GungasUncle
I've hit the lake up about every week for the last month. Today was, bass wise, the best day yet. Panfish fishing wasn't so hot. Have caught one trout in all my trips out there so far, which was the first fish of the season for me.
Today I hit the lake a bit before 10. It started off a frustrating day. Forgot my lunch at home, forgot my had at home. Forgot my main sunglasses at home - thankfully I have a spare pair in the boat. Weather was crap, most of the day. Cold rain, or blowing wind. Made keeping a course with a boat a challenge, given my little 30lb electric. Thankfully, no boats needed rescuing today.
I started off pulling a fire tiger plug, thinking maybe a trout would hit it in open water on my way to fish my first bassin' target. Got bupkiss on that count - and bupkiss in my first bass fishing target spot. Did have some frustrations with equipment.
Started trolling again, switching to flat lining a deep diving crank - nixing the trolling keel and weight. A few minutes later - a solid takedown. I set the hook, began reeling, and then the reel popped off my rod. DOH! Always check the reel seat tightness when starting to fish. After almost loosing my reel, I was surprised to find the fish still on the hook - for about thirty seconds more. When the fish got twenty feet from the boat, he jumped, revealing himself to be a chunky smallmouth. About the same time he shook his head and sent my crankbait sailing back at me. I got everything back together, spotted a nice bass holding on the edge of a drop off near a weed bed. I thought I spooked him - but tossing my crankbait ahead of him, he rushed it and inhaled it.
That put me into hunting mode, and I started hitting every weed bed and drop off near by, before heading for my second favorite spot to fish. Couple more fish landed and I headed across the lake.
Picked up a couple more bass on the crank bait before changing gears and gunning for some crappie with the fly rod.
When messing with the crappie got old, I started hunting bass again, picking up more fish on the crank bait. I switched up from my deep diver, to an identical lure with a smaller, shallow running bill because of the salad I kept bringing in on almost every cast.
I kept finding the fish close to shore, right along the edge of weeds.
I picked up a couple smallmouth - nothing of size, near the dam on the shallow crank. THe wind was getting a bit much. I tried one more favorite spot, and had a hell of a time bucking the wind, even in what's normally a sheltered cove, so I pulled the pin and headed in.
All in all, I caught 8 or 9 largemouth, a few smallmouth, and about a dozen crappie - plus had a few others on the line that spit the hook. Not a bad day. I never even bothered making a cast with my soft plastics - the crank baits were today's bait of choice. I did try a spinner bait to no avail in a couple places. Next week I'm taking my mother out fishing - going to see if I can't get her into a bass or two. I hope they're still up in the shallows and easy to find next week.
Today I hit the lake a bit before 10. It started off a frustrating day. Forgot my lunch at home, forgot my had at home. Forgot my main sunglasses at home - thankfully I have a spare pair in the boat. Weather was crap, most of the day. Cold rain, or blowing wind. Made keeping a course with a boat a challenge, given my little 30lb electric. Thankfully, no boats needed rescuing today.
I started off pulling a fire tiger plug, thinking maybe a trout would hit it in open water on my way to fish my first bassin' target. Got bupkiss on that count - and bupkiss in my first bass fishing target spot. Did have some frustrations with equipment.
Started trolling again, switching to flat lining a deep diving crank - nixing the trolling keel and weight. A few minutes later - a solid takedown. I set the hook, began reeling, and then the reel popped off my rod. DOH! Always check the reel seat tightness when starting to fish. After almost loosing my reel, I was surprised to find the fish still on the hook - for about thirty seconds more. When the fish got twenty feet from the boat, he jumped, revealing himself to be a chunky smallmouth. About the same time he shook his head and sent my crankbait sailing back at me. I got everything back together, spotted a nice bass holding on the edge of a drop off near a weed bed. I thought I spooked him - but tossing my crankbait ahead of him, he rushed it and inhaled it.
That put me into hunting mode, and I started hitting every weed bed and drop off near by, before heading for my second favorite spot to fish. Couple more fish landed and I headed across the lake.
Picked up a couple more bass on the crank bait before changing gears and gunning for some crappie with the fly rod.
When messing with the crappie got old, I started hunting bass again, picking up more fish on the crank bait. I switched up from my deep diver, to an identical lure with a smaller, shallow running bill because of the salad I kept bringing in on almost every cast.
I kept finding the fish close to shore, right along the edge of weeds.
I picked up a couple smallmouth - nothing of size, near the dam on the shallow crank. THe wind was getting a bit much. I tried one more favorite spot, and had a hell of a time bucking the wind, even in what's normally a sheltered cove, so I pulled the pin and headed in.
All in all, I caught 8 or 9 largemouth, a few smallmouth, and about a dozen crappie - plus had a few others on the line that spit the hook. Not a bad day. I never even bothered making a cast with my soft plastics - the crank baits were today's bait of choice. I did try a spinner bait to no avail in a couple places. Next week I'm taking my mother out fishing - going to see if I can't get her into a bass or two. I hope they're still up in the shallows and easy to find next week.
