NumenOn the Water
Date: October 23, 2017
Body of Water: Reeds Lake
Boat: Numenon
With: Alone
Target: Pike
Time: 8:45 AM - 3:15 PM
Conditions: 55 degrees F, generally mild NW wind, and rain! From drizzle to down-pour, it was a constant companion. Water was clear to stained brown, 61 degrees, and many weeds were still in good condition.
I chose Reeds Lake for this outing mostly because it is pretty weather-resistant. One can cast or troll, and it offers bass and pike. I can withstand rain, and I can control the boat or my presentation on this lake in just about anything less than 30 mile-per-hour winds. Plus, I expected good things from the lake at this time of year, and after a couple of consecutive rough outings, I knew it would be nice just to catch a few fish.
I arrived to very fishable conditions (despite the rain.) But one thing about the pike trolling here; sometimes you have to figure out where the biting fish are. Sometimes they are tucked up in the weeds, sometimes they are on the bottom, sometimes suspended, and they often show a preference for a particular style or color of bait. I've tried not to arrive with too strong of a preconception as to how the day will unfold, but rather be prepared to try a variety of presentations until I have some success; and then refine that success throughout the day.
My first trolling spread consisted of three rods:
This spread let me fish any water over 20 feet deep as I trolled from about 2 to 2.5 mph. I marked a tremendous amount of "bait" and fish; the fish were both suspended and oriented to the bottom, especially in depths of about 26 to 30 feet deep. I covered several miles of water, but despite a release from the downrigger and a witnessed pull-down and release on the flat line, I never hooked up.
I switched to trolling with a hand-held rod with a vibrating crank presented on colored/metered braided line. This allows me to feel for bottom and weeds; I probed depths less than 20 feet for a while, surprisingly to no avail.
Those bottom-oriented marks in about 26-30 feet kept calling me; they should be catchable fish. I had specifically included a casting rod and my box of blade baits and jigging spoons, just in case such a scenario presented itself. It wasn't too windy at this point, so I decided to give blade baiting a try. I focused on areas that combined some marks with a bit of structure, especially in areas offering some positive catch history.
This is slow and deep fishing, and on about my third spot, on just about my last cast as I planned to return to trolling to find some fish, I got bit. I never felt the hit, but there was substantial weight! I carefully played in a fat,18-plus-inch bass. She came from about 32 feet of water adjacent to the deepest water in the lake, and she may have revealed a bass highway between this possible winter sanctuary and my most productive early season areas. I thought that perhaps I had hit my Jackpot? The jury will remain hung on this; I continued fishing this area (and I returned, later, for another round) for a bit with no further luck. But this fish might have revealed an important secret for this lake, and I will continue to scout and fish this area to see if that is indeed the case.
At this point, it was about mid-day and time for Lunch! I'd thought ahead; I quickly set up a program to troll the basin while enjoying tinned spaghetti and half an apple pie. I tweaked my program to include two downriggers, each presenting a jointed Rapala; and a single flat-line, but now with a hard-vibrating Hot-n-Tot. These are all confidence baits to generate bites on this lake, a bit different from the morning's presentations, and they are easy to adjust so as to cover a variety of depths. I could multi-task; eating and fishing!
Lunch was interrupted only once, by the day's single legal-sized pike. She wasn't much, but she was the targeted species, and I had hope that I could get something going!
When I was finished eating, I started adjusting presentations in more earnest, but then one of my downriggers failed. I'm certain that I'll be able to fix it (I've not yet examined the internal gearing), but with only a single rigger, I now added the hand-held rig to the mix. I placed a chartreuse Wiggle Wart on this, and it quickly produced a solid, 15-inch bass from a weed-bed on a short, but prominent, point.
This same area produced a very small pike on the flat-line. I was running out of time, and the best fish was the blade-bait bass; I ended my day in the ever-increasing rain, casting blades in 26 to 35 feet of water, searching for that load of bass. Unfortunately, I didn't find it.
 |
| Optimism reigns! Numenon, ready to take on anything the day might offer; moments later, I fell on the dock and almost landed in the drink before I could even get started. NOT falling into the water is part of a good day! |
I chose Reeds Lake for this outing mostly because it is pretty weather-resistant. One can cast or troll, and it offers bass and pike. I can withstand rain, and I can control the boat or my presentation on this lake in just about anything less than 30 mile-per-hour winds. Plus, I expected good things from the lake at this time of year, and after a couple of consecutive rough outings, I knew it would be nice just to catch a few fish.
I arrived to very fishable conditions (despite the rain.) But one thing about the pike trolling here; sometimes you have to figure out where the biting fish are. Sometimes they are tucked up in the weeds, sometimes they are on the bottom, sometimes suspended, and they often show a preference for a particular style or color of bait. I've tried not to arrive with too strong of a preconception as to how the day will unfold, but rather be prepared to try a variety of presentations until I have some success; and then refine that success throughout the day.
My first trolling spread consisted of three rods:
- two colors of lead core with a favored Rapala Taildancer, presented off a board;
- a flat-lined Spro Deep Diver; and
- a Rapala DT Thug about 14 feet down, as presented on the down rigger.
This spread let me fish any water over 20 feet deep as I trolled from about 2 to 2.5 mph. I marked a tremendous amount of "bait" and fish; the fish were both suspended and oriented to the bottom, especially in depths of about 26 to 30 feet deep. I covered several miles of water, but despite a release from the downrigger and a witnessed pull-down and release on the flat line, I never hooked up.
I switched to trolling with a hand-held rod with a vibrating crank presented on colored/metered braided line. This allows me to feel for bottom and weeds; I probed depths less than 20 feet for a while, surprisingly to no avail.
 |
| Presenting a J-9 or J-11 Rapala with a downrigger has been convenient method to locate deep, biting pike. |
Those bottom-oriented marks in about 26-30 feet kept calling me; they should be catchable fish. I had specifically included a casting rod and my box of blade baits and jigging spoons, just in case such a scenario presented itself. It wasn't too windy at this point, so I decided to give blade baiting a try. I focused on areas that combined some marks with a bit of structure, especially in areas offering some positive catch history.
This is slow and deep fishing, and on about my third spot, on just about my last cast as I planned to return to trolling to find some fish, I got bit. I never felt the hit, but there was substantial weight! I carefully played in a fat,18-plus-inch bass. She came from about 32 feet of water adjacent to the deepest water in the lake, and she may have revealed a bass highway between this possible winter sanctuary and my most productive early season areas. I thought that perhaps I had hit my Jackpot? The jury will remain hung on this; I continued fishing this area (and I returned, later, for another round) for a bit with no further luck. But this fish might have revealed an important secret for this lake, and I will continue to scout and fish this area to see if that is indeed the case.
 |
| I added my small box of blade baits and jigging spoons to the tackle selection as a remotely possible backup plan. I turned to it after noticing many fish marked on the bottom between 26 and 30 feet of water. I was almost ready to give up on this tactic when I got the Bite of the Day. This fat, 18+ incher ate my Cicada in about 32 feet of water. |
At this point, it was about mid-day and time for Lunch! I'd thought ahead; I quickly set up a program to troll the basin while enjoying tinned spaghetti and half an apple pie. I tweaked my program to include two downriggers, each presenting a jointed Rapala; and a single flat-line, but now with a hard-vibrating Hot-n-Tot. These are all confidence baits to generate bites on this lake, a bit different from the morning's presentations, and they are easy to adjust so as to cover a variety of depths. I could multi-task; eating and fishing!
 |
| Hot Lunch! It can make a difference on a less-than-pleasant day. |
 |
| Apple Pie made its Numenon debut. Even poor quality pie is apparently welcome aboard! |
Lunch was interrupted only once, by the day's single legal-sized pike. She wasn't much, but she was the targeted species, and I had hope that I could get something going!
 |
| This 24-inch pike ate a chartreuse J-11 Rapala, presented on the downrigger, above. The bait was about 18 feet down over 23 feet of water. |
When I was finished eating, I started adjusting presentations in more earnest, but then one of my downriggers failed. I'm certain that I'll be able to fix it (I've not yet examined the internal gearing), but with only a single rigger, I now added the hand-held rig to the mix. I placed a chartreuse Wiggle Wart on this, and it quickly produced a solid, 15-inch bass from a weed-bed on a short, but prominent, point.
 |
| This decent, 15-inch Bonus Bass ate a chartreuse Wiggle Wart trolled in contact with thick weeds. |
What do I have to say about this?
Another weekday of fishing; and while it didn't go as I'd hoped, I did catch a pretty darn nice fish on a relatively new (to me) technique. I'll take that from just about any session.
 |
| Over 18 inches and approaching four pounds, this bass is a Personal Best when it comes to blade baiting. |
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