NumenOn the Water
Date: 8-7-16
Date: 8-7-16
Body of Water: Reeds Lake
Boat: Numenon
With: Alone
Target: Largemouth Bass
Time: 6 AM to Noon
Conditions: Clear and bright; mild easterly winds; green water; water temperatures 78 to 81 degrees F
I got beat to the ramp by another ardent Reeds Lake fisherman, but it turned out there was no real rush to get out there. I started on my big-fish secret hump with the Whopper Plopper and got only a single, small listless bass from my initial circuit around the structure. Switching over to the DT10, I caught a small keeper bass (keeping the bait in contact with the weeds but not fouled is certainly the secret to cranking.) A third lap produced a small keeper-sized pike on a DT14.
But these fish lacked the size and frequency I was looking for, so the rest of the morning was spent in Search and Learn Mode. I got an additional, decent pike (DT20) and another small keeper-sized bass (drop-shot green pumpkin worm), both from deepwater spots, so perhaps I am refining what I know about this offshore region of Reeds Lake.
I also introduced a couple of new tactics. Neither produced for me this day, but I suspect they will. And sometimes, just having not tried a rig or method is barrier enough to using it productively in the future; this time might have been an investment in future catches.
The first new rig is the "Neko Rig"; a tail-weighted, asymmetrically wacky-rigged Senko. I was pleased to find how "heavy" this rig fished; I was maintaining easy contact with the bottom in 25 feet of water with only 1/16-ounce of weight. I did a lot of shaking with this to no avail, but I suspect that hopping and/or dropping it into specific spots (beds, holes in weeds, pockets, docks, etc.) will definitely pay off.
I got beat to the ramp by another ardent Reeds Lake fisherman, but it turned out there was no real rush to get out there. I started on my big-fish secret hump with the Whopper Plopper and got only a single, small listless bass from my initial circuit around the structure. Switching over to the DT10, I caught a small keeper bass (keeping the bait in contact with the weeds but not fouled is certainly the secret to cranking.) A third lap produced a small keeper-sized pike on a DT14.
But these fish lacked the size and frequency I was looking for, so the rest of the morning was spent in Search and Learn Mode. I got an additional, decent pike (DT20) and another small keeper-sized bass (drop-shot green pumpkin worm), both from deepwater spots, so perhaps I am refining what I know about this offshore region of Reeds Lake.
I also introduced a couple of new tactics. Neither produced for me this day, but I suspect they will. And sometimes, just having not tried a rig or method is barrier enough to using it productively in the future; this time might have been an investment in future catches.
The first new rig is the "Neko Rig"; a tail-weighted, asymmetrically wacky-rigged Senko. I was pleased to find how "heavy" this rig fished; I was maintaining easy contact with the bottom in 25 feet of water with only 1/16-ounce of weight. I did a lot of shaking with this to no avail, but I suspect that hopping and/or dropping it into specific spots (beds, holes in weeds, pockets, docks, etc.) will definitely pay off.
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| Neko Rig |
I also threw a Jigging Rapala long distances over deep flats. I love these lures for ice fishing, but they've taken hold in open water the last few years. I've used them vertically from the boat (with very limited success), but folks have learned the power of using these with long casts over hard bottom. I could maintain easy contact with the bottom in 20 feet of water throughout the entire cast; it should be in the strike zone and provoke some strikes! They've more of a reputation for walleyes (and to a lesser extent, smallies), but I see no reason why they shouldn't scare up some pike or largemouths in the right setting. My old, 7-foot steelie spinner rod with 10-pound braid and a 20-pound leader seemed just right for this technique!
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| Open water Jigging Rap, but this pic is really about the FG Knot (lower left) joining my braid to fluoro leader. |
And check out that FG Knot seamlessly joining my braid and fluoro! What better use of a bit of recent convalescence than researching and mastering a new, useful knot?
What do I have to say about this?
The "Dog Days" of 2016 have certainly arrived. If my best presentation for largemouths over the course of a weekend is drop-shotting; I'm probably struggling. I'm not catching much, and there's not much size to the catch. But perhaps I can be smarter with my time, by not catching much while simultaneously learning a bit for the future.
Meanwhile, it's worth noting that some large Kings have finally arrived in this neck of Lake Michigan, with at least some regularity. Perhaps next year I can switch over to August Kings, let the local bass rest, and catch the best of both seasons.
The "Dog Days" of 2016 have certainly arrived. If my best presentation for largemouths over the course of a weekend is drop-shotting; I'm probably struggling. I'm not catching much, and there's not much size to the catch. But perhaps I can be smarter with my time, by not catching much while simultaneously learning a bit for the future.
Meanwhile, it's worth noting that some large Kings have finally arrived in this neck of Lake Michigan, with at least some regularity. Perhaps next year I can switch over to August Kings, let the local bass rest, and catch the best of both seasons.
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