It Was a Day When 3s Seemed To Be the Rule

My first move this morning was to verify that the spare prop on my outboard had solved all of my problem with the spun hub last week. As soon as that issue was out of the way, I dropped the trolling motor over and started fishing West Neck Creek.

I hadn't gone very far before I felt my first fish of the day: about a 3-lb. pickerel. A little later, I picked up my first dink bass of the day. Before all was said and done, I had boated three dinks. The best part of the day, though, was the fact I also boated three 3-plus pounders [exact weights were 3-1 (pictured left), 3-6 and 3-15] to go with those dinks.

Watching the fish whack a flat-sided crankbait, my most productive lure of the day, was a real joy. You initially would see the fish move off the piece of wood, then you'd see the V-wake coming behind the bait, followed by the moment of truth when he grabbed it and started taking drag. Besides the flat-sided crankbait, I also caught fish on a popper and a wakebait--for another total of three.

Last but not least, I quit fishing at 3 o'clock.

I really enjoyed the overcast day. I'll take one of those anytime.

I received my nightly report from Ron a bit too late last night to get it posted before I turned in, so am including it here.

He went to the upper North Landing last evening and fished from 4  to 6:30 p.m. He had a few short strikes on the Whopper Plopper, then tried flukes and the XTS without any luck. Ultimately, though, he landed three fish on the WP, including a 10-inch crappie, a 10-inch bass, and a decent bowfin.

"At least, I caught one of my targeted species (the bowfin pictured here)," he said in conclusion. "Strikes and misses were few and far between. They must have been out trick or treating."

Ron shares my fondness for overcast days, and it's no surprise, considering the results of his two-hour trip to Tecumseh this evening.

He started off throwing a Mann's 1-Minus shallow-water wakebait and the ol' XTS Minnow, but neither seemed to be working, so he went back to ol' faithful: the monkey butt Whopper Plopper, which helped him find five bass. He also was trolling the XTS. This bait scored another bass, a small yellow perch, a small white perch, and a crappie.

The WP went on to yield a 20-inch chain pickerel and two keeper crappie, measuring 12 and 11 inches, respectively. "The crappie bite picked up at dark--about the same time the bass seemed to turn off," said Ron.

The evening's bass weighed in at 1-7, 1-12, 2-0, and 3-6.

"A very good evening" is how Ron summed it up. "November off to a good start!"