4/3/2020 report

[mixermarkb]

Hey guys-

Got down this week for a couple days. Fished a couple hours Thursday evening, and caught 2 keepers and a few short LMB in the backs of pockets on a spinnerbait, with water temps in the low 60's. I had my older boy with me though, and he's not a super accurate caster yet, so Friday, I decided to bail on the shallow, dirty water bite, and try for some smallies down the lake. We started about 9am at the Spring Creek ramp. Ramp is flooded of course, but the road is fine, good angle, and even has the courtesy dock in place. 

I got Sid going on a Ned rig, on what I know to be a pea gravel bank. Boat in about 30', fishing 15-20ish, under a heavy cloud cover and occasional rain drops, it didn't take long. He hooked up with a good fish, and I played net man. 10 minutes later, he hooked an absolute toad, 19" and fat!!! He caught a few more there, I caught 4 keepers,  but he beat me for big bass for sure. The rain went away and the sun came out, and that bite seemed to slow a bit. I went off down lake with the general idea of working towards Big Creek, but never made it past Music. I caught a few more on a jerkbait, including a pretty meanmouth (I think). Sid caught a few more smallmouths on the Ned, but missed a bunch that were just picking it up by the tail. I stayed away from the Ned, fished a jerkbait and a 3.3 keitech, as well as a big swimbait. We quit about 3pm, with a couple or three shy of 20 bass in the boat.

I had hoped to fish today, but Sid was having none of the cold. Main lake temps around 57. 

[Fish24/7]

👍 awesome job Sid

Nice guiding Mark

[Bill Babler]

Beautiful fish.  Great report

[mojorig]

Good-looking fish in those pictures. The fish in the third picture is a meanmouth....

[mixermarkb]

1 hour ago, mojorig said:

Good-looking fish in those pictures. The fish in the third picture is a meanmouth....

Thanks Jeremy- I was pretty sure it was. 

Hey, a couple questions. Meanmouths sure are pretty, but do they pose a risk for the smallmouth genes? The few ive caught have been shorter and smaller than smallmouths. Long term, will that mean the smallies get smaller, more like an average spotted bass? If so, should we be cleaning and eating meanies when we catch them? If so, what are the length regulations? 

Thanks!