Jerking and Finessing, 5/18/19

[Will Wetline]

Was anchored off a wind-blown rocky shoreline shortly after 7:00. Water temp was 52.1º. Why not start off with a deep suspending jerkbait?

 

 

Good morning to you!

 

 

Here's another one that mistook a Lucky Craft Staysee 90 SP for a nutritious breakfast.

 

The wind, which had been just about perfect, soon puffed up to the point that it was knocking the heads off the whitecaps. I'm outta there to find somewhat calmer conditions.

 

Got into the general area of a small rock hump I've been fishing for years but couldn't pinpoint it. Dropped the anchor onto the surrounding soft bottom and thought I might locate it by fan casting a Finesse TRD on a 3/32 oz. Midwest Finesse head. I didn't hang rock but I did hang this:

 

 

This big smallie looks like a 6 lber. but it's only 3.81. (I'm not saying it wasn't welcome in my net.) 

 

Finally found the hump I was looking for. I was getting fish but also getting hung up and breaking off. Feeling I had sacrificed enough tackle to Mistress Quabbin for this outing, on the next snag I put the rod down, opened the bail and went forward to untie the anchor rope so I could get behind the stuck jig and maybe free it. I untied the first hitch and then glanced at the reel. Why was the line peeling off that quickly? Because a 3.96 lb. smallmouth had plucked the jig off the rock!

 

 

Now wait a minute, I know this fish looks smaller than the one in the previous pic, but the scale read the weight I posted. When I win the Lottery I am going to buy the perfect Quabbin boat which will be big enough to carry a professional photographer as well as a masseuse to massage my sore senior body when it tires from techniques other than finesse. I'm not holding my breath on the Lottery win, though.

 

Onward to a long ridge now. The wind has calmed to the point that there is none. Ugh. I'm not through fishing for the day yet and I adopt an attitude of extreme stealth; when the Q's very clear water goes flat the fish get skittish and go deeper. I rig my 7' ML outfit with a 1/16 oz. Midwest Finesse head with a Mudbug TRD. The smallies particularly like Mudbug on a sunny day.  I cast and took a short snooze while waiting for this bait to hit bottom. Ha!

 

 

Note that I've pulled my arms in so close to my body that this fish looks like a 2. The Accu-Cull scale read 3 1/2.

 

Alright then. Enough for this day. I'm going to buy a Lottery ticket on the way home.

 

Will Wetline

 

[Derek1]

Sounds like a good day man. 

[roadwarrior]

[airborneduckhunter]

Awesome! Maybe one day I will get somewhere that I can chase smallmouth.