05-29-2018, 04:51 PM
I got up early in the morning on Memorial Day and headed to Lincoln Beach. I had not been able to find anyone to go with, so I went solo. The weather had cooled considerably since Friday and I was hoping that the water was already warm enough to minimize the impact of the cold front. At the 5:20 A.M. launch the air temp was 50 degrees, the water was 65, the parking lot was empty, and the channel depth was 3.6 feet. That water temp was 13 degrees colder than Friday afternoon, but i thought it was still in the kitty zone.
I wanted to try to get a white bass or two for bait so I headed for a rocky area off the point. As I eased into the spot I wanted to try, a guy was unloading a small rowboat from the back of his truck. First cast and bam, I got a white on a chart/gray grub on an eighth ounce head. Next cast another one. I had bait for the morning.
Since it was the crack of dawn and the whites were plentiful I thought there might be a walleye nearby so I kept casting. I think I made about twenty casts and looked down to see 14 whites in the bottom of the boat, enough for bait and a meal. I decided to stick to the plan and leave the whites and look for cats. There must have an eye around, but I might never get to sift through enough whites to find it. As I was leaving I saw the rowboat guy catching his 3rd or 4th white. I could hear them flopping against his Al hull. I asked if he was targeting whites and he said yes. “No walleye?” I asked, “No walleye” he confirmed. They’ll be around when all those white bass eggs hatch though.
I went to the area I had picked for the morning and set up in 2 FOW near a reedy point. The first fish to hit was a bit lethargic and the hook pulled out, probably lip hooked. The second and third hit a little harder, but I whiffed them both. Finally on the 4th one I got a good solid hook set and landed a nice 23 inch kitty. I hadn’t planned to keep any cats this trip but as I held it up for a picture blood ran out of its gills and down its side, eater.
Things were slow-ish for the next hour and I decided to try the bigger bait bigger fish theory. I trimmed the head, guts and spikey fins off a fresh white then put a 4/0 salmon hook in the front and a #4 treble in the back. Then a wave of fish came by. I got a cookie cutter on the bobber rig and a hit on big bait. That fish didn’t have a hook in its mouth so I got nothing. Another cookie hit the bobber and another nibbler on the chunk. I had concluded that only smaller fish were chewing on the big bait when I finally hooked something. It turned out to be a bullhead not even twice as long as the bait! So much for bigger bait equals bigger fish!
The next fish I hooked on the big bait had some shoulders. I had it on for about a minute when the bobber rod got hit hard. I set the first rod in the holder and set the hook on the bobber rod, nothing. I cast it back to the same area all the while watching the fish pulling line off the reel on the other rod. I picked it up and resumed the fight and the line went slack. 0 for 2 on that one.
I had barely finished muttering something about the bigger fish coming off when the bobber disappeared again. I set the hook. This was a bigger fish than I had just lost on the bigger bait. After swapping ends a couple of times it took off for deeper water, longest run I have had this year. It took a good five minutes to get into the net. It was a nice 28 incher. Not the 30 plus I was hoping for, but big enough for a bump in the contest. I hadn’t seen a contest fish for at least a month, so I was excited.
A few minutes later a pickup truck arrived on the shore about 75 yards from where I was anchored. Three fishermen put baits in the water and set up chairs. Then the fishing just kind of died. “Too bad you guys weren’t here a few minutes ago”, I thought.
In the next 45 minutes I got one more cat about 25 inches on the bobber and only empty runs on the big bait. The bank guys got 1 channel and 1 mudder. I decided to pull the anchors and drag for a bit to see if there was more activity farther from shore.
I was still in less than 3 FOW so I dragged one bait back about 50 feet and the slip bobber back about 75. Things were better out farther. I got a 20 and a 24 on the bobber in the first 20 minutes and then hooked a bigger fish on the bobber. I turned the trolling motor down to one to fight it and a minute later the other rod doubled over. I set the hook on that one and put the rod back in the holder. I could tell it was also a good fish, but it didn’t seem quite as big as the first. Luckily they chose different directions to run.
About 3 minutes later the bobber fish came into the boat. I laid it in the bump tray, 26+. I left it there and finished fighting the second fish, 25+. 2 for 2 on that one, that’s more like it! Best double I’ve ever landed solo.
I had planned to be off the water by 10 A.M. so I would still have time (and energy) for some projects around the house. It was 9:45 and I had wanted to put in an hour back where the whites were active to see if there were cats around them. I decided to compromise. I would go back to the early spot and anchor. Then I would clean fish while I soaked some bats for cats.
When I got to the spot the rowboat guy was gone, but another boat had arrived. Three guys were flipping whites into the boat almost non-stop. My guess is that the rowboat guy had to quit before the load of whites sunk his boat!
I anchored in 4 FOW, set the slip bobber just under 4’ and cast it parallel to shore. I cast my grub to see if I saw surrounded by ravenous whites as well. It took about 4 casts, but I got a really fresh one. Satisfied that they were around my boat too, I cut the fresh one just like the one I had cut earlier and cast it toward the middle of the lake.
I got almost all the fish filleted before I noticed the bobber rod starting to bend. I grabbed it and missed the fish completely. I finished cutting the last white and was removing the skin from the fillets when I saw the bobber go under. (I was paying more attention now). I hooked this one on it felt decent, 25+ and very healthy. Five more minutes and I was just bagging the meat for the cooler and an almost identical fish came on the bobber. After the first run I felt a funny almost buzzing sensation on the line. I assumed the line had rubbed one something and forgot about it. When that cat finally tired and came to the surface, to my surprise there was a white on the tube I had placed above the bobber head jig! The first time I ever got a white and a cat on the same cast and they both came on Tube Dude originals!
Just as I finished releasing the cat, the line on the chunk rod pulled free on the holder and started toward the Knowles. I closed the bail and when I felt weight I leaned back on the rod. Another good fight and another 25+. At that spot I ended up getting 3 almost identical cats, all 25+, all fat and all colored about the same.
Once the chunk kitty was released I had no excuse to stay so I reluctantly headed for the ramp.
I ended the morning with 12 cats from 20 to 28 inches, only 2 were under 24, 1 mudder and 15 whites. It was a great morning!
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I wanted to try to get a white bass or two for bait so I headed for a rocky area off the point. As I eased into the spot I wanted to try, a guy was unloading a small rowboat from the back of his truck. First cast and bam, I got a white on a chart/gray grub on an eighth ounce head. Next cast another one. I had bait for the morning.
Since it was the crack of dawn and the whites were plentiful I thought there might be a walleye nearby so I kept casting. I think I made about twenty casts and looked down to see 14 whites in the bottom of the boat, enough for bait and a meal. I decided to stick to the plan and leave the whites and look for cats. There must have an eye around, but I might never get to sift through enough whites to find it. As I was leaving I saw the rowboat guy catching his 3rd or 4th white. I could hear them flopping against his Al hull. I asked if he was targeting whites and he said yes. “No walleye?” I asked, “No walleye” he confirmed. They’ll be around when all those white bass eggs hatch though.
I went to the area I had picked for the morning and set up in 2 FOW near a reedy point. The first fish to hit was a bit lethargic and the hook pulled out, probably lip hooked. The second and third hit a little harder, but I whiffed them both. Finally on the 4th one I got a good solid hook set and landed a nice 23 inch kitty. I hadn’t planned to keep any cats this trip but as I held it up for a picture blood ran out of its gills and down its side, eater.
Things were slow-ish for the next hour and I decided to try the bigger bait bigger fish theory. I trimmed the head, guts and spikey fins off a fresh white then put a 4/0 salmon hook in the front and a #4 treble in the back. Then a wave of fish came by. I got a cookie cutter on the bobber rig and a hit on big bait. That fish didn’t have a hook in its mouth so I got nothing. Another cookie hit the bobber and another nibbler on the chunk. I had concluded that only smaller fish were chewing on the big bait when I finally hooked something. It turned out to be a bullhead not even twice as long as the bait! So much for bigger bait equals bigger fish!
The next fish I hooked on the big bait had some shoulders. I had it on for about a minute when the bobber rod got hit hard. I set the first rod in the holder and set the hook on the bobber rod, nothing. I cast it back to the same area all the while watching the fish pulling line off the reel on the other rod. I picked it up and resumed the fight and the line went slack. 0 for 2 on that one.
I had barely finished muttering something about the bigger fish coming off when the bobber disappeared again. I set the hook. This was a bigger fish than I had just lost on the bigger bait. After swapping ends a couple of times it took off for deeper water, longest run I have had this year. It took a good five minutes to get into the net. It was a nice 28 incher. Not the 30 plus I was hoping for, but big enough for a bump in the contest. I hadn’t seen a contest fish for at least a month, so I was excited.
A few minutes later a pickup truck arrived on the shore about 75 yards from where I was anchored. Three fishermen put baits in the water and set up chairs. Then the fishing just kind of died. “Too bad you guys weren’t here a few minutes ago”, I thought.
In the next 45 minutes I got one more cat about 25 inches on the bobber and only empty runs on the big bait. The bank guys got 1 channel and 1 mudder. I decided to pull the anchors and drag for a bit to see if there was more activity farther from shore.
I was still in less than 3 FOW so I dragged one bait back about 50 feet and the slip bobber back about 75. Things were better out farther. I got a 20 and a 24 on the bobber in the first 20 minutes and then hooked a bigger fish on the bobber. I turned the trolling motor down to one to fight it and a minute later the other rod doubled over. I set the hook on that one and put the rod back in the holder. I could tell it was also a good fish, but it didn’t seem quite as big as the first. Luckily they chose different directions to run.
About 3 minutes later the bobber fish came into the boat. I laid it in the bump tray, 26+. I left it there and finished fighting the second fish, 25+. 2 for 2 on that one, that’s more like it! Best double I’ve ever landed solo.
I had planned to be off the water by 10 A.M. so I would still have time (and energy) for some projects around the house. It was 9:45 and I had wanted to put in an hour back where the whites were active to see if there were cats around them. I decided to compromise. I would go back to the early spot and anchor. Then I would clean fish while I soaked some bats for cats.
When I got to the spot the rowboat guy was gone, but another boat had arrived. Three guys were flipping whites into the boat almost non-stop. My guess is that the rowboat guy had to quit before the load of whites sunk his boat!
I anchored in 4 FOW, set the slip bobber just under 4’ and cast it parallel to shore. I cast my grub to see if I saw surrounded by ravenous whites as well. It took about 4 casts, but I got a really fresh one. Satisfied that they were around my boat too, I cut the fresh one just like the one I had cut earlier and cast it toward the middle of the lake.
I got almost all the fish filleted before I noticed the bobber rod starting to bend. I grabbed it and missed the fish completely. I finished cutting the last white and was removing the skin from the fillets when I saw the bobber go under. (I was paying more attention now). I hooked this one on it felt decent, 25+ and very healthy. Five more minutes and I was just bagging the meat for the cooler and an almost identical fish came on the bobber. After the first run I felt a funny almost buzzing sensation on the line. I assumed the line had rubbed one something and forgot about it. When that cat finally tired and came to the surface, to my surprise there was a white on the tube I had placed above the bobber head jig! The first time I ever got a white and a cat on the same cast and they both came on Tube Dude originals!
Just as I finished releasing the cat, the line on the chunk rod pulled free on the holder and started toward the Knowles. I closed the bail and when I felt weight I leaned back on the rod. Another good fight and another 25+. At that spot I ended up getting 3 almost identical cats, all 25+, all fat and all colored about the same.
Once the chunk kitty was released I had no excuse to stay so I reluctantly headed for the ramp.
I ended the morning with 12 cats from 20 to 28 inches, only 2 were under 24, 1 mudder and 15 whites. It was a great morning!
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