Back on the Bass Track

After a couple days of pretty much no action other than from chain pickerel, Ron got back on the bass track yesterday with his afternoon trip to West Neck Creek.

He launched about 3:30 and, as he was heading out, noticed some birds diving north of the bridge, so he decided to check it out. Unfortunately, things had quieted down by the time he arrived on the location. "Not sure what they were after," said Ron.

Since he already was headed in that direction, Ron continued north, fishing the mouths of feeder creeks and structure on the west side. The fruits of his efforts included two 12-inch bass and a nice 1-8 (above right) on the XTS Minnow. He also tried a jig, as well as a Cotton Cordell bait, to no avail.

As the sun was setting then, Ron noticed some surface action in the mid-channel and decided to troll a beetlespin and Road Runner in hopes of perhaps catching some crappie. About a half-mile north of the bridge, he ran into a pole-bender on his ultralight rig, which had the Road Runner tied on. He thought it might be a record crappie, but instead, it was a 15-inch striper (above), which, in his own words, "made my day!"

Looking back on his trip, Ron summed it up as "not bad." He also took time to thank Charlie for sharing some of his seasoned advice with him prior to launching yesterday. If one thing is certain, it's that Charlie knows where the fish hang out in West Neck Creek this time of year.