Post by Brian on Apr 19, 2016 9:17:09 GMT -5
We don't go to Champlain on weekends very often. But because our local "pond" the Harriman Reservoir (where we would have had the 7 mile long waterway to ourselves) is still too low to use any access 
, off we went to Benson.
We got the last parking spot at the VTF&W access at 10:45. Water was clean (for Benson), 50 to 51 degrees, 98'. Motored south looking for sheepshead. Was disappointed in the current, flowing south, without much enthusiasm. A little NW breeze pushing it along, as the breeze freshened so did the current.
Tried two rock points with deep water, at the one with the most current we found out target species.... drum. Nice ones too. They were scattered about and we spent a couple of hours in landing 7 between us. Got them all dragging 3/4 oz. pigskin jigs with the skirts trimmed and a cut down 4" twin tail grub threaded on the hook. Earlier Diane had one hit a 3/4 oz. all terrain football jig with a spidergrub, but the line parted with her company
.
Spent the rest of the day looking for bass and whatever wanted to bite in shallow backwaters. The shallowest areas already dense grass, and blooming filamentous green algae. Water temps there were only 55-56. Got a few bass around a barely flowing culvert, then had a good bite around a wall of cattails. Some pike were in the vicinity as well, landed one, lost one, saw two. Foul hooked a 6 lb. catfish. Caught a pickerel, then left. Shoulda stayed, never caught another in three stops on the way back to the ramp. But I had a tip about an obscure culvert that I wanted to check out. Took awhile to motor in to it, as it was behind an unfamiliar (to me) flat that catches drifting wood. Turned out to be a bust because beavers had plugged the interior and very little flow.
A nice day, lots of bird life, lots of anglers. We quit at 6:00 releasing 12 lm, 7 drum, a pike, pickerel and catfish between us.
I hooked the first drum casting ahead of the boat, meanwhile Diane got snagged behind the boat. After "trolling" the thumping fish backwards to free Di's jig, the 14.lb. 6 oz. 29" drum was landed.
Action!
After a spirited battle I slipped the net under the 29.5" 14 lb. 3 oz. sheepshead.
Typical of the fish we were around was this 27" 12 lb. 5 oz. model.
Diane bagged this 29.5" jumbo, the scale shows 13 lb. 7 oz. But the longer it hung on the scale, the more it weighed.....great scale
Took a pic of a 3 1/2 lb bass and didn't take one of a 4 lber.......just seemed kinda small after double digit drum
. Next time.
, off we went to Benson.We got the last parking spot at the VTF&W access at 10:45. Water was clean (for Benson), 50 to 51 degrees, 98'. Motored south looking for sheepshead. Was disappointed in the current, flowing south, without much enthusiasm. A little NW breeze pushing it along, as the breeze freshened so did the current.
Tried two rock points with deep water, at the one with the most current we found out target species.... drum. Nice ones too. They were scattered about and we spent a couple of hours in landing 7 between us. Got them all dragging 3/4 oz. pigskin jigs with the skirts trimmed and a cut down 4" twin tail grub threaded on the hook. Earlier Diane had one hit a 3/4 oz. all terrain football jig with a spidergrub, but the line parted with her company
.Spent the rest of the day looking for bass and whatever wanted to bite in shallow backwaters. The shallowest areas already dense grass, and blooming filamentous green algae. Water temps there were only 55-56. Got a few bass around a barely flowing culvert, then had a good bite around a wall of cattails. Some pike were in the vicinity as well, landed one, lost one, saw two. Foul hooked a 6 lb. catfish. Caught a pickerel, then left. Shoulda stayed, never caught another in three stops on the way back to the ramp. But I had a tip about an obscure culvert that I wanted to check out. Took awhile to motor in to it, as it was behind an unfamiliar (to me) flat that catches drifting wood. Turned out to be a bust because beavers had plugged the interior and very little flow.
A nice day, lots of bird life, lots of anglers. We quit at 6:00 releasing 12 lm, 7 drum, a pike, pickerel and catfish between us.
I hooked the first drum casting ahead of the boat, meanwhile Diane got snagged behind the boat. After "trolling" the thumping fish backwards to free Di's jig, the 14.lb. 6 oz. 29" drum was landed.
Action!
After a spirited battle I slipped the net under the 29.5" 14 lb. 3 oz. sheepshead.
Typical of the fish we were around was this 27" 12 lb. 5 oz. model.
Diane bagged this 29.5" jumbo, the scale shows 13 lb. 7 oz. But the longer it hung on the scale, the more it weighed.....great scale
Took a pic of a 3 1/2 lb bass and didn't take one of a 4 lber.......just seemed kinda small after double digit drum
. Next time.
