I'm a socal guy on spring break.  I came up to visit my daughter in Eureka and brought my hobie sport all the way from L.A.  My goal for Spring Break is to try fishing the Humboldt Lagoons.

I stopped by the DFG office in Eureka this morning to get a steelhead card and bought $30 worth of tackle (lures, etc) at Pro Sport Center before heading out today to freshwater lagoon. (I know, no steelhead in that one.)

Of course I got soaking wet, but had a great time.   I got OTW about 12:30.  First I tried bass fishing along the north east end of the lagoon using a rapala like lure and some plastics.  I saw an otter feeding in the shallow water which was a real treat for me -- took a picture but it did not turn out.    I did not see any fish and had no bites. There was a fellow in waders fly fishing along the north west shore.  I did not see him hook up.

When I was up last Christmas I talked to some guys who had caught trout while trolling spinners so I decided to try to cover a lot of water and trolled a spinner while pedaling across the lake towards the south west side.

Did I mention it was raining and I got soaked?

When I got to the south west side, near where 101 comes down to the lagoon, I some fish hitting the surface so I trolled about 10 yards away from shore and caught my first trout on the spinner.  It was 11 inches.  I released it.  It wasn't much longer and I caught another, exactly the same size.  So I just went up and down that area trolling that spinner.  I caught a third, but this fish looked like it hat been hit.  It was scarred, and it wasa little smaller,  10".   All along that bank there were small trout jumping.  I assume they are the planted rainbow trout but I noticed all of them had their adipose fin.  (I thought hatchery fish had that clipped?)   I decided I should cover more water and started on around the south easter side but had no more bites and did not see any fish, so I went back to the spot that produced and caught a final fourth fish that was 11" long. 

By now I was soaked and getting cold so at 4 :14 I decided to pedal back to the care at the north end of the lagoon. I think if I'd have stayed I could have continued catching fish that size there.  It seemed to produce, consistently.  I took a few pix with my soaked cell phone camera.  Will try to attach. [Had trouble posting pix ... will try shrinking and try again, later.]

So -- I have a question .. if you were me, would you go back to Freshwater tomorrow or check out the recently breeched Stone Lagoon or Big Lagoon?  I took a look at both and have not decided which one to try tomorrow!  I love it up here. 

Thanks -- having a great time up here, as always -- will post my Stone Lagoon "strike out" in a moment, and try to upload a small pic.