Bill Norman Thin N Scores 4 Today

This 2-8 bass was Jim Bauer's big fish for the day. He also boated two that weighed 1-11 apiece, as well as one that measured 11.5 inches and weighed 11 ozs. All four fish succumbed to the tight wiggle of the Thin N that Jim was throwing.

As he explained this afternoon, the 2-8 made him work to get it in the boat. The fish snatched the bait in the roots of a submerged stump, then darted for the safety of a nearby duck blind. Add a fair amount of boat-control issues, thanks to the wind, and you should get a pretty fair picture of the situation Jim had to deal with to get his prize in the net for this picture.

At launch time this morning--about 9:30--the water temperature was 52 degrees. When Jim quit a few minutes after 2 o'clock, the main-creek temperature showed 52.9, but he said the water in a small cove he had fished just before calling it a day was showing 55 degrees. He also noted that the water above the bridge seemed to be the clearest today. However, once you got near the S-turn, you had wads of leaves and pine needles to deal with--not the best conditions for running a crankbait.

Jim reported that a couple of anglers in a Triton today said they had 6 bass when he talked to them. Charlie's buddy, Ray, also said he had caught a few--all small stuff, though.

Although he originally planned to fish again tomorrow, Jim said he's not sure that will happen now, given the predicted windy conditions. Another factor in the final decision will be how he feels--"not sure my cranky hips are going to be up to it" is the way he described the situation.