FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

When dropping the boat in the water conditions changed dramatically.  The lake is still slowly going down, the water temp was 75 – 80, and there are places with color.  But the big difference – No Wind!  I was off to a good start.  I had a plan and stuck with it, and it paid off.

Weather

47/84.  Plenty of sunshine with no chance of rain.   Wind   NW 6 – 18mph.

Lake Level

Today   96.79 msl.          Yesterday   96.85 msl.   (We need rain badly!)

Bite Time

Minor    12:11 pm to 1:11 pm.    Major   7:03 am to 9:03 am.

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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First up was where 11 jumped on yesterday morning, and they were still there but all small.  I gave it about a half hour and caught 10 giver or take all small.  So took off looking for 4 things:  Buckbrush, birds, calmer water, and shad.  It took 3 moves when I finally landed on the right bank using the right bait and it was game on.

A bluegill color swim jig with the 4″ Honeydew Knockin Tail trailer.  They were smoking it!

It was a thing of beauty!

Today was not only a follow that plan day but also a day of good choices.  Initially it was the white swim jig with a pearl Knockin Tail trailer and on the first pass maybe 2 or 3 jumped on.  But it just looked to good.  It was a long shallow bank, in fact where I started it was only 3 foot deep, and never got over 6 feet deep on a big cast to the bank.  So after the first pass I idled all the way back and the killing began.

It was just plain fun!

I switched back to the bluegill swim jig with the Honeydew Knockin Tail and it was perfect.  They were shallow, and I mean real shallow as some boiled it when it hit the water.  Some smoked it, others bumped it, and a couple completely slack lined me.  In fact I actually thought my line just broke on one that I never felt as it went completely slack.  One cool bite.

It went on from 10:00 until I quit at 2:00.

From that point on I just kept fishing shallow places with good cover and there was never a place without a bite.  Most of the time it was a steady not quite fast retrieve, which gives you a good indication of how shallow I was fishing.  And making the proper rod change last night was important, it can not be to light as so many hits are from behind you have to get the hook in them right now.  I would hate to guess how many nice ones jumped off today.  But no complaints.

There are more but you get the point.

And it was real apparent that we have bass in all stages of the spawn, and I saw several beds today.  You can tell just looking at the ones above which are done and which are headed that way right now.  So we should have more good fishing, especially if we get “that day”, the one that is exactly the same conditions only cloudy with a drizzle.  Scary!

I do not mean to flog a dead horse but the Honeydew color Knockin Tail has something the bass like.  It just seems so logical to use a plastic with a rattle in the tail and when paired with the bluegill color swim jig it fits the bill for these conditions.  Not only are the bass spawning, but the shad now and the bluegills soon, which sets up some great fishing.  Today I took my own advice and it worked like a charm.

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My buddy Clyde continues to make me crazy with Bull Shoals pictures.

And you wonder why I like spring white bass?  This is the size I cut my teeth on in Arkansas.

Our buddy John putting the hurt on them!

It is good to see John getting out and catching a few.  They came from the back of pockets on plastics, a typical spring pattern on the lakes.  Both he and Clyde have had a medical issue or two, it is hell getting old, but fishing keeps you moving.  So good job boys.

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Today was the reason I keep fishing.  It went exactly like I thought it would. which when you think about it does not exactly happen that often when you fish.  It was paying real attention to what was happening, which made me re-fish the area and put the hurt on them.  From that it led to figuring out the color which caught fish the rest of the day.  Can’t wait to get back at it Monday morning.  There are several other places I can not wait to get at.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines