It must be a theme of storm fronts and fishing. Yes, there is a small front passing through the area today. The visibility is down to about 10 miles, and the temperatures have dropped a few degrees as it made its way through.
I got out there at the typical mid-day time and picked a position where I could launch a 3/8 oz skirted jig out towards the center of the dam. Since the wind was up there about 15 mph it was challenging maneuver. That wind carries the trailing line right over into the weeds. Given the use of lighter mono it is so light that a subtle breeze is enough to move it a long ways from the intended destination. Fortunately the cast was delivered far enough away. I let it settle and gently worked it back making only slight movements.
This was not working so about halfway back I decided to speed up the retrieve and just plan on trying another place. So I'm cranking briskly and at about 2 meters from shore I see a shadow following the jig. Oooh, maybe if I pause and let it flutter. Yes, sure enough as soon as I paused in the cranking the shadow over took my bait and engulfed it. It didn't move but I didn't wait for it to do so either, I hauled back on the line and set the hook. Even at the limited distance of 2 meters the fight was on. It didn't help that I failed to set my drag aggressively. I basically forgot to preset the drag, I typically release the drag after each fishing session. I've heard that is a good thing to do in maintaining the quality of the drag for a longer life.
By the time I got the drag tightened up the tug of war was still raging. Fortunately with the drag at a better setting it was a bit easier to gain the advantage. As I got the fish to shore, I was somewhat concerned on just how to handle it. I could not see the jig so I wasn't about to thumb it in the lip blind. That is a big sharp hook on that jig! It appeared that the whole jig was in the mouth. The hook penetrated the side of the jaw plate with enough of the wide gap hook passing through and curving right back into the front of the jaw. Yes, out and right back in. I've never run into this type of hook up before. It is truly a new one for this kid. I'm glad I had the mini pair of pliers in that multi-tool. It came in quite handy to provide enough leverage to get the hook out without too much fuss. I was able to get the 15 inch LMB back on its way to the dark depths. That was cool, except for the fussing about with the reel drag...
That was fun so I fired another long cast out towards the middle of the lake. Only this time the breeze decided to change directions and cause an over run on the reel. I'm still learning how to setup the bait cast reel to deal with casting into the wind and avoiding those spool over runs. Ok, that cast didn't produce anything but frustration as it took me some time to clear out the loops.
I decided to move down to another location where the wind wouldn't be quite the issue for me. I send the jig out and at about the halfway point, there is a slight tap inbetween one of the pulls. I let the jig settle to see if there is a follow on interest. I didn't have to wait too long as there came several light pickups and pecks. The tugs were really light and just enough to pick up the lure and then drop it just as quickly. I was hoping that my patience would be rewarded. This went on for some time, I'm guessing over 30 seconds where it would just pickup and let go. So I keep a bow in the line watching it and not putting any pressure or tension. I noticed that it was getting a bit more aggressive in the pulls, they were appearing to last a bit longer each progressive time. I'm in no hurry as this could be a small sunfish or a rather large one. Finally there was what I perceived as a protracted pull, one that I could possibly connect on. So point the rod tip towards the line, reel down and haul back. Oooh, there is some night weight on the other end as the pole and reel strained and you could hear the mono tension up in the wind. Oh it is on! As soon as I set the hook I could feel the surge and the fish rose to the surface to give me a good look at it. Wow! Two LMBs in three casts. I'm starting to like storm fronts!
This was another good 15 inch LMB that was really healthy. It had a nice girth to it. I'm not sure if it has completely spawned out but it was not that aggressive on hitting the lure. It might actually be that it was guarding the nest down deep and was picking at the lure. Either way it was good fun and a quick release. This one was neatly hooked in the corner of the mouth so the hook lifted right out. I like that.
The rest of the time was devoid of interest. However I'm happy to have connected with two for that session. I would have been content with that much time out at the pond. It was a special treat to get some more time later in the day. I was able to get in some more casting near sunset.
I decided to give the weightless brush hog a try as the wind was still blowing and I was able to cast the light soft bait. On my first cast out to the center of the pond, the line started moving laterally. I was so surprised and happy but the wind had payed out quite a bit of line so I had to move gently and quickly to tension up on things. As soon as I was ready the fish dropped the bait. So the waiting game began again. As with earlier in the day this was a light peck and pull but very short in overall duration. By waiting I could tell that there was a commitment and interest as it seemed to come back with a matter of of a second or two.
I waited some more to see if I could get a protracted pull. It finally came and I was comfortable in pulling back. Since there was so much line payed out I wasn't quite sure if there was enough effort to set the hook. When I pulled there was not much weight there. The rod tip responded with a tug from the fish. It was not a very strong pull but it was there. The 11 inch LMB gave reasonable resistance but I'm sure it was happy it was over quick. Popped out the hook and sent it on its way.
A 3 bass day! What a hoot. It doesn't happen often and when it does it sure puts a smile on my face. Cool!
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