Wind and Muddy Water in Abundance

Unfortunately, that's about the only things that were plentiful today, and as it turns out, everyone else I've communicated with tells pretty much the same story. Rob and his friend ended up without anything to show for their efforts, and Charlie said he finished the day with one 20-inch striper that, as I recall, he caught in the first 15 or so minutes this morning--then nothing.

Just when I was beginning to think my efforts were all going to be in vain, I tied on this Mann's Baby 1-Minus. And after only a handful of casts, I saw a slight swirl in the water and felt that mushy sensation, telling me that I had hooked a fish. I quickly realized it was a small bass: a 10-incher, to be exact.

That one fish, which I didn't boat until 1:30, proved to be my lone tally for the day. That's OK, though, because it saved me from recording my first skunk of the year. Given the conditions everyone faced today, that was my only goal as I backed away from the ramp this morning and headed out into West Neck Creek.

 

Like all my fish last Wednesday, this dink came from a cove, where the water looked a tad better than what I found in the main creek.

I'd be less than honest if I didn't say I was a little disappointed that I couldn't find anything interested in the Mylar Minnow or the Strike King 1XS that both worked for me last Wednesday. I likewise didn't have any hits on the Senko worm that I tossed for a while today.

With the long-range forecast I saw this evening, it's hard to tell when I'll get out again. It'll take some 50-plus temps to draw me out, and you can take that to the bank.

As of 1/21/2014: Not that I was feeling bad about the scarcity of yesterday's catch to start with, but I checked Bob's Fishing Hole website for the results of their 7-hour tourney yesterday and learned that the 1st-place winners only brought two fish to the scales, with a total weight of 4.25 lbs. So the bottom line here is this: No one needs to feel bad about the lack of catching yesterday. It looks like we all were in the same boat. "Better luck next time" would seem to be an appropriate remark.