Mid August 2021 Fishing Report

 

Some of the lastest pics of recent fishing adventures...

Foley Park

This was a new spot that we explored last weekend.  It's actually a park that that has a couple of "pay to fish" ponds on it.  I guess do to the Covid pandemic right now, they are not charging to fish in the ponds.  What was interesting is we decided to fish right next to the parking lot in a spot that was basically a canal next to the entrance of the park.  We weren't even fishing in the ponds and the bass were hitting our wacky worms!  Here is another pic of Lil' Shaka with a three pounder he caught below:

We were using the Creme Craw Colored stick baits in the wacky rigs.  He had this one pulled to the bank before I could even blink an eye.  He's turning into a really good fisherman.  This year he has learned to catch fish on wacky worms really well.  I showed him how to fish with Zoom Flukes during spring spawn season.  He has played around a bit with the Texas rig scenario as well, but it isn't his favorite thing to do.

Fletcher's

This is a place we've been going to for the last year.  It has some of the biggest bass I've caught in these ponds.  I caught this one also on a wacky worm.  I was there during lunch hour.  Pretty nice bass as you can see below:

During this time of year, you can catch some really nice bass in the ponds there.  You definitely have to fish weedless.  There is a lot of grass and hydrilla that grows up on this pond, and the fish know how to hide if you hookset them and reel them into the bank.  Good idea to have at least 10-15 lbs test otherwise you risk breaking your line off trying to pull the bass up from the weeds.  There is also a ton of poison ivy, and I had a breakout from this pond the last time I went.  As you can see I am completely covered now.

Neighborhood Pond

This little neighborhood pond has been a great addition to our circuit this year.  As I have said in previous posts, we used to think this pond was completely "lifeless"...but we figured out how to fish this pond, and it has been producing bass ever since.

The storm clouds were rolling in...It did not rain on me though.  This beauty...chased after the Zoom Fluke in the Houdini Color.  Aggressive as well as I did not have to really set the hook.  She chomped down hard.  See the pic below of this beauty:

So there is your report for the middle of August 2021 from the ShakaOG.  We continue to have fun with fishing during this Pandemic.  It continues to be a challenge, it countinues to be fun, and it continues to be a peaceful endeavor in nature for Lil' Shaka and me.  I hope all of you are fine this weekend.  Stay Committed, Stay Driven.

New fishing tactics over the weekend Aug 2021

 

Last weekend opened up some new possibilities for Lil' Shaka and me.  We tried some new techniques at the pond.  The bass were scattered all over the pond over the weekend.  They were hitting on several styles of lures and they were deeper as well as hunting on the banks.

Tokyo Rig

Lil' Shaka's favorite bassmaster is Seth Feider.  We were watching a YouTube video where Seth was explaining how to use the Tokyo Rig, and specifically what the benefits are of this specific rig.

Here is a picture of what I was using with a VMC Tokyo Rig in a 3/0 size.  The bullet weight I was using I think was a 3/16oz.  Well, my first cast got me a nice bass.  This was the first time that I ever used the Tokyo Rig, and it was the first time that I've caught a bass on a Zoom 6 inch lizard Hah!

As you could expect, I was very excited about this rig and the fact that I was able to use a new softbait like a Zoom 6 inch lizard.  About 4 minutes later, I caught another one.  But then afterwards, I tried the Tokyo Rig in several places and the bass quit biting.

What attracted me to Tokyo Rig

• Ease of use, did not have to change line, pole, or reel to deploy
• Seth Feider uses for muddy bottoms, prefers it compared to dropshot
• Keeps the bait just above the bottom where fish can see it
• Provides a presentation the fish don't see as often
• Very versatile in terms of baits that can be presented (use almost anything)

I will definitely continue to throw around the Tokyo Rig.  I think it could become a very deadly tactic in the future.

Weighted Wacky Rig

I have played around with some different ways to do the "Weighted" Wacky Rig over the summer.  I have had mixed results up to this point.  I think some of the rigs I was doing were too heavy and did not drop slow enough the way the bass like the weightless wacky worm rig. 

I picked up some of these Wacky Jigs from VMC and I think the key here is they were only 1/16 of an ounce.  This is just enough weight in the ponds I throw in to get the wacky worm down deeper, but with a slow fall that the bass really like.  I was able to catch a lot of bass on this day, and they were all very good size bass.  It almost felt like spawn season again!  Well, maybe not that good, but it felt good to find the bait and presentation (or the pattern) to what the bass wanted that day.

Final Thoughts

Both the Toyko Rig and the Weighted Wacky Jigs produced great results during this summer weekend.  I will definitely continued to use these tactics going forward.  The Tokyo Rig allowed me to keep my lure presentable above the mud bottom, and the weighted wacky jigs gave my wacky worm enough weight to drop but still float down slow enough that enticed the bass to bite.

Tight lines to all of you! Stay Committed, Stay Driven.

Da Loco Moco Dinner with The Family

 

History of the "Loco Moco"

According to Wikipedia about the Loco Moco, The dish was reportedly created at the Lincoln Grill restaurants in Hilo, Hawaii, in 1949 by its proprietors, Richard Inouye and his wife, Nancy, at the request of teenagers from the Lincoln Wreckers Sports club seeking something that differed from a sandwich, was inexpensive, and yet could be quickly prepared and served.


Isn't this the beauty of any creation? Nobody ever starts out trying to create something that the world will love forever. But this is definitely what happened in Hawaii. Loco Moco creations can be found in every nook and crannie on the Hawaiian Islands. It is absolutely a Hawaiian treasure.

Ingredients of the Loco Moco

• Traditionally, white rice but even in Hawaii you can get them with brown rice
• Hamburger patty goes on top of the white or brown rice
• Add brown gravy to your hamburger and rice
• Add an "over-easy" fried egg on top, or even sunny side up

One place we had Moco Loco

En Fuego Grill in Kapolei, Hawaii on the island of Oahu had really excellent Loco Mocos. the picture above is half eaten already! Hah! They gave big, big portions and the entire family was stuffed afterwards. I remember we had to take some of it with us back to our hotel.

Final Thoughts

Go try and make your own Loco Mocos! These things are sooooo tasty. The ingredients are simple, and you probably have some of these ingredients left over in the refrigerator. I think the allure and the reason people in Hawaii love this dish is the brown gravy.  Something happens to this dish when these simple ingredients are mixed together.  Gravy makes everything taste good! Enjoy.

Early August 2021 fishing check-in

Last night I went out to the pond and caught three bass on NetBait Paca Craws in the black and blue color. The picture above shows how the bass literally bit off the pinchers. All that was left was the body! This guy was hungry and aggressive. The heat of the summer cooled down a bit this week. It is still hot, but we are not dealing with the same humidity of the last couple of weeks.

It was fun throwing this craw around in the Texas Rig configuration. It was also nice to get out of the house. I've had a bad case of poison ivy that has kept me immobile and in the house. Fishing fans, when fishing from the bank in areas that are heavily weeded up on the banks, you need to wear pants. Cover up well. I was wearing shorts last week and I think I literally kneeled into poison ivy on the bank while retrieving a fish. I am paying for it now.

Have a great weekend and tight lines to you! Stay Committed, Stay Driven.

Friday morning fun before the heat July 2021

 

A recent bank fishing adventure in late July of 2021 revealed some really good fish from a familiar pond. Lil' Shaka was not with me this day. He said it looks like the same fish every time Papa. 

I hadn't had this type of luck in a fishing session in some time. This particular pond during the hot summer months has a ton of grass mats. It provides cover for the fish so I utilize a lot of weedless lures to get through the grass mats. The two lures I used during this session were the Zoom fluke and the Zoom Magnum 10.5 inch worm.

Let's just say that these fish were definitely hungry. The hardest part was pulling them out of the grass mats with 10lbs test mono. I was worried a few times I would break off my lure.

But as you can see I was able to have some success on this day! I wish you all success in your fishing adventures. Stay Committed, Stay Driven