What tried to spool me?

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Bassinlee

What tried to spool me?

Post by Bassinlee »

The location: Lake Sonoma. The time: Monday about 9pm. Location: Near the public launch ramp. I was tossing a 10 inch zoom plastic worm, split shot rigged with a G-Mag Gamagatsu hook on 30 lb test Power Pro. Lamiglas medium heavy, with a Curado SF reel. Got a bump, set the hook, and began the fight. At least, that's what I thought it would be. Fish turned away from the shoreline and headed for open water. Cool! I thought. I had a good solid hookset, heavy duty hook and line, and I'd just tied up the rig. The fish felt good. In fact, it felt as good as snagging a passing Nimitz class submarine. Whatever it was pulled hard against the drag, I was even thumbing the line, but couldn't even slow this dude down. I've caught big double digit fish before and I know it's possible to at least influence their direction. This felt like a tuna on steroids. I was leaning against it and scrambling to get the front of the Ranger turned around to follow it out to the open water. Confidence faded as I realized I couldn't even turn it's head. It's like I wasn't even there. Then suddenly, I felt the fish hang a left, or a right around a tree. You know the feeling. Line gets kinda jerky, and everything stops. I thought, okay. I'll loosen the line, and wait for him to swim out. 4 or 5 minutes pass. Then a sudden surge, then stop. I then tried plucking the line to irritate him into doing something rash. Another surge, and I still can't figure out where this tree is out in the Lake Sonoma night. Then a slow pull, and that sudden sickening feeling of the line going limp. I reeled up what was left of the Power Pro, while enthusiastically yelling some well designed and heartfelt exclamations into the dark. Question. What was it? World record bass? Big honkin catfish? Sieg class carp? "The big one that got away?" How do you guys sleep at night after this happens? It's making me into a nutcase. Now, all I wanna do is go back there with wire line, and a stout boat rod with roller bearings for some revenge. ARRGGGGH!
Paul W

Re: Hmmmm....

Post by Paul W »

First guess is you hooked a BIG Catfish. They have some good sized ones in there for sure, but with 30lb PowerPro it seems like you shouldve been able to turn him!!! I am pretty sure they also have some Sturgeon in there, because I have seen MANY of them in the ponds/canals at the Warm Springs Hatchery, just below the damn. Some of them were easily 60+lbs just like you see caught in the bay. You may have snagged one of those dudes or actually had one eat!!

Paul W
sdesign

Tough one

Post by sdesign »

hmmm... i vote a carp maybe. I've had carp in Calero hit my bass lures and run very similar to how you described - straight out into open water. Thing is, i'm usually able to turn them. Very discouraging to think you've caught a big bass and have see those big bronze scales the end of your line... still, yours sounded like something quite different. What a thrill.
Mike209

Re: What tried to spool me?

Post by Mike209 »

> The location: Lake Sonoma. The time: Monday
> about 9pm. Location: Near the public launch
> ramp. I was tossing a 10 inch zoom plastic
> worm, split shot rigged with a G-Mag
> Gamagatsu hook on 30 lb test Power Pro.
> Lamiglas medium heavy, with a Curado SF
> reel. Got a bump, set the hook, and began
> the fight. At least, that's what I thought
> it would be. Fish turned away from the
> shoreline and headed for open water. Cool! I
> thought. I had a good solid hookset, heavy
> duty hook and line, and I'd just tied up the
> rig. The fish felt good. In fact, it felt as
> good as snagging a passing Nimitz class
> submarine. Whatever it was pulled hard
> against the drag, I was even thumbing the
> line, but couldn't even slow this dude down.
> I've caught big double digit fish before and
> I know it's possible to at least influence
> their direction. This felt like a tuna on
> steroids. I was leaning against it and
> scrambling to get the front of the Ranger
> turned around to follow it out to the open
> water. Confidence faded as I realized I
> couldn't even turn it's head. It's like I
> wasn't even there. Then suddenly, I felt the
> fish hang a left, or a right around a tree.
> You know the feeling. Line gets kinda jerky,
> and everything stops. I thought, okay. I'll
> loosen the line, and wait for him to swim
> out. 4 or 5 minutes pass. Then a sudden
> surge, then stop. I then tried plucking the
> line to irritate him into doing something
> rash. Another surge, and I still can't
> figure out where this tree is out in the
> Lake Sonoma night. Then a slow pull, and
> that sudden sickening feeling of the line
> going limp. I reeled up what was left of the
> Power Pro, while enthusiastically yelling
> some well designed and heartfelt
> exclamations into the dark. Question. What
> was it? World record bass? Big honkin
> catfish? Sieg class carp? "The big one
> that got away?" How do you guys sleep
> at night after this happens? It's making me
> into a nutcase. Now, all I wanna do is go
> back there with wire line, and a stout boat
> rod with roller bearings for some revenge.
> ARRGGGGH!

There are some huge squawfish in that lake
I caught one fishing the dam face about 10 years
ago thought I had the world record smallmouth on!
Mike209
NaCl

Re: What tried to spool me?

Post by NaCl »

Lake Sonoma was formed in 1983 after the dam was built at the confluence of Dry Creek and Warm Springs Creek. Shasta, Oroville and Folsom were also built on tributaries that lead directly to salt water. And, all three lakes are thought to have sturgeon trapped in them. Why would Sonoma be any different?

I can't believe that 30# test would not have at least turned or slowed down a big carp (say 20-25lbs) or huge catfish (15-20lbs). And with your salt water experience, you know the differrence in feel between a good fish that is fighting the line, versus a salt water class fish that simply has so much mass and power that you can only hold on for the ride until it tires. That sure is the way I understood your description.

I suspect you hooked a trapped sturgeon...if it was small in 1983, it could be 50-60lbs now. And, its behavior would be likely be exactly as you described.

Just my guess....

.....NaCl
Hitman

Re: What tried to spool me?

Post by Hitman »

My team partner had the same experience a few years ago fishing a club tourny there. Just as you described the fish just pulled and pulled until it hung in something very deep. My buddy could never turn it or stop it...we thought we had a bass of a lifetime ready for the scales and lots of photos....I did not know sturgeon were trapped in Sonoma.

Hitman
NaCl

Re: What tried to spool me?

Post by NaCl »

I'm just speculating about Sonoma but its a fact in Shasta and Oroville. And, good friend of mine saw one in Folsom a few years back. It scared the stuff out of him as it surfaced right next to his bassboat over near Brown's Ravine. At first, he thought it was just a bumpy log about 8 feet long. Then, the "log" started moving as it swam back down. I would not be the least bit surprised to hear about a sturgeon in Sonoma.

.....NaCl
Bassinlee

Re: What tried to spool me?

Post by Bassinlee »

I thought it might be a sturgeon, but didn't want to start a thread about prehistoric fish in modern waters. I actually called the Lake Sonoma hatchery, and the guy said no, no sturgeon here. I know there are sturgeon in several of our other freshwater lakes, including Shasta, Folsom and Oroville, trapped when the dams were built. Another possibility: a river otter. The hatchery guy says there are a bunch of em in the lake. I also wondered why a river otter or big catfish would eat a plastic worm. I did catch a catfish on Lake Berryessa on a Kastmaster, which I thought would *never* happen. Who knows what river otters eat?
But I prefer to think I had a bass that would eclipse Perry's world record. That's my story, and I'm stickin with it...
TomAtkeson

Re: What tried to spool me?

Post by TomAtkeson »

Another freshwater impoundment that is known now to infact have sturgeon is Contra Loma in Antioch, some of these fisheries guys have thier heads in a damp, dark, smelly place. Its said that there are smallies in Contra Loma in 6 years of fishing that lake Ive never seen one on my line or any one elses. So I imagine if they think a lake has fish it dosent it could have fish they dont think it does.

My .02cents
Tom
Urban

Re: What tried to spool me?

Post by Urban »

I would believe you had either a world record bass or a river otter long before I would believe you had a sturgeon. I do know somebody who stuck a river otter in Shasta once, and from what he said, for several minutes he thought he had the mother of all mother bass on the end of his line.
Joe

Re: What tried to spool me?

Post by Joe »

> Dude,

you most likely stuck one of the HUGE Cats that live in that area. I've talked to a few catfishermen that have stuck some MONSTERS right at the public launch at night.

Joe
mac (Doyle McEwen)

Re: What tried to spool me?

Post by mac (Doyle McEwen) »

It was a gar..

mac
Paul W

Re: The Ranger??

Post by Paul W »

I have to say I dont believe what the Ranger said about there being no Sturgeon in Sonoma. Like I said in my post above, I have seen them with my own eyes in the slough under the bridge walkway leading to the Warm Springs fish hatchery building. I have seen as many as 3 or 4 at a time and some were easily 50+lbs. If they are there I am sure theres a few in the lake!!

Paul W
Bassinlee

Re: The Ranger??

Post by Bassinlee »

I told him the same thing. Said I'd seen them there. He said they were there to help keep the bottom clean. Uh, yeah, and my 482VS goes 100 mph.
This is really starting to bug me. I'm serious about going back with what amounts to "muskie" gear. Course, I'll never hook this thing again in a million years.
Rats.

> I have to say I dont believe what the Ranger
> said about there being no Sturgeon in
> Sonoma. Like I said in my post above, I have
> seen them with my own eyes in the slough
> under the bridge walkway leading to the Warm
> Springs fish hatchery building. I have seen
> as many as 3 or 4 at a time and some were
> easily 50+lbs. If they are there I am sure
> theres a few in the lake!!

> Paul W
Senker

Re: What tried to spool me?

Post by Senker »

I know what it was. It was the Sonoma Lake monter!
big *** freakin water monster!
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