I checked out one of the lakes I try to visit early and late in the season. When I arrived at 8 am conditions were calm and overcast and surprisingly mild temperatures, probably helped by the cloud cover. I saw a couple rise forms as I got organized. With zero W to scuff the surface I started with an unweighted #10 wiggle tail, a Jay Fair pattern that is basically a bugger tied on a scud hook. I tie it sparse and keep the total length to ~1.5”. I fished it off my SA clear camo intermediate line and a long leader, probably 13’.
It took me a few minutes to find the zone and retrieve that was working but once I did, it was steady fishing. Nothing over 14” but I was hooking up every 10-15 minutes for a couple of hours. I took a throat sample and found this assortment.
To give my casting shoulder a break I rigged up an indicator and tried to match the sample with a small soft hackle jig nymph. Again I had to find the right zone and depth for the bug but it was game on for 12-14” fish. Around 10:30 a light rain started and I took a shore break to get my rain coat out. About the time I finished a PB&J and was ready to fish again, the rain quit and the first puff of W scuffed the surface. Time to switch tactics and offer up something bigger.
From 11-1 I had the best bite of the day and found a couple of quality fish. I covered a lot of water but found the action in a couple of distinct areas. The baitfish got plenty of attention and the takes were strong. At 1:30 the W ratcheted up and my bite turned off. I spent another couple hours trying to figure it out and missed a couple takes. I called it a little before 4. Those 2 hours of baitfish madness are the kind of thing that I’ll think about all winter.
It took me a few minutes to find the zone and retrieve that was working but once I did, it was steady fishing. Nothing over 14” but I was hooking up every 10-15 minutes for a couple of hours. I took a throat sample and found this assortment.
To give my casting shoulder a break I rigged up an indicator and tried to match the sample with a small soft hackle jig nymph. Again I had to find the right zone and depth for the bug but it was game on for 12-14” fish. Around 10:30 a light rain started and I took a shore break to get my rain coat out. About the time I finished a PB&J and was ready to fish again, the rain quit and the first puff of W scuffed the surface. Time to switch tactics and offer up something bigger.
From 11-1 I had the best bite of the day and found a couple of quality fish. I covered a lot of water but found the action in a couple of distinct areas. The baitfish got plenty of attention and the takes were strong. At 1:30 the W ratcheted up and my bite turned off. I spent another couple hours trying to figure it out and missed a couple takes. I called it a little before 4. Those 2 hours of baitfish madness are the kind of thing that I’ll think about all winter.
