4/20 report

[Redog]

It was a cooler morning and we got some rain over last week. I thought fishing would be a little harder but still had confidence I could have a good day. Wanted to go back the the same lake as last weekend because the size of fish is so good… Well that was a bad choice! Only 3 bass none of them over 10”…. At one point I had 18 rods on deck lol. I was ashamed of myself. At 12 I made the call to jump to a different lake and did have a nice afternoon catching 12” to 15” bass. Finally at the end of the day I caught one 4.80lb. Overall glad the afternoon was good but disappointed in myself that the morning was so bad. I thought I could do better. Well that’s how it does

[coreynov902]

Some days they bite, some days they don’t. There have been days I’d be glad to have caught those 3 little bass. Sounds like you recovered nicely in the afternoon though. And anytime you can catch a 4+ pound bass I consider the day to be a success. As always, thanks for the report.

[Redog]

Very true. I’ve had many days that I never get a bite..last weekend was so good at that lake so I think that’s why I was so disappointed in myself. The one thing that made me feel better about struggling at this lake is its one that really seems affected by weather change, way more than other ones I’ve fished and I don’t know why… Thankfully the next one was much better. Jerkbait and sq-bill were the best baits but a 8” mag draft caught the big one. I don’t know how many guys are throwing these big swim baits around here but they will get some big bites. What I have been doing is finding big schools of bait and pulling the mag-draft through them with some success. Also on the edges of grass lines. It does take a rod and reel that can handle over 3oz though.

[Phoenix Jim]

Sounds like our day at green valley on Friday. Several dinks and only 3 keepers but water is warming fast. I did catch a 5lb walleye and crappie were sure schooled up and hitting our jerks

[Redog]

Sounds like our day at green valley on Friday. Several dinks and only 3 keepers but water is warming fast. I did catch a 5lb walleye and crappie were sure schooled up and hitting our jerks

That’s a nice walleye!

[coreynov902]

Very true. I’ve had many days that I never get a bite..last weekend was so good at that lake so I think that’s why I was so disappointed in myself. The one thing that made me feel better about struggling at this lake is its one that really seems affected by weather change, way more than other ones I’ve fished and I don’t know why… Thankfully the next one was much better. Jerkbait and sq-bill were the best baits but a 8” mag draft caught the big one. I don’t know how many guys are throwing these big swim baits around here but they will get some big bites. What I have been doing is finding big schools of bait and pulling the mag-draft through them with some success. Also on the edges of grass lines. It does take a rod and reel that can handle over 3oz though.

Wow, I can't say as I've heard of anyone throwing the 8" Mag around here! That's a big bait! I did buy a couple Raid Osakana Slide 170's recently and plan to try them out this year. That is a 6.7 inch soft glide bait. That's about as big as I'll go. I do have some 6" Magdrafts that I also throw, but that 8" Magdraft is MUCH bigger than the 6". Good job at thinking outside the box and getting rewarded for it.

[Redog]

Thanks I’ve already caught 2 nice fish with it this year (8” draft) it’s kinda fun to play with. I won’t throw evey time I go but I usually give it a little time in the spring and fall. I don’t think the fish around the mid west see it a bunch. If you get south and at the ozarks then yes it plays down there.

[Phoenix Jim]

Wow, I can't say as I've heard of anyone throwing the 8" Mag around here! That's a big bait! I did buy a couple Raid Osakana Slide 170's recently and plan to try them out this year. That is a 6.7 inch soft glide bait. That's about as big as I'll go. I do have some 6" Magdrafts that I also throw, but that 8" Magdraft is MUCH bigger than the 6". Good job at thinking outside the box and getting rewarded for it.

you are missing out. Think about it, the bass around here dont see big swimbaits much.

[coreynov902]

you are missing out. Think about it, the bass around here dont see big swimbaits much.

I'm sure I am. I briefly tried using larger baits (7" glide and 8"-9" wake bait) a couple years ago and just didn't stick with it. At some point I have a feeling I'll try again, but for now I don't go any bigger than about 7" and 2oz for any swimbaits/glide baits. I had pretty good luck on a Spro KGB Chad Shad last year until I lost it. That hurt. I can't imagine some of these swimbait guys that lose baits costing 3-4 times that much, or more.

[Redog]

Most I’ve lost is $30 crank bait… It hurts for sure lol. I do have a lure retriever and it has gotten some tackle back for me! A few weeks ago I got a 110 back that I worked with for about 10min. I almost gave up but some I got it back!!

[coreynov902]

Yeah, I've got two different lure retrievers. Unfortunately, I didn't lose it to a snag. My braid-to-leader connection knot slipped and I lost it on the cast. I still have a glimmer of hope that I can retrieve it at some point since I know roughly where it is. I've tried running some baits through the area hoping to snag it, but so far no luck. I lost it on a lake that is extremely (10-12 feet) low due to the drought, so if we don't get a bunch of rain and it stays dry this summer, I might be able to find it if the water gets 2-3 feet lower. But I'd gladly sacrifice the bait if it meant getting the lake level back up where it should be. So far it's the only time I've had a leader connection knot fail, and of course it had to happen on the most expensive lure I've ever owned.

[Redog]

Oh shoot that’s a bummer…. One time I had a brand new S-waver glide bait, not that expensive but tied it on in the boat. Then cut the tag ends of the line. I then just tossed it off the side of the boat and watched it sink slowly LOL by the time I realized I cut the main line it was gone!!! Talk about a dumb a$$. I think I said a bad word.

I once saw a guy in a v-bottom throw is anchor out at Anita only to realize it wasn’t tie to the boat…. I have a kid at work that took his dad’s John boat to icara. It had a 25hp mercury (older but good one) on the back. He was going down the lake and lost the hole motor LOL. Maybe a bait isn’t as bad as it could be.

[coreynov902]

Thanks for the laugh. Glad to know I'm not the only one that does stupid things sometimes.