First Bass Outing

I was back on the water this morning for a half day with John, Eric & Randy. Being from Indiana they wanted to fish for smallmouth, so I headed to an area that I was sure would be holding. I set them up with the usual spinnerbait & crankbait rods and it didn’t take long. John drew first blood after Randy missed one and Eric doubled up while I was netting the fish. It was a chunky 18 incher and worthy of a pic. Eric had brought his fish to net by this time so why not a double pic! I could see after a while that the fish weren’t chasing the blades too much and handed Randy a tube rod. After a little instruction, he was getting bit almost every cast. Unfortunately, he was also dropping just about every one as well. After several more smaller bass we pulled the plug here and moved offshore before the winds got bad. We were expecting another big blow from the SW and I wanted to take advantage of the 10 knot winds we had before they hit 25. We covered a lot of water and picked at them throughout, but the fish really weren’t chewing well. I switched up baits plenty and they caught on everything being thrown, just not big ones. With the winds still not howling yet, I made a long run to another shallow flat that I was sure would produce. Unfortunately after about ten minutes, the winds arrived and were now blowing strong. So much so that three foot rollers were upon us instantly. I had to relocate again just so they could fish comfortably. I made another long run to a semi sheltered section of the lake and they began the search. Lately the Poplar trees have been pollinating so much that it looks like a snow squall at times. This was one of those times and the surface of the water was blanketed with cotton. Reels were jamming up and pieces were being reeled in on the lines. It was so bad that even after getting into a few more fish, I just had to leave all together! I was pressed for time with the half day, so I decided to go back to where we had started to try and get a few more of the fish that Randy missed. Another snow squall area but we stuck it out regardless! Although the fish were still present, only a few more got caught before we pulled the plug. They had a lunch scheduled with their wives and had to leave. They may not have landed a load today, but definitely had their chances! The run back was a little rough as we were going with the wind and had to surf three to four foot rollers. Everyone stayed dry and so did the boat! I definitely don’t miss my bass boat on days like these!