I HATE Indian summer.

Over the past 30 years, the vast majority of the lousy fishing days I've
experienced in the late season were days just like today. Mid-70s or
higher, calm and mostly sunny.

And again today, the indian summer blues bit me on the posterior.

Half-Day Frank brought a bunch of chubs and we went out on Squantz, hoping
to have a blast with the smallies, and maybe pick up a walleye or two.

HA! Who was I kidding? I saw the weather report. Warm and calm. Not a
chance.

Anyway, I caught one little smallie on a 2-1/2" Fin-S Fish. Frank got one
on bait. He also got a LM about 3 pounds on the bait. I broke one fish off
on my 4 lb test. Never really got enough of a feel of it to know if it was
a good fish or not. I just hammered a bit too hard on the hook set.

Other than that, I had a very weird experience. As slow as it was, I
decided to trail a chub behind the boat with only the tiniest of split shot
a few feet ahead of it, as I fished along, casting the little fin-s. I
thought I saw the rod tip on the bait rod twitch, then do nothing for a
while. A while later, it twitched again. I reeled in my Fin-S and reached
for the bait rod, just as the tip really started to bend. I followed the
fish with the rod tip, letting it move off a good 4 or 5 feet before
setting up on it. This was the 8 pound test rod, so no real fear of busting
off. The rod doubled over and the fish pulled hard. I had it on for a few
minutes. The way it was fighting, I figured it was a big walleye. Then it
finally came toward the surface, and we got a look at it. Not a walleye.
BIG largemouth! Seven plus range. Then it was gone! And in its place, I had
about a 5" rock bass. Then the LM turned and grabbed the rock bass again!
This time, it didn't get as good a grip on it, and I didn't try to pull
hard on it. But a moment later, it let go of the panfish and was gone. I
reeled in the rocky. It was next to dead. My chub & hook were WAY down its
gullet. In fact, IT wasn't actually hooked. I pulled the hook and baitfish
straight out with no trouble.

All I can figure is that the 1st tap I saw was the rocky grabbing the chub,
and then it just swam along with the tension of the line. Then the rocky
went and got itself et up. But the hook was down inside the panfish, and
there was no way I could actually hook the bass. It was amazing I had it on
as long as I did with no hook in it, and even more amazing that it hit the
rock bass again, after I finally pulled it out of the bass's throat.

The rocky was, for all intents and purposes, dead. It flitted and fluttered
a bit on the surface until a seagull came along and put it out of its
misery.

I still hate indian summer.

RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing

finally came toward the surface, and we got a look at it. Not a walleye.
BIG largemouth! Seven plus range. Then it was gone! And in its place, I had
about a 5" rock bass.

I had a similar thing happen on Lake Shelbyville in Illinois. I hooked a big
bluegill on a 4" Senko off some riprap behoind a marina and reeled him in a few
feet. All of a sudden a big white flash came and grabbed the 'gill and took
off. Fought it for a while and saw it twice. It was a HUGE musky....first one
I had ever seen in person or ever hooked. Damn thing never really fought hard,
just kinda playd with my spinning tackle until he let go of the 'gill. I had a
lot of laughing onlookers after they sw me pull in that dead 'gill after having
a pulling drag and a bent rod.

Brad Coovert, 2003 Tournament Director, Greenfield Bassmasters
Please visit our sponsors:
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Windy, wet and wet and windy with rain and wind in the forcast till Friday.
Other than that charles I hope it snows 15 inches in Nashville next week g


--
God Bless America

Josh The Bad Bear

Other than that charles I hope it snows 15 inches in Nashville next week
g
--
God Bless America

Josh The Bad Bear

7 inches of snow last year completely shut Nashville down. They'd probably
have to call in the reserves if we had another inch. 15 inches would just
kill us.

BTW: They closed school one day last winter because snow was PREDICTED. Of
course, it didn't snow and the kids had a free day.

Charles wrote:
They closed school one day last winter because snow was PREDICTED.


They do that around here all the time.


RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing

BTW: They closed school one day last winter because snow was PREDICTED. Of
course, it didn't snow and the kids had a free day.

I was in charge of the school buses for a local rural system here for 14 years.
Would you send buses out with the chance of getting one loaded with kids stuck
or in a wreck? Or would you chance getting them to school and then not being
able to get them home? Our buses are not equipped for snow or ice.
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

I was in charge of the school buses for a local rural system here for
14 years. Would you send buses out with the chance of getting one loaded
with kids stuck or in a wreck? Or would you chance getting them to
school and then not being able to get them home? Our buses are not
equipped for snow or ice

Totally understandable in a region/climate not able to deal with snow.

Good Point Rg.

--
God Bless America

Josh The Bad Bear

7 inches of snow last year completely shut Nashville down. They'd
probably have to call in the reserves if we had another inch. 15 inches
would just kill us.
BTW: They closed school one day last winter because snow was PREDICTED.
Of course, it didn't snow and the kids had a free day

When I was a boy (Gawd, I feel old LoL)
it had to be a major blizzard for schools to be canceled. Now, for
whatever reason, they are canceled at the mere mention of 4 or 5 inches.
Whether superintendents or bus drivers don't want to be sued in case of
an accident, someone is making that call. So 'snow days' are used up by
the first of March and kids have to go to school til the middle of, or
3rd week of June.

I was there one day last winter, not sure of the timing. I think it was the
week between Christmas and New Years.. yep it was... and.. and.. they had
traffic alerts because. . . it MIGHT snow lol lol. We sure had a laugh at my
brother in law's expense on that one. But I do understand. If yer not used
to the stuff it can be pretty intimidating to drive in.

--
God Bless America

Josh The Bad Bear