For the Week Ending Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018

Monday, Oct. 22 (from Ron)...Back to my old Milldam haunt. Have not fished freshwater since Sept. 28. Had a short window from  5 to 6:30 p.m. About 5:30, I found 'em, and it was on. Caught seven bass in quick succession; also had a few misses. Can't remember a time when they were all so healthy and fat. Even the smallest one was 1-2. All were between 1-2 and 2-10, and they were in great shape. T'was near perfect...all clean lip hooksets and all on swimsenko or Zoom U Vibe worms. Had a few swipes at topwater but no hookups. Very refreshing to be back in the fresh, away from the crowds. It was a picture-perfect evening.

Tuesday, Oct. 23 (from Ron)...Visited another ol' haunt this evening: upper North Landing. The area has disappointed all summer long but thought I would target bowfin for a change. Glad I did. Had several on that threw the hook or got a poor hookset (hookset shy?). I decided to let this one run a bit longer before setting the hook, and it worked. After a pole-bending, all-out super fight, he weighed in at 9 lbs. 14 ozs. and an even 30 inches. A torn-up tail normally is indicative of spawning activity, but that isn't supposed to happen until spring. Last spring, I couldn't find any in upper North Landing. Makes me curious. Not sure what tomorrow has in store.

Wednesday, Oct. 24 (from Ron)...With the low gauge and high winds, was kind of limited on launch options. Opted for Lovitt's vicinity of Back Bay. Started slowly, throwing worms and spinnerbaits. Caught a crooked 2-8 bass on the spinner and shifted to U Vibes. Lost a couple and caught a couple. Had an attack as the worm broached the surface, so tried a Pop R. Caught a couple more, and the topwater bite turned on just as it got dark. Headlamp died, and I wasn't going to mess with Pop R trebles in the dark, so called it a night. Caught a total of seven bass, mostly between 13 and 16 inches, all pretty healthy. The ol' adage is "one is none, and two is one." I always should carry two headlamps.

Saturday, Oct. 27 (from Ron)...Thursday evening, fished 2.5 hours for one dink. Saturday morning at Blackwater, fished 3.5 hours for one dink. Saturday evening, went to HRBT, and the striper bite was on. Had a near-24-inch keeper after only 5 minutes at the bridge. Also got three shorts, then had a monster breakoff that got tangled in the pylons. Conditions went south with wind and washing-machine chop and had to get outta there.