"Yer Da Man Today! Skip"

I say that because he and his "monkey butt" Whopper Plopper single-handedly beat the combined total today for both Ron and me. Skip accounted for 11 bass (one is pictured at right), split between Haynes and Cow Creeks. He pulled three out of Haynes this morning before the bite died. It was the same way in Cow until about 12:30, when the bite turned back on, and he went on to catch another eight bass in the next two hours.

Meanwhile, Ron also made a quick trip to Cow Creek this evening. Between 5:30 and 6:45, he only managed two dinks--one on the Whopper Plopper and the other on a Senko. On his way out of the creek, right at sunset, though, he found a 1-3 and 2-8 bass, as well as a 3-7 bowfin (see below), also on the Whopper Plopper, for a total of five.

Said Ron, "The 2-8 was a welcome change, and I always enjoy a bowfin. Forgot my measuring device, though."

With the water level coming back up overnight last night, I decided to head back to Albright's this morning. From about 7 a.m. to 2 o'clock, I only boated a total of four bass, all on my INT bait. The best fish in the group was this 2-0 (see below right). The other three all were 12-inchers.

Then, between 2 and 2:30, the bite turned on for me, too, but they weren't committing fully. As a result, I couldn't get a hook in 'em. I also lost a decent fish this morning, when he got tangled in a stump as I was trying to bring him by it. He still was hanging there with one hook in his jaw until I nearly was ready to reach down and get him. At that point, he shook his head and was gone.

Said Jim about his Day 3 at Lake Gaston, "I was late 'getting to the party' and had to settle for this 1-5 as my big fish of the day. I stuck it out until 3:30, fishing toward the mouth, and managed to boat four dinks, two of which measured 12 inches.

"I had several schools of bass follow the Whopper Plopper to the boat, but they weren't much bigger than the lure," he continued. "I also was in the back of a cove and spotted a big 'un cruising that was at least 4 lbs. I dropped the WP in front of her, but all she did was follow it about halfway to the boat. All of today's action came on the WP."