Personal Best of the Year Highlights Ron's Week

Ron is the only angler I've heard from so far this week with a fishing report. He included results of his trips on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week in a single email.

When he got off work Monday, he headed to Lake Bradford, where he stood at the ramp with the wind howling in his face, while staring at water about the color of chocolate milk. He kept telling himself he shouldn't launch but did anyway and ended up frozen to the bones and not a single fish to show for it.

On Tuesday, Ron went back to Milldam Creek, where the water had risen back to an acceptable level. He was targeting the banks up tight with Zoom flukes and had six or seven distinct line runs but could not get a hookup, even after waiting several seconds. He said he felt like they were picking up the plastic and running away with it while laughing at him.

When Ron first arrived at Lake Smith on Wednesday, he had more of the same experience with a chigger craw. He would feel a gentle tap, followed by a line run, and then a swing and a miss. This time, though, he switched to a Rapala shadow rap and ended up landing this year's personal-best bass, which weighed 3 lbs. even. "Chubby and fun" is how he described that event, even though he had to work a little bit before he could get the fish in the yak. It seems he got his line wrapped in some branches following the strike and hookset. Fortunately, though, he was able to maneuver the yak close enough to untangle everything.

Before Wednesday was done, Ron also had an 8-inch yellow perch slam his shadow rap, and he lost a chain pickerel yak-side.

The weekend likely will find Ron looking for more crappie at Lake Smith.