 20-lb. braided line, and a 20-lb. fluorocarbon leader.
2. His hooks were about a size 12. (This was because he was targeting perch and smaller such fish.)
3. He started with 2 hooks above a small egg sinker, then switched to a sliding weight (still lightweight), swivel, then hook.
4. He stated that the former rig is for more advanced fisherman because it's more sensitive to the bite, but that the latter rig is easier and is better for novice fisherman. This was because the first rig is more direct to the pole and thus more sensitive, while with the second rig you tend to feel the bite less, and (I'm guessing) the fish might thus be on longer, meaning it's probably on when you start reeling in.
5. He's had the same experience where the fish will bite/swallow the bait, but stay next to the bait, so you don't even know he's on. You might wait forever until you think there's nothing there or you want to check your bait, but then you find out he's on. This has happened before in my experience with rainbow trout.
6. Most of the smaller fish tend to stay close to the shore around the rocks, because the crabs and smaller bait fish tend to stick around the same area. It's very logical, as much of what he said was...you just have to think like a fish.
7. Therefore, over-casting is often unnecessary and a waste of time. However, when going for the bigger fish (such as striped bass), it's good to cast as far as possible.
8. He usually uses a bobber (I thought he was saying "bubble" with his thick accent) when fishing, as it's much easier to find the fish this way. This is the way he usually finds them:
     a. Adjust the bobber to the depth where the sinker and bait are touching/dragging along the bottom. This way, the fish have the highest chance to see it. He stated that "90% of the time, the fish you're targeting are going to be bottom feeders." This is different from what I'd think of when using a bobber when going after trout (you want the bait maybe a foot or two below the surface) or bass with a worm.
     b. Using the clock/angles method, cast out short, longer, longest (etc.) Keep in mind that you're also adjusting the depth of the bait along the bottom.

Here's a photo of one of the perch Denny caught:

That's all I can think of for now...oh, and the Super Hornet had a SICK shock cone on his high speed pass.

Here are some shots I took fr/ Fleet Week:

SCRIPT for Copyright: Cooper Std
SIZE: 72p