So, what to do to kick off my 50th birthday in style? Why, a fishing trip, of course. Up at 4:15am and half a dozen bass in the log before anybody probably even got up at my house. I could also write “before anybody even missed me” for as long as those kids have their mama around I don’t think they notice that I’m gone, even on my birthday.
Stats
Date: July 23, 2017
Location: Little John Conservation Club (2 lakes)
Time: 6:30am-12:15pm (5.25 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny/breezy to windy
Air Temp: 74-86F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 11 bass
Lures:
Whopper Plopper (I Know It) – 5 bass
5” Senko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake) – 2 bass
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (chartreuse white shad) – 2 bass
Zoom Baby Brush Hog (green pumpkin) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 3-8 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight: 8-1 (3-8,1-8,1-1,1-0,1-0)
6:33am 13″ 1-1 Whopper Plopper 6:58am 13″ 1-0 Whopper Plopper
Notes & Nonsense
Immediate Feedback – Julie and the kids bought me a GoPro for my birthday as I must admit to being a bit entertained by a handful of fishing oriented YouTubers over the last year or so. I’m nowhere near as hip as this bunch but do take some consolation in the fact that I was pulling a few of their stunts before they were even born or Al Gore invented the internet. Anyway, this was the inaugural GoPro outing and believe it or not I caught a bass on my first cast of the morning, GoPro filming and everything. Only a 10” fish but had to laugh at my good fortune despite such “luck” superstitiously being the kiss of death via a first cast bass. The jury is still out on what will become of the GoPro footage in terms of any public display but that’s a decision and a blog entry for another time.
You Go Back, Jack, Do It Again (Steely Dan, Do It Again, 1972) – Stop number two did not live up to expectations with only three bass in just under three hours with the largest being 13” and one-pound even on the buzzbait. The other pair came on the Senko wacky rig and I busted off a fish on a creature bait on the hookset as my knot pulled free. Just not my day on this spot, even when I slowed down a bit. Once again focused on force feeding a buzzbait in less than ideal conditions looking for that one bite but my stubbornness did not pay off. The good thing was I still had at least another hour and a half before I had to head home. The tough thing was deciding on the next fishing hole that would present the best opportunity to get something big. I mulled it over as I rowed back to the ramp and came up with the brilliant plan to go back to the lake I’d selected to start my day.
7:23am 15″ 1-8 Whopper Plopper 10:29am 13″ 1-0 Buzzbait
That One Bite – It took me thirty minutes upon my return to lake one before I fooled my first bass of visit number two while slowing down with a Texas rigged creature bait. Not looking like a real winning move in my choice of a return trip at that point as the sun dominated the sky and the noon hour was just around the corner. I was desperate for cloud cover and when a lone cloud showed up between me and the sun it was time to bust out the buzzbait yet again…and it worked to the tune of a 3-8 to save the day. Crazy thing is, it was the fourth time I had worked this particular historically productive area on this trip and the only bite it produced. With a blend of perseverance and stubbornness I got my bite.
Top Bass 11:40am 19″ 3-8 Buzzbait New appearance of an old lure
BBH – This abbreviation found its way into the logbook again after a significant absence from being on the end of the line for a cooperative bass. Strange how lure selection can result in lures that come and go as I get in a rut, rely heavily on comfort lures or swing for the fences with a proven big bass bait. In this case it was a welcome and successful changeup in my choice to slow it down as the Zoom Baby Brush Hog was my Texas rig bait of choice. I’d struggled this year to entice a bite in limited use with this general presentation while employing a Senko or Havoc Pit Boss but “rediscovered” the Brush Hog, tied it on and parlayed it into a pair of bass around some laydowns. My game (and sometimes my downfall) is power fishing but setting the hook on those taps brought back an appreciation for the variety of approaches it takes to fool my quarry over the course of a day, a year and a lifetime of chasing the largemouth bass.
Been waiting to write a report filled with a combination of quantity and quality so, of course, that means a little longwinded on the recap. But what else do you have to do, you’re probably supposed to be working anyway. No need to thank me for the substantial distraction, just keep reading. And tell your fishing buddies. One more report to go this week in order to finally get caught up for July, been very fortunate in terms of time on the water. Talk to you later. Troy