Little Bit of Everything, But (Thankfully) None of Those Toothy Critters

That was the gist of the report I got this evening from Jim Bauer. He spent the day (7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) in West Neck Creek, where he boated a total of 14 fish. The breakdown was as follows: four bass, two stripers, seven crappie, and one bream. The photo at right shows his big bass of the day, which weighed in at 1.85 lbs. The two next best ones weighed 1.23 and 1.27.

All his fish were caught on a Slider worm or on a grub, using the fly rod. The two stripers (both 15-inchers), the seven crappie, and the bream all came from around the bridge.

According to Jim, the wind wasn't a factor until around noon. Then it kicked up out of the south and pretty much stayed that way the rest of the day. "The fish seemed to really turn on once the wind picked up," he noted. "It was pretty dead before that."

The water level this morning at launch time was completely covering the gauge, but both catwalks still were entirely dry. "I kept my feet dry coming and going and didn't need boots," said Jim. The water temp at launch time was 78, compared to 85 when he pulled the boat out this afternoon.

The day's biggest disappointment came when he got hooked up with a solid 4-lb. fish. "I got to see her when she rolled on top as I was trying to turn her," he explained. "She came unbuttoned from the worm, and I was sick."

His overall analysis on the day was "nothing to brag about" but still satisfying. Like a lot of others among us, Jim just enjoys feeling that tug on the end of his line. I've always thought of it as a form of therapy, or as a sign attached to the light on my desk says: "Fishing: Not Just a Hobby. It's a Way of Life."