Date: July 4, 2023 7:00am to 12:00pm
Lake: Tara
Lures that worked: Red shad ring worm, black and blue bug, chrome & blue rattle trap, watermelon brush hog, white & chartreuse chatter bait
Number of Fish boated: 8 (and a nice one that got away)
Sizes: Up to 4 lbs, one 1lb, one 2lb, the rest around 3lbs 

When you fish Tara lake you know it’s possible on any throw you can connect with a big one. We decided just to fish the morning, launching around 7:00am. We had our first success around the dam with a weightless black & blue bug. The lake level was high and the water quite stained. The bite didn’t come easy. We worked the areas around the dam and the marked brush piles with everything we had, picking one up here and there. On one throw with the rattle trap, we managed to hook a really large one near one of the middle brush piles. I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t get the fish to come up. It was just pulling the boat around and ripping drag like crazy. I was pretty sure it had to be a lake record and a PB. But alas, it turned out to be a large catfish that was somehow hooked on the back towards the tail. Dang. We didn’t actually boat the fish, just took the pliers to unhook the monster, but that was one wild ride! We had on another good one that went after a red shad ring worm close to the brush pile next to the old metal pier. A bobble right at the boat and it was gone. While the fishing wasn’t easy it was still rewarding to feel the strength of some very healthy fish straining the line. Whatever you do, stay hydrated in this heat. And when you fish Tara, be ready for anything!