2nd tournament of 2008

Well... it was tough for us. The non-boater I drew never got a for sure
bite all day long. He might have had a couple misses on a crankbait.

I started out throwing a jerkbait over the drop off edge of a long wide
point. Nothing. I moved up onto the flat of of it, and get 3-4 smacks, but
could not hook up. Those smacks came in 1-3 feet of water. Weird.
Especially since the water temp there was 44.8-45.4.

I played around with the jerk bait bite trying to put something together
until the sun had been up long enough to warm some of the stone points. On
the first "perfect" spot I hooked up a 3.28 LM on the sunny side of a point
with 8-9' water on the sunny side, and 5' water on the shady side. Almost
text book perfect bite. I worked it a bit more, but that was it. The water
off the rocks with 47-48 degrees. Noticeably warmer than the rest of the
lake.

We tried to work that as a pattern, but we never got another bump.

Trying some desperation fishing, I headed out to the river for some
flipping. No joy. I might have had a bump, but when I swung there was
nothing there.

Deciding it was too early and too cold to work the current bite, or we were
too late in the day for it. I have gotten on current bites in 48 degree
water before.

I flipped a short stretch of another lake with a deep water cut and
overhanging fragmata. (Cane) Nothing. Its is usually good for 2-3 fish.
Dang.

I finished the day fishing lakes. On the south side of one lake I fished a
little sublake that runs mostly 3'. Even though it was on the south side of
the lake I was hoping the shallow water would be a little warmer after being
on the sun most of the day. It wasn't. At the mouth water temps were about
50, but after I raised the motor and held up the TM to get into the cove the
temps dropped to about 47-48. What? Since I'ld made the effort to get in
there I figured I'ld give it a shot.

About the third pitch with a 4" senko on light flourocarbon I had a pickup.
I crank down and set the hook hard enough to slip the drag. He showed
himself to be a keeper right away trying to dive into a grassbed in the
bottom, and then making a good run. I brought him up next to the boat and
got a good look at him. Solid 2+ fish. When he turned away I held him, and
my backseater finally made an effort to get the net. When the fish came off
I was very disappointed. 5+ hrs into the tournament and only one keeper in
the boat. I was really disappointed when I saw the bait. The hook point
had never even been exposed. Even if the fish had a death grip on the bait,
which he obviously did, I should have atleast moved the hook a little bit in
the bait on a solid hookset. Thinking I might have the drag set looser than
I thought I checked it, but it was just right and smooth. I had been trying
a new hook for t-rigging senkos. I broke it off and went back to my Daiichi
Copperheads. I'll play with that other hook again on a day when every bite
is "not" so important.

We worked that little stretch back and forth once hoping by the time we got
back to the stickup that fish had come off of he might bite again since he
never go stuck. No joy.

Then we headed for anoth sublake I know of on the north side of a main lake.
Its a little shallower, and being on the north side I hoped warmer. It was
warmer, but with winter weekend water levels there wasn't enough water to
interest the bass. We motored all the way in and all the way out skimming
the trolling motor on the surface.

We worked a small current channel were I almost always catch a few keepers
in and picked up a couple shorts. Both were out in ambush spots I know, in
or right next to the current. The Copperhead hook was buried perfectly on
both of them.

We cranked an area where I popped a 6.99 last year, and then headed off to
spend the day in another lake I like cranking and senkoing. That was our
day. We weren't last, and 1st place only had 4 fish (5 fish limit) for a
little over 9 pounds.

Dang my arm is sore. I worked hard all day long. So did my co-angler.


--
Bob La Londe
Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River
Fishing Forums & Contests
http://www.YumaBassMan.com





--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Thanks for the report, Bob. The fish were nearby, surely, just not inclined
to bite. Where do think they were?

This time of year, the dissolved oxygen level in the pads and grass beds is
lower than the lake in general due to oxygen consumed in the decomposition
of vegetation. Oxygen-poor water drives bass away even in areas where the
water temp is slightly warmer. For that reason, I steer clear of decaying
vegetation in Jan/Feb and key on bare, southeast-facing, rocky, steep
sloping shoreline with enough of a bank above water to act as a reflector
and to serve as a wind-break. (Sounds like you tried that.)

If such structure is not available, then I look for brush or other cover on
the edge where shallow sun-washed mud flats drop off into creek channels.
Good place to work a jig.

I tried both of those patterns Monday for several hours without so much as a
bump. They're good patterns... not guaranteed.

Joe
"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
.. .
Well... it was tough for us. snip Dang my arm is sore. I worked hard
all day long. So did my co-angler.

Bob La Londe
Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River
Fishing Forums & Contests
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

On the way home the only thing I could think of that I didn't try was to go
back to my stone points again later in the day.


--
Bob La Londe
Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River
Fishing Forums & Contests
http://www.YumaBassMan.com




--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On Jan 23, 11:20*pm, "Bob La Londe" wrote:
On the way home the only thing I could think of that I didn't try was to go
back to my stone points again later in the day.

--
Bob La Londe
Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River
Fishing Forums & Contestshttp://www.YumaBassMan.com

--
Posted via a free Usenet account fromhttp://www.teranews.com

You do any weightless dead sticking?

Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

"Ronnie" wrote in message
...
On Jan 23, 11:20 pm, "Bob La Londe" wrote:
On the way home the only thing I could think of that I didn't try was to
go
back to my stone points again later in the day.

--
Bob La Londe
Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River
Fishing Forums & Contestshttp://www.YumaBassMan.com

--
Posted via a free Usenet account fromhttp://www.teranews.com

You do any weightless dead sticking?

LOL. Yes. Got three bites. 2 were shorts one was a keeper, that I didn't
boat.


--
Bob La Londe



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

"Ronnie" wrote in message
...
On Jan 23, 11:20 pm, "Bob La Londe" wrote:
On the way home the only thing I could think of that I didn't try was to
go
back to my stone points again later in the day.

--
Bob La Londe
Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River
Fishing Forums & Contestshttp://www.YumaBassMan.com

--
Posted via a free Usenet account fromhttp://www.teranews.com

You do any weightless dead sticking?

LOL. Yes I did. Got three bites. Put two shorts in the boat, and had one
keeper get off. Its in there.


--
Bob La Londe
Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River
Fishing Forums & Contests
http://www.YumaBassMan.com





--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On Jan 24, 8:36*pm, "Bob La Londe" wrote:
"Ronnie" wrote in message

...
On Jan 23, 11:20 pm, "Bob La Londe" wrote:

On the way home the only thing I could think of that I didn't try was to
go
back to my stone points again later in the day.

--
Bob La Londe
Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River
Fishing Forums & Contestshttp://www.YumaBassMan.com

--
Posted via a free Usenet account fromhttp://www.teranews.com

You do any weightless dead sticking?

LOL. *Yes I did. *Got three bites. *Put two shorts in the boat, and had one
keeper get off. *Its in there.

--
Bob La Londe
Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River
Fishing Forums & Contestshttp://www.YumaBassMan.com

--
Posted via a free Usenet account fromhttp://www.teranews.com

OK - didn't realize weightless deadsticking was the same as pitching a
Senko.

Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com