It was an unseasonably warm fall day as I stumbled down to the mouth of Chico creek to watch the other unemployed , retired, called in sick, out of school early, (pick your adjective) people trying to coax a chum to bite on their orange or green corky with green, orange, or black yarn, with a side of Mike's shrimp sauce and just a hint of lead. As is usual in these situations, there were the one or two folks employing the Simply Not Able Guy (snag) technique; finesse and patience not being one of their strong suites.
The rumor was that the nets are out on Tuesday's and Thursday's; this being a Thursday, the nets were out and the fish making it through were few and far between. As the tide continued to rise, the action picked up---that is, the guy at the front of the line got one on, then the guy three or four spots up got one on, then everyone reeled in and got out of the way, and by the time they got back in the water, the school had gone past and was "safely" in the "no fishing beyond this point" sign. To his credit, one of the simply not able guys' brought in a very bright tenish pound hen that was hooked an inch away from the gill plate, and he turned it loose. In the heat of the school passing through, an older gentleman managed to foul hook a rather large male in the back---even hooked in the mouth, most people wouldn't have kept this fish, and he didn't. Over the course of about two hours, I saw about eight fish caught---one bright one that was kept and the others not so bright and released.
The highlight of my day came as I buttinskied into the total meltdown that was the young man trying to fish this method for the first time and having a miserable time of it. I volunteered to help him get the rats nest out of his brand new monofiliment. After finessing the tangled mess, I suggested that he tie on a smaller green corkie, a little less lead, and bypass the yarn altogether, then I suggested that he allow me to cast it out....clear to the other bank, as opposed to right in the middle of the channel. Of course, you guessed it, just like in the unreal world of television and the movies, where everything goes "just right",I hooked up. The good guy sharing space inside me with those "other voices" stepped up and handed him the pole and the fight was on. This chum surprised me in that he jumped clear out of the water several times, much like a steelhead. He---Technically, I should say she, was bright and full of energy---wasn't very big---maybe 7 pounds, but the kid was pretty happy about it. It was hooked in the mouth...kinda hard to foul hook when you are letting it slowly drift and you aren't doing those fast, jerky movements.
So, grab your barbless hooks and head down there...if you have waders, anytime is fine---if not, get there as the tide is coming back in so you can fish from the bank, being aware that the tide will sneak in behind you and if that happens, you will go home with wet feet.

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