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A couple more firsts for me today!
First Fish of 2011 on my Pen Rod!
First Rainbow Trout out of Ballinger!

I'm gonna be up front and say it out loud for everyone to hear.
You might call me crazy but I'm gonna say it.

I went DROP SHOTTING for Rainbow Trout today!!
And yes, it did pay off!

From about 6 pm - 8 pm, I caught a total of 7 Rainbow Trout today.
They were all little planters that ranged from about 7 - 10 inches.
None of them were very big but on 4 lb line on a Pen Rod, they put up a hell of a fight!
No matter the size of the fish, when using the most ultra light of ultra light rods, every fish is a blast to catch!

The weather was pretty harsh today.
When I got to the lake, the wind was blowing hard.
Then it started to hail which then turned into rain.
I had about a 10 minute window of sunshine and calm winds.
Then dark clouds rolled in and there was a constant downpour.

My hands were FREEZING but I kept telling myself, "I'm gonna leave after I catch one more fish."

I probably had over 20 bites today but most of the time the trout would not commit and ended up hitting a couple times and then losing interest.

As it got closer to darkness around 7:30 or so, a ton of trout were rolling on the surface so I decided to test out my trout magnet slip bobbers and trout magnet jig/worms.
I couldn't get a single trout to hit so I switched back to a drop shot and caught 2 more before I left.

My hands were numb and I was freezing afterwards but I guess that's what happens when you love fishing too much :)

I tried fishing Ballinger 3 other times after work, after they stocked the lake and could not get a single trout to hit a inline spinner or a spoon.
I don't know what it is but I've tried a few lakes so far this year and the only Rainbows I got to hit spinners was out of Louise.

slabs

4/14/2011 2:08:00 PM

good report. that was the first lake I caught my first fish at over thirty years ago. Before the park was there we use to seek into the Nile country club to fish off this old white rickety dock. Its also the first lake i almost drown in. My mom gave some kid a twinnkie for saving my life.

slabs

4/14/2011 2:19:00 PM

blue surgical gloves are easy to fish with and hold off the chill a bit . I use them steel heading when my rod eyes are freezing up my fingers are still fine. just don t ware to small off a pair so your fingers can have circulation.

Lord Of The Fly

4/14/2011 3:01:00 PM

Nice job Elijah. Your reports are always very thorough. Any idea what depth those fish were hanging out at? I was wondering if Ballinger would be a good lake to fly fish on. Realistically they'd have to be less than 10 feet under to get on the fly. Thanks for the report!

Elijah.Loves.Fishin

4/14/2011 4:30:00 PM

@ slabs - wow, this lake must have a lot of sentimental value for you now xD. and thanks for the tip, i'll try to pick some of those up the next time around.

Elijah.Loves.Fishin

4/14/2011 4:32:00 PM

@ lord of the fly - i caught most of my fish maybe 10 feet out from the dock, facing the middle of the lake. however, when it got closer to evening time, the trout were rolling on the surface all around the dock. i saw some of the trout even rolling just a couple feet away from shore. i've seen some fly fisherman in kayaks / pontoons on my previous outings. some of them caught a few, some didn't catch any. so i guess it's a combination of using the right fly / technique & being at the right place at the right time. i don't fly fish but i've always wanted to learn :P

'OL GREY DOG

4/15/2011 7:53:00 AM

dang it....dont wanta tinkle on no parades/good times...but i dont think you can catch "7" trout use'n...."BAIT WORMS"...
"TACKLE HOOK & BAIT"....ya'll are going to get a ticket...DOG

BentRod

4/15/2011 11:40:00 AM

Elijah, glad you had a good time and the fish were biting, but if you used bait (not artificial lures) to catch all your fish, then Dog is right. Page 27 of the regs state that when using bait, you can only catch and release up to the retainable daily limit for the body of water you're fishing or statewide daily limit. If using artificial lures, than you can catch and release all you want (if no special rules apply to that body of water) until the daily limit is retained. Tight lines.

Elijah.Loves.Fishin

4/15/2011 1:27:00 PM

@bentrod - thanks for the clarification! i will definitely keep that in mind going forward. it just goes to show that you can't trust the information given to you by fellow fisherman, even if they are trout enthusiasts that have been doing the same thing for years.. :P

'OL GREY DOG

4/15/2011 1:55:00 PM

lololol...N/P Eli.....now maybe you can go bk and share your new found knowledge with the person who led you astray and is possibly still out there doing it wrond and still misleading others!!!....DOG

Elijah.Loves.Fishin

4/15/2011 2:35:00 PM

@ ol grey dog - i apologize for being an ass, that was my bad :P and yes, i will go back and tell them. my buddy who told me this is an "avid" trout fisherman.

'OL GREY DOG

4/15/2011 5:08:00 PM

like i said..."N/P....you'll get it...and maybe you can help some 1 else 'n keep 'em from get'n a fine...dang state would just waste it anyways...."know'n" makes ya better....aaaand...besides your a braver/tougher guy than me just be'n out there try'n..GL..DOG

Gonefishing

4/15/2011 9:09:00 PM

The lake isn't very deep for the most part and have been very close. Recent hatch of bugs is what has brought them to the surface. They are hitting really soft lately. As for catching them on spinners outside the day they planted them I haven't seen or heard of much success. There are 2 regulars that I know of that stay at that dock..... one it wouldn't suprise me if he led you astray on numbers. The other wouldn't but you'd get a story to go with it usually.

Elijah.Loves.Fishin

4/17/2011 1:51:00 AM

@gonefishing - yeah, everyone down there has mentioned the hatch, i went again today for a few minutes and saw maybe 4 or 5 fish roll the surface during the day but it picked up right before i left as it just started to get dark.

N E 1 FISSION

4/18/2011 9:45:00 PM

Hi Elijah, I also live in Mountlake Terrace, right off of 220th, would you be willing to help me learn some of your techniques. Drop shots,..Just asking

Elijah.Loves.Fishin

4/18/2011 11:34:00 PM

@ n e 1 fission - sure, when the weather warms up a bit, there are plenty of places to fish from shore around here. it'll probably be on a weekend though :)

N E 1 FISSION

4/19/2011 9:25:00 PM

Elijah, might try to go out Saturday, any local lake will do, will commnicate on this site, hate to give out my contact info, thanks

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