Jul 28 2025
Tom Italiano
Fry
Yesterday from sunrise to 11am in my kayak at one of my favorite PWF lakes. Proper gravel road to get to the dock, easy launch access through the cows even in the dark. Welcome cloudiness in the morning, sun and stronger breeze came by noon. This lake is productive year round in my experience, 3-4 lbs are typical. Highly recommend. The loud feeding frenzies are a lake trait I like. Got too hot for me, and the action slowed. 9 LMB netted into craft, all right around the size and health of the first one I caught which I measured at 4.19. I was missing hooksets repeatedly (stopped counting after 10 because…I suck!), so I didn’t want to waste seconds with the scale when it was so obvious they were all within a pound of each other – and biting. These were meaty and angry, nothing to cull this trip or my last two here. No crappie, and if I ever catch a catfish I will not admit it. Paddletail style black frog on 20lb braid got the most casts and bass. I would cast into the deep-water edge of the weeds and retrieve so the flutter was happening maybe 8-10 feet outside and along the weed edge and bam! Splash! Set! Adrenaline! Next time I go with flukes on the edges in and out of the weeds, but they were hitting the topwater so why stop? My go-to here is a big black spook, which I keep handy while I am throwing other lures because this lake has periodic feeding frenzies that are fantastic. So exciting, but it doesn’t last long. I’d say there were only four of those events this morning. You can see the gizzard shad or talapia jumping out of the water; some are pretty big! Last time, there were more blowups and each lasted longer, all around me. Just cast a bigger popper or spook out there and twitch a time or two, boom! Owner Joe put a marker directly across from the ramp and if you stay out say 30 yards from that pipe towards the ramp you will be in deep water and able to cast in any direction into the feeding action that mostly seems to happen around that far-side area for some reason. From the ramp early, fish along the right side working towards that marker and then a spot to the left of there on kind of a point, viewed from the dock, are sweetspots. Never caught anything directly center out from the dock, or to the left side from the dock. I do not use electronics and Joe advises all that is a disadvantage on his AA lake. I still catch ‘em! Joe, thank you agan for our conversation and that you pay to feed your fish so well for all of our members to enjoy your property. Greatly appreciate it.