Deep Freeze Day

November 9th 2018

 

Craig was back today but this time he brought Herm. It had been a week since he was here last and left on a high. Both he and Steve had caught many huge bass and he was hoping to repeat it again. We would just have to wait & see?

We headed on the lake in 28 degree air temps, but the water was a balmy forty seven degrees. I decided to start them off drop shotting in hopes of continuing where they had left off. I was sure that the bass wouldn’t be all that active and figured a slow approach would work best. Unfortunately Herm was the only one to actually land a fish, but it was a good one! They both had other bites but weren’t able to lock up!

After spending the first part of the morning with little to show for our efforts, I Thought I would give the shallower water a try. Both were throwing jigs and Herm once again scored first. Another good smallie came aboard and it also gave us the confidence that there were others. Craig wasn’t too far behind, when he slammed the hooks to what we thought was a really good fish. Unfortunately, it was just a northern pike! He did rebound a little later however, with the right species, just a little on the average side. After a few more missed strikes, I decided to give something else a shot.

I figured that we’d do a little trolling to cover water and set them up with a couple of rods. Although I was marking fish, it was only Craig that managed to get hit. He boated a nice smallie, but it was the only one. After unsuccessfully covering much more water, I decided to relocate again. This time they were going to cast the same baits they had trolled and hopefully the new location would have better results.

Within a couple of casts, herm had a bunch of short strikes that had me believing the fish weren’t interested. They stuck with it a little longer and were eventually rewarded with several good fish. These fish were so lethargic though that you practically had to dead stick the baits in order to get bit. It’s times like these that I wish we were still allowed to use live minnows!

As I moved around and covered water, Craig hit into a small spot that seemed loaded. Although not easy to catch, he did manage to land several more quality fish. He literally had to just hold the rod in order to get bit. Herm was using the same bait but working it slightly and never even had a touch! These fish really didn’t want to chase anything down! I stayed as long as Craig was catching but eventually pulled the plug and relocated elsewhere.

I had made a move back to the general area we had started in and this time it was on fire. I think Craig had fish on his first six casts! Most of them were good ones too and it was finally nice to see some active bass for a change. Herm managed to pick up a few as well but Craig was just crushing them. Even with the winds blowing from the east, against the current, I was still able to hold with the electric. The boat was pointing downstream but it seemed to work! The anchor feature on the electric motor makes everything so much easier in situations like these. I don’t know how I ever managed without it!

The remainder of the day saw a good number of fish landed and even a couple of walleye came in the boat. We slowly moved over several similar areas and they pretty much all held fish. As time was running out, the weather also seemed to be getting worse. It began by rain and had a little mix of snow as well. It was definitely time to go!

Mother Nature really isn’t making my life easy this fall with conditions like this, almost every day. If it’s not pouring rain, it’s blowing so hard that you can’t feel the bites. We’ve had winds from pretty much every direction and they’re almost always giant! Despite everything she’s thrown at me, I’ve somehow managed to get the job done. High number days and big fish are the norm, but I never know what to expect. Lately it’s not where I want to fish but rather where I can! My game plan is all over the place and I feel like a juggler when I hit the water. All I know is that the season is coming to an end soon and I’d like to get on the water as many more times before the ice arrives. Hopefully there will be a few more trips and just maybe, some calm conditions for a change. Probably not but you can always wish!!