In Pursuit Of Giant Bass ~ One Man's Journey

[pbrussell]

Hey guys, I like catching big bass. 

[pbrussell]

I more or less ate some jambalaya this morning. Tasted good. REAL GOOD.

[A-Jay]

~ Woke up early - deer have the dogs all riled up.

 

Might as well wet a line.

 

More to follow ~

 

A-Jay

[GoneFishi'n]

Go catch that big one. I'm on the way to a private lake to see if I can get several pigs with a Huddleston. Good luck!

[A-Jay]

**** Trip Log ****

 Sunday 30 June  

Fished 6am – 11am  / Air temp mid 60’s / Water Temp 73 / Winds N 5 - 10  /  Sky, partly cloudy / Barometer 1008 & rising.

 Though I routinely stop fishing on weekends sometime around mid-June to avoid the crazies, I really needed to wet a line, so I went anyway.  On my last trip I had a little luck throwing a swimbait.  Armed with some apprehensive confidence, I made this the technique of the trip and didn’t bring anything else.

 I started off fishing a point I had seen a decent fish at last time out.  There was a bit of a breeze early, which is a little unusual, so I anchored very shallow at the top (shoreside) of a point that dropped off twice right in front of me; first down to 18 – 20 ft and then again out into the main lake basin which is over 80 ft.  I’m always marking fish somewhere on that second drop but the spot is very stingy as far as giving up fish.  I did catch a nice chunker right off the bat. It took a Hudd 68 rainbow trout (rof 12).  Fish loaded up on the bait nicely, the way I would like all my swimbait fish to take it – deep.  It was only a 16 inch fish but the 6” bait was gone.    I was glad to get a bite here and I hope it continues. 

   While on the hook, there were plenty of trout moving all around the lake, even as shallow as 10 ft.  I tried changing to a rof 5 bait for a while hoping to fool any fatties that might be looking up for an easy meal; didn’t happen.

 Around 9am I relocated to spot that’s loaded with big timber lying on the bottom in 15 – 20 feet ahead of a drop into the main lake. This stuff is easily the “Best looking” visible cover of all three bodies of water and the local “fisherman” beat it up pretty good. The bass respond accordingly.  Normally I pass on these “fisherman friendly” spots but with the water being so clear, on past trips I have seen several high quality fish down there cruising among the logs.  Additionally, my MI PB came from a deep water dock close by there.  So it’s hard to pass it up.  With the sun beaming like it should on the last day of June and despite the breeze, perhaps this deep cover might be the way to go.  The fishing pressure and visibility means that if you get too close to it, even though it's “deep”, the fish shut down.  Staying way off it, anchoring out in deeper water to present the bait a full cast away, is the only way I get bit here (except at night).

   I was crawling the Hudd in and out of the wood.  I hung up a few times but managed to shake the bait off every time.   Each cast I was expecting to either get bit or lose the bait.  I may have to pick up the weed less version someday.   And so after all of that; Jambalaya off the wood.

   The first week of July signals the start of the warmest weather we’ll have here all summer.  It usually lasts 2 or 3 weeks and when combined with the increased boat-nick action the heat and vacation season brings, 95% of my trips until early September will be on weekdays at night. 

However, I do like fishing at night.  Something about the sounds and smells and breathing that night air, it makes me feel alive.

 

Below are short videos of this and my previous trip.

 

A-Jay

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk-JSYwbaz8

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt_xIcuDnKc&feature=em-upload_owner

[Dwight Hottle]

Sweet videos buddy.

[slonezp]

These videos are much more entertaining than the one you posted in Raiders thread. Are those tapeworms in your stomach?

[A-Jay]

Sweet videos buddy.

 

These videos are much more entertaining than the one you posted in Raiders thread. Are those tapeworms in your stomach?

 

I guess they could be - I certainly eat enough . . . .

 

A-Jay

[00 mod]

Dude, that water is CLEAR in that second video!  You can really see it. 

 

Jeff

[hookingem]

The bass fishing videos are superb. Now that abs video is on a different level your in phenomenal shape!  

[dR. HerbLove]

Hey A-Jay,

 

Happy Fourth! I just came across this post and read through it's entirety. The late-great Bill Murphy's book is one of my all time favorite books beyond just a fishing book. There is such a plethora of information in that book it is impossible to glean it all in just one reading. I just happen to be almost finishing it for the third time and it's just as engrossing and informative. I've found that reading and "understanding" his techniques are very different that using and understanding his techniques. Each time I re-read it, things that I thought I understood make so much more sense! 

 

I must really commend you. I have often considered the productiveness of the techniques in today's conditions. Unfortunately. all I am able to fish are shallow, muddy ponds from shore so I've never been able to truly use his methods. From what I have been able to attempt, I can totally sympathize with the patience required. 

 

I will be intently following your exploits. Can't wait to see you stick a fatty. 

[A-Jay]

 

Thanks dR.

 

and Welcome to BR ~

 

A-Jay

[slonezp]

Then I saw screw fishing and drink up

[A-Jay]

What are you Psychic ?

 

A-Jay

[cajunpapi]

Roadwarrior could you clarify the statement multiple rods but they are all the same?

[00 mod]

Big-O use all St. Croix Rage 7'11'' mh/m rods with Shimano Curados.  For every technique.

 

Jeff

[cajunpapi]

You did!

[cajunpapi]

Thanks 00 MOD just was wondering I need to find out more about BIG O sound like my kind of fisherman

[A-Jay]

Hello BR and I hope you're all enjoying your Holiday weekend wherever you may be.

 

I Apologize for not having much to report here recently.

 

Starting next week I am planning to be on the water more often than not and will be posting up accordingly.

 

A-Jay

[gripnrip]

I'm anxious to see how you do night fishing!

[A-Jay]

Me too.

 

 

I'm anxious to see how you do night fishing!

 

Me too.

 

But history has indicated that at least during the heat of summer, I have always been considerably more successful at night.

 

Generally at night, I'm not fishing as deep as the techniques in the book recommend.

 

So it remains to be seen if I'll stumble into what I'm looking for not.

 

A-Jay

[A-Jay]

Barometer's falling nicely which means I might get rained on.

 

 It's been too long so I'm heading out.   

 

 Hoping the fish are thinking about eating.

 

Going to try stitching a crawfish imitation on deeper main lake points.

 

Perhaps something from the Berkley or Rage Tail Line of products.

 

A-Jay

[Sam]

Outstanding!

 

Real research in the real world.

 

Good luck and I will also be following your blog.

 

Be safe and post those pics.

[A-Jay]

**** Trip Log ****

 Monday 08 July   

Fished 6am – 11am  / Air temp mid 70’s / Water Temp 74 / Winds SSE 5 kts or less  /  Started Overcast then Big Fat Rain / Barometer 1013 & falling.

 

 Weather looked promising for an early morning bite today.  Forecast was for some clouds and light showers with clearing skies by noon.  I anchored up right at sunrise.  There was a very low warm fog over the lake that extended into the surrounding pines but no winds at all – air was heavy, wet & still.  The kind of morning that makes an angler believe something special in possible. 

  I stated out on long gradually sloping, main lake point that I’ve always felt had major potential.  It has yet to live up to my expectations but on this morning I was anxious to give it another chance.  I alternated between a Rainbow Trout Hudd 68 (rof 12) and a stitching rig with a Rage Tail Lobster at the business end.  This is the first time I’ve tried stitching a craw.  The calm conditions made it quite pleasant to stitch, I was able to feel the rig slither up, over and the through the sparse cover as I worked it along.  

   The Swim bait did not draw a strike but was flowed several times by some curious keeper size bass. 

The Craw did tempt a few of those keeper size bass.  Not knowing what I had, that first take on the craw had me pretty amped up.  Still, nice to get bit.  All the action was on the shallow end of my presentations. 

  Around 9:30am it started to rain and not long after that, the “showers” turned into quite a bit more. 

 The lack of electrical activity in the air allowed me to stick it out a while hoping with would let up soon.

 I learned this morning that stitching in the rain is not optimum.  Rainfall pelting the line makes bite detection somewhat frustrating; time to switch it up.  I relocated to fish a drop in front of a deep flat at the entrance to a main lake cove.   I went to a deep crank, DD22 HD first time throwing this bait.  Worked the whole area shallow to deep and deep to shallow;  on 10lb braid and a long cast, this lure gets down there nicely.  Sometimes fishing in the rain is quite nice – today was not one of those days; Jambalaya on the crank bait.  I was douched.  Time to go.

   So as I look back at what I’ve done so far, the places I’ve fished, the times and conditions I’ve fished in, the baits and techniques I used and the few fish that I have caught, I’m not really putting anything together here.   If anything, I’m starting to believe that perhaps the bigger fish I’m after are actually suspending out over the deeper water during neutral periods.  

 Once my rig and tackle dry out, I’ll be back at it.

 

A-Jay

 

[Dwight Hottle]

Maybe a topwater, or dare I say it a jerkbait presentation might work for those suspended mamas.