Saturday - March 21, 2009 - Day 80

Saturday, March 21 - Cold, hazy clouds and wind

At the ramp David said his truck thermometer showed 38 - and it felt
it. Never warmed up much all day with the wind and hazy clouds.

Took of just before safe light at 7 AM and ran down to rocky points in
Mosley Creek. Saw a tournament taking off from Cherokee Ramp as we
went by. Started on one point and Niles said something about another
boat - looked and a guy in a Skeeter was on the point just outside the
one we stopped on - I never saw him, hate to pull in right in front of
another fisherman. I started throwing a Yozuri Shallowvibe and Niles
threw his chrome trap. We worked that point fairly slowly and the
other boat idled around to the next point and started working it.

We kept fishing and he went into a pocket - I went across to the next
point. Kept fishing down the bank but no hits. At 8:00 on the very
last point inside the cove with wind blowing in on it I got a solid 2
pounder on the Yozuri. One in the live well at 8 AM.

We worked back up the points but no hits. Ran to the very back of
Double Branches, the other creek coming in here, and started throwing
a jerk bait, working it over the flooded grass. Clark’s Hill came up
about six feet on March 1 and another foot last weekend so there is a
lot of dead grass out to 7 feet, then hydrilla in some spots from 8 to
15 feet.

About the third cast I caught a 2 pounder on the Pointer. Two in the
boat at 9. Worked the back of the creek and fished a brush pile in 12
feet of water on the lip of the channel hard - not a bite. I was sure
the brush pile would hold fish and had marked it yesterday so I could
find it easily with the higher water. Last time I was here it was
visible.

At 10 ran back out to the rocky points and started fishing them with a
jig head. Just inside the first point I pulled the jighead out of some
grasss and got a thump - landed a 14 inch keeper about 1.5 pounds.
Three in the boat at 10 - seemed I was on an appointment on each hour!

A few minutes later in the back of the pocket I pulled the jig out of
some grass but the grass moved - fish had it. By the time I got smart
enough to set the hook it was gone. One miss.

On a rocky point a few minutes later I thought my line was moving out
and tightened up just in time to feel a fish spit the lure. Two had
made fools of me - should have a limit.

We worked on around the cove fishing a variety of baits. Shallow cove
looked good with grass in it but no hits and no movement. I told Niles
I was glad we had some cloud cover in the clear water and I was afraid
I had blown a limit already.

At 11:50 we had worked to the end of a small island and I was throwing
the jig head and Niles was still on the Trap. I felt a fish start out
with my jighead and as I set the hook Niles said “There’s one, get the
net.” I quickly landed my little bass, swinging it over the side, and
grabbed the net as it fell off on the back platform. Didn’t think it
was a keeper but knocked it in the bottom of the boat with the net
and then netted a good 2.5 pounder for Niles. Picked up my fish and
it barely touched - four in the live well at 11:50 but really needed
to cull, but too early to think about that.

Worked into the cove behind the island and got a thump and set the
hook on a solid keeper - five in the live well at noon, but one just
touched.

We worked all around there and Niles got another keeper off the island
on a crankbait. Worked the rocky points again but nothing. Lots of
boats running by now - a big tournament had taken off downstream of us
at daylight. Boats had run by us for at least 30 minutes when they
took off, from Wildwood probably.

At about 3 I had not had another bite and we ran across to the other
side of the river to a small creek with rocky points going in. Within
a few casts I got a thump on the jig head and landed a solid keeper -
culled the little one.

We fished those areas until quitting time at 5 PM but no hits for
either of us - very frustrating. The water where I got my last fish
was 63 degrees, thought they would be active.

At weigh-in first place was just over 11 pounds - Russell had got on a
good pattern down in Keg Creek, fishing wind blown rocky points. He
had a 5 pound kicker with his limit. Second was 4 at 9 pounds, caught
in the muddy water around the ramp. My five weighed 8.5 for third. We
had a 6.15 pounder weighed in - only fish he had, and it came from the
mud. Also had several more over 4 pounds each, most from the muddy
water, but those guys had only one or two fish.

Grilled a steak and got a hot shower, was in bed before 9 PM.

Ronnie

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