I launched yesterday at 6:10, intending to spend a productive full day on the calm water. The forecast was for light wind and partly cloudy skies, so it was with a great deal of anticipation as I began to fish this new (to me) lake. The water temp was 86.5^° just off the very steep ramp, but was to climb to almost 90^° before I stopped fishing at 3:00. Water clarity was about 8 feet. I boated my first fish at 6:37, a 13” youngster that hit a bone Yellow Magic at the south end of the dam. That was the only fish all day that struck anywhere near the bank. It was 59 minutes later that the second one, a 2-06, succumbed to a purple buzz bait back in the creek end. Only 4 minutes later, a 2-11 hit that same lure. Then a dry spell struck. I didn’t land my next bass until 9:30, a 2-08 that picked up a green pumpkin Senko by the outlet. An hour later, fishing the dam, I noticed some baitfish on the surface out In deeper water. I cast a chartreuse/chrome Rattletrap past them and, as I retrieved it through the baitfish, a 3-09 attacked it. Another 30 minutes went by, and then I picked up a 3-02 on a shad-colored deep crankbait. Another 45 minutes of nothing. Then I picked up a 3-06 on a Storm 5” Wild Eye Swim Shad, again in deep water out from the SW end of the dam. Another half hour passed, and a 2-05 hit that deep crankbait. At 1:00, I got a hit on a Whopper Plopper back in the middle of the creek “channel,” and soon hooked a good one on a River2Sea popping frog. Lost that one on a jump – probably would have gone about 5 pounds. I worked my way back toward the dam, where I picked up two more on the swim bait. One about 14” and one 2-09. By that time it was almost 3:00, and I was absolutely worn out from the heat. I really wanted to see if there was an evening bite, but just couldn’t take the heat any longer. Total for the day: 11 bass, a crappie, and a bluegill in 9 hours of hard fishing (The crappie and ‘gill hit a Senko). All but one of the bass caught were away from the bank in the deepest water available in that part of the lake - a typical post-spawn, suspended bass pattern.

What didn’t work:  punching the grass mats, frogs in the mats, spinnerbait, creature bait, anything  in the scattered clumps of hydrilla, anything close to the bank

Posted By: Tom Dillon