I decided on this location, because it is very different from the last body of water I fished. Instead of deep and clear, and very sparse grass, this is shallow and dingy with extremely abundant grass, almost to the point of being choked out by milfoil.
On the Water: 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Air Temperature: 74-69
Water Temperature: 80-83
Water Clarity: Stained / 2-3ft
Skies: Clear
Wind: 3-12 Mph S, SSW, WSW
Barometric Pressure: 29.92 - 29.93"
I wasn't really sure what to expect starting out here. I paddled out to the center to see if I could locate a weed line, but it seemed that with the shallow water, the grass grew pretty much all the way across the lake. So much for that plan. So I moved back in shallow, and began working some matted grass. I figured with the high sun, and clear skies, the fish would be looking for shade. My instinct was correct, as it only took a few minutes for a bass to explode on my frog. Unfortunately, I couldn't hook up with this fish. I moved up the lake a ways, and kept throwing the frog around. I noticed a thin patch of grass that was much brighter than the rest of the drab colored grass in the lake. I cast the frog just past it, and as I was pulling it over the vegetation, it was crushed by a bass, in the 2lb range. I thought I had started on a frog pattern here, but that was the last strike on the amphibian imitation for the rest of the day. I moved further up to a pontoon boat that was tied up to a dock, I skipped a Pumpkin colored Senko underneath it, and pulled out a bass around a pound and a quarter. At this point, I was just looking for shade, as it seemed that the bass were relating to that more than anything else. I arrived at an area with several isolated lily pad clumps, and I pitched the senko around and pulled out a couple of small bass, one that wouldn't keep and another that was right on the edge, probably about a pound. I tossed a 1/2 oz black and blue Booyah Boo Jig with a Watermelon Red flake Rage Craw, and pulled out a bass about a pound and a half. It was starting to get dark, so I just wanted to finish exploring this side of the lake. I moved up to an impassable bridge, and I decided to pitch the jig under it. Before it even hit the bottom, I felt a thump and set the hook on another two pounder. The next cast, I pitch in again, same thing, but this time, the fish got the better of me, as he came unbuttoned half way to the boat. I wanted to get further under the bridge, but my ability to skip with a baitcaster and a heavy jig isn't that great, so I picked up the spinning rod with the senko, and skipped it as far back as I could. Almost immediately, I felt a thump, and I set the hook. As soon as I pulled back, the fish made a bee line right towards me, I could barely keep up with it. Once it got past the boat, it kept running, my drag screaming, I had to tighten it down, to avoid the fish getting engulfed in the nearby weeds. Once I got it to the boat, it was a pleasant surprise to see that monstrous mouth sticking out of the water, I quickly grabbed the fish and snapped a few pics, and released the beast to fight another day. I tried to weigh her, but my scale would not turn on. I'm guessing a little over 5 lbs. It had the length of the 6 pounder I caught earlier this year, but it just didn't have the gut. I'm guessing pre spawn, this fish would be well over 6.
Going into day 1, I must say, I was somewhat intimidated by all the grass. I feel a little better having caught 7 bass, including a 5 pounder, on a lake I've never fished before. I just hope I can replicate this shade pattern on Day 2.
Day 2 8/6/14
On the Water: 9:30 am - 12:45 pm
Air Temperature: 74-78
Water Temperature: 77-83
Water Clarity: Stained/2-3 ft
Skies: Clear early, increasing clouds at 11:00
Wind: 5-6 Mph N, changing to 5-12 Mph SW at 11:00
Barometric Pressure: 29.85-29.82"
On day 1, I only had time to explore about half the lake. I figured I would try the other half on day 2. It was much of the same, a lot of grass, mats in random places, shallow water, and a few laydowns along the shoreline. I started throwing a Strike King KVD 1.5 square bill, in the chartreuse/black color, ripping it through grass, and bumping it off laydowns. I got my first fish on one of the downed trees, that wasn't anything special. Maybe a pound and a half. The wind pushed me south to the damn, and there was some matted grass, with what looked like current breaks, on the down wind side. So I pitched a 1/2 oz black and blue Booyah/ Rage Craw jig to the motionless water, and was rewarded with a nice fish, probably around 4lbs. The next cast, I got another one in the 1.5-2lb range. Once I figured out this "pattern", I began looking for all the matted grass I could find, but wouldn't you figure, the wind shifted, and the clouds rolled in, and the fish shut right down.
Day 3: 8/10/14
On the Water: 5:30 am - 10:45 am
Air Temperature: 61 - 82
Water Temperature: 74 - 79
Water Clarity: Stained in Open Water / 2 ft, Murky in Dense Grass / 4 ft
Skies: Clear
Wind: 6 - 10 mph N, NNE
Barometric Pressure: 30.09 - 30.12
I got on the water just as the sun was starting to appear over the horizon. Panfish were slurping bugs off the surface in front of the launch. I started with a frog around grass and got a few lazy "blow ups", but couldn't connect. Finally I hooked up with one fish on the Booyah Poppin' Pad Crasher. I kept throwing it around isolated lily pads, and matted grass, and continued to get hits, sometimes multiple hits on the same cast, and just couldn't get a hook in these fish. I did everything I was supposed to; I waited for the fish to take the frog down, when the rod would load up, I would pull back, and each time, the end result was the same. Me dodging a hollow bodied frog coming at me like a rocket. Legs were trimmed, hooks were bent up, I'm not sure what I could have done different. I've always missed fish on a frog, as we all have, it's just part of the game, but today was unlike anything I have ever witnessed. I figured at this point, the bass weren't really committed to a topwater approach, so I broke out the flippin' stick, with a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver, and a Trokar 4/0 straight shank flippin' hook. I quickly caught 2 bass off of a grass mat. I moved up a little bit to the bridge I caught the 5 pounder from on day 1, and skipped the same pumpkin colored senko under again. Within seconds I had a fish tugging at the other end. But it was running the wrong way. I had to tighten down my drag and turn the fish around or I didn't stand a chance if I allowed to pass to the other side of the bridge. When I finally turned it, he jumped and spat my senko back at me. The fish was probably 3-3.5. Definitely would have been my biggest on the day. I picked up my jig rod, and flipped the Booyah/Rage Craw combo to the front side of the abutment, and pulled out another bass. Then got two more on a shaky head Zoom Trick Worm. I got one more on a jig on an isolated grass mat, and aside from a few blowups on a frog, that was all the action for the day. The downside to this was, it was only 8:00 at this point. Once the sun climbed over the tree tops (cue the Bill Dance theme song), the bite shut right down. Perhaps it was the rather large moon last night, but who knows. I'm not here to make excuses, I'm here to catch fish. I only caught 7 bass on the day, nothing over 2 pounds, and I missed 12 or so fish all together. I was never really able to develop a pattern here, although I didn't do terrible, I expected more out of this small lake.
My Lake Rating: I will give this lake a 2/5. The 2 points coming strictly from the big bass potential. There is just too much grass. It's hard picking apart a grass flat when it's only a small section of a lake, never mind the entire lake. If it were a little deeper it would be okay, as there would be some weedlines where the grass would cease. It gets a little more sparse in the middle, but it's all the way across the lake. However, I do look forward to visiting this lake again during the spawn, as there is a lot of sight-fishing potential.
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