As public fishing access for 2022 nears an end at Snakeden Hollow, let’s take a look back at my finale from five years ago this week.

Excerpts from original post on October 11, 2017

Stats
Date: October 8, 2017
Locations: Snakeden Hollow
Time: 7:35am-9:35am
Weather: Sunny/calm
Air Temp: 50-62F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 11 bass
Lures: Swim Jig with hammertail trailer – 4 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (rainbow) – 3 bass, Stanley Vibra Shaft spinnerbait (blue glimmer) – 1 bass, Chatterbait (bluegill) with Zako trailer (smoke) – 1 bass, Rapala Shadow Rap (blue back herring) – 1 bass, Strike King KVD 2.5 Rattling Squarebill crankbait (natural pumpkinseed) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-2 Blue Glimmer spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 8-2 (2-2,1-12,1-9,1-7,1-4)

7:51am – Top Bass at 2-2 (16″) on the old Blue Glimmer spinnerbait

Notes & Nonsense

Good Start – It took only four minutes to get on the board with a 1-7 which was followed up twelve minutes later with a solid 2-2. An encouraging start on a lake that had produced three keepers including a 3-8 a month earlier in only 30 minutes of casting. My aim was to invest a little more time and have a closer look so it was cool that my first two bass were quality and the second was bigger than the first. I was hoping that sort of trend would continue but it did not pan out in terms of size although eleven bass in two hours was a darn good success rate.

The arsenal selected to fool some October strip mine bass

Smorgasbord – It was really a strange day as I could never truly get anything going in terms of getting a lure or two dialed in as my eleven bass came on six different lures. In fact, my first four bass all came on different baits over the course of 45 minutes on the water. The first on a chatterbait, then nothing further. Switched up to the Blue Glimmer and hooked up right away, then nothing. Same scenario with a KVD Rattling Squarebill followed by a Shadow Rap and then another lull. I then found three on the 1- and was about to relocate when I happened upon a swim jig bite for four more before the lake shut down altogether. The variety was fun but also a little frustrating as I just couldn’t find a consistent and lasting winner.

Swim Jig bass, a new trick in my tacklebag

Lure Highs and Lows – I would say that the highpoint of my outing was fooling several on the swim jig. This neglected lure was on the list to throw in 2017 but I had never gotten around to it and tied it on as a whim to simply try and fool at least one. Wound up with four in about twenty minutes including one of my Top 5. The lowlight would be busting off the top blade on the recently resurrected Blue Glimmer spinnerbait while reeling in a bass. Crazy, as I had just posted a bit about the return of this bait, opening it from a package I’d had sitting around for better than fifteen years. I’d never busted a blade off in all the years I fished these things but here in 2017, after less than a dozen catches, it was broken.

 

I ended that original 2017 post stating “So, it’s getting to be that time when thoughts of the ‘last bass’ begin to enter my mind.”

And here we are again. My annual goal is a first bass in March and a final bass in November. The first of those bookend bass kicked of 2022 on March 20 and November is less than four weeks away. I am not sure what lies in store for the remainder of this month but as always, I’ll keep you posted. Talk to you later. Troy