Bassassins

Its brisk out this morning, even though the sun is up its still chilly and the wind is up quiet a bit, so less than stellar conditions to say the least. The little 4hp drives our 10' aluminum craft towards our first spot. We only fished this lake in the winter time, so open water was a first. Regardless, we had basic understanding of its character, shallow and weedy, hardly any structure at all.



Searching for anything that would stick out of this sloppy mess was a priority. Cruising along the shore lines quickly revealed what we were looking for, a change in the consistant and it came by the way of large rocky patches sprinkled throughout the thick vegetation like leopard print. These isolated oasis stick out like a soar thumb visible to us and the fish.

We have the location, lets find the pattern.

The water is crystal clear, we started drawing bass in from a distance with spinner baits, picking off the shy followers one by one with the wacky sick sticks. It's a just in case tactic that lets you cover lots of ground and helps you locate and understand the fish, specifically when tackling shallow waters with high visibility.



Location - check!

Pattern - check!

Lets have some fun.





When a system works, it works so as they say...

Don't leave fish to find fish!

We stayed in the general area all day cruising up and drifting down. Keeping it simple, sticking to what was working and just having a blast doing it. You know you are having fun and enjoying one of those highlight fishing days when time flies and you loose all sense of what is going on around - just you, your buddy and fish after fish.







A little friendly competition is always healthy and it was great to see we could step up to the challenge with such success. Fun was had by all with lots of smiles and bass for everyone - thanks boys for the invite!!!







On this Thanksgiving we were thankful for bass thumb - Tight Lines...

 

Thanks so much guys!!!

Not a fishing report but something we are super excited about! We had the opportunity to write an article for Fishing-Headquarters Magazine on wading for river smallmouth.  Check out the whole magazine but make sure to catch page 49  - we really hope you enjoy the read.

 

 

http://issuu.com/ara...uarters-issue14

 

Tight Lines!

 

 

With Basstard still stuck at work I hooked up with John D on the JDB for some St. Lawrence River action. Obviously the stories of this water system had me pumped for the possibility of a new PB! Zero sleep, early morning pick up - sounds like the start of an epic adventure to me.

We were on the water Wednesday around 6am and conditions were incredible; low wind, overcast and mild weather. Leaving the ramp we hit our first spot without even getting on the big motor so we can consider this off the dock I guess. About 10 casts in, John already with 2 small bass in the boat, I was bouncing a tube across bottom in 25fow when I just feel weight at the end of my line. Keeping tension on I inform John that I had snagged up on something but it seemed to be moving a bit. Our short conversation of whether or not I was stuck was interrupted by a minute long line screech which determined I was in fact not snagged. This beauty of a pike came to the boat and I start the day with this beast, a new PB pike for me at a thick 37inches, on a tube - thank you St. Lawrence.



We blasted off from there and fished a cane system we noticed another boat on down river. Fishing 6fow my tube quickly produced my first bass, it wasn't anything big which seemed to be the trend on this stretch. Fish after fish but all clones between 1-2 pounds.... Moving on.



Our next location was again a shallow cane system but this time with some pads. John had success here in the past for both largies and smallies so expectations were high. Unfortunately the clones had followed us all the way down river, crazy! So with those small guys and another pike we knew something was up, the big ones obviously weren't in shallow. At this point we had boated a dozen fish but not the big ones we were hunting. John got on the electronics and found us a deep hump to target next. Great decision for the captain who landed this spawned out female - a huge fish that would be incredible to see again in fall.



The hump produced a couple more fish but the bite seemed to slow off as the sun finally broke through the clouds. We ripped off back towards the first location in hopes of hitting some shallow water again now that the sun was out. Easily the best decision of the day - turning a good morning of over 20 fish into an unforgettable day on the water with over 40 fish in the JDB.

John picked up the biggest of the day with this massive bass early in our approach to the flats...



When released she thought she was ok to "hide" on bottom in 8fow, not in the St. Lawrence, I still can't get over just how clear it was.



John had me beat on size all day but I won't complain about fish like this.





The last couple of hours in this trip was amazing, the type of fishing days we dream of. Fish after fish, some size, lots of action and for me it really got the "monkey off my back". The start of the bass season hasn't been the nicest to me. I have been getting on fish but not what I have been looking for in quality or quantity. Feeling like an athlete in a slump that needed a change I resorted to shaving my beard, wearing my underwear inside out and even carrying around a lucky lure in my pocket. Let's hope we are done with that.

My biggest came as an exclamation point at the end of AN AWESOME DAY...



Thank you John for getting me out in the JDB and putting us on some fish, its always a pleasure but this day was something special. My first experience with the St. Lawrence was amazing and I can't wait for the next time.



Bye for now... Tight Lines!

Smooth

This is why it was such a surprise...