NumenOn the Water
Date: 7-10-16
Date: 7-10-16
Body of Water: Reeds Lake
Boat: Numenon
With: Alone
Target: Largemouth Bass
Time: 6 AM - 10:30 AM
Conditions: Bright, clear and calm; a ripple of a cold front the previous day; water temperatures were 76-78 degrees F
Fresh off a taxing but satisfying weekend fishing the salt for stripers, I laid low and took advantage of Reeds Lake's proximity. I'd not been there for a handful of weeks, so I didn't expect much, but you never know... I'd prepared the night before to Go Big! with an assortment of topwaters, jigs and deep cranks.
I deferred on trying for muskies based on the week's heat and reported local water temperatures exceeding 80 degrees F. I was surprised to be greeted by 76 degree water; I need to keep mid-summer cold fronts in my back pocket for muskie opportunities!
I started with a topwater walking bait along the edge of a prominent offshore hump, but quickly moved into a pocket leading into my most productive pre-spawn/spawning area. Conditions were well post-spawn, but a lot of big fish had shown themselves in this area earlier in the season; perhaps they were feeding nearby? In the early calm, I couldn't help but notice the tremendous change in the weeds in this area. The milfoil was gone, and the remaining scruffy weeds were bleached and scorched.
With nothing going on here except for a small bass from a dock using Ned, I moved to deeper water. I worked various edges with cranks and a drop-shot (wacky Senko). My only three hits came on a DT10 along hump edges, and these included a drive-by, a brief hookup, and a half-landing of a very nice bass.
I felt and executed like I was rusty! I was seriously out of rhythm, so after losing this fish, I took a break to throw a Zoom Horney Toad frog along a shaded shoreline. A small keeper bass zoomed up out of the shallow weeds; this was my First Reeds Lake Frog Fish and probably the highlight of the day.
I continued the morning with experimentation. I flipped some pads (I very rarely flip!), I used my new marker buoy to target some deepwater humps and hard spots, and I cranked deeply and excessively. I didn't catch anything else, but maybe one day one of these spots could turn on and produce for me. They'd likely be fish I wouldn't have ordinarily been in contact with!
Fresh off a taxing but satisfying weekend fishing the salt for stripers, I laid low and took advantage of Reeds Lake's proximity. I'd not been there for a handful of weeks, so I didn't expect much, but you never know... I'd prepared the night before to Go Big! with an assortment of topwaters, jigs and deep cranks.
I deferred on trying for muskies based on the week's heat and reported local water temperatures exceeding 80 degrees F. I was surprised to be greeted by 76 degree water; I need to keep mid-summer cold fronts in my back pocket for muskie opportunities!
I started with a topwater walking bait along the edge of a prominent offshore hump, but quickly moved into a pocket leading into my most productive pre-spawn/spawning area. Conditions were well post-spawn, but a lot of big fish had shown themselves in this area earlier in the season; perhaps they were feeding nearby? In the early calm, I couldn't help but notice the tremendous change in the weeds in this area. The milfoil was gone, and the remaining scruffy weeds were bleached and scorched.
With nothing going on here except for a small bass from a dock using Ned, I moved to deeper water. I worked various edges with cranks and a drop-shot (wacky Senko). My only three hits came on a DT10 along hump edges, and these included a drive-by, a brief hookup, and a half-landing of a very nice bass.
I felt and executed like I was rusty! I was seriously out of rhythm, so after losing this fish, I took a break to throw a Zoom Horney Toad frog along a shaded shoreline. A small keeper bass zoomed up out of the shallow weeds; this was my First Reeds Lake Frog Fish and probably the highlight of the day.
I continued the morning with experimentation. I flipped some pads (I very rarely flip!), I used my new marker buoy to target some deepwater humps and hard spots, and I cranked deeply and excessively. I didn't catch anything else, but maybe one day one of these spots could turn on and produce for me. They'd likely be fish I wouldn't have ordinarily been in contact with!
What do I have to say about this?
Recognizing that things weren't going well, but with no pressure to actually catch fish, I felt pretty comfortable investing the rest of my time in finding future spots and methods. And I've waited way too long to acquire/utilize the humble marker buoy; they really do make staying oriented on a spot easy!
Recognizing that things weren't going well, but with no pressure to actually catch fish, I felt pretty comfortable investing the rest of my time in finding future spots and methods. And I've waited way too long to acquire/utilize the humble marker buoy; they really do make staying oriented on a spot easy!
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