NumenOn the Water
Date: 8-14-16
Date: 8-14-16
Body of Water: Reeds Lake
Boat: Numenon
With: Alone
Target: Largemouth Bass
Time: 6 AM - 11 AM
Conditions: Calm and foggy; clearing late to calm and hot; water temperatures 80 - 82 degrees F
I was a close second to the ramp again, and almost got nudged into third. We all had the same idea; Beat the Heat!
I expected a tough bite, but not necessarily as tough as I experienced. I started on my big fish hump, in the dark, and my second or third cast with my night-time spinnerbait was intercepted by a smallish pike. But four laps around the structure (spinnerbait, topwater, DT10, DT20) did not produce another strike.
By this time it was light enough to see that the water was seriously stained with an algal bloom. The heavy rains from the previous couple of days had done their best to wash Reeds Lake's waterfront lawns of their fertilizer. I decided to go shallow, looking for a reaction bite.
At first I tried a swim jig with a large profile trailer, but it seemed to disappear in the cloudy water. I switched to a chatter-bait and slow-rolled it among and through whatever shallow weeds I could find. Over a couple of hundred yards of weed edge, this produced a yellow bullhead and a tiny, but belligerent, pike.
The lake level was up several inches from the rain, so I decided to go Super Shallow. I worked various reed edges and pad fields and got Numenon farther back into the reed and lilly swamp than ever before. My Spro frog got attacked a half dozen times or more, but the bass were either small, inexperienced, or reticent. None ate the bait or gave me a chance to set the hook.
From here I went Big and Deep; I relocated to my deep water, hard-bottomed main lake area and threw the DT20 and a Spro DD70. I chose to throw the DD70 on my lightest muskie rod. At 7'9", and with the Revo NaCl reel topped off with 17-pound fluorocarbon, I could throw this crank quite a distance; and I should be attaining maximum depth for these lures. Strike King XD8s, XD10s, etc.; here I come!
I did catch a near-legal pike on the Spro deep crank; I actually Figure-8'ed this fish into biting right at the side of the boat. I must have turned the correct way, because this pike was missing and eye and could only see on one side.
By Noon, the sail races were getting going, and a couple of skiers were out, too. There was an opening at the ramp; it was simply time to leave.
I was a close second to the ramp again, and almost got nudged into third. We all had the same idea; Beat the Heat!
I expected a tough bite, but not necessarily as tough as I experienced. I started on my big fish hump, in the dark, and my second or third cast with my night-time spinnerbait was intercepted by a smallish pike. But four laps around the structure (spinnerbait, topwater, DT10, DT20) did not produce another strike.
By this time it was light enough to see that the water was seriously stained with an algal bloom. The heavy rains from the previous couple of days had done their best to wash Reeds Lake's waterfront lawns of their fertilizer. I decided to go shallow, looking for a reaction bite.
At first I tried a swim jig with a large profile trailer, but it seemed to disappear in the cloudy water. I switched to a chatter-bait and slow-rolled it among and through whatever shallow weeds I could find. Over a couple of hundred yards of weed edge, this produced a yellow bullhead and a tiny, but belligerent, pike.
The lake level was up several inches from the rain, so I decided to go Super Shallow. I worked various reed edges and pad fields and got Numenon farther back into the reed and lilly swamp than ever before. My Spro frog got attacked a half dozen times or more, but the bass were either small, inexperienced, or reticent. None ate the bait or gave me a chance to set the hook.
From here I went Big and Deep; I relocated to my deep water, hard-bottomed main lake area and threw the DT20 and a Spro DD70. I chose to throw the DD70 on my lightest muskie rod. At 7'9", and with the Revo NaCl reel topped off with 17-pound fluorocarbon, I could throw this crank quite a distance; and I should be attaining maximum depth for these lures. Strike King XD8s, XD10s, etc.; here I come!
I did catch a near-legal pike on the Spro deep crank; I actually Figure-8'ed this fish into biting right at the side of the boat. I must have turned the correct way, because this pike was missing and eye and could only see on one side.
By Noon, the sail races were getting going, and a couple of skiers were out, too. There was an opening at the ramp; it was simply time to leave.
What do I have to say about this?
A tough bite; but still some new experiences. On the one hand, not much happened; on the other, this morning session produced my first Pike-in-the-Dark (for this lake); my first catfish from this lake; my first chatter-cat; and legitimized the initial use of my light muskie outfit for throwing deep cranks.
A tough bite; but still some new experiences. On the one hand, not much happened; on the other, this morning session produced my first Pike-in-the-Dark (for this lake); my first catfish from this lake; my first chatter-cat; and legitimized the initial use of my light muskie outfit for throwing deep cranks.
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