We were starting at a small pond that Wacky showed Pondboy and me last fall. I have fished it in the fall, through the ice in the winter, and now I can say I've fished it in the spring too.
The temperature wasn't going to get as hot as it did Sunday (97 degrees) but it could get hot. The saving grace was the breeze (or wind as it was at times) that kept warm air moving and at least evaporated the sweat before it dripped down our brows.
The bluegills were paired off and spawning so we left them alone in favor of the bass that were just down the slope from the gill's beds waiting to raid them as theirs had been raided by the gills. Nature manages to even things out when left to her devices.
The bass we caught were not huge but we were just getting ourselves warmed up. We needed to get Wacky Bass out and find his mojo and this pond was a great appetizer for what Wacky had in mind for us today.
Our next stop was in an office park. Office park ponds can make for great fishing opportunities. They can also be great places to get hassled by security guards. Today we were left to fish in peace. We started out working our chosen lures; Wacky had a Rattl-Trap crank bait and I was throwing my Bluegill colored swim jig with Big Hammer trailer.
The bass count was tied at five all when I cast into an overhead tree and had a nasty backlash that I had to attend to. I am pleased and proud to say I got it out without cutting my braid so I had that going for me. While I was messing with my backlash however, Wacky had switched to a small Big Hammer tail rigged wacky-style on a small EWG hook.
His wounded-minnow routine was convincing to at least three more bass before I could even try to catch up. No biggie however, the best was saved for last.
Walking to the next pond I noticed the water looked like pale colored chocolate-milk. Kind of a chalky-white tint; I've seen water like this in fishing shows but never in person. Wacky said there are fish here so I'm happy to cast around a bit and WHOA!!! I just saw the flash of a BIG bass and it looked like it was chasing down a bluegill. Ok, there are fish in here. Let's get to trying to catch 'em.
I cast my swim-jig around but had no takers. Wacky tried working various lures trying to coax bites from under the weed-edge that covered the ground adjacent to the shore. I walked to another part of the shoreline and hear Wacky yell my name. I run, high-stepping over the unkempt weedy ground and around a tree to find Wacky Bass holding a nice largemouth.
"I've got a pattern figured out," Wacky said excitedly. He would cast a Rattl-Trap and retrieve with a high rod tip and a herky-jerky retrieve that kept the lure just under or at the surface of the water. Once it got within a few feet of the weed edge he'd drop the rod tip and slow it WAY down. BAM!!! Fish on.
I am crank-averse. I'm convinced the treble hooks don't like me or like the weeds too much. Maybe I don't know how to work them. Heck, as of today I still haven't been fishing for a full calendar year yet. I've got time, maybe this pond will teach me the secrets of the Rattl-Trap......suck, no I caught weeds. Then I caught a tree branch, then I caught more weeds. I had no idea where the bait was so I couldn't stop it right at the weed edge. Maybe it was me who needed Mojo!
It's about now that I thought I heard Wacky Bass talking to himself. Poor guy. He's been all cooped up, probably going a bit....well......Wacky! Actually, it was nothing like that. In fact, it was more like this:
(YouTube ate the audio but believe me it was Wacky)
I was still fishless at this pond so I switched up my presentation to my favorite Zap spinnerbait. Problem solved.
