|
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
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Steve LachanceRI --> NH --> MI-->MA-->ME Archives
June 2024
Categories
All
|
Proudly powered by Weebly