Date: August 6, 2017
Body of Water: Lake Ovid
Boat: Numenon
With: Alone
Target: Largemouth Bass
Time: 9 AM - 2 PM
Conditions: Clear to overcast with mild SW winds; 60 - 75 degrees F; water temps 73 - 75 F
The better qualities of the last trip (ease, convenience, quiet) won out, and I returned to Lake Ovid. I thought I had at least something of a pattern to start with.
But as it played out, I really wasn't feeling it. I arrived with little enthusiasm, only to find a local bass tournament taking place, as well as some locals in need of help while blocking the ramp. I inflated their tire and attempted to give them a jump. Their vehicle wouldn't start (it had bigger problems than I could address), but we did manage to get it to the side. They maintained a good attitude, and help was on their way before I left the dock.
The water had cooled significantly since the last trip, and all visible bass boats were working the banks and weed edges. I picked up the channel and worked edges and clumps with rattle-baits, Senkos and my Texas-rigged creature. After a bit of non-success, I switched to a Texas-rigged black Power worm, while occasionally mixing in a weightless fluke or Texas-rigged Senko.
Still with nothing, I moved further down the channel and located a pile of fish next to some sort of hard cover in about 15 feet of water. I switched to a drop shot, and missed a couple of very faint strikes while losing a couple of rigs. I slow-rolled a grub and missed a bite on the fall. It felt like an ice-fishing crappie, so I switched to vertically jigging a small rattle-bait. Returning to the drop shot, now with an Uncle Josh pork worm, I caught a bluegill. It was tiny, and enough evidence that I didn't need to spend any more time there.
So I went back to pitching the worm. I caught my only bass of the day. It was "short", but it came from the same type of water we'd caught the fish last time.
Perhaps I'd seen a single net flash all morning among the bassers; and as I crossed paths with a competitor, he admitted to a tough bite with only a couple of small ones. At about Noon, I decided to switch to slowly trolling spinners and harnesses with the electric motor. I stayed in deeper, weed-free water from 11 to 16 feet deep.
I marked a lot of fish, and I had a lot of bites. The fish preferred a pinched crawler Gulp! behind a small Mack's Smiley Blade. I presented this at about 1 mph behind a bottom bouncer. I caught another half-dozen bluegills and a crappie, but I was not impressed with their quality. Unfortunately, these reminded me too much of the fish we'd settled for, 30-plus years ago.
What do I have to say about this?
Back at the ramp, the Bass Guys were emptying their sacks. At least some of them had caught some legal fish. I didn't get any other info, other than knowing that I would not have competed on this day.
Oh well, this was better than Not Going. I'd kind of helped some locals, and I'd learned that there are, indeed, bass to be caught.
Meanwhile, I threw a dust cap off a hub on my trailer (again.) That will require attention before I tackle anything bigger. But first, I have to get my tackle ready for my next visit to Maine!
The better qualities of the last trip (ease, convenience, quiet) won out, and I returned to Lake Ovid. I thought I had at least something of a pattern to start with.
But as it played out, I really wasn't feeling it. I arrived with little enthusiasm, only to find a local bass tournament taking place, as well as some locals in need of help while blocking the ramp. I inflated their tire and attempted to give them a jump. Their vehicle wouldn't start (it had bigger problems than I could address), but we did manage to get it to the side. They maintained a good attitude, and help was on their way before I left the dock.
The water had cooled significantly since the last trip, and all visible bass boats were working the banks and weed edges. I picked up the channel and worked edges and clumps with rattle-baits, Senkos and my Texas-rigged creature. After a bit of non-success, I switched to a Texas-rigged black Power worm, while occasionally mixing in a weightless fluke or Texas-rigged Senko.
Still with nothing, I moved further down the channel and located a pile of fish next to some sort of hard cover in about 15 feet of water. I switched to a drop shot, and missed a couple of very faint strikes while losing a couple of rigs. I slow-rolled a grub and missed a bite on the fall. It felt like an ice-fishing crappie, so I switched to vertically jigging a small rattle-bait. Returning to the drop shot, now with an Uncle Josh pork worm, I caught a bluegill. It was tiny, and enough evidence that I didn't need to spend any more time there.
So I went back to pitching the worm. I caught my only bass of the day. It was "short", but it came from the same type of water we'd caught the fish last time.
Perhaps I'd seen a single net flash all morning among the bassers; and as I crossed paths with a competitor, he admitted to a tough bite with only a couple of small ones. At about Noon, I decided to switch to slowly trolling spinners and harnesses with the electric motor. I stayed in deeper, weed-free water from 11 to 16 feet deep.
I marked a lot of fish, and I had a lot of bites. The fish preferred a pinched crawler Gulp! behind a small Mack's Smiley Blade. I presented this at about 1 mph behind a bottom bouncer. I caught another half-dozen bluegills and a crappie, but I was not impressed with their quality. Unfortunately, these reminded me too much of the fish we'd settled for, 30-plus years ago.
What do I have to say about this?
Back at the ramp, the Bass Guys were emptying their sacks. At least some of them had caught some legal fish. I didn't get any other info, other than knowing that I would not have competed on this day.
Oh well, this was better than Not Going. I'd kind of helped some locals, and I'd learned that there are, indeed, bass to be caught.
Meanwhile, I threw a dust cap off a hub on my trailer (again.) That will require attention before I tackle anything bigger. But first, I have to get my tackle ready for my next visit to Maine!
