New water is always a dilemma. On one hand, it is exciting to step out of my comfort zone and chase bass in an unfamiliar setting. On the other hand, it is intimidating to chase bass armed with only information gleaned from internet prowling. Of course, decades of experience also come into play. Read on for the report from the original blog entry posted on April 27, 2012, at the Heartland Outdoors website.
Beginner’s Luck – 1:32pm, seven minutes after launching I found a good one weighing 3-6
Stats
Date: April 19, 2012
Location: Prairie Lake – Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish & Wildlife Area
Time: 1:25pm-6:10pm
Weather: Sunny to overcast/very windy
Air Temp: 75F-73F
Water Temp: 64F
Totals: 3 bass, 1 bluegill (accident)
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig with flickshake weighted jighead (rainbow trout) – 1 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 1 bass, Bomber Flat A (baby bass) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-13 (Senko wacky rig)
Weight (2 bass > 12”): 7-3 (3-13, 3-6)
Original Log Entry
Notes & Nonsense
Exploring – New water is always a treat and I enjoy testing my skills armed only with about 30 years of experience and whatever information I can glean from magazines and websites. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t but for me a pair of three plus pounders in about five hours of fishing is a good day. Sure, I only landed three bass and had a couple other odd breakoffs when setting the hook on what looked to be smallish fish but overall, I still considered the outing to be a success thanks to the two quality bass.
5:19pm – took nearly four hours to land bass number two but a 3-13 was worth the wait
No Wake – I’m a big fan of allowing anglers to run “big” motors at “no wake” speeds on bodies of water such as Prairie Lake. It sure made point hopping a breeze in the windy conditions and allowed for some more exploring than would have been afforded by our trolling motor setup. It also provides confidence that I’ll get back to the boat ramp as I’ve had some anxious moments over the years. Of course, the 35-horsepower motor gave out for some reason leaving me pushing out of a thick weedbed with a canoe paddle but fortunately I was within yards of the ramp. I was admittedly a little ticked off but no worse for wear and luckily the stormy looking weather conditions meant that I did not have an audience at the boat launch.
Sinking Feeling – About 5:30pm I decided to troll across a section of the lake, eat a sandwich and relax before finishing up my day with a pass along the dam. I’d taken my hat off to air out a bit and let the stiff wind blow through my thinning hair. Looking down I suddenly realized that the wind had lifted my good old floppy hat which was now bobbing amidst the whitecaps about 100 feet away (a long 100 feet at that back into the wind). The race was on, and I won so my hat simply got a much-needed washing and what more fitting basin than a 210-acre fishing hole.
6:01pm – final bass of the day
Bed Time – I did spy a few bass on beds doing what comes naturally and briefly harassed a couple of them to no avail with the closest taker blowing up a topwater frog. I’ve never been much of a sight/bed fisherman anyway as I don’t have the patience. Besides, with the windy conditions boat control and spotting fish was a hassle and I didn’t feel like anchoring as I’m more of a run and gun guy once the cold-water period passes. I also have occasional reservations regarding messing with the bass as they work on restocking the lake. I mean if the shoe was on the other foot (even though bass don’t have feet, you know what I mean).
“Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” – Meatloaf (1947-2022), sums up this outing well
The years have passed, and I have never gotten a chance to get back to JEPC’s Prairie Lake. I continue to hear good things about the fishing hole but just too far to invest the time and gas money. And, while I only got three bass in the boat, as Meatloaf would say, “Two out of three ain’t bad.” Talk to you later. Troy