Dec 30 2022
David Felton
Slot Fish
Reservation Number : 34588
Property Name : Dogwood Lakes Estate: West Lake
Reservation Date : 12/29/2022 All Day -
Total Fish/Sizes : 2 LBM, 4.12lbs and 5.75lbs
Lures Used : Tx rigged paddle tail, Tx rigged beaver style creature
My fishing buddy and fellow member Mark Daugherty and I braved the frigid 70 degree late December day to test out our new rain gear. He was sporting the fashionable and functional Sims gear, while I opted for the budget friendly Frogg Toggs Pro Pilot II that don’t match. We decided to do some fishing while we were standing out in the rain that alternated between light drizzle, steady rain, hard pounding thunderstorms, just clouds, and repeat. Watere conditions were 48-50 degrees (before rain vs. after), stained tea color with 12-18 inch visibility. Winds alternated between calm and light breezes 5-10mph. We had pretty high hopes for the day when on the 2nd cast from the bank before we launched the boat Mark hooked up with a FAT 4.12lb toad. We were casting toward the fish feeder just after it went off around 8am, and he caught it on a Tx rigged 4.8in swimbait. We tried for several more minutes around the boat launch and along the north bank with swimbaits without any more takers. We launched the boat and proceeded to cover the whole lake for around 4 more hours without another fish to be had. I got a single short strike on a bluegill colored spinnerbait, but that was the extent of the “action” till we put the boat back up to get a snack around 12:30pm. While we were docked I make a couple of casts from the back of the boat out toward the fish feeder with a Tx rigged beaver bait in hematoma color. I got my 2nd bite of the day, but even though the fish was swimming off with it, when I set the hook, there was nothing there. I threw out in the same general direction and when I got back to just about the same spot, I got my 3rd and final bit of the day. I patiently waited for the line to start moving away slowly, and set the hook, and this time she was on! It was a very short battle as the bite was close to the bank, but for a very cold fish she made it clear she didn’t want to be caught. She tipped the scales at 5.75lbs and I’m pretty sure is my new PB by a quarter of a pound. We fished the rest of the day till around 3:30pm in alternating stormy conditions without a single bite. The previous week’s arctic blast must have just shut them down even though we had a great temperature day (for the fishermen anyway). Lures tried that did not produce: everything, including: shallow crankbait, deep diving crank, lipless crank, blade bait, jerkbaits, Carolina rigged baits, chatterbait, jigs, Ned rig, weightless Senko, spinnerbaits, finesse swimbaits on underspins, Tx rigged worms and lizards.
Jan 02 2023
Steve Carpenter
Keeper
Member Since :
2015
Number of Posts :
401
Curious about the review of the rain gear?