Fishing Forum

It was a very off and on day, weather wise. Showers, winds, clear and calm. We have a full moon tomorrow and I wanted to fish. Bass usually bite really well just preceding and following the full moon. My Casio Fisherman's Watch predicted very good fishing around 12:00 AM and PM and great fishing (4 fish on the dial) at 6 AM and 6 PM. This is standard for full moon and new moon days. I am on my second Casio Fisherman's Watch and have had lots of fun with them. Of course they aren't always correct, but sometimes...

I was chomping at the bit. Finally around 3 PM I could take it no longer and headed to the boat ramp. I fished a couple of cuts to see if I could determine if the fish were in the 5-8' willows, or in the warmer shallow flats. I caught nothing. I decided to head to one of the flats I enjoy. I fished the outer willows and had a couple hits, with one stealing my Senko. I believe they were crappie or perch. I kept fishing shallower until I was in less than a foot of water. Still nothing.

Finally, at 4:55 I caught a decent bass in about 3 feet of water. It was like the switch turned on. In the next hour and 15 minutes I caught 16 bass between 12-17". There were 3-17" fish, 2-16's, and a bunch of 14-15" fish. Only one 14" fish looked like it might be in the spawning mode. I'd guess it will be the full moon in June when these bass spawn.

Around 6 the wind died and the flat was like glass. Either the fish shut down or I had spooked most of them. I finally caught a final 16"er at 6:15, and at 6:30 I decided I had enjoyed a great evening and it was time to head home for supper. I had left my Boykin Spaniel fishing partner at home, due to the threat of rain, and he was really unhappy with me.

All the fish were caught on a small swimbait, but I'm sure they were on the feed and would have taken just about any lure.
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Way to go Weed! I had a feeling I should of hit the lake after work!

Sounds like you had a blast! It is always great when you can hit it like that!
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My new gps has a hunting and fishing activity button. I have noticed many times that the deer are standing up and feeding right during the peak activity time for the day. When I drive before sunup, it helps to check that thing before I leave. I dodge lots more deer and elk during peak times. I haven't tried it fishing yet but I'm sure it is pretty close there, too.
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so they were in about 3 foot of water huh? thinkin about wading in the trees tomorrow hope it doesnt rain too much
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well done smart weed !
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[quote honker3912]so they were in about 3 foot of water huh? thinkin about wading in the trees tomorrow hope it doesnt rain too much[/quote]
I spent half a century wading the trees in front of my house. It is a very effective way to catch bass at some times of the year. I have wonderful memories and great stories about days in the trees. Like the time a bass missed my lure and went right between my legs; the beaver I've walked up on; etc. I find wading wears me down too much these days. It's tough going out there.



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if you write a lake lowell bass book smartweed i will buy 5 copies !
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ya it is tough at times especially when they are a little deeper than i would like and you have to hold your arms 2 feet above your head to fish. but i love it been doing it for a while and have awesome luck with it. did it last week and caught about 15 or so 14 inchers. hope it goes the same to day.
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well went out last night around 4, fish seemed to be out a little deeper probably the weather. still managed to catch a few though including a nice perch on a spinner bait! never seen that one before haha. took a picture of it but some how my buddy deleted it. Caught em on grubs and spinner baits.
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It might be of interest to those who haven't been to Lake Lowell recently, that the smartweed is emerging. This is a very good time to fish shallow running weedless lures such as spinnerbaits, weedless spoons, swimming worms, swim jigs and toads.

I found the fish relating to wood yesterday, but many still shallow. Today I waded, and did break that 17" barrier with an 18" fish on my third cast. This very pretty fish was in knee deep water and charged my Swimming Senko as soon as it hit the water. I caught 5 others, including a 17" fish. It was a fun two hours, and I was reminded of the thrill of wading when the 17" fish took my bait about 5' from me as I was lifting it from the water. Fighting a nice fish with 12" of line is quite exciting.
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Thnaks for the info Weed. I alway love spinner baitin' the weedline season! Loks like I'll be out there for a few hours Saturday. It will probably be between 1PM and about 5PM not the best hours of the day but It's the only time I can squeeze it in.
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It's usually a gamble at what is the best time during the spring. With the 10-20 MPH winds today, I decided to wade again, and fished from 2-4 in the afternoon. It was rip 'em time. I caught 22 fish in those two hours, up to 17.5 inches. All were caught on plastic baits. All fish were very aggressive and hit very hard. It was a great couple of hours.
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Holy cow Smart Weed... Id say you have Lowell dialed in! I just want one of your days this season on Lowell. Thinking about going out Sat. and or Sunday. Hoping my son and I can just each catch one fish....

22 fish in two hours.... wow.
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awesome job smartweed ! i need to go in the attic and find my waders [:p] . only problem i like to have about 5-6 rods rigged with different baits and like to have my big tackle bag. i love to experiment with lures.... curious smartweed how do you fish out there you carry one rod and a fishing vest or do you have a different set -up ?
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Quote:curious smartweed how do you fish out there you carry one rod and a fishing vest or do you have a different set -up ?

My method is simple fishing at its best. I carry a few different plastic baits - worms, curltail grubs, tubes, and/or toads in a zip lock bag, 3-4 hooks, and a Gerber knife/scissors/pliers/ etc. The fishing will be shallow and in cover, so you need weedless baits. One item that made a big change for me about 10 years ago was when I switched to braided superline. I use 30 pound while wading. I use a top quality casting reel, but a cheaper rod. I have broken a bunch of rods by hitting branches while casting or setting the hook. I only carry one rod. You don't need to cast great distances, but you do need to be very accurate. In contrast, I usually have 10 rods rigged in my boat. I am a tackle junkie. But often, simple is better.
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