Trial by wind, fire, and water

[Swamp Girl]

Rain was forecast, but not lightning. So, I launched, hoping to get back on the quantity track and catch 45 to 55 bass after my last ten-bass outing. I started with a small smallie on a Mepps in the middle of the pond.

 

 

I then made my way to a protected bay, where I caught quality, but not a lotta bass. They were 17 to 19 inches and I felt good catching them in weeds, which often bedevil me. I used a Crush City Mayor in shad color and a loon Whopper Plopper. Here are the weeds.

 

 

And here are the bass.

 

 

 

I paddled to a similar bay, but that's when the thunderstorms arrived. I took shelter on the shore and waited. It was nearly dark when the lightning abated and I paddled home, but the wind and rain kicked up in my face for 1.5 miles. It was rough. Still, I had fun and it wasn't the first time I've paddled home on a windy, rainy night. 

 

I finished with 19 bass, which is an improvement, but our yo-yo weather has sure curbed their feeding. We reached 94 degrees and 30 hours later, we hit 59 degrees. 

[gimruis]

4 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

where I caught quality, but not quantity bass. They were 18 to 19 inches

 

An average size largemouth where I am is about 14 inches.  18-19 inchers are quality fish.  You would place in a tournament if you weighed in five 19 inchers here.

 

Maybe your standards are so high now that 19 inchers are not in the "quality" range.  I think most of use would be envious of that situation.

[Swamp Girl]

@gimruis: I am not so spoiled that I don't thrill to 18 and 19-inchers. I love them and consider them quality fish. I'm guessing that the five longest fish I caught this evening would place me in a tournament here too, based upon the Maine tourney videos I've watched, but a tournament would make me nervous. Too. much. pressure.

[TnRiver46]

Tournaments also make me nervous because you have to ride in a boat that is skipping across the top of the water like a flat rock 

[Swamp Girl]

@TnRiver46, plus that boat ride gives you a plastic surgery Joker's smile!

[pdxfisher]

Your "bad" days are what must folks would consider pretty awesome days.

 

I have to say I don't miss the East coast thunderstorms and sharp cold front lines. My worst experience with that when I lived in PA was fishing a mountain lake in November. It went from me being in a tee shirt fishing to trying to find my way back to the ramp in my little homemade boat in a whiteout blizzard. Temp dropped a good 30-40 degrees in about 15 minutes.

 

Your story reminded me how East coast and Midwest weather is just so crazy and how much they influenced fishing and safety during fishing. Thunderstorms are so rare out here that folks excitedly talk about when the get to actually see lightning.

[Swamp Girl]

4 minutes ago, pdxfisher said:

It went from me being in a tee shirt fishing to trying to find my way back to the ramp in my little homemade boat in a whiteout blizzard. Temp dropped a good 30-40 degrees in about 15 minutes.

 

Because I live on the coast, I don't see temperature drops as extreme as the one you experienced, but inland, they sure do.

 

5 minutes ago, pdxfisher said:

Your "bad" days are what must folks would consider pretty awesome days.

 

Yeah, I know I'm lucky, but when I watch videos of other anglers in Maine, they don't catch what I catch, neither the numbers nor the consistent quality. I think canoeing is key. A kayak like yours would also work, but any light boat that can reach lesser fished water is, I think, why I catch what I do. The challenge is then to land a strong bass in a canoe that's spun and pulled in the fight. Sometimes, before I even cast, I form a quick plan for how I'll fight a bass if it hits, with reeds to the left, grass to the right, and lily pads behind me.

[wdp]

You continue to slay ‘em and I continue to be jealous! 😁 Great job. Me and buddy only caught 11 on our last outing this past Saturday. Nothing over 2 and half pounds. But we did have fun. 

[Swamp Girl]

27 minutes ago, wdp said:

But we did have fun. 

 

Me too. I try to have fun whatever the results, which isn't hard because being on water is my happy place. As far as being jealous, just remember that come December, I'm looking at snow and ice. I'm going fishing for a couple hours tomorrow afternoon, hoping I can pick up the pace a bit. 

[casts_by_fly]

On 6/23/2024 at 9:26 PM, ol'crickety said:

Rain was forecast, but not lightning. So, I launched, hoping to get back on the quantity track and catch 45 to 55 bass after my last ten-bass outing. I started with a small smallie on a Mepps in the middle of the pond.

 

 

I then made my way to a protected bay, where I caught quality, but not a lotta bass. They were 17 to 19 inches and I felt good catching them in weeds, which often bedevil me. I used a Crush City Mayor in shad color and a loon Whopper Plopper. Here are the weeds.

 

 

And here are the bass.

 

 

 

I paddled to a similar bay, but that's when the thunderstorms arrived. I took shelter on the shore and waited. It was nearly dark when the lightning abated and I paddled home, but the wind and rain kicked up in my face for 1.5 miles. It was rough. Still, I had fun and it wasn't the first time I've paddled home on a windy, rainy night. 

 

I finished with 19 bass, which is an improvement, but our yo-yo weather has sure curbed their feeding. We reached 94 degrees and 30 hours later, we hit 59 degrees. 

 

I know you catch your fair share your way, but I REALLY want to throw a swim jig through that cover.  Dollar pads, pencil reeds, and eelgrass together, but not clumped and messy yet.  The bluegills should be up shallow if not spawning.  Same for a buzzbait.  You've gone plopper and freeloader, I'd be throwing a buzzbait and swim jig.  Both would be getting crushed in that.  

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

I know you catch your fair share your way, but I REALLY want to throw a swim jig through that cover.  Dollar pads, pencil reeds, and eelgrass together, but not clumped and messy yet.  The bluegills should be up shallow if not spawning.  Same for a buzzbait.  You've gone plopper and freeloader, I'd be throwing a buzzbait and swim jig.  Both would be getting crushed in that.  

 

What would you put on your swim jig? It would HAVE to be a 1/8th ounce swim jig. Anything heavier and I'd be dredging the weeds that are under the water. I know this from tossing 3/16th ounce underspins. 

 

A buzzbait does appeal to me. I've caught muskies with them, but never a bass. I once had two muskies racing to my buzzbait. I wish I could have caught both, but I caught the winner, the first one to reach my lure. 

[TnRiver46]

A swim jig is one of the most weedless things I’ve ever fished with. Unless it’s slime, they usually pull right thru it 

[bowhunter63]

Nice haul

[casts_by_fly]

39 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

What would you put on your swim jig? It would HAVE to be a 1/8th ounce swim jig. Anything heavier and I'd be dredging the weeds that are under the water. I know this from tossing 3/16th ounce underspins. 

 

A buzzbait does appeal to me. I've caught muskies with them, but never a bass. I once had two muskies racing to my buzzbait. I wish I could have caught both, but I caught the winner, the first one to reach my lure. 

 

7 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

A swim jig is one of the most weedless things I’ve ever fished with. Unless it’s slime, they usually pull right thru it 

 

What he said.  Assuming you've got 2' depth there in total (or more) I'd start at 3/8 oz and fish it rod tip high.  In something like that you're only fishing it 1' below the surface, maybe even less.  And it will slide right through the weeds.  A vertical tie eye and a pointy nose are important.  If you're ONLY fishing 3' or less then you could drop to a 1/4 or even 1/8 if you really wanted.  Maybe sitting lower you might want to as you're rod tip is 3' lower than mine or so.  But a heavier jig will let you swim it faster and more erratic.  When you kill it, it divebombs for the bottom and that will trigger them.  Then when it hangs on grass a little and you pop it out that triggers them too.  I'd cast it right into the middle of that patch of pencil reeds at some point after working the edges (knowing that if you do hook one, you're probably going to have to go in and get it.

 

As to trailer, the worlds your oyster.  I'd start with something you have already.  I started with keitech fats, but they are a little fragile for me as a swim jig trailer.  Great action though if you have some to use up.  In that case, glue them to the jig the night before and you'll get 2x as many fish on them.  I currently fish just about any plastic that I've fished as a texas rig and beaten up.  SK rage bugs are the current favorite.  When the nose and hook exit get too beat up for a texas rigged hook I nip the tip off the nose and thread them onto a swimjig.  Vertical (for a little deeper) or horizontal (if fishing it shallower/slower).  Rage menace are a good trailer as are the craw chunks.  A 3-4" single or double tail grub works.  I'd bet that your freeloaders would work also, though not good value for money.