For the Week Ending Sunday, April 30, 2017

Wednesday, April 26, 2017...Had an email from Ron, saying he fished Rudee Inlet all day--"I had a day off to burn," he explained. He took a couple breaks in between but still ended up logging 17.6 miles in search of the gator blues. He ended up locating five small bluefish and a pre-dawn striper. "At least, it was mostly cloudy and relatively cool, with mild wind," he concluded.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017...Went looking for a few fish in Albright's today and found 'em, but the bite didn't measure up to the one I had last Saturday. Of course, I honestly didn't expect it to, either. My final tally was four bass, including a 1-3, 1-4, 2-8, and 3-7. The only productive lure all day was my whopper popper. Had absolutely no luck at all in getting anything to go for my modified Senko, a jerkbait or a spinnerbait. The day's biggest disappointment was having to call my boat mechanic before I got off the water to see if he could look at my outboard. It started acting up just as I turned into West Neck but got me back to the dock OK. Will be anxiously awaiting to hear what is wrong with my Yamaha (preliminary testing on 4/27 makes it look like a power pack or stator problem).

Thursday, April 27, 2017...Ran into Ray today, while I was at the marina with my mechanic to run some tests on my Yamaha, and learned that he had been chasing some fish down in Albright's. "Fished the north end," he said. "The water level was extremely high, with a temperature of 67 to 71 degrees. Visibility was around 2 1/2 feet where I fished." For his efforts, Ray scored one bass (1.6),
two nice crappie, and a single perch. He caught everything on a spinner with a large white paddle-tail grub. "Tried the finesse worm, frog, swimbait, and crankbait but with nary a taker," he explained. Ray went on to say he spoke to a crappie fisherman who had caught seven crappie...with what appeared to be a float and fly type rig. Ray characterized his day as "slow but fun."

Thursday, April 27, 2017..."Too windy for Rudee yesterday evening," said Ron, "so I launched at Indian River Road and fished for two hours in the very clear, very high water." He caught only one fish (maybe a 2 or 3 pounder, as he described it) on  a Pop R and lost him yakside.

Thursday, April 27, 2017...My buddy, Skip, has been on the go so much here lately that he didn't get around to sending me his input for this report until today (4/28/2017). However, I always say, "Better late than never." All that aside, though, he boated these two bass while fishing West Neck. He didn't get on the water until 9:30, then quit at 12 because of the wind. His best fish pictured here weighed in at 2-6.

Friday, April 28, 2017..."Thought I would try some freshwater fishing today and launched at Tecumseh," said Ron. He threw the XTS Minnow, Whopper Plopper, and Pop R without much luck. Then he tried trolling a beetlespin under a bobber and caught a few panfish, three gar that threw the lure, and two pole-bending catfish but, oddly, no bass. His biggest catfish weighed 5-2 and measured 25.5 inches.

Friday, April 28, 2017...His tourney bass fishing hasn't been up to par here lately, so Jim W. decided to try his hand at some fun fishing from his kayak. Given the results you see in the accompanying photos, I would have to say he seems to have found his stride again. He caught the 5.3 on the right today. The fish on the left came earlier, during a trip he made to a small pond. Although the fish met requirements for a state citation, Jim simply released it on the spot. It should be noted this citation fish was his first one that day. What a way to get a skunk out of the boat...or in this case, the kayak, in a hurry!

Sunday, April 30, 2017...All the trolling finally paid off for Ron this morning. He landed a few 2-to-3-lb. blues, but then his rod doubled over, and the big fight was on. "I managed to get him yakside and attached to the lip rip," said Ron. "He measured 36 inches (enough for a VA citation), but in my excitement, I forgot to weigh him." Ron noted that the blues should be a around for another week or two before he starts targeting flounder.

Bananas on Your Boat Won't Really Jinx You

So says the Snopes.com website, which I rely on heavily to sort out the truth about all kinds of things people say and write. If you've never used this resource, I urge you to keep it in mind for future reference. Founded by David Mikkelson in 1994, it started as an expression of his interest in researching urban legends and since has grown into the oldest and largest fact-checking site on the Internet. Snopes.com is widely regarded by journalists, folklorists and laypersons alike as one of the world's essential resources.

I knew, when I made my opening comments in the previous item about our bass tournament last weekend, that the bananas thing was purely superstition. However, I didn't realize right away that I perhaps would be better served if I explained the premise for those comments to all my readers. Accordingly, here is what Snopes.com says on the topic:

"We can't say how far back this superstition goes, but at least among sport fishermen, there exists a belief that bananas on a boat are unlucky.

"The sea offers plenty of opportunities for turns of ill luck. Fishing boats run aground or become lost. Mechanical failures result in boats floating helplessly adrift. Crew members become deathly sick from mysterious illnesses. Foul weather sweeps in. Any and all of these, at various times, have attributed to bad luck.

"While the superstitions involving fishermen and their boats are almost too numerous to mention, one particular entry in that category appears to attach almost solely to those who engage in sport (rather than commercial) fishing.

"Bananas are deemed unlucky by recreational fishermen and those catering to that trade. Usually, this rumor takes the form of the fish not biting on the day when bananas were discovered onboard, but mechanical breakdowns are also pointed to.

"Some in the fishing charters business extend their distaste for the fruit to include not only banana ingestibles (fresh or dried chips of banana, banana muffins, plus anything banana flavored) but even to items bearing the word "banana" or anything evocative of it, such as Fruit of the Loom underwear, Banana Republic apparel, and Banana Boat sunscreen. (The prohibition against Fruit of the Loom underwear is particularly baffling because that clothier's logo depicts an apple, leaves, green grapes, currants, and purple grapes, with nary a banana in sight.)

"In 2001, The New York Times quoted Rick Etzel of Montauk, NY, captain of The Breakaway, as saying: 'Fishermen believe bananas are bad luck. Something about a shipload of bananas that carried some weird bacteria, which killed everyone on board. Maybe fictitious, but some people take the banana thing very seriously. A few years back, a guy on one of my charters showed up wearing a Banana Republic T-shirt. Another guy in the group went up to him with a knife and slashed the logo.'

"When the fishing starts out bad and stays that way, charter boat captains are likely to interrogate their clients of the day as to whether any of them might have brought a banana aboard. When the offending item is found--be it the fruit itself, a banana muffin, or a tube of Banana Boat sunscreen--it quickly is flung overboard. Almost immediately, say those who have performed such exorcisms, the boat's luck turns around--the fish begin biting, and a good day at sea is enjoyed by all.

"No clear reason exists as to how this superstition came to be. Common explanations include the following:

     "* When top-heavy ships of earlier eras would sink, precious little other than the bananas they'd carried would be found floating on the surface, thereby leaving some to conclude conveyance of the fruit itself had led to these naval mishaps.

     "* Spiders, snakes, and other poisonous vermin living among bananas carried in the hold would, on long haul trips, expand their horizons by infesting other parts of the ship.

     "* Because the speediest sailing ships were used to get bananas to their destinations before they could spoil, those attempting to fish from them never caught anything while trolling.

     "* Fishermen became ill after eating the fruit.

     "* Other fruits would spoil more quickly when bananas were being shipped along with them, causing folks to deem bananas 'bad luck.' (Actually, it wouldn't have been ill fate that resulted in the spoilage of other foodstuffs but instead the ethylene gas emitted by bananas as they ripen.)

     "* Crew members often were injured by slipping on discarded banana peels.

     "* Fishermen missed landing 'the big one' due to a case of 'the runs' caused by bananas he had eaten.

     "* Banana oil rubs off onto the hands of fishermen, thereby 'spooking' the fish.

     "* Early anglers in Hawaii would embark upon lengthy fishing trips in dugout canoes provisioned with (along with other food items) bananas. The farther they went, the fewer the fish, causing some of them to mistake correlation for causation."

So, do I really believe the bananas Paul and Josh had aboard their boat Saturday caused them bad luck? Definitely not! It just gave me a good way to start my story. On the other hand, though, I do have one nagging dilemma: What should I do with all my Fruit of the Loom underwear?

A Sure Way to Jinx a Fishing Trip: Take Bananas With You

Paul Celentano and his partner, Josh Whittinger, did exactly that today. As a result, they were the only boat in the field of 12, with 20 participating anglers, to finish the day with less than a limit. Overall, competitors boated a total of 58 bass, for a total weight of 144.70 lbs. and an average weight of 2.49 lbs.

Here's a look at those who were standing tall this afternoon when pay envelopes were passed out:

In 1st place was this team of (from left) Matt Hemple and Mike Speedy, who caught a limit weighing 14.13 lbs. after a 0.25 deduction for one dead fish. Their big fish weighed 3.50 lbs.

Claiming 2nd place was this team of (from left) Skip Schaible and Mitch Portervint, who caught a limit weighing 13.27 lbs. after a 0.25 deduction for one dead fish. They also had the lunker, with a fish weighing 4.39 lbs.

Finishing in 3rd place was this team of (from left) Gary Coderre and Lenny Hall, who caught a limit weighing 12.73 lbs. Their big fish weighed 3.10 lbs.

Walking away with the mystery-weight prize was this team of (from left) Zack Rhodes and Joseph Bussuvanno, who caught a limit weighing 9.75 lbs., which was closest to the drawn weight of 7.85 lbs. Their big fish weighed 2.77 lbs.



The rest of the field finished as follows:

     * Ronnie McLaughlin, five fish, 12.32 lbs., 2.94-lb big fish.
     * Ken Testorff, five fish, 12.17 lbs., 3.46-lb. big fish.
     * Jim Wilder, five fish, 11.77 lbs., no big fish.
     * David Dozier and Nelson Anderson, five fish, 10.57 lbs., no big fish.
     * Bob Glass and Randy Conkle, five fish, 10.52 lbs. (after 0.25 deduction for dead fish), no big fish.
     * Steve Bailey, five fish, 10.36 lbs. (after 0.25 deduction for dead fish), 3.38-lb. big fish.
     * Duane Kessel and Bobby Moore, five fish, 10.21 lbs. (after 0.25 deduction for dead fish), no big fish.
     * Paul Celentano and Josh Whittinger, three fish, 4.58 lbs., no big fish.

Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to everyone who came out today. For planning purposes, our next scheduled tournament is next Saturday, April 29, from safe light to 3 p.m., or as announced that day. I hope you can and will join us.

I felt pretty certain today's contest would produce some good totals, and I have to say I was anything but disappointed. Speaking for myself, it indeed was pleasant to have a day in which I felt fish most of the time I was on the water. I can't recall the last time I boated a total of 10 bass during a day's fishing. Sure made up for some of the disappointments I've experienced for a long spell now.

My productive baits today were a modified Senko and the "whopper popper." I overheard several of the fellas mention they caught most of their fish on worms, too. However, I didn't experience the problem with gut-hooked fish that several had.

I saw about three small snakes today, none of which elicited my interest as much as the young fox I saw standing in my neighbor's yard, or the herd of young deer (a dozen of more) I saw standing near Landstown High School en route to West Neck this morning.

Who Doesn't Wear a Life Jacket?

Statistics show the answer to that question is 8 of every 10 of the approximately 700 people who die each year, on average, in boating-related accidents. Granted, most tournament anglers are required to wear life jackets. The problems arise, though, among those who take to the water for a day of fun, be they anglers, skiers, etc.

For example, take the Feb. 2, 2017, incident on Lake Altoona, GA, involving two boats and three boaters, all reported to be older-aged men, who were thrown from their "fishing boats" when they collided. Two anglers died and another was rescued and taken to a hospital. None of the men were wearing life jackets.

As the story goes, the crash occurred when two men in one boat were motoring down the lake in a bass boat in open water. Another man began to speed up in his boat about the same time the bass boat was passing him.

Sources said all three men were alive and holding onto the bass boat directly after the crash. By the time authorities arrived on the scene, though, one man was deceased and another presumably had succumbed to hypothermia and sunk. Divers later recovered his body. An angler fishing nearby heard the crash and went to help the lone survivor.

In an effort to combat these statistics, the National Safe Boating Council, in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, conduct an annual North American Safe Boating Campaign. The week-long celebration this year is May 20-26. The lifesaving message for this year's campaign is Boat Smart, Boat Safe, Wear It.

As part of the campaign, officials are urging everyone with inflatable life jackets to perform periodic maintenance on them to avoid such life-threatening problems as bladder leaks, fabric degradation, and improperly installed CO2 cyclinders.

Manufacturers of inflatable equipment likely will have different maintenance instructions for their products and directions for the user to service and inspect the devices. Knowing and following these instructions are critical. Proper maintenance service and inspection will ensure all parts of the life jacket, including the bladder, inflation mechanism, and CO2 cylinder are checked and in good working order.

The Coast Guard highly recommends routine maintenance, service and inspection in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. The following inflatable life-jacket inspection guidance is for informational purposes only and does not supersede any manufacturer recommendations or instruction.

Each voyage, prior to getting underway:

     * If there is a service indicator, check to ensure it is GREEN. If the indicator is RED, the mechanism has been fired, or it is incorrectly fitted.

     * Check for visible signs of wear or damage by ensuring there are no rips, tears or holes; that the seams are securely sewn; and that the fabric, straps and hardware are still strong.

     * For auto-inflating life jackets, ensure all auto components are armed and not expired. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for revealing the inflation system and oral-inflation tube. Check that the CO2 cylinder is firmly secured. Examine it for rust or corrosion. If you remove the CO2 cylinder for inspection, be sure to carefully replace it without over-tightening.

     * Repack the life jacket as per manufacturer's instructions. Ensure the pull-tab lanyard is accessible and unlikely to be caught when being worn.

Periodic checks as recommended by the manufacturer or when in doubt:

     * Inflate the bladder using the oral tube and leave it overnight in a room with a constant temperature. If the bladder loses pressure, take the life jacket to an authorized service center for further tests. Do not attempt to repair a life jacket yourself. If there is no obvious loss of pressure, deflate the life jacket by turning the cap of the inflation tube upside down and pressing it into the inflation tube. Gently squeeze the inflatable life jacket until all air has been expelled. To avoid damage, do not wring or twist the life jacket.

     * Repack the life jacket as per manufacturer's instructions. Ensure the pull-tab lanyard is accessible and unlikely to be inadvertently snagged when being worn.

Store your life jacket in a dry, well-ventilated location away from dampness and out of direct sunlight. It's important to rinse your life jacket with freshwater after saltwater exposure and dry it thoroughly prior to storage. If your life jacket is set for auto-inflation, remove the auto-inflation cartridge prior to rinsing. The life jacket manufacturer may have specific requirements, so read the instructions on the life jacket.

For the Week Ending Sunday, April 23, 2017

Monday, April 17, 2017..."A whole bunch of good news," said Ron, "but the icing on the cake was a really good afternoon in Rudee Inlet." He caught about 15 speckled trout and kept two for dinner. He also managed to boat a grey trout, with plans to compare it to the specks when he cooks them up. Ron went on to note that he "got stormed off just as the bite was really picking up. The specks provided some great fights, and I lost a few bigger ones," he said. "Was looking for the big blue fish, but didn't find any. They are there; I just have to put in my time to find 'em." Ron concluded by saying he may have to shift gears and fish the inlets for a few weeks while the blue fish are around.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017..."Fished Godfrey and a little of Pocaty today," said Ray. He ended up with a total of nine bass and five perch. There was only one keeper (1.25 lbs.), though; the rest were dinks.  The water level was low, and the temperature was running 64 to 67 degrees. Productive lures for Ray today were a finesse worm, spinnerbait and a frog. "Small fish but big fun," he concluded.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017...As planned, "hack with no attack" stayed in West Neck today. Early on, I thought I maybe should have stayed home because I had two huge blowups on my "Whopper Popper"--note I said Whopper Popper, not Whopper Plopper--without a hookup. My Whopper Popper, as I referred to it, is an out-of-production popper that really generates some noise when you work it "hard." Between it and my modified Senko worm, I managed to catch a total of six bass, including two dinks, a 1-2, 1-3, 1-12, and a 2-2. I couldn't buy a strike with my favorite jerkbait. I noticed one distinct oddity today in all six fish that I boated: All of 'em put up a good fight, complete with leaps, until I got them in the boat, and then they became completely docile, even while I removed the hooks. Don't recall that ever happening before, certainly not in recent history.

Saturday, April 22, 2017...Earlier today, Ron went to Campbell's Landing, where he was met with a windy, murky mess. "Didn't get a single tap," he said. This evening, though, he got a bit of redemption by launching at Indian River Road about 4 o'clock and fishing upper West Neck Creek. "The wind was a bit stiff," he noted, "but it is protected." He reported that the water was very, very clear and high. On his second cast, 20 feet from the launch site, Ron got a 1-0 on a Pop R, followed by a 1-10 and two dinks. He also lost a few..."and got soaked, cold, and blown around, trying to avoid the lightning." He finished at 7 p.m., as the heavy rain came down. The friend who talked him into going caught a nice 3-2.

Sunday, April 23, 2017...Having launched at 0500, Ron fished the outgoing tide at Rudee Inlet in stiff wind and a bit of rain. He managed a just-shy-of-keeper-size puppy drum, a few bluefish, and a small speckled trout. The wind did him in about 1100. While trolling with the wind, his rod went off, and he fought a gator bluefish for about 7 minutes. He described the fish as a "real drag screamer that easily measured 35-plus inches. It was an amazing fight, as he towed me around. I was trying to get him with the lip grip when he finally threw the lure, and I was heartbroken. Having caught several others over 30 inches, I am pretty confident this one was 35-plus, maybe 40 inches--a real brute." Ron went back out this evening with his son, Alex, but reported that, because the wind still was strong and the rain had increased, they gave up on the Rudee Inlet chop after only an hour and a half. "It was chilly and wet," said Ron. "We each caught a small bluefish."

There's Only One "Hack Attack"...

His name is Greg Hackney.

Meanwhile, I see myself as a "hack with no attack." I realize golfers usually chafe at being called a "hack," but that term doesn't bother me in the least.

I'm the guy who regularly just "contributes" to the weekend tournaments. I'm also the guy who simply enjoys just feeling a tug on the end of my line when I'm out fun fishing. Make no mistake about it--I get as much of an adrenaline rush as anyone else when I feel a big fish, but I'm totally satisfied, too, if I only catch dinks all day long.

Even a "hack" like me gets a chance to shine every once in a while, if maybe only in his own eyes. Such an opportunity came to me this past Friday. I came up behind a couple of what I personally know to be good anglers in one of my favorite creeks. They were fishing a stretch of shoreline that I like. Since they were there first, I hung back in the distance and waited my turn, all the while watching to see if they were catching any fish. I never saw them boat a single bass in the time I was watching.

When they moved on, I eased up to the piece of shoreline they just had vacated and immediately boated two dinks. That moment in the fishing day was a victory of sorts for me--a "hack with no attack" but enough luck to better a couple of the best. I couldn't help but smile to myself.

In a tournament setting, these two guys, I know, will keep showing me up all day long. I suffer no visions of grandeur. For that reason, I have to live with smaller victories along the way, like I described in the previous paragraph.

When luck pretty much is all you have going for yourself, you learn to be satisfied with the little things as much or more than good anglers--often described as the "10 percenters"--enjoy the big things. That term comes from the old saying that "10 percent of the fishermen catch 90 percent of the fish." However, I was reading the results of a study in which it was purported that the 10 percent only really catch about 70 percent of the fish.

Nevertheless, author Clarence Henry once wrote that the "one thing many of the 10 percenters have is a yearning for learning more. That means they're humble. They're not motor mouths, nor conceited or arrogant. But they often have a quiet confidence that makes them fish intently. They read and learn to reject the rubbish and take on the genuine... .

"The good anglers...are always trying to learn, fathom the moods of the fish, and work on out-thinking them... . You want commitment--a belief in yourself without getting big-headed about it.

"Good anglers are open in their thinking; they haven't got shut minds. They are flexible--willing to change if analysis or events tell them to do so.

"Every fishing trip is experience. If you keep a diary of your fishing days, you may see a pattern emerge, such as best tides, best spots, etc. Some spots fish better on a rising tide, others on a falling tide.

"Be observant. Look and see what's going on. Bird activity...such as swallows taking mayflies...may give you a clue.

"And go fishing whenever you can. Don't look on a skunk day as useless. Analyze what you might have done differently in the way of a new tactic."

"In short, learn to think like a fish." By so doing, there's always a chance you one day may edge a little closer to joining that "10 percenter" circle.

When All Else Fails You on Tournament Day

It's a bright sunny day in the middle of July. Sweat profusely drips from your scorched chin and runs down the back of your neck as the 95-degree weather and breath-taking sun beat down endlessly on you, almost as though in punishment for something you've done, or perhaps not done. You've fished for five straight hours now without getting a bite. Every lure you own looks uglier than it ever did before. The solid pattern you established the day before seems to have vanished into thin air...as though you perhaps only had been dreaming about pulling one bass after the other into the boat.

Being an experienced angler, your mind revs up into overdrive, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together and figure out something that will turn your fortunes--or more precisely, the lack of them--around. What to do? That, my friends, is the $64,000 question of the day.

All the while, in the back of your head, you know that, if you discover how to put those pieces back together, it will be as if someone just flipped on a giant air-conditioner when you finally put that first fish in the boat. So, how do you find those missing pieces?

If you're fishing the same time of day and the same place as the prior day, it would seem fairly obvious that something--be it current, weather or whatever--has changed, or (far less likely) you just happened to have hooked every fish in the area the day before. Actually, the fish probably haven't moved very far at all, but anything weather-related could have forced them deeper, or if you lost your current, the fish probably aren't positioned like they were when you were hammering them. Your goal should be to figure out what changed and then work from there.

One old-timer tournament guy had this to say: "Take a breath. You're thinking WAY too much! When the fishing sucks, fish what you know."

In other words, he was saying to fish what you are confident with, what you fish well, and what your gut instinct is telling you...a "go back to the basics" approach, if you will. And understand that the "basics" can mean different things to different anglers. For some, it may be to fish a fluke in and around shoreline, or just off-shore structure and weeds. For others, it may be fishing French fries s-l-o-w-l-y and patiently.

Understand here, too, that patience is not always a person's strong point--I happen to know someone like that; he's the one putting this blog post together. For some of us, life is good. We're fishing, not working. We're not starving, nor do we depend on our fishing to feed us. We're out there enjoying life and the outdoors. Catching fish is a bonus.

"When all else fails, there's always the dynamite in the rod locker" is something I've heard countless anglers joke about over the years. I don't honestly believe anyone ever would seriously consider turning that statement into a reality. Instead, I tend to believe any angler would be far more inclined to develop a no-nonsense solution to the "when all else fails" dilemma--along the lines of what already has been discussed here, or perhaps something similar to what pro angler Mike Iaconelli describes as his "panic box."

This 3600 Plano box, which is actually labeled "panic box," contains four types of baits, all of which Iaconelli used early in his fishing history, when he fished more just to catch fish, rather than to catch bass specifically.

First is the 4-inch finesse worm, which Iaconelli feels "is probably the most versatile plastic worm ever designed." Second is probably the most basic plastic lure ever designed: the grub. The third type of bait--the one that probably gets the most laughs of the four--is the good old in-line spinner. The last lure you'll find in Ike's panic box is the hair jig, which he usually uses in conjunction with some type of pork trailer.

"When the pressure is on," assured Ike, "these four baits can save your day. All of them can be put in a small box and stored for an emergency situation. Whether you're a tournament angler or a recreational fisherman, you never want to get skunked. These baits definitely will help you put some fish in the boat."

And who knows? Maybe you'll just get lucky like one guy I read about online. He was fishing a tourney that started at 1:00 and didn't catch his first (and what turned out to be his only) fish until about 6:00. He still hadn't thrown any of his confidence baits at that point. Instead, he was sticking with the same crankbait with which he had started. Suddenly, the lure bounced off a tree limb and was gobbled up by a nice 3.86-lb. bass. As it worked out, that fish earned him 3rd place and big fish.

For the Week Ending Sunday, April 16, 2017

A Double Oohrah! for this Marine

When one big bass, weighing 5-13, doesn't satisfy you...

The logical thing to do is to go catch one the same day this size: 7-2.








That's exactly what Mike S. did last Sunday. The only catch here is that I've been sworn to secrecy about where Mike caught these two hawgs. He also didn't tell me what lure(s) he was using, so I reckon that fact, too, will have to remain a mystery.

All I can do is say, "Well done, my friend," and add my own Oohrah! to yours.

Monday, April 10, 2017...Fishing from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Skip ended up catching a total of five fish, with a 3-lb. bass being the biggest. He couldn't find a topwater bite, but they were hitting flukes, paddle baits, and crankbaits.

Monday, April 10, 2017...After seeing that monster yesterday, Ron decided to put the XTS Minnow up for a bit and tied on a Havoc Rage Tail Critter, rigged weightless. He launched at Milldam Creek about 4 p.m., and once he had settled in, threw the Havoc to the base of a cypress tree. He immediately saw a big swirl and watched the line move fast, signalling that the fight was on. His prize was a bass weighing 3-4. Unfortunately, it also turned out to be a first-cast jinx. It was two hours later before he caught a sunfish on a Beetlespin. Said Ron, "I think its time to shift my tactics to plastics." The water was crystal clear, with a bit of surface debris from all the wind.

Monday, April 10, 2017...Had a note from Ray today, saying he fished West Neck. His efforts were rewarded with four perch and five bass, the largest weighing in at 2.66 lbs. "The others were dinks or dinkettes," said Ray, noting that he still hasn't learned how to tell the difference. He reported catching everything on a white spinnerbait with a small swimbait attached. The water temperature today was running a high of 60 to 65 degrees; it also was very clear in spots. The wind proved to be a bit troublesome at times but nothing that Ray couldn't handle.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017...Tonight's email from Ron indicated that he fished No Name Creek this evening. He caught a 9-inch bass while trolling there, and once in the creek, added another 9-inch bass and an 8-inch crappie. On the way out, while trolling a Whopper Plopper, he also hooked a huge gar...easily over 40 inches. Ron said he wasn't able to get hold of the gar before he threw the hook--"probably for the better," he allowed. The water was very high and still flowing in. Clarity was excellent, and there were lots of bugs.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017...My wife had to bowl today, so I decided to celebrate our 46th wedding anniversary by spending the day on the water. With the continuing high water, I went to Albright's. I spent some time searching but finally found two productive stretches and ended up with a total of six bass on the day, including a dink, 1-1, 1-5, 1-7, 1-11, and 1-14. Five of the fish fell for a popper. I fished a modified Senko to catch the one other fish. Missed about five fish overall. There were at least four other boats in Albright's today but only will be getting a fishing report from one of them.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017..."There was no noticeable grass yet and a very slow bite in Lovitt's today," said Ron. Fishing from 4 to 6:30 p.m., he caught a 1-6 and 1-1 bass, as well as an 8-inch crappie--all on the XTS Minnow. He reported trying craws, a Pop R, and the Whopper Plopper...all to no avail. "The water still was pretty high and murky," he added. Everything he caught came from the main creek. He didn't find anything in the feeder creeks.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017...I can't say for sure what lures were productive for Skip today, but I do know I, at one point, saw him tossing a pink fluke to the shoreline. Whatever he was throwing, it's evident the fish wanted it. At day's end, he had caught one more fish than me, and, furthermore, the seven he had boated were better quality than mine. Pictured here are Skip's biggest three, including two 2-5s and a 3-0.

Friday, April 14, 2017...Ray had a good day in Albright's. He ended up with six bass, including a 2.11 (pictured here), 1.21, 1.26, and 3 dinks. He also had five fish break off for some reason. "Poor hookset, I guess," he said. "The bass were on the trees first thing this morning but moved to the banks around 10 o'clock," he continued. A weightless swimbait and finesse worm were his best baits. "Lost a couple on the Pop R, too," he concluded. (I would like to take this opportunity to thank my friend, Ray, for joining my little group of regular contributors to the Fishing Reports here on my blog. It's people like you, who make my job easy, and I appreciate that.)

Friday, April 14, 2017...I split my day between Albright's and West Neck today and caught fish both places. Overall, my totals included five bass (three dinks, a 1-4, and a 2-4). I tried a crankbait, worm, topwater and chatterbait to no avail. My only productive lure was a jerkbait. It was no surprise that I had to run through a series of baits before I found one that would work. The cooler temps today, compared to my trip Wednesday, along with the river gauge showing about a foot less of water today, had me prepared to be flexible.

Saturday, April 15, 2017..."Fished Tecumseh from 0900 to 1400 today," said Ron. The first few hours, according to him, were really nice, but the bite was slow. About 1030, he stumbled onto his one and only bass. About three hours later, he found a pocket of crappie and managed to catch three for the skillet. By 1330, the wind was just brutal on the open lake and the water turned very, very murky. He went on to note that, with the southern shore getting very grassy and the lily pads starting to show new growth, it won't be long before a weedless spoon will be the only lure option. Ron ended his email by saying he plans to fish Pocaty in the morning.

Saturday, April 15, 2017...Skip and Mitch teamed up for some fun time on the water today. Their email reported catching five or six bass, including two keepers. When the wind picked up early morning, the bite slowed down. The fish were hitting several different baits, among them the Whopper Plopper, Flukes, Pop R, crankbaits, and soft plastics. Mitch poses here with a couple of their rewards, while, I assume, Skip uses his cellphone to capture the moment. If this duo stayed with the plan they outlined for me, they came off the water around noon.

Sunday, April 16, 2017...A trip to Pocaty is what Ron forecast in his Saturday email, and a trip to Pocaty it indeed was. He admitted he was a bit surprised how clear Pocaty was at 0730 this morning, when he launched and headed eastward. His baits of choice were the Havoic Pit Boss, Pop R, XTS Minnow, and beetlespins. Ron said he caught a 1-12 bass on the Pop R and a 1-4 on the Berkley Havoc Pit Boss. He also managed a tiny white perch and crappie on the beetlespin, and lost a couple hits on the Pop R and Pit Boss. Said Ron, "The further east I went, the windier and murkier it got." In hindsight, he acknowledged that he should have stayed closer to the wind-protected bridge area. He called it quits about noon.

The Perils of Launching/Recovering a Quart-Sized Boat With a Pint(o)-Sized Car

Let's face it: Launch ramps always have been and most likely always will be the setting for experiences that can leave us laughing, crying, cussing, or perhaps a combination of all. The following is just another such account that I recently found online.

"When I was a young man back in the '70s, I had an uncle who just had bought his first boat. I am sure every family has an uncle who is the black sheep of the family...you know, the kind who can't do anything right.

"I only was 12 or 13 years old at the time, so I didn't know anything about trailering a boat. I certainly didn't know there was anything wrong with pulling my uncle's heavy homemade boat with a Ford Pinto--one of those cars that was advertised to catch on fire when hit from behind.

"One day when we went fishing at a local river, it was high tide, which made it easy to launch the boat. Hours later, when we came back in, though, it was a different story, 'cause the tide was almost dead low. Now the ramp was a steep, wet and slippery mess.

"My uncle backed the trailer down the ramp, then tried to get the boat lined up on the trailer. The boat had to be centered exactly, or the off-balanced weight would cause the fender to rub against the tire. Regardless of what he did, the current kept moving the boat out of position, forcing him to try a number of things.

"He first backed the boat out and hit the trailer at a higher speed, in an effort to drive it further onto the trailer. The steepness of the ramp, however, doomed this option. He then backed the trailer farther into the water and tried again, still with no success. His next move was to tie a rope to the back corner of the boat, and have me go upstream and try to pull the boat into position, a move that finally gave us success.

"As we were pulling the boat up to the front post of the trailer, however, water started coming over the transom, near the motor. My uncle wasn't worried about this development, since the boat now was on the trailer. He just climbed into the Pinto, put it in gear, and hit the gas. All that happened, though, was that one of the rear wheels started spinning.

"He subsequently backed a little farther down the ramp, hoping he somehow would gain traction, but that didn't work. His next idea was to disconnect the trailer from the car and move the latter to dry ground, then tie the anchor line between the car and trailer and try to pull it up the ramp. Although he didn't tell me what he was planning, I soon figured it out when I saw him disconnecting the trailer. Realizing he hadn't thought that process through completely, I grabbed a big rock and put it under the one trailer wheel--just in time to keep the trailer from rolling down and off the end of the ramp.

"At last, my uncle got the anchor line hooked up and tried once more to pull the trailer and boat up the ramp. Again, however, the one little wheel just spun in place. Facing defeat, he finally walked over to the marina store at the ramp where we were and asked for help.

"A guy came out, hopped into his Ford 350 pickup, tied a rope to the front frame of the Pinto, and pulled both the Pinto and the boat to higher ground as easy as you please. While he was doing this, I noticed that the water weight in the boat's stern was causing the motor to drag along the ground, so I hopped onto the trailer tongue to offset the weight. There was just one problem: My weight caused the tongue to start dragging.

"In due time, everyone and everything was high and dry, and my uncle pulled the plug to allow the boat to drain. About a half hour passed before enough water had drained out for us to lift the tongue back onto the hitch ball and head home.

"As I look back on that incident, I cannot believe how many times my uncle and I pulled that boat with his Pinto over the years. Thankfully, there never was a repeat of that incident."

Another Day With No Relief From the Wind

(To all those who fished our tournament yesterday, as well as to all my readers, I sincerely apologize for not providing a more comprehensive initial review of yesterday's contest last night. I really would have been better served to have just gone to bed and left this detail for this morning--a point I readily realized when I first sat down here this morning and read what I had assembled last night. The truth of the matter is that my tank simply was completely empty last night--I didn't even have the usual fumes left over to keep me going. To put it another way, I was feeling each and every one of my soon-to-be 74 years. In the future, when I feel as tired as I did last night, I'm going to withhold my review until Sunday morning, because anything else is simply a disservice to everyone involved. In closing, please know that I've gone through what I wrote last night and made some changes, in hopes of making it more palatable to all your tastes.) 

Anytime you see whitecaps in a place as shallow as the back end of Albright's, you can bet your sweet bippy on one thing: It's going to be one wild, windy, and anything but wonderful day on the water, and today proved it. I've always thought that the month of April was the month for showers (you know--the one that brings May flowers), but from all outward appearances so far, it's just been a continuation of the windy days from March. Those conditions, however, didn't deter 19 anglers in 11 boats from showing up to fish today's contest out of West Neck Marina.

Unfortunately, it was just a drill in futility for many in the field, as evidenced by the fact that four of the boats didn't even weigh a fish. Nevertheless, anglers in seven of the boats managed to find fish...and some in a big way, too. Overall, those who caught fish posted a grand total of 25 bass, including four limits, which resulted in a combined total weight of 54.91 pounds, and a 2.19-pound average.

Here are the anglers who were standing tall in the winners' circle at day's end:

(From left) Paul Celentano and Paul Higgins, 1st Place, five fish, 14.56 lbs. total weight, 6.31-lb. big bass.

(From left) Rob Peppers and Don Carter, 2nd Place, five fish, 14.06 lbs. total weight, 5.5-lb. big bass.

Gary Coderre, 3rd Place, five fish, 9.93 lbs. total weight, no big fish.

Zack Rhodes, Mystery Weight Winner, five fish, 8.62 lbs. total weight, no big fish. His total weight was closest to the drawn weight of 7.30 lbs.








Here is how everyone else finished the competition:

     * Bobby Moore and Duane Kessel, two fish, 4.25 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
     * Mitch Portervint and Skip Schaible, two fish, 2.18 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
     * Rob Chatham and Ken Testorff, one fish, 1.31 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
     * Not weighing any fish were Wayne Hayes and Sean Vitovich, Steve Bailey, Al Napier and Allen Napier, and Mike Speedy and Matt Hemple.

Congrats to all the winners and thanks to everyone who came out, despite the weather. For planning purposes, our next scheduled event is Saturday, April 22, from safe light to 3 p.m., or as posted later. I hope you can and will join us.

I often get "brain freeze" from eating ice cream, but it never compares to the similar pain I had early this morning as Rob and I headed south to spend our tourney day. It felt like my head was going to split in half while we were running. Today's trip to Albright's seemed to take a lot longer than usual, too, and then the fish didn't want to cooperate after we got there.

A moment of uncertainty arose during the morning trip south when one of two "big boys" running north appeared to have us in their radar sites. Regardless of the fact I kept changing course, their craft kept coming directly at us. I'm not sure if the operator was distracted with something, or if he just didn't see us for the longest of time. Fortunately, he eventually saw us and slowed to a no-wake passage. Coming back to West Neck this afternoon, we didn't see the first sign of another craft.

For the Week Ending Sunday, April 9, 2017

Monday, April 3, 2017...Received an email from Ray, telling me he couldn't get on the water until 1 o'clock today, so didn't expect much, due to the late start. However, he fished north of the West Neck Bridge, where he caught one small bass and a half-dozen crappie and perch. The tickets to his success were Beetlespins, a swim bait, and the Float N Fly. "Also had one blowup on a buzz bait," said Ray. The water temperature today was 65 degrees, and the visibility was fair.

Tuesday, April 4, 2017..."The water was surprisingly clear, the wind was howling, and the bite was way off," said Ron in tonight's email. He went on to note that he fished upper West Neck Creek at Indian River Road last evening and caught one dink. This evening, he fished out of  West Neck Marina and caught the 1-9 pictured here. "Hopefully, the bite improves...," he concluded.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017...At day's end, Skip had three nice bass: a 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5. He caught all of them in Albright's--lost a few on the way to the boat, too. Per his request, I'm not publishing one of the photos because it would give away the bait he was catching all of them on. And with another tournament this coming Saturday, it's his desire to keep that "magic bait" just between him and me. The way I see it--that's the very least I can do.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017...While Skip was busy catching those three nice ones today, I was "all tied up" catching a white perch, three dinks, and a 1-9 bass. Caught everything on a popper--didn't have a single strike on anything else. The comment about being "all tied up" refers to the fact I spent a vast majority of my day digging lures out of trees, stumps and you-name-it. Ended up whacking so much line that I had to respool a couple of reels tonight. It was one of those days when I was about as coordinated as a baby trying to take his/her first steps. Hopefully, the tournament this Saturday won't be a repeat of what I had to deal with today.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017...It was off to Tecumseh for Ron this evening. The water was murky, with far too much surface debris. He had a whole bunch of strikes and misses before realizing they were gar. In the final analysis, though, he did manage a 1-9 bass, a crappie, and his first gar of the year.

Friday, April 7, 2017..."Battled wind and cold in an upper North Landing Creek this evening," said Ron. He ended up boating 11 bass but none worthy of the scale. "They all were dinks, 12-inch maximum." He also caught a few perch and a lone sunfish. "A real dink fest" is how he described it. The productive baits were the XTS Minnow and Beetlespins. He didn't find any bowfin or striper but still called it "a pretty decent trip." He went on to explain that "the wind was a bear, and the temperature drop demanded use of hat and gloves. The gauge was very high,  but the water was crystal clear. Weekend could be good," he noted in closing.

Sunday, April 9, 2017...Received an email from my tourney partner of yesterday, letting me know that Craig and Mitch headed out of West Neck this morning in Craig's boat. Between 7 and 11 o'clock, it seems they caught a total of three bass and lost one at the boat. Their biggest one of the morning (pictured here) went close to 3 lbs. Their productive lures included topwaters and a crankbait. This report only confirms what I said at the breakfast table this morning, "I'll betcha the fish are bitin'.

Sunday, April 9, 2017...Had a note from Ron saying he fished Oceana yesterday at mid-day and only managed one dink. This morning, he went to House Cove, where he caught two bass, each weighing 1-1. He also lost a slightly bigger one. Said Ron, "The water was high and murky, but no wind." He indicated he might try Tecumseh this evening.