The gators were definitely on the move today.  And birds, they were having at it with plenty of turkeys doing the turkey thing.  The woods were alive and that is always a good thing when fishing.

If there is one technique in fishing that would be my favorite it is buzzing a spinnerbait.  And today conditions were perfect and it worked.  And those conditions:  The water finally started rising and it has some color to it in places.  There is still some cover, and what is there has just a touch more water on it.  If there was a stump or twig on a moderately windy bank it was an immediate bite.  In some places there was definitely a shad spawn going on with fish actively chasing.  And last but not least, it was cloudy and blowing, and boy did it blow.

A good way to start the morning.  This size was really aggressive today.

I actually re-spooled a reel with new line and put on the magic spinnerbait last night.  It was a no brainer.  The first spot was up lake on a flat point with grass and in nothing flat it was 3 in the boat.  Unfortunately the biggest of the day boiled it and missed, the next cast the smallest one of the spring jumped on.   Funny how that happens.  Then the next point, another couple, with a miss or two.  From then on everywhere I fished, from way up lake to down lake, at least a couple jumped on.  Good fishing.

Running it right on top making a wake was definitely the way to go.  They were pretty much knocking the crap out of it, most of them 5 feet or less off the bank, or closer if there was a good piece of cover.  You definitely needed some cover and the spinnerbait had to be moving the minute it hit the water.   And when they hit it they were smoking it.  How hard?  Look closely at the first one below.

********************Get inhaled!

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Sunday Ramblings

Last week ended up being very little time on the water.  Wednesday was tax and government dealing day, always a frustrating thing, and my dealing with the state went exactly like I expected – We pay these people?  Then Thurday the Boss wanted some sun so we headed to the lake for a couple of hours and then to the Gulf to pound a few oysters.  I caught 5 or 6 smalls, she got her sun, and we had an easy day.  Then Friday it was off to Houston for a yellow fever shot with Peru a few short weeks away.

As I review the weather for the week we are really in a serious March wind pattern.  (It is blowing out there as I write this.)  Except for Thursday  (Maybe only 20.) the winds are forecast to be up to 30mph Monday, and 25 the rest of the week.  So the plan tomorrow will be a early morning trip to the lake before the wind really kicks up, the rest of the week we shall see.  The salt is calling, I just have to remember in 3 weeks I will be fishing offshore in Peru, then a week after returning it is 3 days in the Chandeleur Islands on a houseboat, followed 2 weeks later by 4 days in Port Mansfield.  So while I have not fished the bay as much as usual once it gets started it will be full steam ahead, hopefully later this week.

Though we had tons or rain in our forecast it really did not happen here in town last week.  At least we got some, and the lake is actually coming back up just a hair.  Today  96.45  4 days ago  96.41 msl.   That may not be a lot, but at least it has stopped falling for the present.  That should bring the last real round of spawners to the bank and the bass fishing should get even a little better.  You will still have to wade through lots of smalls, but my experience the last few weeks was catch enough and a good one will jump on.  And with them biting lots of different baits and styles there is no time like the present to catch one your favorite way.

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It was my pleasure to fish with Dan a couple of weeks ago as he begins his quest for a Share A Lunker that will be documented in an article sometime next year.  Today I wanted to add a word of congratulations.  His article in this months Texas Monthly on the best hikes in Texas is the cover feature.  Nothing better for a writer than to be the cover story, and what a great subject.  So pick up a copy, he gets to do some great things with his job and who knows, it might just prompt you to take a hike.  Can’t wait to read the one on his quest for a biggun’.

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Another pro fisherman with a show did something that irritates me, and he is the second guy I have seen do it on tv.  He was fishing bedding fish in Florida and the minute he caught it he reminded us all that it should be immediately returned to her bed.  Nice, except when you catch them in a tournament you tote them around in a live well, then they are weighted in, allowed to rest, and returned to the water, far from the bed.  All well and good as their fish handling techniques are the best.  But apparently it is ok for you to take them off the bed but we need to return them immediately.  You remove them for money so that makes it ok?

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I am watching the Bassmaster Classic this morning  and they had a commercial which says a lot about what fishing has become.  As the dude backs the boat in the water the ad says “He could have bought a V8 instead of a V6.  As he idles away “He could have bought a 250hp outboard instead of a 100 horse.”  And as he is fishing, he catches them and the other guy who did not spend a ton is not catching them.  That is so wrong on so many levels, most of all the idea that if you spend big bucks, on everything from rods and reels to your tow vehicle, your fishing success will get better with every dollar.  I know all the stuff makes it easier but guess what?  It does not make you a better fisherman.  I wonder if the rising cost will keep some younger folks from taking up the sport.  But one thing you can be sure of, if they are a fisherman they will figure it out.

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Watching as much fishing as I do, and having fished many different bodies of water over the years, you realize how good the real tournament pros are.  Water types, traffic, adverse conditions, equipment problems, none of it matter, you have to get it done.  Taking a little license with a Vegas quote:  Fish on the scale talk, last week walks.  And all that experience you have on your close waters may help some, occasionally, but there is a learning curve every day.  The ability to change, to be proficient at many different techniques on many different waters, all play into success.  But in spite of all that, and somewhat comforting to we weekend warriors, they still have tough days.

And speaking of that, it is great to see college fishing growing by leaps and bounds.  Look at Jordon Lee, 2x Bassmaster Champion, College World Series Champion, to name a couple.  And his brother Jason, College World Champion and 2x Bassmaster qualifier.  They came up what will become the right way and their success is indicative of how it will be done in the future.  The day of the “Good Old Boy” getting it done on a shoe string is fast becoming a thing of the past and a college degree will be the baseline of the sport.  It is not just about catching fish, those products do not sell themselves.  You have to be able to communicate effectively to sponsors and the public, the whole sport is based on selling tackle and real sponsorship is tough to come by.  This is a business and you better know how to run one, because that is what you will be.  So stay in school, the one trick pony is fast becoming a thing of the past.  The sport is littered with one time winners who could not handle the business end.

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That will definitely do it for today.  The spinnebait bite is a get it while it is hot thing, and I intend to thrash them tomorrow.  It was after 8:00 before I got on the water, had to renew the permit at the office.  I will not make that mistake tomorrow.  They were biting like crazy when I got there and the shad spawn was definitely on.  So time to fix some new spinnerbaits and daylight here we come.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines