normally i hate muddy water.  but in the spring, i actually don't mind.  i knew i was going to be fishing in chocolate milk today with our flood conditions, but high muddy water really helps you narrow your depth and bait choice options.  so after about 2 hours without a bite on spinnerbaits and dark swim jigs, i switched to mr. arashi.  i hadn't made 10 casts with this bait until a nice 6-3 slammed it off an old gravel launch ramp.  that's good i thought, i might be on to something.

but my new-found hope was short lived as the raindrops started falling shortly after i took a pic and put her back.  what a day for the weatherman to be right.  that's bad i thought, i'm gonna be wet and miserable in about an hour. 

one look at the sky told me this rain was not going to let up and now time was a factor since i had no raingear.  so i headed to a sheltered little cove that has been pretty good to me in the past.  about halfway into the bay, i spotted a big log next to a flooded bush.  i know a squarebill will come through some stuff, but i did not want to risk hanging up in this bush and blowing what i thought was a pretty good lookin' bass hangout.  at least not until i'd hit it with some less snaggy options first.  so i picked up the spinnerbait rod and eased close enough to get in a pretty cast.  right on target.  that's when it got crazy.  as soon as it hit the water next to the bush, you would have thought i had pitched in a grenade instead of a spinnerbait.  the water just absolutely exploded and scared me half to death.  i jumped so bad i nearly fell out of the boat.  for a half second my heart was in my throat and i had absolutely no idea what had just happened.  then as i saw the giant wake headed for the boat, i put it together.  the "log" had been a grass carp that had to be at least 50 lbs.  my bait had landed right beside it and spooked it.  but not nearly as bad as it spooked me.  Ok, that was kinda funny, i thought when my heart stopped racing.  that was all i could take.  time to go home.

i don't know how anybody fishes around gators.

 

I had the same thing happen to me fishing flooded buckbrush with a spinnerbait last spring. Those big grass carp can really throw some water. 

nice one!