Inconsistency

NumenOn the Water

Date:  March 28, 2017
Body of Water:  Reeds Lake

Boat:  Numenon

With:  DC

Target:  CIR Largemouth Bass

Time: 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Conditions:  Water 42 - 43 degrees; skies cloudy but clearing dramatically by 6 PM.  Calm to mild easterly winds, air temps about 50 - 60 degrees.

I casually covered some water with an olive Shadow Rap jerk-bait until good friend DC arrived.  I thought I was saving some of the best water for his company as I worked 5 feet of water (+/-), mixing in shallow cranks and a spy-bait.  But the fishing was clearly NOT on fire.  My first strike came as a bit of a surprise; I thought I had swung and missed, but soon realized that the fish was racing towards and under the boat.  As my drag slipped heavily, I threw the rod tip into the water, but I was too late; my line was already wrapped in the propeller of my trolling motor, and I lost both the fish and a good bait when my line parted soon thereafter.  I'm sure it was a pike, but, once again, I'd have like to at least seen her.

I re-tied and gathered myself together.  I switched to a white and chartreuse Shadow Rap is the skies were starting to clear.  A few casts later, I was treated to a very cool visual strike, when a 15-inch bass inhaled my bait (at rest) about eight feet in front of me.  At least I was on the board, and I had something of a starting point for when DC came aboard a few minutes later.

I was lucky to make some quick work of a couple of smallish pike on this same bait in similar water.  As we approached the best water (eerily close to where I'd caught the previous day's big bass), I detected a subtle strike.  I set the hook, and my drag started racing, this time away from the boat.  With some confidence, I asked DC to get the net; but as he picked it up, my hooks pulled (again!)  Let's just say that I am preparing a slightly heavier rod for jerking for the rest of the spring; I have simply lost too many heavy fish on my current setup.

At about this point of the evening, a brief and weak wind from the east developed, and the skies cleared.  Amazingly, the fish activity dramatically declined, too, because we only got a couple more bites for the rest of the night.  Although I mixed in several other presentations over the evening, looking for something the fish liked, and DC was using a variety of baits from the back of the boat, only the Shadow Rap got bit.  Both fish were pike; the last was a very fat and healthy, approximate 28-incher that came from deeper water, off the weed edge.

What do I have to say about this?

While the fishing wasn't necessarily great (I started the evening with high expectations!), it was a beautiful evening.  There were more loons on the lake, and they were very vocal.  A noisy flight of high-flying tundra swans reminded me of the urgency of Spring.  And it was simply nice to be out with DC again; it's been five months or more since we'd fished together.

While I love my jerk-bait step (a high quality, but ancient 6.5-foot Shimano rod with medium light power and pretty slow action, paired with 6-pound Nanofil unifilament line and a 15-pound fluorocarbon leader) for bass, I'm clearly not sticking the hooks into all the fish I might have, otherwise.  Next time out, I'll be throwing at least some of my jerk-baits on a 7-foot medium, faster rod with 15-pound braid/leader.  This steelhead setup has worked well for me in the past, and should allow for more effective hooksets, and maybe a few more fish landed.

But the real lesson of the night is that fishing is fishing; and fish can be unpredictable.  As was just illustrated in the Bassmaster's Classic, it's super difficult to to be consistent on the water.  A primary goal of mine (on the water) is to reduce my inconsistency to the greatest extent possible.  Time and information are both limited; I need to make the best use of them!

42 Degrees

NumenOn the Water

Date: March 27, 2017

Body of Water:  Reeds Lake

Boat:  Numenon

With:  Alone

Target: Catch and Immediate Release (CIR) Largemouth Bass

Time:  4:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Conditions:  Quick, opportunistic post-work trip.  Overcast, calm and low barometric pressure.  New Moon; modestly clear water with 3-4 feet clarity; some stain after recent rains; water temperatures at 42 degrees F.  Fishy!

Noticing that water temperatures had risen to 42 degrees, the warmest I've seen yet this season, I hit the lake's northern shoreline with a Berkley Cutter jerk-bait.  I had little reason to put this rod down for the rest of the evening!

As I started searching over sporadic weeds and dark spots on the flats and along the adjacent edge, the first fish of the evening quickly announced itself after a long pause in my jerking cadence, in shallow and over weeds in about 3.5 feet of water.  Since it was this solid 3-pounder, I listened!

I love her golden coloration; she loved The Cutter!

Near the inside turn where I'd caught the last trip's beautiful, egg-dropping pike, I encountered a scrappy jack pike.  From here I moved across a barren flat to pick up the edge of the other side of this minor point and approached the most productive stretch for big fish.  I forced myself to slow down and willfully hung the suspending bait over the weeds I hoped were harboring some bass.  I visually noticed a faint "tick" in the line and instinctively set the hook without having felt anything; this was a very nice, 20-plus-inch bass, an easy 5-pounder.

Bass No. 2 was the biggest of the season, so far!

A very welcome sight; my suspending jerk bait in the face of a beautiful, pre-spawn bass.  She'd flopped around a little bit while I took the picture, so the smart end of the stick is exaggerating a little bit.

My next cast was intercepted by a big pike (?) that surprised me with a "push" strike and a quick run directly at the boat.  She went directly under the boat and continued on to deeper water.  The hooks pulled free; apparently it wouldn't be a complete trip to Reeds Lake this Spring without losing a big fish.

I mixed in some casts with a weighted, suspending Shad Rap, but could not maintain confidence with this bait.  Although it looks and feels awesome, it has not yet been eaten; and so I kept returning to the Cutter.  When I landed a 15-inch bass, I started thinking about (virtual) limits!

I relocated several times looking for more bass.  I was interrupted by a series of pike, including a couple of short jacks and a long-but-gaunt post-spawn female.  With about a half hour of fishing time left, a barely 14-inch "keeper" bass again hit on a long pause.  Returning to the big bass spot, my last hit of the night turned out to be a heavy, fat 28-inch pike, but no bass were found.

I was lucky to get my hot lure back, because this last pike really ate it; but my good luck didn't matter, because with my last cast, I banged the lure against the trolling motor head; and snapped it in half.  This lure would catch no more fish, despite having been so hot this evening.  It was time to head in.

What do I have to say about this?

Four bass totally between 11 and 12 pounds and a half-dozen pike; this was a good night on the water!

Exactly one year earlier, I had caught my first four bass of the year on jerk baits; the water that day, too, had finally warmed to 42 (or more) degrees.  Not a bad pattern to be aware of!  I couldn't help but notice that both loons and Spring Peepers were making their first appearance of the Spring on Reeds Lake, too.  These things are worth noticing in and of themselves, but to think that they could indicate big pre-spawn bass in the shallows... I like that!

Pike Spawn

NumenOn the Water

Date:  March 20, 2017

Body of Water:  Reeds Lake

Boat:  Numenon

With:  Alone

Target: Largemouth Bass

Time:  1:15 PM - 6:15 PM

Conditions:  Clear and calm for the most part, with unexpected warmth from 50 to 60 degrees F.  The water on the lake's north side just touched 40 degrees for the first time this season, and the barometric pressure was dropping dramatically as a cold front approached.  The water remained rather clear with 4-to-5 feet of visibility.

The First Day of Spring, and I was back at work.  But I was distracted by life events and that darn bass I'd lost the previous day.  The forecast, surprisingly gentle for the day, looked like it would fall apart for later in the week.  I did myself (and my employer) a favor and excused myself from work; I was going fishing again!

I made my first cast with the spy-bait very near my starting point the day before.  A count of 5 or 6 over perhaps 7 feet of water and near some visible, dark weed clumps; and a few cranks into my retrieve, I felt the distinct "tick" of a strike and set the hook.  I was on the board with a nice "keeper-sized" pike.  I was fishing for bass; and pike season is currently closed; but I'll accept such a start, any day.

First cast success! A nice 25-inch pike!

I worked through my best "confidence" water, first with the spy-bait, and then alternating a jerk-bait and the suspending Shad Rap.  Nothing produced.

I re-located further west along the north shore to work similar water; and quickly scored additional, fat 25- and 28-inch pike.  Nice!  Closing in on a favorite inside cover of the break and weeds, I missed a very heavy fish.  She had been a bit shallower, I had her on for a bit, and she showed me who was boss in that time.  I think it was a pike, but I never saw it, so I cannot be certain; and I'm concerned that the strike was not a definitive "tick" or "thunk", but rather just the sudden accumulation of weight on the line; just like previous bass I've encountered.  Darn it! 

Soon thereafter, I set the hooks into a nice, 31-inch pike.  She was fat and spunky, and in that favorite inside turn!  I netted her and brought her on board to extract the lure; as she hit the deck, she started releasing her eggs.  I got her and as many of her eggs as possible back into the water ASAP. 

Pike No. 4 was a beautiful, fat 31-incher...

... she dropped spawn all over my front deck.  I'd never before seen pike spawn.  Water temperatures were exactly 40 degrees and the moon phase was midway between Full and New.

At this point, with no sign of bass, it felt like I was pike fishing.  I certainly didn't want to disrupt them at this point of their yearly cycle; and so I made a fairly drastic change in location and tactics.  Concentrating on deeper water at the primary break, I covered water with a suspending jerk-bait.  A half hour of throwing a Berkley Cutter produced a single strike; another beautiful, 30-plus-inch pike.

Thereafter, I concentrated on different parts of the lake and more, different techniques.  A Heddon Sonar blade bait was ignored at every depth, but a 3.5-inch Storm GT360 "search bait" produced a couple of strikes from shallow on an agonizingly slow retrieve.  One of these was a decent fish that, again, came unbuttoned.  I really need more practice!  I'm losing too many opportunities!

What do I have to say about this?
This was a very pleasant outing, I just didn't find any bass.  Like many out-of-season opportunities, the pike fishing was bordering on very good; had their season been open, I would have been content refining my tactics on them.  But the season is early and the water's still cold; the bass will show up.  I just need to make sure that I am there, too.

I was just starting to think about wrapping things up, when I was contacted by my realtor; we have a buyer for our home.  It was time to start thinking about other matters; it was, unfortunately, time to leave the lake.

Spy Baits and Lund; Good Stuff!

Early Season Bass and Pike Action

NumenOn the Water

Date:  March 19, 2017

Body of Water:  Reeds Lake

Boat:  Numenon

With:  Alone

Target: Largemouth Bass

Time:  11:15 AM -4:45 PM

Conditions:  40-49 degrees F and generally calm and overcast; but clearing with a developing, mild SE wind.  Water temperatures were 38-39 degrees F, and the water was clearer (4-5 feet of visibility) with a greenish (rather than brownish) stain.

I started with the spin-bait/spy-bait near shallow weed edges.  I noted that this bait sank about 1 foot per "count" and so utilized a more rigorous count-down method to keep my bait near, but not in, the weeds.  I selected a known big bass area, where I knew they also spawned.  A few casts in, after a count of 5 in about 6.5 feet of water, my rod loaded with mush; and I wound tight into a very nice bass.  The 4-to-5 pounder flashed at my feet, but I totally blew the net job.  I was off to a good start, and so I was filled with hope; but this turned out to be it for bass action this day!

A bit later, I caught my first spy-bait pike; this fish hit with a definite "tick" and a push in very similar water.  Much later, searching deep water near these known shallow spots, I caught my first ever Heddon Sonar blade-bait fish, a wonderfully chunky 25-inch pike from 16 or 18 feet of water.  I spent a fair amount of time over the afternoon searching deep water for bass to no avail; but it will definitely be worth it when I find them!

I also tried various jerk-baits, rattle baits and a perfectly weighted Size 5 Shad Rap which suspends superbly; but these did not seem to touch a fish all afternoon.

What do I have to say about this?
It's always nice to have some success with new techniques.  It certainly was not a bad outing (landing that first bass would have made all the difference in my opinion of the day), but it wasn't great, either.  Regardless, it was a worthwhile grind while I searched for new fish to bite.

Let 2017 Fishing Begin!

NumenOn the Water

Date: March 5, 2017

Body of Water: Reeds Lake

Boat: Numenon

With: TM

Target: Pike and Largemouth Bass

Time: 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM

Conditions: Mixed skies, 34-49 degrees F, with ESE winds to about 15 mph.  Water was brown with impaired visibility (<2 feet) and ranged from 37 to 39 degrees F.

I went fishing for the first time in over three months!  After the Ice-Season-that-Wasn't, I had Numenon prepared and ready to go upon my first availability.  Pike season is still open, as is the newish, liberalized bass season; but I've little experience for either species from the boat at this time of year.  My expectations weren't especially high, but I was still looking forward to getting out on the water!

I was greeted with the following conditions; no dock, cold water, rocks and wind; but Numenon started from her winter's nap on the first turn of the key, and soon I had her safely secured to a nearby tree.

2017: Numenon's 15th Season, about to begin!

I was to be joined by friend TM, and as he leans more heavily towards pike than bass (and because it was windy enough to challenge proper boat control for bass fishing), I thought we'd start chasing pike.  I thought there'd be plenty of small males up in the shallow marshy areas, but the wind precluded entering those areas; plus, I wanted a bigger fish.  I decided we'd slow-troll weed edges with three-way rigs and cranks.  We'd use the electric motor to keep our speed down to less than 1.5 mph.  With braided line and two ounces of lead, we had no problem maintaining contact with the bottom.  I chose an original F-11 Rapala, but TM chose a Mann's 1-Minus.

Three-way rig and crank for trolling

We worked the lake's southern shoreline from about 5 to 20 feet deep, or so.  I wasn't marking much of anything, but we were effectively keeping our baits in an imagined strike zone.  Behind the Middle School, having come through a patch of scruffy weeds in 6 or 8 feet of water, TM exclaimed that he thought he had a fish; and he did!  After an unspectacular, cold-water fight, a bright 23-inch (plus) pike hit the net.  

First Fish of 2017; and a first on this technique for me in a soft-bottomed lake.

With some definitive evidence that some fish were shallow and relating to weeds, I proposed that we cast some baits for the season's first bass.  I was expecting to throw a crank, but I already had a Duo Realis Size 80 spy bait tied on.  This was a Christmas gift from my girls, about the only thing I'd asked for.  I didn't think the water clarity was sufficient for success, and I didn't plan on throwing it for long based on the likelihood of getting snipped off by a pike (these are fairly expensive baits), but I thought I'd give it a shot and get a feel for how this new-to-me bait fished.

On about my third cast, in a known big-fish location, near some weeds and over about seven feet of water, I felt a definitive "thunk" and set the hook.  I raced to keep up with the fish, which proceeded to go immediately below the boat.  It was a heavy fish, and didn't seem to realize it had been hooked.  I put what pressure I could on the fish (long, medium-light rod and 6-pound fluorocarbon line.)  In fact, I put too much pressure on it, and the hooks pulled.  I wish I'd seen it; whether it was a large bass or better-than-decent pike, I'd have been very happy to have caught that fish!  Regardless, it was an intriguing start to a possible Spy Bait Habit.

After a lull, I had to switch to a jerk bait; I'd had so much success on these last Spring.  Now we were on the north side of the lake, and we were definitely concentrating shallow.  I tend to fish too fast in the wind, but I forced myself to slow down; and I soon felt the familiar "tick" of a cold-water largemouth bite on the Shadow Rap.  I swung and the rod loaded; and soon I'd boated the first bass of the year, a very solid 16-incher.

First Bass of 2017 was this solid 16-incher.  It ate a shallow Shadow Rap, on the pause, between some shoreline cattails and the remnant of the inside weed edge.

Now, it had truly been a successful day!  After fighting the wind for a while longer, we relocated across the lake at another big-fish haunt.  I switched back to the spy bait.  On an initial cast, I felt some heaviness; continued reeling fast until I got this moving towards the boat; but still was not sure it wasn't weeds until the first head shake, just 15 feet from the boat.  But with the shake was a flash, and I could tell that this was a fine bass.  She was barely hooked, but the new net worked as planned (again!), and I was super pleased to have caught such a nice bass (on a new technique!) to start the season! 

Over 18 inches and fat!

Soon, we'd run out of available time.  It was time to head back in.

What do I have to say about this?

This was a truly welcome outing after a long winter!  To have some success was just a bonus, but what a bonus!  We caught multiple target species on multiple new techniques. In sub-40 (degree F) water!  The bass were in prime shape, big enough to count any day (in my book), we enjoyed a hot lunch "Kanalgratis-style" (see here, but especially their You Tube channel), and we have a lot to look forward to!  The 2017 Fishing Season has just begun!

Duo Realis Size 80 Spy Bait (top) and a Shallow Shadow Rap (bottom) presented on light line both scored this day!