Took a short 2 week hiatus. Sold the Prowler 13T. Had a minor muscle tear on my left erector which is where I had a major tear last year. Had another back pop during the first rehab session. Then went out of town for Thanksgiving for some much needed rest and relaxation. Came back to welcome home a new reverse hyper machine to the garage gym. Got a couple active recovery work outs in, back felt good... so made the call to get back on the water.
Out the door at graylight after smashing my finger loading up the new Trident 13. Broke a thru fitting for my bait tank when connecting the intake tube. Bypassed the fitting and bungeed the hose to spill over the top. Forecast called for 2-3ft waves. Ended up 2-3 inches at best. I'll take it! On the water at dawn.
Chilly morning. SST 59° but felt like a spa if you know what I mean. Light winds early on building up to a stiff but manageable breeze from the North later on. Water visiblity was amazing. Paddled thru a massive school of halfmoons which had no interest in anything I had tied on. Unfortunately that would be the only fish I saw from the new deck.
Spent most of the morning trying to dial in the new Helix 5. It's only a 2D model with GPS but has way more settings to mess with than my old grayscale unit. Paddled over to a few familiar spots just to see if the image would be similar. I might as well metered Lake Miramar. Guess it will take some getting used to.
As far as metering fish there were plenty. But the lack of current had them lockjawed, at least up shallow where I was working. Seldom birds, zero surface life, quiet radio. No love on the plastic and metal. I did pack squid but the bites were few.
I spied a lobster boat resetting gear. Soon as he left I beelined it to his string. Fresh chum! First fish on the new sleigh... whitefish.
Continued knocking on doors and followed up with a few sugar bass, short goats, and more whitefish. Not wide open by any means and the "bite" actually stopped altogether sooner than later.
Made my way in working more familiar spots and pressing more buttons. New seat design is much more comfortable. More lumbar and leg support. Zero back soreness which was nice. Found out I have a clock and a speedometer on this Humminbird unit. Average 3.5-4.1 MPH just cruising and 5.1 on a half assed sprint thru surface texture. Now I'm itching break 6 MPH after more rehab sessions in the garage.
Boring report but they should get better as I familiarize myself with the new rig. Overcome hurdles and set new goals. It's not the fish I'm after... or however the saying goes.
