False Alarm Today..

[Chuck7]

The bite was SLLLOOOWW to day..I managed to boat 6 but took alot of work...pitching was a the ticket in deep shoreline structure

I spent a few hours searching for Mrs. 10 pound plus out in the deep..After about 3 hours..I felt weight on my rod..I was coming up over a sandbar out of deep water..There was a nice westernly breeze..Intently I studiend the line, reeled in the slack and set the hook..The object did not move at first I thought I was hung up..Then like a telephone pole with fins this creature took off like a bat out of hello. .The weight reminded me of a 12 pounder i hoooked back in 1981. At first it didn't fight like a bass..nor a gator..more like a giant bullhead cat fish..my 10 pound trilene was going through the test..I knew if this was a bass it was a 15 plus..it was very heavy...I then saw the white..like th ebelly of a bass..and a huge girth...and it began to make some nice short but solid runs...is this it?? Is the moment I've been waiting for?? I was praying out loud and trying not to overact ...the rod stayed doubled up the entire time and I began to hoist the creature to the boat..with it's neck out stetched my short lived fame was over as I had to find a way to unhook a 19 pound FL soft shelled turtle.

The turtle is on the next page..{ -;

[Chuck7]

[Gangly]

Soft shell turtles are a delicacy in some areas

[Chuck7]

yes sir..they sell the meat here as well...a strong wind came up and the nimbo cumulus as well..this is when I got 4 bass in 10 minutes..the morning bluebird sky made for extra poor fishing...

there seems to be a cycle with fish..I noticed...

Last Fri....Big fish to be caught flipping and pitching...

Next day..on;y 3 dinks on the shoreline...and scattered 2 pounders off the shore.

Next day..1 - 1 1/2 pounders scattered....

Today...dinks to 1 pounders...

i ought to fish everyday to see how the pattern goes...

[Gangly]

sounds like they are steadily moving deeper and towards heavy cover. The clearer our water gets, as well as the hotter it gets, the bigger fish do 1 of 3 things: go deep, nocturnal, or go to HEAVY cover where they can rest in the shade during the day. An intereseting article in BASS, as told by Glen Lau, mirrored these statements almost identically. He mentions that he comes across big berthas on occasion during the middle of the day that are in deep structure that are literally sleeping. They have one fin moving and one gill moving. When he touches them, they take off, showing that they are sleeping and not just sick or something. Its a great read, check it out sometime.

[Chuck7]

another hypothesis...

My wife belongs to Ferrel fancies...a ferrel cat club where the trap neuter and release .We have a colony in our backyard...When she feeds them the mean tom cats come in first...when they are finished then the more timid ones come in..I think this is why I caught all big ones last friday..the dinks would have been eattin alive..

A matter of fact..I generally ask other fishermen how did they do...it's pretty consistant..If I'm catching 2 to 4 pounders..that's what they are catching..if I'm catching dinks..so are they..

Today...I was getting a few pick ups but immediate drops..I talked to another man..same thing..He had 5 pick ups and no fish..


Also..at 12:00 a cool breeze came in...and sure enough at that exact time fish were jumping everywhere..it's like they are all on synchroniced time..as the temps dropped a degree or two..I saw a nice 3 pound bass move in under a willow branch..I spooked it but caught 4 others before deciding to call it a day..It's like deer hunting..i think if one caould understand how weather effects bass they would be more successful in boating quality fish.