Found 'Em Mostly on Wood Today

There wasn't another car in the West Neck parking lot when I launched at 6 o'clock this morning. I feel pretty sure that was more a reflection of the predicted highs today than anything else. I was prepared, though, and once the boat was in the water, there was no turning back.

My first stop this morning was the front end of Blackwater, where I safely can say not much was happening. About 11 o'clock, I decided to run to Albright's, where I encountered a duplicate of what I had found in Blackwater. It wasn't until I picked up and headed to the back of Albright's that business suddenly picked up. The trees, stumps and laydowns back there were speaking volumes.

By 2:30, when I heard a couple of distinct rumbles of thunder off in the distance, I had boated a total of six bass. Four of 'em were dinks; but I also had a 1-7 and a 1-8 (pictured here). There would have been about a 4-pounder, too, but he went airborne right beside the boat and was gone in a flash.

My productive baits today was, of course, the INT and a wakebait. The INT accounted for all but two of the fish. It's also what I had on when I hooked the nice one that got away. Once again, I fished the Whopper Plopper without so much as a smell.

With the thunder seemingly picking up, I wasted no time putting everything away and running back to West Neck. The ramp was clear when I got there, so I loaded the boat and got busy cleaning it up and flushing the outboard.

There was an email waiting for me from Ron when I got home this afternoon. Alex and he had decided to launch at Lotus Garden Launch about 6 p.m. yesterday. It was 9:30 by the time they recovered.

Said Ron, "We had 100 percent grass and surface scum for the first 3/4 mile. Then we finally were able to put the peddles and rudders down and head toward Back Bay/Muddy Creek."

Alex ended up catching four bass last evening--his biggest the 2-4 pictured here. In case you can't make it out for yourself, Alex is dressed in mosquito netting and a head lamp.

Meanwhile, Ron managed three dinks, a 1-1, and a white perch, thus keeping his stretch of no skunks very much alive. Both father and son caught everything on Whopper Ploppers fished along the edges of grass. They also threw some hollow-body frogs and Senkos but had no luck at all with them.

In closing, Ron noted that the moon rise last night coincided with sunset. "It was a beautiful evening, with just enough breeze to make it comfortable."

Then came this news in an email tonight. "Well, it finally happened," said Ron "I logged my first skunk tonight since July 17th."

He and Alex had launched at Horn Point and headed into Muddy Creek. Soon afterward, Alex scored a couple of dinks but got frightened by the thunderstorms to the north (see photo right) and went in toward the campground in an effort to have an escape route.

Ron continued onward and had five swipes at the Whopper Plopper but no hookups. He also tried Senkos to no avail and had no choice but to take a goose egg on the evening.

Alex ended up landing a 1-3 on the Whopper Plopper, and they called it a night at 2100. "Beautiful evening nonetheless," said Ron. "No grass at the eastern extent of that creek coming in from Back Bay. It only starts when you get into Ashville Bridge Creek.

"Oh well," concluded Ron, "maybe tomorrow, I can begin a new streak, or maybe not."

Along with the photo above, Ron included this one, which depicts a creature like I, too, saw today. As a matter of fact, I saw two of them in a very short span of time, and I don't mind telling you I made quick tracks to a new location after the second one had crossed my bow.

All in all, it was another gorgeous evening, and as he frequently does, Ron noted that he was pleased that Alex had hooked up tonight. "Whenever he out fishes me, I am pleased," said Ron.