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Date: September 16, 2019 Body of Water: Reeds Lake Boat: Numenon With: Alone Target: Largemouth Bass Time: 7:30 AM - 11:30 AM Conditions: Gray, humid and 70 degrees F; NE winds at less than 7 mph. It felt fishy! Water was brownish green with reduced visibility of about two feet. Water temperature was 70. I stuck with cranking on this weekday "flex" day. I contacted many fish, but most were small, and I had way too many misses. Along the way I landed a single legal-sized bass, weighing in at 1 pound, 10 ounces. A 23-inch pike also came aboard. I also tried drop-shotting, swim jigs, topwater and a chatter bait. These collectively produced only a single, small bass. What do I have to say about this? Mostly I stuck with the crank, but once again, I missed my groove. With the weight of limited time on my shoulders, I suspect I was simply fishing too fast and was not fully present. Still, despite the lack of positive feedback, it became more and more difficult to put the crank down; and I continued to speed up. I found myself caught in an unproductive, self-feeding cycle. It was, at least, weekday fishing! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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Date: September 8, 2019 Body of Water: Reeds Lake Boat: Numenon With: Alone Target: Largemouth Bass Time: 7:30 AM - 1:30 PM Conditions: Cloudy and 55 - 65 degrees F; water was stained with less than 3 feet of visibility; winds were calm to about 10 mph from all directions, but settling into easterlies Arriving just after 7 AM, I was surprised to find a number of bass rigs already on the water. It was Tournament Day, and I was going to be fishing behind them. Once I launched and jumped the starting battery from the trolling motor set (a switch had been flicked on and forgotten), I found that four boats were already sitting on the main hump, including two angling for the juicy spots; and another couple of boats were on the secondary hump. Other boats were scattered about, too, but they were occupying all of my seasonally favored spots. Oh well, I picked up the weed edge along the lake's north side and started cranking. Pretty quickly, a small bass jumped my DT10; at least there was some life! A couple of hundred yards further, I doubled back on a set of docks. A 14-inch, 1.25-pound bass ate my tail-weighted, Texas-rigged Senko; I was on the board! Returning to the crank, I was able to scratch out a few decent bass at 16, 18 and 15 inches. This brought my sack to about 9 pounds, with room for another and culling a definite possibility. But that never happened; surprisingly, I didn't get another quality bite for the remainder of my time. What do I have to say about this? I'd have not done too well in the day's tournament; I simply ate the humble pie that I deserved. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways September 1, 2019 Body of Water: Reeds Lake Boat: Numenon With: Alone Time: 7:45 AM - 1:45 PM Conditions: About 60 - 65 degrees. Cloudy with sporadic sprinkles. Easterly wind from calm to about 10 mph. Water was green, about 71 degrees F, with less than 3 feet of visibility. Gloriously quiet, just a few other boats, and sailing was just underway as I finished. I was counting on the gray and wet weather to keep things quiet for the morning, and I couldn't have been more correct. A couple of other bass boats joined me, but they dispersed, and I never had to share a spot. There were no recreational boats, and the sailors got off to a late start. Given the easterly wind, I started on the main, sunken hump's west end and chose to go down the southern weed edge. About ten minutes in, I ripped the DT10 off some weeds and paused. The next rip was intercepted by a fish. I missed, but I fired the next cast to the same spot. I contacted the same weeds, paused, and set the hook; this was a fine, 16.5-incher. My next cast tricked a fat 15-incher, and I quickly had about 4.75 pounds in the boat! This quick start and the next 20 minutes or so might have represented my best largemouth fishing of the season. In a short stretch, I jumped and lost a pair of solid bass, but countered with two additional landings (16 and 17 inches) for an additional 5.5 pounds. My limit fish eluded me, though, as I caught a short bass and lost another two-pounder at the net. When I reached the eastern end of the hump, I turned the boat around to go through this productive water again. But before I could get there, my crank got eaten by the best bass of the day, at 18 inches and 3.5 pounds. It was only 9:20 AM, but it had already been a great day; this quick limit added up to a respectable 13.75 pounds, and I had plenty of time to build on this. Before I left this area, I made sure I had captured the Sweet Spot with a waypoint on my Humminbird; Waypoint 365! I caught several more bass, as well as several smallish pike, during the rest of my time. Once again, I concentrated on new spots and techniques. I was able to "cull" my two smallest bass with twin 16.5-inchers, for an estimated bag of 14.75 pounds. One of these culls ate the DT10 on a different weed edge, but the other ate a drop-shotted Flat Worm in about 21 feet. The drop-shot also produced another small bass. DT20 cranks and blades did not produce. What do I have to say about this? This was a great day. The only room for improvement would have been to land some of the other fish I hooked. I had a lot of bites today. I failed to land at least another legal limit, mostly on classic largemouth tail jumps and head shakes, but I swung and missed on a few fish, too. I don't think I lost anything of tremendous consequence, but it did seem unusual to lose so many opportunities, especially on the Duckett cranking rod, with which I have had a great historical landing ratio. But even the fish I landed seemed lightly hooked, so maybe it was just that kind of day. I was also pleased to catch a couple of fish while drop-shotting in deeper water. The 2.75- pounder from 21 feet or so was one of the nicer deep-water largemouths that I've taken with this method in a while. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Body of Water: Reeds Lake Boat: Numenon With: A Time: 11 AM - 1:30 PM Conditions: Super pleasant. About 70 degrees and sunny, but with WNW winds to about 15 mph. Water was 74 degrees and green, with less than 3 feet of visibility. This was a bit of a different trip! I was joined by A, we hit the water at the crack of 11 AM, it was my birthday, and it was both A's retirement day, but also her last day in Michigan. I turned 56, and A was done with Michigan, almost 34 years to the day we left New England. With property, a boat and now, a wife, waiting for me back in New England, it's certain that the next phase of my life will take place back there. I am more than okay with that; I just need to figure out the logistics of making it happen! But as for the fishing: I banked on weed-edge bass still being present, and they were. Unfortunately, the four I stuck in the first hour were all on the small side, with only one measuring over 14 inches and the rest just shy of that mark. Still, I was pleased with the pace of the bites and remained hopeful that I would connect with a nicer fish in the time I had available to fish. The WNW wind was just strong enough to make boat control difficult. I'd been able to effectively trace the weed edge near shore, but when I relocated to the central lake hump, I struggled to maintain the proper contact with the appropriate depth range of 9 feet or so. I chose to move off the edge and scour the hard bottom in 15 - 20 feet with a blade-bait. This resulted in an immediate crappie and a missed fish, but I still felt more confident with, and so returned to, my DT10 crank. I did briefly connect with a heavy fish, right on a key spot on the edge. Unfortunely, this worthwhile bass came of, and I lost any mojo that I had going. After a few more struggles controlling the boat, I moved to a final offshore area and cranked with a very deep-diving crank. This produced nothing. We were out of time, and we pulled the plug on this pleasant, but unproductive, outing. What do I have to say about this? A followed me blindly to Michigan back in 1985, because she believed in me, and she believed in us. Now it is my turn, and I will return her favor. Michigan has treated us well, and I look toward to whatever fortune New England might hold for us. In the meantime, I'll do my best to introduce myself to as many fine Michigan fish as I possibly can. I think I'll return to Reeds tomorrow, under calmer conditions, and see what I can find! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: August 22, 2019 Body of Water: Reeds Lake Boat: Numenon With: Alone Target: Largemouth Bass Time: 8:45 AM - 1:45 PM Conditions: 60 - 75 degrees, mostly sunny with ENE winds swinging to NW and <10 mph; water was 76 degrees F and heavily stained green, with less than 3 feet of visibility It has been a while since I have been able to utilize a "Flexible Schedule" day off work to go fishing! I took it easy and visited Reeds Lake, again. I had hopes for a continued crank-bait bite, and also hoped I'd have enough time to try to find some other productive techniques, too. I targeted the deep weedy edge of the primary offshore hump first. Once again, it took me 10 or 15 minutes to get properly oriented to the hump and its edges (especially 9-11 feet) with the unusual wind direction, but I did manage to settle in. I was about halfway down the south side of the hump when I instinctively swung on a slight interruption in the DT10's cadence. It was an 18-inch, 3.25-pounder! Just 10 minutes later, now at the eastern end of the hump, a fish smashed my crank almost below the boat. This bass was 17.5 inches and 3 pounds; I really was off to a good start! I relocated to the north side of the hump and had consecutive hits near the western end. Once again, keeping the bait in the "right" amount of contact with the irregular weed edge was key. While the first bass here was a shorty, the second was another fine, 17-inch "keeper". One hour of fishing; just over 9 pounds of bass! With a panfish boat anchored over the sweet spot of my next planned stop, I scouted out a couple of other, secondary locations. Once again, my secondary hump did not produce. I spent some time mixing in a swim jig and a Texas-rigged, 10-inch worm, but kept returning to the DT10 crank. When legal bass No. 4 was another solid fish (16.5 inches and over 2.5 pounds), I committed to finishing my limit with the DT10; these were the right fish! Returning to the west end of the north side of the hump, it didn't take long for me to connect with the archetypal bass of the day. The boat was positioned in 10 or 11 feet or water; I lined up my cast based on collecting too many weeds on the previous cast; anticipating contact with the weeds at the right moment, I slowed down my retrieve until I just touched them; I gave a pause and then a quick snap; and a bass annihilated the bait! This bass fought hard and deep, but I was able to slip the net under my biggest largemouth of the year at a pinch over 19 inches and a conservative 4.5 pounds. After finishing the northern stretch of weed line without any further contact, I switched to "search" mode. I quickly tricked a deep bass (15-20 feet) into eating a gold blade-bait, but the rest of my time was truly searching. I couldn't get anything else to go for me. What do I have to say about this? What a nice way to spend a Thursday! Pleasant conditions, no real pressure, and some quality fish! I'm definitely in danger of succumbing to the temptation of becoming a One-Trick Pony, at least seasonally. I've done virtually nothing other than cranking for Reeds Lake largemouths for the second half of the summer. It's tempting; I've been catching some nice fish, and I enjoy this technique. The Helsinki Shad DT10 still ruled the day (and produced my Top 5 bass), but I made a concerted effort to incorporate other presentations, too. I tossed a swim jig and a 10-inch Texas-rigged worm near weeds and docks, but never got touched. I did have some success with a gold blade-bait off the western edge of the main hump in water between 15 and 20 feet deep. I targeted those fish based on sonar marks; and it didn't take long to have a nice bass eat this bait. I was ripping the bait pretty aggressively off the bottom when the bass hit; and this was my first warm-water bass on this style of bait. I've had increasing levels of success with blade-baits in the last few cold-water seasons, and I am glad to add them to my summer arsenal, too. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: August 11, 2019 Body of Water: Reeds Lake Boat: Numenon With: Alone Target: Largemouth Bass Time: 6:45 - 11:45 AM Conditions: 65 - 75 degrees, generally overcast and calm; water was 76 degrees F and stained green, with about 3 feet of visibility The overcast, calm and humid conditions all called for topwater action. But after a dozen or so initial casts with a Whopper Plopper, I instinctively picked up the casting outfit with the DT10 crank. (To be honest, Reeds Lake has never been a productive topwater lake for me. I can't say why; it just hasn't!). On my second cast with the crank along the familiar weedline, a feisty pike slammed the lure. A few casts later, my targeted quarry, the largemouth bass, ate the bait. At a solid 15 inches and over 2 pounds, she provided a nice start to my morning! I played musical chairs with a few other bass boats for a bit as we all searched out favored, productive spots. By 8 AM, I was on the main, sunken hump's north side. This hump is usually productive during the warmest months for me. I was relieved when consecutive casts to a known nook in the weed edge produced keeper bass to 15 inches. These fish let me know that I was onto something productive; I figured I would "limit out" on these deep weed edge bass before moving on to other techniques. I proceded to a secondary sunken hump. This spot seems to be either On! or Off! While it has produced a couple of excellent bags and a few true, giant bass, on this day (as it has been all season, for me), totally Off! I received nary a bump here, and I even convinced myself that the weeds seemed less vibrant here than other areas where I've been contacting fish. I stuck with my crank; a did catch a few shorts, excited a few pike into chasing the bait, and had at least one hesitant swing and miss. At 9:45 AM, on a favorite spot-on-spot, I scored a 14-inch squeaker. I then returned to the main hump for my limit fish, but chose to target the southern edge first. I fished almost the entire length of the hump before I had a chance to set the hook; I pulled in my best bass of the day at 16 inches and 2-6 on the scale. It was now almost 10:30 AM and the lake was getting a bit busy. I decided to try "new stuff" with the rest of my time. I slow-trolled stick baits off bottom bouncers at about 1.5 mph with the electric motor. I visited known hard-bottomed areas and weed edge areas from about 13 to 22 feet deep. In over an hour, I did not get a bite! Oh well, by 11:45 AM, the lake activity was really ramping up. I was hot and tired; I got off the water for the day. What do I have to say about this? Again, five bass for a combined weight of just about 10 pounds is nothing to crow about; but, I enjoyed my approach and caught them my way! I did throw a senko and a swim-bait occasionally to make sure I wasn't overlooking a productive opportunity; but the crank was productive enough when I was able to maintain the proper amount of contact with the weeds. I simply enjoy the craft of cranking, too, so I guess I'll continue refining my techniques whenever and wherever I have fish relating to deep weed edges. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: July 15 , 2019 Body of Water: Reeds Lake Boat: Numenon With: Alone Target: Largemouth Bass Time: 7:15 AM - 11AM Conditions: Clear and bright; southerly wind < 10 mph, water was clear (5+ feet visibility) with greenish-brown stain and 80 degrees F; air was 70 -90 degrees F With a scheduled day off work, I chose to return to Reeds Lake. I envisioned quality-sized green bass eating crank-baits off the deep weed edges. I was right! It took me about 10 or 15-minutes to get dialed in at the lake's main sunken island. I love cranking the hump's north side in the summer! But I also know it can be a frustrating exercise between hanging my DT10 in the grass and swimming the bait fruitlessly over deeper water. But when you line up your cast angle properly... it can be very productive. Moreover, this technique seems to select for larger fish. Finally, I simply love cranking! It's becoming my preferred mode of bassing. It's both a great way to locate fish, but also an efficient way to pile up bites once they've been located. Finally, I was in position; I'd started too deep, but my last cast had gone too shallow and I'd been covered with weeds. Moreover, my waypoints indicated that I was casting over a productive stretch of edge; and I knew, most of those points had been laid down because the fish they represented had eaten cranks! As I felt the Helsinki Shad DT10 just touch the weeds, I paused and then ripped; the rod loaded. Was it weeds or a fish? I had my thoughts, but simply concentrated on keeping the rod loaded. Finally, pulses indicated the fish's headshakes; and it dived strongly for the bottom below the boat. The day had started well, with a near 18-incher that pushed three pounds! After a quick release, I fired the crank back to the same spot, and I mined a twin bass from the same spot! This was a good start to a good day! The remainder of the hump did not produce; I'd mixed in some topwater casts and some casts with a wacky senko and a bluegill-imitating swim-jig, too. But my heart was with cranking, and so I never put my Duckett Ghost rod down for long. Having located a couple of quality fish along the weed edge and adjacent to deep water, I moved to another spot to replicate the pattern. My first bass here was a solid 15-incher, quickly followed by a very stout 18-incher. That bass absolutely crushed my lure, but only after I'd teased and missed a bite in some weeds. As I quickly retrieved my bait from the edge, I was rewarded with the second bite of the cast! I now had four legal-sized bass before 9 AM. I tried another offshore location without luck; and returned to the original hump. Here, I caught only a single, small pike. Reeds Lake was apparently going to torment me with the search for Fish No. 5 again! But not for long; shortly after 10 AM, revisiting the stretch where I'd caught Numbers 3 and 4, but now fishing from the opposite direction, I quickly caught bass Numbers 5, 6 and 7. These were all over 16 inches, to 17.5 or so, and so provided my limit fish as well as a pound or more of sack improvement via virtual culling. I continued along this edge into some new water for the day, but by 10:45 AM the day sailors and water skiers were out and my mind was wandering. I was hot; I decided to save my energy for another day. I was home with the boat put away by 1 PM! What do I have to say about this? Every so often, you get to execute a plan, as imagined. This was one such day. So long as I was in light contact with the weeds, my bait was a viable target for the bass. So long as I continuously refined my casting angles to maintain that light contact with the deep weed edge, I was confident that I was in the game. And while seven bass (with a virtual limit weight of between 13 and 14 pounds) and a couple of pike is not an epic day of catching, this was a still a good and satisfying day. I'd validated some suspicions, I'd refined my knowledge of a couple of key spots, and I'd executed well. I'd not caught any truly large bass, but one can't have everything, every trip! And, I'll fish for 18-inch largemouths every day without too many complaints! I had also planned to scout for other or bigger fish with other techniques (Offshore blade baits? Texas-rigged senkos along the same weed edges? Jig-n-pig?), but I may have been smart to get off the water when I did. Conditions were getting busier and were hazy, hot, and humid with thunderstorms developing; why jeopardize such a nice day? Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: June 3, 2019 Body of Water: Reeds Lake Boat: Numenon With: Alone Target: Largemouth Bass Time: 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM Conditions: Clear and bright, 50-65 degrees F; water was 64 - 65 degrees F and clear (> 6 feet visibility); funky spawn time; wind was easterly at first but swung to NW and built to 10 mph or so. I expected things to be difficult; the cool night, clear sky and still conditions all contributed to these expectations. The unexpectedly clear water might make things even tougher. But my previous experience on this lake at this stage of Spring was my biggest source of concern. While I'd caught some nice fish and occasionally, numbers of smaller fish, I often struggle with bedding largemouth. I find myself caught between sight fishing (because I can see them! I know they are there!) for fish that largely refuse to bite; and blind casting for fish that I must simply trust are there. Well, at least this knowledge and experience gave me a starting point! In fact, it was in anticipation of these conditions that I'd chosen to fish this lake on this day; I wanted to see what I could put together. With the sun still fairly low in the sky, I chose to fish initially by tossing a wacky-rigged Senko near irregularities within the inside weed edge or simply blindly to the deep weed edge. It didn't take long for a deep edge fish to inhale my bait; a beautiful, 16-inch, 2-pound, 9-ounce pre-spawn largemouth! Re-rigging, I noticed a few beds in the shallows. I found males on most of these, but they were reluctant to bite. Several simply drifted off as I cast baits to them; another seemed locked onto his bed. Still, he would not eat or otherwise pick up a bait from his nest. He steadfastly refused to taste a tube, Ned or Senko. His body language (posture, erect fins, etc.) indicated interest or concern; but he would not commit. And, just like that, I realized that I'd just burned a half hour of effort with nothing to show for it. Plus, these fish were not as large as the fish I'd caught, or the very occasional cruiser I could now see with the increased sun angle. I decided to abandon the beds to the extent I could, and focus on the (better) fish that I could not see. That decision was almost validated immediately, when a 4-pound class fish ate my Senko. Unfortunately, that one shook the hook and escaped the net. But that was the class of fish I expected and wanted; and so, I would fish the rest of the day blind-fishing the deeper weed edges, especially those adjacent to known or observed spawning areas. But I'd doomed myself to a long dry spell. I missed a solid strike on a shallow crank (perhaps this was a pike, though), but the Senko, whether presented wacky-style or Texas-rigged, was ignored. I stuck with the day's program, though, and at about Noon, the bite picked up. The Noon Fish was a welcomed visitor; I'd gone more than two hours without a bite! This fish was the best of the day, too, scaling out at 18.5 inches and 4 pounds, even. Over the next couple of hours I managed two more "keepers" at just over 14 inches and 1-pound, 9-ounces and 1-pound, 8-ounces and several shorts. I was really concentrating on presenting the wacky Senko on long casts to between 5 and 7 feet of water. This is how I'd gotten my bites and caught my fish; and I could see occasional cruisers (including a couple of certified lunkers) just inside this depth. I knew that persistence would likely pay off; and at about 2:10 PM, I had my "limit" fish close to the boat. My heart sunk a little bit when I lost this probable 3-pounder at the edge of the net. Fortunately, I kept my head down and soon thereafter swung into a 2-pound, 13-ounce bass. So, I'd not lost much by farming out the previous fish, and I'd secured my virtual limit. At 12-pounds, 7-ounces, it was something of a victory for me on a tough day of catching. What do I have to say about this? I took the logistics of this day pretty easy; late start, early finish, inland lake. But I fished hard in the time I had available. I was pleased to persevere my way to a respectable limit. Not all days can be epic; but all can (and should) be enjoyed. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: April 21, 2019 Body of Water: Reeds Lake Boat: Numenon With: BL (partial) Target: Largemouth Bass Time: 7:45 AM - 1:45 PM Conditions: Just about perfect; mixed clouds, warming from 40 to 65 degrees F, light southerly winds less than 10 mph. Water was less brown, slightly greenish, but with improved clarity to about 4 feet. Water temperatures were 46 to 49 degrees F. I returned to Reeds Lake after a two week hiatus, and it was almost as if nothing had changed; the water temperature was right where I'd left it. The water was visibly less stained and clearer, and I expected good things as I left the ramp. There were already several boats out fishing for bass, but my favorite stretch of pre-spawn edge was open for my efforts. Just a half dozen or so casts into the session, my jerk-bait was intercepted in about 8 feet of water. I landed a small pike; not what I was targeting, but a better start to my trip than my last one! Things were truly looking promising. But I struggled for the next couple of hours. I alternated baits (spy-, crank-, blade-, and rattle-), all while keeping the bass honest with a variety of jerk-bait styles, colors and cadences. I expanded my zone of interest from 3 to 25 feet of water. I had one sizable flash at my feet on a jerk-bait (again, in 6 or 8 feet of water), but that was it. At 10:50 AM, I picked up buddy BL at the dock. I explained the slow fishing and the puzzling conditions, but we were both just happy to be out, fishing, on what was turning out to be a very pleasant day. I'd set BL up with a Ned Rig and a crank-bait. I chose to focus on presenting a rattle-bait (a red craw Rattlin' Rap 06) in big-fish areas. The water seemed a little cool for the rattle-bait to be at its most effective, but the jerks were certainly not producing; I was searching for isolated, big bites. I fish these baits in cold water like a Carolina Rig, with a drag/sweep of the rod and then picking up slack as the bait noses the bottom. It didn't take long; my first nice bass of the season totally inhaled the bait. I'd intercepted her in about 8 feet of water, right between known spawning flats and depths of 25 feet or so. She was in a familiar location; two years prior, BL had netted a 5-pounder for me from this exact spot. That particular fish had been the start of an amazing, 45-minute LunkerFest. With that in mind, I stuck with the red craw rattle-bait pretty much for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, this day was a different story. I caught a couple of pike and was surprised by a hefty carp, so I still had fun. I don't think I missed any bass, though; my pattern did not repeat. BL missed a solid thunk on Ned, too. By 1:45 or so, I'd lost my focus; we called it a day as we looked ahead to better catches elsewhere, later in the season. What do I have to say about this? My season is off to a frustratingly slow start, but I've a lot of fishing opportunities ahead of me, and the best is certainly not behind. I am quite certain that I'll get there, eventually. In the meantime, I enjoyed a couple of quality encounters while sharing some time on the water with friends. And, I don't have to get rid of the 1975 Red Sox American League Championship hat! I was afraid that I'd have to, between my poor fishing and the Sox' unexpectedly dismal start to their season. Both of these unfortunate developments coincided with my receipt of this hat. Now, I know that jinx is busted, and I can don this classic, should I so choose, without fear of a light catch. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: April 6, 2019 Body of Water: Reeds Lake Boat: Numenon With: TM (partial) Target: Largemouth Bass Time: 8:30 AM - 3 PM Conditions: Initial fog clear off to bright skies, which then gradually clouded over. Air temps ranged from 40 to 60 degrees F. Water temps rose from 42 to 47 degrees F. The water was stained brown and had only a couple of feet of visibility. I was stoked to arrive to 42 degree water; jerk-baits would likely be in play. But, my initial enthusiasm was immediately countered by my concern with the color of the water. The stain was brown,not green, and my previous experience on this lake foretold a likely tough bite. The title, above, says it all. Despite our best efforts, we caught nothing. Nor did our lures get touched. We never even saw a fish. I worked hard from less than two feet of water (shallow cranks) to 25 feet or more (blade baits.) I also threw spy-baits, deeper cranks (to 10 feet or so) and rattle baits. Of course, I kept the bass honest by working jerk-baits near the breaks. I tried a variety of jerks and cadences. I tried proven, high-confidence waters as well as new areas. I knew the window of activity might be open for only a short period, and I wanted to be on point when it cracked open. Because the water was warming over the course of the day, I had hope that it might happen. It just didn't. What do I have to say about this? Such a day only proves that it isn't totally about the catching (results.) It can be just about the fishing itself (the process.) I know which is more important, so I am okay with the skunk, especially if I've gotten it substantially out of my way for the season! And there were so many other reasons to be thankful for such a day; the gentle weather, the problem-free travel and launch, the preparedness and functionality of the boat and equipment, the bird life, the Swedish-style lunch (once it was extricated from the Thermos!), the shared friendship, and the possibility of that next big fish! As an interesting footnote to the session, I lost GPS functionality on my older bow-mounted unit for most of the day. I'd seen a headline along the lines of predicted "GPS troubles" for the day, so I wasn't too concerned, especially when the functionality seemed to be restored by 3 PM or so. Apparently, the second GPS Time Epoch ended while I was out on the water. We've now entered the Final Epoch, where GPS Time is now defined to a greater degree with more information; enough to account for the expected end of time, apparently. See https://www.gps.gov/cgsic/meetings/2017/powers.pdf . Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways |
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