My Best Day So Far This Year

This time of year, it doesn't take much motivation to get me out of my easy chair and onto the water, and today was no exception. This 2-3 alone would have been sufficient reward for the day, but as it turned out, this fish was one of nine fish--all keepers--that I managed to put in the boat today between 8:30 this morning and 3 o'clock this afternoon.

Given my lack of hookups last Saturday with my topwater bait, I was intent on working out the kinks with the timing of my hooksets. I haven't totally mastered the problem yet, but my confidence level certainly got a boost today after boating all nine of my fish on a topwater bait. I also had four other fish hooked on topwaters today but lost them en route to the boat.

This 2-7 came aboard late in the day, and when combined with the fish above, along with a 1-1, 1-2 and 1-3, gave me a best-five-fish total of 8 lbs. even. The other four bass all measured 12 to 13 inches, but none of them weighed a pound.

As I told my friend, Charlie, in an email after I got home this afternoon, I'm all smiles following a day like this. My only disappointment was not having enough time to fish some areas I had hoped to get to before I had to quit. In trying to do so, I found myself spending too much time on the trolling motor and hurrying my retrieves. The result was several missed strikes.

The water temperature when I launched this morning read 54 degrees. It had risen to 60 degrees as I motored back to the ramp in the no-wake zone this afternoon.

Thus far, I've talked to three fellas who have told me they plan to try their luck tomorrow. If the weatherman is right, it should be a pretty day. Here's wishing all of you good luck. Drop me a report by email if you're so inclined.