Lucky Ned

[Sam]

Yesterday was Saturday of Labor Day Weekend, and my wife and I were invited by our son-in-law's folks to their big family gathering at a place on Tablerock they bought earlier this summer.  They've got a mobile home on a big lot in a community about halfway between Virgin Bluff and the Cape Fair Marina, on the side of the lake across from the Marina, about a block from the water.  It's a real nice weekend place, and I don't think they've spent much time at home since they got it.

I brought a 6' 6" medium-light spinning outfit along because I've been trying to improve my finesse presentation based on the information I've read here on this forum.  For the first time I've got some Z-Man Elaztech grubs to put on 1/16 oz. jigheads rather than using half a Senko, and I spooled that reel with original 6 lb. P-Line co-polymer.  Thought I'd make a few casts just to see how that combination throws and feels, especially the line.

Down at the water, I observed the Labor Day chaos from the bank.  The James River arm is pretty narrow there and it was being churned up by jet skis, wave runners, party boats, pontoons, ski boats, and big rigs capable of sailing to Japan if you could just figure a way to get 'em to salt water.  Good golly - my 17-foot aluminum boat would have been swamped in all that, waves were crashing against the shoreline, docks were bouncing around, and all the water within casting distance was the color of chocolate milk.  Nevertheless, I cast straight out from the bank as far as I could.  That P-Line cast like a dream - it seemed to have little memory and it casts a long way.

And, in all that confusion of churning, dirty lake water and revving motors - I caught a 13-inch spot with the first cast!  If this rig can catch a fish in those conditions, I take that as a real good sign of things to come.  

[rps]

It's about the bites. No bites no fish, no fish, no chance for big fish. No bites, boredom. No bites, move.