For the Week Ending Sunday, May 12, 2019

Monday, May 6 (from Jim, on Lake Gaston)...Had a total of six today--four keepers and two dinks. Also had two come off on the way to the boat--perhaps a result of my being a little rusty. All but one came on the ol' reliable French Fry. One of the two 1-9s grabbed the Whopper Plopper. Only fished about five hours, from 2 to 7 p.m. I saw 79-degree water today. It's a bit stained/off-color, especially in some coves. Weather-wise, it was a nice day, with a bit of a breeze but very few boats. They have dropped the water a little. Felt good to finally get on the water and find some fish.

Tuesday, May 7 (from Jerry, in West Neck Creek)...My friend Eddie and I fished today for the first time since 2017. We fished from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from the bridge north, even past the Indian River Bridge. We only managed three fish. Eddie got a nice keeper (as reflected in one of the attached photos), and I got a 13 3/4-incher (also in one of the photos) on a watermelon fluke. Nearly wet my britches when I saw what I thought was a gator coming toward us. Thank God, it turned out to be only a stump. [Happy to hear from you again, Jerry, after a long absence. Here's wishing you and Eddie Tight Lines! Bless you, my friend.]

Tuesday, May 7 (from Dave & Ken, who ran all over the place)...That's what you do, though, when you're checking out potential spots for this coming Saturday's tournament. Gotta be careful here, as Dave cautioned me, to not give away the farm in tonight's recap of our trip today. Let's just say we caught some fish, the best five of which would have weighed about 12 lbs. 'Tweren't any big ones in the bunch, so our game plan is subject to last-minute changes, in hopes of being able to find a kicker fish somewhere Saturday before the scheduled 2 p.m. weigh-in.Weather was gorgeous, conversation was light-hearted, and "Dynamo" Dave (as I have come to think of him), as always, was good company.

Tuesday, May 7 (from Skip, who isn't saying where he was)...Had another good day on the water. Caught a total of six bass--all keepers--but no large ones. I had some nice bass on but lost them. I had one come up behind my lure, and it looked like a submarine coming after the bait. I got excited and tried to set the hook too fast.

Tuesday, May 7 (from Ron, at ???)...Caught over 20 panfish this evening (lost count after the first 20), including yellow perch, white perch, crappie, and sunfish. They were on fire. None were over 10 inches, though. They were hitting beetlespins, micro spinnerbaits, and a small Pop R. Was surprised there were no bass or chain pickerel, as they tend to hang out in the same area. Am ready to shift to salt water and get some food!

Wednesday, May 8 (from Jim, on Lake Gaston)...Things sure picked up after 4 o'clock today. I fished until 7 p.m. and ended up with 10 total, including the two pictured (a 2-12 and a 2-14), plus a 1-2, 1-6 and 1-7. The other five were 10-to-11-inch dinks. Every fish came on the French Fry. Water temp was 79.8 degrees. They were bringing the water up a bit all day. Oh, I also should mention that I missed my share of fish today. The sneaky devils were just swimming along with the FF off to the side, and I was slow to realize they were there. I happened to notice the wind went slack calm after 6 p.m., so I grabbed my double-action side cutters and headed back to a buoy that claimed one of my Whopper Ploppers Monday. Cut off the hook points, so all I need to do now is replace the hooks, and I'll be back in business. All in all, it was a pretty good day. The predicted nasty weather never did show up. Hope to make it to the mouth of Pea Hill in the morning. Still looking for Bubba. I'm tired, but it's a good tired. Enjoyed my day. {A much deserved one. Well done, my friend!}

Wednesday, May 8 (from Ron, at ???)...Still chasing the panfish, but got a couple I wasn't expecting. Thought I had a snag while throwing the Johnson Silver Minnow, but it turned out to be a drag-screaming 4-3 bass. Also caught an 11-inch white perch, as well as a few 8-inchers, and ended the night with a 2-13 bass on the Whopper Plopper. Gar were swiping at the WP, but none of them got hooked. I knew the white perch love the Silver Minnow, but didn't expect that big, drag-screaming bass.

Wednesday, May 8 (from DonMc on Back Bay)...Yo, Ken, hope you've been spankin' 'em. The big nannys are on the beds. I fished Back Bay today. Started off slow, then it turned on, and I lipped 16 fish, including one at 4 lbs. and another at 6 lbs. Sorry for the Ninja selfie. I don't want to deal with skin cancer (don't blame you, 'cause I just handed the dermatologist another pound of flesh from my face the same day you were fishing). Trying to get in another trip Thursday morning, but got a couple of honey doos first.

Thursday, May 9 (from Skip; he's not saying where he was)...All he is saying is that he caught eight fish, with seven of them keepers. He also says he lost a bunch of fish. Accompanying photos show his smallest and largest (2.6 lbs.) today.



Thursday, May 9 (from Ron, in Albright's)...Picked the wrong location for the stiff SE winds. Fished 'till just before dark (forgot my headlamp) and caught two bass (a 1-1 and a 1-2), one 10-inch crappie, and several 8-inch white perch. Think the bite would have improved if I had stayed out later. The dereaded jet skiers were out in numbers. Haven't fished there in a long time, and now I remember why.

Friday, May 10 (from Jim, on Lake Gaston)...In this final report of the trip, boat is on the trailer but still needs to be wiped down. I fished from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Stayed way in the back of Pea Hill. Was going to the mouth, but when I found a stiff breeze coming up the creek, I turned and ran with it. Caught a dink and a 1-4. Got to "fess up": I lost/missed more than I caught. Had two good keepers come unbuttoned on the way to the boat. Both were acrobats. One was nearly under the boat before I felt him. Another one got tangled up in the Yamaha's lower unit. It didn't take long to realize it was Friday when I found myself shadowed by two jet skis, one with three gals on it, the other with three dudes on it. They both were trying to tow a skier, so they of course had to take turns running back and forth alongside me. I finally ducked into a cove to get away from them, even though it meant I had to give up the pleasant scenery. There were lots of fishermen, and the crazies were arriving. My plan is to pack and load all I can tonight, because showers are in the morning forecast and most of Sunday.

Friday, May 10 (from Ron at ???)...Fished from 6 'till 8:30 p.m. Soon after launching, caught a 2-1 on a Senko, and it looked promising. An hour later, caught a world-record tiniest crappie. That was all. High water is not my friend.

Saturday, May 11 (from Ron at ???)...Fished from 0730 to 1230. From about 0830 to 1030, the bite was on fire. Had beetlespins trolled port and starboard while throwing the micro spinner. Had double and triple hookups for a sold two hours. Must have caught 60 or 70 small white perch between 5 and 8 inches. Did manage five of 'em at 10 to 11.5 inches for the stringer. Caught five 11-inch crappie, as well as a few shorter ones. Also caught three bass (not targeted) at 1-12 and two dinks. Ended the day with a gar that destroyed my beetlespin. Incidentally, I learned that Munden Point Park now allows boaters to launch for free.

Saturday, May 11 (from Don Mc on the Northwest River)...Water was a bit high, which makes the places I like to fish accessible. Surprisingly, the boat traffic was way below normal for a Saturday in May. They all must have gone south to Tulls Bay and beyond. Tried out a 30-year-old frog bait that hadn't seen water in 27 years but still commands top-tray tackle-box honors: the Strike King Grass Frog. Caught one real quick, then put it back (gar were everywhere doing their spring shoreline torment). Caught eight more, with one being a decent 4-pounder. This frogging thing is an unhealthy obsession. My first bass-fishing experiences were in Back Bay in 1978, when it still was in its heyday. Didn't have two nickles to rub together, but I had a paper route and collected aluminum cans (Budweiser in a can was REAL popular in Bay View and Ocean View in those days). Borrowed a 9.8 Mercury and rented a wooden boat from Davis's for five clams a day. No trolling motor, which didn't matter, 'cause the grass was so thick. Johnson's Spoon and Devil's Horse were the main players. What I wouldn't have done to have had a couple modern-day hollow-body Live Target frogs back then. These 40+ years later, I still love that topwater smash (nothin' better is the way a lot of guys see it). To quote a local celeb from the past, Jeff Dane, as he always ended his TV fishin' show, "Tight Lines!"