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