Hook, Line & Sinker...

When I got home from West Neck today, I had this note waiting for me from John Goodman:

"I couldn't stand house-arrest any longer, so I ventured out to Bob's. Several other guys had the same idea, but they appeared to be after crappie. I managed one good-sized bass and one bigger pickerel. Got the chance to use my midget little-league bat to dispatch the darn crankbait-eating fool, too."

While talking to Skip Schaible and Charlie Bruggemann this afternoon when I arrived at the dock, I learned that Charlie had what, for him, was an off day but one that still was better than what I had. He ended the day with 6 bass (a couple that he said would have gone about a pound apiece and the rest dinks). He also boated about as many pickerel. All the fish fell for a Yo-Zuri SS Minnow in gold with black back.

The fish you see here, as I learned from Chris Fretard, is a gizzard shad. As you can see, he caught it today on a crankbait. He tells me when he lived in Tennessee and fished Lake Barkley, he occasionally would accidentally snag one of these fish with a crankbait, but he's never heard of one biting a lure. Chris finished the day with a total of 4 bass (the biggest a 2-pounder) that hit a worm, 2 pickerel, and 1 perch. He said that 3 of the bass were just 12-inchers.

My day ended with 3 pickerel and 1 of these gizzard shad, which I also caught on a crankbait--a silent Strike King. Unlike Chris, though, I hooked mine in the tail. This was the first time I've ever caught one of these fish. I'd be curious to know why they were hitting crankbaits today--or, for that matter, why they were hitting any kind of lure.

This is the Yo-Zuri SS Minnow I caught all 3 of my pickerel on today--also missed a couple fish that slapped at the bait but missed. Charlie is the one who persuaded me to get some of these baits and try them. They've been good to him. I've had 3 in my tacklebox for a spell now, but it wasn't until today that I really gave one of 'em a chance to catch a few fish for me. Now that I have a little confidence in the lure, I'll likely be throwing it a lot more.

Incidentally, before I forget, let me pass along a water-level report. It was at the 3.6-foot mark when I launched at 9:45 this morning. When I came in at 3 o'clock, though, it was showing 3.4 feet. Most of the water I fished was pretty clear, but I did hit a couple of areas that were a bit muddy. I never found any water temps above 46, but Charlie told me he found an area where his gauge hit 50 degrees.