WaddaYa Think of this !!

[silvercliff_46]

I went fishing Monday, on a small 80 acre natural lake in N.E. Wisconsin. The weather was almost perfect. There was hardly a wind. It was a cool start in the morning with a fairly thick ground (water?) fog that rose about 4 feet over the water, even so the blue clear sky promised a warm day. The weed growth was heavy. We haven't had much rain up here so the water was gin clear.

I started by throwing a spinner bait along the edges of the pads. Here and there I snagged a snake northern. I switched to a Jaw-Breaker spoon and worked the heavy stuff, nothing.

I went to the bank pitching, flipping and skipping both a 4 1/2 inch tube (green) and a six inch black flat-tail worm. I nailed a few small large mouth but no great shakes.

Now this is where it gets good. There is a small island on the lake. Just off one edge, there is a pretty good expanse of pond weed (the good pond weed) which drops into about ten feet of water. Just so you know the deepest part of the lake is about 15 feet.

I ruminated on what to do, and figured "Heck bass ain't nothin' but big bluegills, so fish them like it." In summer I use a beetle spin for big gills. I cast it out let it sink then flutter (lift, drop, reel, repeat) it back.

So back to the spinner bait. I cast out let it sink to the bottom, rest a second then used the old "flutter"....BAM! a nice 15 inch-er hit it. I wanted to say slammed it, but it felt more like a walleye take, kind of a bump.

After we made our peace, I thanked him and shot another cast out. Another one ! This one a bit bigger then the last. Another salutation to the bass and another cast, and.., another replay!!!!

This went on over the course of another hour, and I got maybe 20 bass from 13 to 17 inches. WHAT A GAS!

I did target the spot because I saw a couple of loons doing well getting their morning breakfast, and some telltale rings of gills slurping on last nights leftover blue-wing olive hatch. I figured the bass might be under the gills.

I heard you Southern guys talk about fishing schooling bass, but I never experienced it on our little natural lakes in the north country, not like this anyway.

SO wadda ya think? a fluke or what?

[Flywatersmallie]

I live in WI too! (Appleton). Fishing Winnebago might be comparing apples to oranges where you are but.... The bago bass DO school, all the time. Find one and you are likely to find 20, in the open water anyway. of course there are still the lone lily pad bass and the like but open water, you bet they school! Where abouts are you?

[roadwarrior]

Great post!

8-)

[JShrock07]

Sounds like a great lake you've got there!!!  

[Tokyo Tony]

Good job man! That was a good read  ;D

[silvercliff_46]

I live in WI too! (Appleton). Fishing Winnebago might be comparing apples to oranges where you are but.... The bago bass DO school, all the time. Find one and you are likely to find 20, in the open water anyway. of course there are still the lone lily pad bass and the like but open water, you bet they school! Where abouts are you?

I live pretty close to Cauldron Falls and High Falls, in Marinette county. I like to fish High Falls early in the year and in the fall after the nut cases leave. I have a 17 foot bass boat with a 115 hp motor, that can feel like a dugout canoe surrounded by PT Boats in summer on High Falls.

Cauldron Falls sucks FOR ME! It's around a 1400 acre flowage (reservoir) and I don't have much experience on reservoirs. For thirty years I fished Shawano lake. It's a six thousand acre natural lake. I fished reeds, weeds and docks and caught enough to satisfy my wants and needs.

If I wanted something different I fished (and still do!) the small lakes of the Nicolet national forest that range from 10 to 100 acres. Many of them are carry in launch (the only carry in I do now days is from the carry out.) and my little 12 ft. canoe does just fine.

The only electronics I have when I fish these tiny waters, is my insulin pump.., maybe a thermometer in spring. My competition is loons, bears, herons, mink, and the occasional otter.

Most of these little gems don't have a house or cabin on them. I catch the majority of my bass in the fallen timber along the shore line. I must say also; bass are at not the top of the food chain in my lakes. Wolf packs of Northern and alligator mouth musky seem to force them to cover.

The closest thing to what happened the other day, is usually caused by a large May fly hatch, especially the Big Brown drake and Hexagenia hatch. There is a difference though, because everything goes nuts.

I've caught everything from bluegills to bass, notherns, walleye, even bullheads at the same time and all on the same kind of fly. Nose breathing is a must when fishing in a hatch that looks like a snow storm, or you'll find out the flavor of the day. Personally I think it must be an acquired taste, as it doesn't do that much for me.

Heck maybe I shouldn't even analyze why I had a morning like that, maybe God gave me one, "just cuz". I hope it's a preview of what's to come in his forest.

[rondef]

Good job, it sounds like you had a lot of fun fishing.

[Sam]

Personally, I think your success was due to your good looks and great personality.  ;D

Actually, you found a "honey hole" that we always look for.

Weeds to a drop off, on a point.  Can't get better than that.

And the Beatle Spin, too.

Great story and congrats on hitting that school.  Now go back and find the school again under the same conditions.  

[billbrum]

That was a great story, and definitely not a fluke.