WDE

T rigged black/blue and Junebug Yum Dinger getting it done on a private neighborhood pond this afternoon. Largest went for 2.5. Lost my Whopper Plopper that was working so well. Buzzbait was getting slammed, but no hookups in the late afternoon. I can’t help but feel like if I had that WP, all those strikes would’ve been landed. Oh well.

Typically alone. I’m strictly a bank fisherman; and if I don’t get a bite in 10-15 casts while fan casting, I’m on the move and I’ll leave my partner. My buddy that I will fish with occasionally doesn’t fish as much as I do, so when he sees me catching fish, he gets discouraged/frustrated and will be ready to leave long before I even think about departing. I find it rude to just keep fishing while he throws in the towel and sits there. I have to remind him that sometimes, especially in the Winter, I’ll go days without a single bite. It’s just easier for me to have my own agenda and not worry about another person and focus solely on fishing and being in the moment.

Found a Whopper Plopper 90 the other day and promptly lost it in some brush an hour later. However, I loved the action and bit the bullet and bought one yesterday(I’m rather frugal when it comes to lures). Took it for a test drive this morning and it didn’t disappoint. 6 in a few hours. Wasn’t the size I was looking for, but the topwater strike is fun regardless.

Woke up at 5am and couldn’t fall back asleep. So I decided to hit several ponds between 6 and 10. Landed 6, all on the Whopper Plopper I bought yesterday. No real size to speak of, but that topwater bite is fun no matter what. I did go hit daycare and caught my 2 biggest there(1.5 range), and a 2-3lb spit my lure(of course).

Herb Parsons Lake just outside Collierville. Plenty of bank to walk, can launch boats with trolling motors. Can also rent boats/motors. $6 to fish, or get a season pass. Big bass in that lake including cats and crappie. Day Care is on Shea Rd at the corner of Houston Levee. I’ve never gotten a bite there. I went to Johnson Rd Park yesterday afternoon and caught a little 1lb on the lower pond. Hardest fighting pounder I’ve ever caught. Crushed the lure and made a spectacle of himself jumping out of the water a few times as I brought him in. First time fishing there, not a bad little spot. Bought a Whopper Plopper 90 this morning and took it to throw around behind city hall. Fished it for about an hour with no strikes and decided to tie on a crank and got another 1lb on the first cast.

I’ve got a couple pairs of pants from Free Fly apparel that I really like. Super comfortable and lightweight.

Grove Park is tough. Big fish in there, but I can never find them. I’ve caught fish there on just about everything, but I get skunked more often than not. I’m most confident with cranks and plastics at Johnson.

Snakes are definitely out at Johnson. I was walking the paved walkway next to the walking bridge on the back side of the fountains pond, scanning the area to my right in between the concrete and the bridge watching for snakes. Caught some movement on the pond side, and a 2 foot long snake(unsure if cottonmouth or harmless water snake) went swimming by. It swam a few feet then ducked and disappeared under water. I continued looking out for it while casting from the other bank, and about 5 minutes later it popped its head out of the water about a foot off the bank. It was just checking me out, but needless to say, keep your head on a swivel.

I work in retail, and a customer paid for his item with two $5 rolls of dimes. After he left, the manager came over and said not to take them in rolls anymore because there’s a good chance they’re short. We busted them open and started counting. Lo and behold, both rolls were short and the store had to eat the loss. So this is a pretty common practice in retail. Not because customers aren’t trustworthy, but because a lot of people don’t know how to count.

PB at 5.1lbs! I don’t know how she stayed hooked/snagged. Hardest I’ve ever fought a bass. Time to go update my PB in my profile.

PB this afternoon at Johnson-fountains! 5.1lbs on the lipless crank.

Saw my first snake of the year, so it looks like I’ll be keeping out of the woods until Fall. I believe it was just a non venomous brown water snake, but I didn’t want to get any closer. He was curled up on some reeds at the Johnson brush pond. Caught 1 at Neshoba in about 5 casts. Didn’t get a sniff for the rest of the day.

Apparently alligators have been spotted recently in Memphis. http://wreg.com/2018/03/27/seven-foot-alligator-sighted-in-river-near-memphis/

I thought about that too, and you could be correct. Haven’t seen any beds because the water is so murky.

I hit up Neshoba yesterday and caught a couple dinks in about an hour. One on a worm and the other on a crank. I headed over to Johnson and couldn’t buy a bite in the brush pond or the fountains. Really odd not to even get a sniff in the brush pond.

Yeah, I can’t really drink and fish at the same time, it just gets warm on me. I’ve had a beer or two prior to going out, but it affects my timing too much. And agreed on the Wiseacre. Check out the newest brewery in Memphis—Crosstown. They’re already canning their blond(Siren) and their IPA(Traffic). Also Meddlesome(in Cordova) 201 Hoplar IPA won best beer in Memphis a couple weeks ago. They don’t package their beer yet, but their stuff is on tap all over Memphis and surrounding suburbs.

There’s nothing more that I love after a day of fishing than winding down with a nice cold brewski. It’s become a bit of a ritual for me. What do you guys and gals like to imbibe on after(or during) a day on the water?

I assumed he was referring to when he wasn’t on the boat.

I have a pair of gore tex Rocky work boots that I love. Had them for 2 years, no issue with the sole, stitching, or water proofing. Super comfortable and rugged. Similar to these: https://www.rockyboots.com/rocky/rocky-governor-composite-toe-waterproof-6-inch-work-boot/RKK0243.html?dwvar_RKK0243_color=22#sz=12&start=25

Lipless is starting to heat up too. If I can’t get a bite after 20-30 min on that, I move back to the ol’ faithful. The 3.7 above was on a lipless ghost shad from H20 Xpress(aka the Academy Sports brand). About $3 and reliable. I caught 4 that day all on the same lure.

Went up to Piperton today where I have access to a private neighborhood pond. Caught 3 in about 1.5 hours all on T rigged junebug Yum Dinger. Estimating 2.5lbs, the others were 1.5 or less. Caught this one at Johnson the other day, 3.7:

4 today, this was the biggest, ~2.5lbs. T rigged junebug Yum Dinger. I was instructed to smile.

When I was there I only managed a small one in as much time as well. Hoping that the water calms after the flooding. Never heard of Meeman Shelby, please report back if you go.

3.7lbs on a lipless crank. He whiffed on the first strike, came back and smashed it on the next cast. I love it when you seen them wake on a lure.

Just an FYI—I went to Neshoba last Wednesday, and due to the heavy rains we had the previous week, the Wolf River flooded into the surrounding ponds and they’re way up full of muddy water.