April 15-17

[mixermarkb]

I got a taste of what Mr. Babler and Champ188 do for a living this week, playing guide and teacher to an old friend of mine, and man, it isn't easy! 

Lucky for me, the fish were mostly biting, and Bull made me look good for once. Mat doesn't really fish but a few days every couple years with me, and yet he listens well and picks up pretty fast.

Monday, after a great breakfast in Cookies at Theodosia Marina Resort, we drove over to Buck Creek and launched the Champion into 54 degree water. I started looking for some smallmouth on flat gravel, and we found a few while Mat got the hang of casting a spinning rod again. I boated several on a Ned, he got a couple, and then the wind started picking up. I switched him to a 3.3 kietech, and also got him going with a spinnerbait on a casting rod.

(Hint, the mid priced Lews reels with the multi function brakes work really well for novice fisher-persons. You can click an extra centrifugal brake on, and use a little magnetic brake as well, and really help them shorten the baitcasting learning curve) 

We started hitting windy points at the mouth of, and inside spawning coves, and I cranked up a few on a wart and got him a solid keeper LMB on a spinnerbait, ending the day with 25 or so fish in the boat, with Mat having caught 5, which was about the best bass fishing day he's ever had.

Tuesday, it all broke loose. Bull flat turned on. Launching at Spring Creek, we starting with steady, but slow action catching smallies in the Oakland area on finesse stuff, until the wind kicked up, and then it was REALLY on. Mat went to work with his kietech and a jerkbait, and caught a 20" largemouth and a beautiful 19" smallmouth. Anything with wind had fish on it, and we lost count at around 45 bass in the boat, with at least 15 checked on the board keepers, plus 2 big crappie and a 19" Walter. Mat had about 15 fish, and was just excited as all get out. 

Wednesday we launched at Spring Creek again, with a water temp of 58, and cloudy skies. Overall the bite was slower, but we did get into some topwater fish, and the swimbait was still working fairly well. Ended at 3pm with 10 keeper LMB, and 2 keeper smallies and maybe 20 fish in the boat total, with Mat catching 6, including his first ever topwater fish on a smaller sized Whopper Plopper. Not sure why they didn't just rip it today with the clouds, water temps didn't go up as much, I didn't see the 60-62 I saw on Tuesday, but normally overcast beats sun on Bull for me even in cooler water. I saw more beds today, but didn't see a lot of fish on them. The water in the Oakland to Buck Creek area is extremely clear, so maybe I was spooking fish off beds before I got a visual. 

Anyway, I felt like I never really got dialed in today, something changed from the day before and I didn't make the right adjustmets, even though I tried a bunch of stuff. It would be hard to repeat a day like what we had yesterday, but I was expecting better with the overcast. You know fishing is good when 12 keepers feels like a letdown! 

Anyway, Bull is fishing VERY well right now, have fun, and PLEASE turn them loose so they can do their spawning deal and we can all have fish to catch in the future. 

Pics are from Tuesday. 

[mixermarkb]

More Tuesday fish

[mixermarkb]

[Bill Babler]

Man those are great fish.  Very well done.  Grab up that Spro Blue Bandit or a Megabass Pro Blue on any wind on either Bull or the Rock and just hang onto it.  They will try and knock the silly rod right out of your hand.

[Fish24/7]

👍👏👊

[willyfish]

Cool hat, Lets Go Blues