Hook, Line & Sinker...

 

I barely had gotten started this morning in West Neck before I caught my first dink on a Bandit Footloose in red craw. Moments later, I had another one take a swipe at the same bait, but he missed.

I then went a couple of hours without any hits or any sign of a fish. During that time, I was changing baits, colors and retrieve speed--none of which seemed to make any difference. I finally picked up a Thin N I already had thrown some and kept moving steadily up the shoreline, figuring the odds eventually would shift in my favor, and they did. I stayed with the Thin N until the clouds started breaking up and managed to boat two more dinks and a 1-4, which is the fish in the first picture.

With the first rays of sunshine, I picked up the Footloose in chrome with black back that had yielded a few fish for me the other day. However, the bite was slow to come around on it today. It wasn't until I had fished my way within sight of the "No Wake" marker leading to the ramp that I hooked another fish. He swirled before he snatched the Footloose, and once he had it, I knew he was a better fish. I only had one problem: I wasn't sure it was a bass, 'cause he stayed down. I was leaning toward a grindle until I saw him flash in the water beside the boat. I then got off the pedestal, grabbed my net, and brought the fish close enough to slide the net under him. My scales tallied him at 3-2 (the fish in the second picture).

About three casts later, I felt another fish for just an instant, but the hook tore out. I turned around and reworked the area I just had passed over and managed to boat one more dink before I secured everything and started motoring toward the ramp. I was plenty satisfied with six bass for the day, even if only two of them were keepers. I've had far worse days.

The third picture here shows my productive lures today: the Thin N and the Footloose in red craw and chrome with black back.

When I left the ramp this morning, the water temp was 53.3. Unfortunately, I forgot to check it again when I quit today.

There were about four other rigs in the parking lot by the time I launched. And when I looked up in my rearview mirror while pulling around to the ramp, I saw Joe McDevitt. We stopped and chatted a few minutes, then I was in the water and off to start my day. This afternoon, I ran into Gary Coderre and Lenny Hall on the water. I never got up with Joe before leaving the marina but did talk to Gary and Lenny, who told me they caught about a dozen--nothing of any size--before wrapping things up this afternoon.

"Be the good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise," I plan to take a few more licks on Monday. Hopefully, the afternoon showers in the weather forecast will hold off until I've had all the fun I can stand for one day.

Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012 - I had a phone conversation with Joe McDevitt this morning, letting me know he had a good day yesterday, too. He caught bass up to about 4 lbs., using a chartreuse crankbait. He said he got the idea to use that particular bait and color after seeing what I had tied on my rods as they lay on the front deck while he helped me get launched. We also talked a little about it yesterday morning. Joe said he never put his chartreuse crankbait down after he caught the first bass with it.