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  • Super User
Posted

My wife and I got married on Memorial day Sunday 17 years ago.  This year the date fell on the Monday, so we celebrated all through the weekend, knowing that the Monday weather was supposed to be pretty bad.  Nice dinner Friday night, pool party with friends Saturday, and a new brewery exploration on Sunday.  I put in my time.  Monday was supposed to be a 100% cloud day with over an inch of rain forecast, so I'm going fishing while she's getting a massage.

 

I've had a lot less time to fish this year due to a new job, so when I do get to go out I'm picking my best lakes every time and not just exploring and seeing what's at all of them.  So I went to my favorite lake.  Its the site of all my biggest fish for the past 3 years and also has decent numbers.  Its my Menderchunk #1.  Given the weather forecast and time of year I figured there would be a good morning topwater bite.  The bass are done spawning, the bluegills are heavy spawning, and the water is getting warmer.  The grass should be in just about full now and all of that adds up to a very early morning throwing a buzzbait until they stop eating it.  I launched at 430 with just a hint of light in the sky and started down my favorite bank.  Over the first 90 minutes I managed 4 bass, two pickerel, and another 4 blowups that just didn't quite take.  The biggest of the day was a 19" 3.5# fish that sharked a buzzbait that landed 2' from shore.  That fish must have had its tail on the shoreline as it was between my lure and the rocks.  Also it was still really thin from the spawn as a 19" fish here usually pushes almost a pound heavier.  

 

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It was after that when the wheels started to fall off.  I fish the same buzzbait all the time.  Not just the same type or size, but the same lure.  Its been bent and twisted all sorts of ways and back.  It had just the right squeal on the rivet and ran true.  Alas, it is no more.  I really like the swinging sugar buzz.  Occasionally it will twist in the air and the joint between the two sections will get stuck which is a pain, but on the whole its my goto buzzbait.  I've never considered that the joins would open up.  Apparently boat flipping a 20" pickerel on a well used bait will do it.  Looking back at my pictures from the 19" fish, I can see the lower joint opened and it was clearly just a matter of time.

 

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It was also at this point in the morning that the weatherman proved to be wrong.  We had a sprinkle when I launched, but an hour after sun up I was seeing blue through some of the clouds.  The fish shut off of the buzzbait.  As always, I text my dad pictures as I'm on the water.  On my last update he called (which I thought was weird, but he also doesn't text back).  He said pick up a worm.  He just had the same thing last week on his Menderchunk #1.  They were eating, but stopped looking up.  He ended with 31 that day.  I had picked up a big swimbait because of the bluegill, but decided he's probably right and swapped to a texas rigged rage bug.  A texas rigged plastic was never my wheelhouse.  Then I did the all plastic outing and learned a bit.  Last year a texas rigged beaver was probably my best producer.  In the end I don't think it would have mattered which plastic I put on.  I caught fish on the rage bug, a carolina rigged rage craw (my first carolina rig fish actually), a senko, and a bandito bug (I fancied a change from the RB).  


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All in I finished with 15 bass, a pair of pickerel, a handful of blowups, and nearly a muskie that was chasing the 12" bass that I caught last.  All of the bass were either 12-13" or they were 16-17" (which was running about 2.5 lb).  So long as you stayed near the bluegill beds the bass were there and eating.  Any place that I left the bluegill beds (there were 2 other boats doing laps with me) the fish weren't there (or weren't eating).

 

All in, not a bad way to spend an anniversary.

 

 

 

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  • Like 12
  • Super User
Posted

You did well, my cyber-buddy.

  • Super User
Posted

Congrats on the 17 year wedding anniversary.  Many more years ahead I'm sure.

  • Like 1

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