NumenOn the Water
Date: 4-17-16
Body of Water: Reeds Lake
Boat: Numenon
With: Alone
Target: Largemouth Bass
Time: 7 AM - 11 AM
Conditions: Still, clear, and bright. Temperatures climbed into the 70s, the water remained mildly murky, with temperatures generally around 52 degrees F, but as high as 54 F.
I continued my efforts to unlock the potential of early-season basing on this lake, and I continued to learn more about some of the spots I am fishing, but it was another tough bite. In fact, Reeds Lake has never provided "easy" bass fishing for me. I do think she has the potential for coughing up some rally big bass, though, and I hope to be there when that happens.
I went directly to my current "best" spot and worked it over with a new jerk bait. I thought, in the early morning quiet, that the bass might be a bit shallower. I mixed in other jerk and crank baits, too, but by 8:30 AM, I felt like I was starting to struggle. Just then, a nice fat 24-inch pike ate my Firestick jerk bait; and that was nice, but somehow I lost the bait in the extraction surgery from this fish. Did I want more pike, or did I really want a big bass?
I continued my efforts to unlock the potential of early-season basing on this lake, and I continued to learn more about some of the spots I am fishing, but it was another tough bite. In fact, Reeds Lake has never provided "easy" bass fishing for me. I do think she has the potential for coughing up some rally big bass, though, and I hope to be there when that happens.
I went directly to my current "best" spot and worked it over with a new jerk bait. I thought, in the early morning quiet, that the bass might be a bit shallower. I mixed in other jerk and crank baits, too, but by 8:30 AM, I felt like I was starting to struggle. Just then, a nice fat 24-inch pike ate my Firestick jerk bait; and that was nice, but somehow I lost the bait in the extraction surgery from this fish. Did I want more pike, or did I really want a big bass?
I wanted bass, so instead of tying on a new jerk bait, I laid that combo down. I picked up the casting rig with the War-Pig. Shortly thereafter, I swung at a slight hesitation in the lure's vibration, and soon I was holding an exceptionally fat, pre-spawn bass. Too bad she was only 15 or 16 inches long, because with that body condition***, she'd have been a true lunker had she been a bit longer. I released her and moved along, a bit energized.
Most of the rest of the session found me throwing the Pig along weed edges. Grass in 4 or 5 feet of water, and especially grass that was not slimed with filamentous green algae, was best. Bites were still infrequent (as in two bites in two more hours of fishing), but the Pig produced another 2-1/2 pound bass and a beautiful, 32-inch pike.@@@
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| Another poor picture of a beautiful creature; no artistic justice here! |
What do I have to say about this?
It was a "War-Pig Weekend" because all of this weekend's bass, as well as the largest pike, all ate a Berkley War-Pig. Even though the overall bite for the weekend was pretty darn slow, this bait produced all the really nice fish (as well as that arm-wrenching strike and miss on Whitefish.) It's always good to develop confidence in a new bait, and I refined my rattle bait technique a bit for use in cold water with sparse weeds. You can be certain that I will employ both repeatedly in the future!
*** She was fat like a Travel Brochure bass. Think El Salto or Falcon Lake. I have caught a lot of bass, but she was almost singular in my memory with her shape. Reeds Lake is something special!
@@@I think this is the biggest pike I have ever taken from Reeds Lake by casting. (And of course, by "taken" I mean "caught and released". She swam away, just fine.)
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| A mouth full of War-Pig... |
It was a "War-Pig Weekend" because all of this weekend's bass, as well as the largest pike, all ate a Berkley War-Pig. Even though the overall bite for the weekend was pretty darn slow, this bait produced all the really nice fish (as well as that arm-wrenching strike and miss on Whitefish.) It's always good to develop confidence in a new bait, and I refined my rattle bait technique a bit for use in cold water with sparse weeds. You can be certain that I will employ both repeatedly in the future!
*** She was fat like a Travel Brochure bass. Think El Salto or Falcon Lake. I have caught a lot of bass, but she was almost singular in my memory with her shape. Reeds Lake is something special!
@@@I think this is the biggest pike I have ever taken from Reeds Lake by casting. (And of course, by "taken" I mean "caught and released". She swam away, just fine.)
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