Lake Elsinore, Something Different 4/13

[Dark_Knight_9C1]

Water temps in Lake Elsinore been going up with the last hot streak.  Had to go down to see how close we were to the carp spawn.
Yes, those disgusting fish which muddy up the lake and eat just about anything in sight.
I took up bowfishing last year, yes something different,  and I've been scoping out Lake Elsinore since it's closer than Big Bear Lake and they allow bowfishing. 

Went there three weeks ago, 3/29, when the water just broke 60 for the first time. Went early morning and the water was murky making it impossible to see anything under water. Saw a few fish swirl the surface as they swam away and a few that sank away as I approached.  Nothing to shoot at.
Went two weeks ago, 4/6, and went at noon for better visibility.  Started seeing them right away but only the dorsal fin thru the murk. Got the first one after only a few shots.
28" and 6.5 lbs. Bigger than any I've gotten before.

A few shots later, hit a 31" which was 11 lbs!

The first one barely fit in my Home Depot bucket. This one was nearly half hanging out. The bucket was now about 20lbs and I figured I'd have room for one more. Took a while to get the next one. Hit, swam hard and pulled off. Wasn't too worried since it meant I could keep going for a while. I covered about a mile of shoreline and got quite a few more shots on fish but didn't have my heart in it since the 20 lb bucket was getting pretty heavy. That was it for that day.
Last weekend, 4/13, was right after the hot week in the upper 80s. Water temp was up to 65. Went again around noon. This time there was a strong breeze which was making waves lap against the shore making the water even more murky by shore.
I could see only shadows of fish at this point and the ripples on the surface didn't help. There were more fish this time and they were jumping too. Took quite a few shots on fish but I couldn't judge the depth unless they were breaking the surface. Well one did long enough to get a good shot at it. It was only 26" and 7 lbs.

Easter being this weekend put a stop to another trip. Next weekend will be Big Bear Lake. The water is just reaching 60 there so it should be waking up. Until then, I'll be practicing on plastic bottles in my pool.

- Keith

P.S. Here's a glory shot. I couldn't even wrap my hand around the tail. It was definitely a two hander.

[Latimeria]

Nicely done Keith! Those are some really nice goldfish, boss. 

Do you use them for bait? Fertilizer? Eat? Trash?

[Dark_Knight_9C1]

These go in the trash. Only problem is my trash pickup is on Fridays. First two got pretty ripe.
The last one I packed in an ice chest with ice. The ice lasted long enough.
Big Bear Lake has a disposal site which uses them to make fertilizer. Lake Elsinore doesn't.
I've tried burying one once, the coyotes found it and dug it up.

-Keith

[Latimeria]

These go in the trash. Only problem is my trash pickup is on Fridays. First two got pretty ripe.
The last one I packed in an ice chest with ice. The ice lasted long enough.
Big Bear Lake has a disposal site which uses them to make fertilizer. Lake Elsinore doesn't.
I've tried burying one once, the coyotes found it and dug it up.

-Keith

Probably find a quiet spot near any open space.  I bet the Racoons and Coyotes would love that!

[jrodda]

Nice, that sounds fun.

[Tim524]

That looks like a lot of fun 

I bet the Trash Man  loves you !  

[Dark_Knight_9C1]

I bag them in a heavy trash bag so it's not too obvious.  But I'd hate to be around after the trash truck compactor has run a couple times.
We are supposed to put bad food in the yard waste bin. The only problem would be I  can't bag them. I've filled my ice chest with ice last time to see how long it would last and it took about 5 days to melt completely without topping it off. Next time, I'll keep them on ice and top off with my frig icemaker ice. That'll keep them cold enough to put them in the yard waste can. 

[Dark_Knight_9C1]

Nice, that sounds fun.

It's a combination of fishing and hunting. Probably like sight fishing corbina. But the fish doesn't get a choice whether to eat the arrow. 
During the spawn last year, on a good day, I could've got 10 carp. I got 5 and my bow broke. Saw dozens after that which would've made it easy to get 10. Ultimate goal is 30 in a day. For that you need to have a long stringer or a trash can with a dolly.