Sunday, May 27th
N. Varazdin - bass, pond fishing
Click photo to enlarge.
My new friend Tomislav Lončarić
(Tom), took me to some of his
favorite bass fishing holes, where I got my first Croatian bass- cool.
I'd met Tom online through a bass fishing website,
BassResource.com, and he
go's by the handle 'frog'. Not frog from tossing the lure, but from
wearing green when in high school for sports I think, he's tall and thin,
so the nick-name. He
was nice enough to show me his 'honey hole's'.. He even
loaned me his high quality fishing pole (I had a cheapie telescoping one
from Italy a few years back, works but hardly) to use while I'm in the
area.)
Of course we hit it off well, we both
love the sport. He had bought me a one day license, which ran 60 kuna ($10
USD), and
would not take money for it. Then he got us a couple of beers for the lake
(lunch we'd come back for he said) and we went over the main river north
of town (Varazdin, where he lives, it's in far north Croatia), through a few villages, and about 20 km later we got out and
proceeded to get sun burnt, as well as catch fish - well, Tom did, a dink,
about the size I got later in the day, and pictured above, although we
could see one pounder swimming around, none wanted the variety of baits we
tossed at them.
About three p.m. he had to go, so we found a neat
restaurant and had Greek salads, and I got an order of Bolognese
spaghetti, which would come in handy as I again would miss finding a place
to grab a bite later and as I could not finish it doggy bagged it to go.
I went back and tried my luck at the river, looked great,
but nada. Then I found the ponds he'd taken me to, a bit tricky, a lot of
villages and turns, and started to get hits on the fluke, but alas, I was
out of practice and missed the first four. I finally got one, and the
stripe was off the back, see photo above, of the fish and the pond.
Monday, May 28th,
Lake Trakoscan bass fishing.
As Tom had told me about two lakes locally that had bass,
as well as other gamefish, Lake Trakoscan being one, I decided to go to
those areas (only an hour away) and check them out while making photos.
The first was very nice, I almost made a nice shot of the lake at first,
walked around it (it has a castle next to it, Trakoscan Castle), but the
bass are far and few between. I did stop and toss a fluke at the far end,
had a giant explosion at a pond across the street, but nothing stuck. It
tried three times over the one hour of trying (kept going back).
Heard about Ivanic being better, and even though I got an
apartment nearby, did not find it for a few days, it was not open until
Friday the 1st anyways, in honoring the bass bedding season (closed
April and May).
Friday, June 1st
Lake Ivanic (group of large ponds really) bass fishing.
Made plans to fish the opener with another internet connection, Zdravko Savor.
Here is his blog:
http://fishingincroatia.blogspot.com/
I'm glad I saved my first day off (worked the Sunday the
week before making art in Rovinj, the coastal town, the light was great)
for this day, we had a blast. I started early, around 7, he was to drive
an hour north to join me at around 10 a.m., which he did- he lives in
Zagreb, the countries capital.
Click on image to see larger.
Here is
Ivanic lakes, a map they had which took two shots of my iPhone to capture.
Stitched together in Photo Shop.
It rained most of the day, and as I did not bring my rain
gear, I had to stuff my golf umbrella in my jacket to hold it for me most
of the day, the winds wanting to rip it out and take it away sometimes.
But the fish did not mind. I got 11 bass over all,
six before Zdravko show up, how fun. These don't get any bigger than 4
lbs, a lot smaller than our California ones, so me getting three at about
2 pounds, each impressed the local pros, they did not fare as well.
(Did not think much of it at the time, they are about average size back
home).
I'd continued with the fluke, like I had at Tom's ponds,
and the bass loved 'em. Mostly fished herky-jerky along the surface. The
first came after getting a monster (about 4 or 5 lbs) try to inhaled it
off a bush in the corner, but upon casting again I got a smaller model,
about 2 pounds. Little did I know that is considered a large fish here,
four being the lake record!
I continued working to the back of the lake, getting more
smaller ones, some way out in open water, most along shore.
Click on image to see larger.
Here is
Zdravko and I at the end of the day, I'd just got the one below.
Click on image to see larger.
Wow, I really got into some nice
ones.
Saturday, June 2nd.
Lake Ontario pike fishing.
On Saturday, I worked my way to Zagreb and spent a few hours with Zdravko
trying to get my first pike fish. Met him at a freeway exit at 10 a.m., as
planned, and we made our
way to a large aqueduct not far away, called Lake Ontario, a catch and
release only lake. It's famous for the pike that come out of it. No bass
are there. We threw
everything, me mostly topwater as I heard they bite that too. But as the lake ranger said when he came over and sold me my
one day fishing permit -$15, no fish were caught all morning, which is unusual, and
most guys had left already. We tossed a lot of large plastic swimbaits,
like we do for large ocean calico bass, and the same colors, bright, but
no go after five hours of trying.
Click on image to see larger.
This gentleman got three in just 15 minutes,
the first, 50% bigger in size and
the one that made us stop our car and get out to see as he fought it, got
off
at the net.
But I did get to see a couple landed just before taking our lunch break at
about 4 p.m. One, over 3' long, got off when someone tried to help the guy
net it, so we did not get to see it. But he caught two within the next 10
minutes, here is one shot of me with the guy. (when I get it). Sunday,
June 3rd
Tournament Day- Ivanic I was
blessed with getting invited to participate in a national bass fish-off
here against 25 of the countries best fishermen. This saved me the daily
permit fee, they said it'd be waived.
Tom and I were already planning on fishing there anyways,
and we would be a 'team', not that there was any prizes, as it's for the
top few finishers to represent the country in the World Bass Championship,
to be held in Spain this year, and Venezuela the next. Was told to be
there at 7 a.m. for free breakfast and sign in, the tourney would start at
8 and run till 3 p.m. I met Tom
and his brother Rajko Loncaric, who was going to have to leave early, and
another friend of theirs, at 7 a.m.. We had the complimentary breakfast
(sausage and bread), and I got instructions on how they run shore fishing
tournaments. You call for a 'official' who weighs your fish, there are
five or six guys spread out over the pond that are waiting to do so,
interesting. And was all start at exactly 8 a.m., all from the same shore,
about 10 yards apart, for the first 15 minutes, then you allowed to fish
anywhere, but no running to spots. I drew # 5, and none of us got any,
then all spread out after the 15 minute bell went off.
Overall, It was so
windy your would cast one way, and lure wound end up a mile away. Very
trying conditions. I, as well as most guys, did not get anything, the
wind might have been a factor to stopping their interest in 'biting', as
they didn't. It was all shore fishing, they don't have big enough lakes to
need boats basically. If I'd caught the same ones from two days earlier,
I'd have won the tournament. I 'go
big or go home' Seewald tossed the Super Spook, as well as some other
topwater baits, but nothing wanted them today. It was clear, which did not
help me, although everyone here says clear skies gets better topwater
action. I had some miracle moments as I got back the Super Spook twice, as
one it snapped off during the cast, shooting some 50 yards away, but as it
was directly in the wind on this particular cast, with lots of prayer, it
came floating back to me in about 5 minutes, stopping just short of shore
caught on a stump. I took off pants and shoes/sock and went out to get it,
not even deep.
The second time was minutes later,
trying to throw it down an ally of opening between trees, sideways to the
wind. I knew it was 'iffy', and a shorter cast had worked, but I wanted it
further down the ally, as fish you catch usually have not seen a lure
lately, so you try for places maybe nobody else had. The lure went there,
but the braid got looped over the brush nearby, and nothing I did got if
off, so I pulled hard to snap it, knowing that usually means losing it.
But at is snapped off the braid the lure flung itself towards me, I'd
never seen this happen before like this. BUT it was just out of reach from
my rod and blowing away into some brush. Hurriedly I went and got a long
branch I'd used earlier to fetch one 'Italian test lure' Zdravko had given
me the day before (which I also got back twice this day- WOW). I was just
able to reach it before it got out of reach, TUL!
Click on image to see larger.
Dalien, Tom and I pose just
before going out for an afternoon session. Yes, Tom stands a head above
us, and I think he even bent down a bit. The
wind was still howling, and the bite still tough. We
had a great lunch afterwards. Then Tom, Dalien (Daniel Vignjevic-
a fishing author and photographer I met during the tourney who came
over and introduced himself as a friend of
Zdravko's that had
told him about me), and another gent and I went back out. By 7 p.m. our
luck did not improve, the wind did not die down and Tom and his friend
Nenad Ujlaki
decided to head home, an hour north.
Click on image to see larger.
Dalien, Nenad Ujlaki,
Tom and I pose for a final farewell photo. Nenad and Tom
had to leave around 7 p.m., while Dalien and I continued to fish till
dark. Dalien and I kept fishing,
first back to my
honey hole, the 'peninsula', where I had a 2# bass try to inhale my frog
the last five minutes of the tourney, and then around the whole lake
again, fishing till dark, 9 pm, no luck.
We had a nice chat and dinner back in
Lepoglava, my regular restaurant, and I hit the sack at midnight. It is a
nice fact that most of these guys spoke very good English. They almost all
report learning it from cartoons when they were kids.
Click on image to see larger.
Daniel (Dalien) Vignjevic
with some lunkers from a
trip
to Lake Borovik last summer, making me water at the mouth to get
there now!
BUT I WAS told about a lake that puts Ivanic
to shame, Lake Borovik, with the average size going up from 1/2 pound here, to about 3-4
pounds there. AND it's only 240 km away, to the east. Not the direction I
was planning, but what the heck, I can make art anywhere, so I'm planning
on heading there now.
http://dalien-fishing.com/trophy-bass-from-lake-borovik/
Tuesday, June 5th
Lake Borovik- Nasice 3.30 pm. Got
in late last night, it had really come down as I drove here; lightening;
hail, and rain so hard full speed wipers did not help much to see, scary
really. Tom's brother, Rajko, had worked it out for me to stat at an
apartment for free, they had some credit from the music school he teaches
at, TUL! I negotiated another night at 100 kn., as I know we will finish
late and no sense in trying to go to Zagreb and looking, that's as far as
I'd get. Just got back from
checking out the lake, it's big and at the far end lots of trees stumps
show as it's shallower. It was raining still, but not too hard. Purchased some 40# braid for my
ultra-light
( I know, a bit weird), but now I have enough line on it to cast, plus I
can fish a frog in the cover. Before, with the 8# mono on it, I wouldn't
dare. Just waiting for a call from my friend Rajko, who is
going with me this afternoon.
Click on image to see larger.
Branko Belosevic,
employee extraordinaire at 'Venator' hunting and fishing
store in Nasice, was a big help to me, and shared enthusiasm for fishing,
even though a different species. He said he might give bass fishing a try,
he knows it would be more exercises than he gets now.
He called about 4 p.m.,
said he'd be over in 15, and so got there about 5 p.m.. I thought it'd be
nice if the permit was for 24 hours, instead of till the end of the day,
and he informed me, actually, it was! Cool. We arranged for me to get a
ride with the dam keeper to give me a ride to a nice spot, via his boat,
at 10 a.m., then we drove to the end of the lake, left side (right side
was pretty muddy, probably Rajko could not get through he
said, I'd not tried it).
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Click on image to see larger.
Rajko Loncaric and I,
Ready to whack 'em. Me with my new Venator rain gear,
tired of stuffing an umbrella in my shirt to fish in the rains.
We fished various baits, spinner baits, Spooks, flukes,
Senkos, all for naught, not even a bump. Of course, it'd rained all night
and most of the morning, and was cold, so a winter storm put them off. I
lost my large yellow and black Super Spook first cast, the one that
miraculously was saved from being lost twice over at Ivanec. I thought
maybe come back the next day, swim for it, but the water was a bit cold,
I'd see. We finished by going over to a pond by the dam, and I got hooked
up twice on small bass, (not so small by standards here come to think
about it, 10 inches or so), they both got off.
Click on image to see larger.
Rajko
and I stopped to capture the
beauty of a clearing storm that afternoon.
This was from the third cove, almost to the end, where we started,
a few hundreds further down the lake. You can't see the dam from it, but
here we could
see a little bit of it.
Click on image to see larger.
Rajko
shoots one of me working a bait at Lake Borovik
Wednesday, June 6th
Lake Borovik- Nasice Up at 7:30,
breakfasted at 8, and hit fishing store to see if they had worm hooks,
they didn't. I had one left, that would have to do.
Started out at the pond that Rajko and I fished last night.
I got one hit at the dam, and the 40 minutes went fast, as I was to meet
dam keeper Zdenko Mikic at the dam. He offered to give me
ride to a good spot 2/3rds of the way down the lake, on the right hand
side. I got there about 10:10,
and in about 5 minutes he pulled up in his boat and took me out. I asked
if he'd help get my Super Spook lure back, and he did. We had to go an
extra mile, and at 5 mph it took a while, he has either a 3 or 5 hp
Mercury motor, the number was hard to read. When we got to where I'd lost
the lure, in a tree top that barley came out of the water, it was no where
to be seen. I had been afraid of that, and scanned the area, hoping it
would have floated towards shore, instead of away. The wind was blowing
away from it last night, I had a bad feeling. But as I looked I saw
something a bit bright on the shore, it could be yellow (the color of the
lure), I pointed and he headed over. Sure enough, it'd floated to shore
and got half buried in mud, almost could not see it. This was now the
official 'miracle lure'. I'd lost it twice last Friday, and got it back
both times. He then took me to the
best spot on the lake, but as the day before they had shut down, the same
results were to be today. I tossed that Spook quite a bit, once getting
into a tree but this time I had the lure on the new braid, and it was
enough to pull it off (not that I was worried, the ranger was coming back
w/ his boat to pick me up at 1 p.m., and we could get it back).
After an hour of that I put on 'the bass counter', a popper
of sorts, with a big hook out the rear/back, facing upwards. Pretty
weedless, and makes a lot of commotion, but the down side, it was reported
by everyone, was the fish don't get hooked on it. That didn't matter, none
hit it.
Click on image to see larger.
Damkeeper Zkenko Mikic
looks very serious
as he takes me to places unknown (at least to me).
I put on the spinnerbait, but lost it after 15 minutes
while talking to Domagoj Bilic, who works for the national
water district, Voda, and thus was allowed to have his own boat, and did.
I then tried a Senko, the last resort to get the stripe off the back, but
even that didn't work, oh well. As Domagoj was about to leave I asked if
he was going back to the dam, he said yes and would give me a ride. At
that point we saw Zdenko coming in the distance and waived
him off. Dalien pretty much knew
how we did, he gave me a call for blow-by-blow updates daily, but there
was, unfortunately, the same report- you should have been here yesterday
kind. ;-/ When I got back I
decided to stop to eat my sandwich and have a beer at the campground by
the dam, then try my luck one more time along it, with the Spook. A third
of the way fishing it a young lad came over and motioned for me to follow
him, I'd seen him by the rangers hut earlier. I told him I had a license,
but he still said something in English, about a boat. Did I own for the
boat ride? Was I in trouble for fishing the dam? (Rajko had told me it was
not allowed, but Domagoj said earlier he was going to fish it, and when I
gave him the warning he said, 'not me, I own the lake', I knew he was
'kidding' (but as he runs the water district, and then I saw him in that
boat, I finally realized he did, in a way, 'own' the lake.) Thus I thought
it ok for me to fish the dam too, since I now knew the dam keeper and the
'owner of the lake'. When we got
to the rangers house, I found Domagoj and 20 of his contemporaries were
having a BBQ lunch and they invited me to join them. They had 'roasted'
some beef, potatoes and onions, in an iron pot buried under coals, all
cooked in their own juices. UMMMM!
Click on image to see larger.
This system kept the juices in the food, and
it
just fell apart with the touch of your fork.
We chatted a bit, they kept trying to get me to eat and
drink more, but I had to get going. I went out and finished fishing the
entire dam, but alas, Lake Borovik was not going to give up her bass
easily to me this time. Maybe in the future.
I said my goodbyes to Rajko as I returned his gear back in
Nasice, along with some money for the lost spinnerbait, which he almost
did not let me pay for, we had a real 'no you keep it, no you take it'
moment, luckily I won out. One thing I can tell you, the Loncaric's are
good people, as were all the fishermen I have met over here.
Thanks guys, hope to see you all again, and thanks so much
for the memories I'll never forget. Tom threatens to come and visit, I
hope so, I'm going to put him on hogs he'll never forget. And thank-U-Lord
for letting me meet so many of your better creations (these men), much
appreciated.
To read my Day-Journal of the
Croatia trip,
click this. |
