I’ve fished more than a few early mornings this summer (launching around 4 or so).  In years past those were my best buzzbait mornings, often catching a half dozen or more before it even starts to break daylight and then shifting to other lures to catch more after.  I don’t know that I’ve caught a buzzbait fish on my home lakes this year. Still haven’t.  In fact now thinking about it, I can’t think of a topwater fish (any topwater) I’ve caught on my home lakes this year either.  This morning I got to the lake about 415 with 3 different topwaters tied on (buzzbait, rage shad, jitterbug) and 30 minutes in I decided today wasn’t going to be the day that broke the seal either.  The water was slick calm and there was nothing stirring it.  No bluegills sucking, no bass chasing anything baitfish, nothing.  With the full moon being early last night (it set as I was launching) I figured they had eaten up all night and were starting to settle down for a bit.  On this lake that means no surface lures.  If you’re lucky they will still be eating if you put it on them, but it has to be subsurface.  I gave a buzzbait a go for 30 minutes just in case, but decided that wasn’t happening.  In the past I’d have kept at it hoping for that one big one but today I pivoted quickly and it paid off.

 

 I started with a spinnerbait and managed the first one (3-12) but I wasn’t feeling like that was the best choice.  That fish barely hit it (only just felt the blade stop) and I had no idea of the size until I tried to boat flip it and couldn’t.  I must have put it right on the fish and it reacted.  A quick swap to a vibrating jig did the trick with a quick dink to build confidence.  I proceeded to fish a quarter of the way around the lake and picked 6 more bass in about 400 yards of shoreline including a 4-09, a 4-03 and a pair of 2-2.5# fish to make out a 17# bag.  And just like that they shut off.  I stuck around for another hour or so throwing plastics on the bottom (picked 1 keeper on a neko) but I could tell it was going to get tough.  That plus the wind kicking up and 5 other guys fishing on 120 acres meant I was content to go home.

 

4-09

 

3-12

 

4-03

 

 

22 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

That plus the wind kicking up and 5 other guys fishing on 120 acres meant I was content to go home.

 

Five other guys fishing and you STILL caught those big bass? Now, that's skill!

Great report! Way to dial it in!!