Warming up - 60 degree water

Comment

Comment by Andy is OptiMystic on March 16, 2015 at 5:36am

One issue (not sure I would call it a problem) is I have two primary outdoor hobbies - fishing and kayaking. Sometimes I fish without a kayak and sometimes I kayak without fishing, though I rarely do the latter these days. I did a little of it yesterday though. When I got to the tail end of the cove I could see that I could get back in there a lot further but fishing would be pretty difficult at best. I put my rods down low and paddled on in. I wish I had a place this interesting closer to me. Anyway, my hobbies usually complement each other pretty well but it does keep me from honing in on the fish the way you and Jeffrey do.

Yesterday's reports from Harris are painful to read. Lots of ~20+ # bags (5 bass) caught. This is prime time for big bass there.

Comment by Andy is OptiMystic on March 16, 2015 at 3:45am

I don't keep careful enough records to monitor closely, but I fish Shearon Harris probably 8 times a year, Jordan probably 5. 2 favorite rivers maybe 3-4 times each. The list of new places I want to hit this year will lower those numbers.

Comment by Slip Sinker on March 16, 2015 at 3:42am

do you have a "Home" lake ... where you go most often to test methods, monitor fish movements etc...

Comment by Andy is OptiMystic on March 16, 2015 at 2:44am

Unfortunately, not sure when I will get back there. One problem with my penchant for exploration is that outside of a few nearby places I hit somewhat regularly, I don't return to places all the often or frequently. My list of places I want to get to is rather long.

Comment by carl hendrix on March 15, 2015 at 9:36pm

good looking spot Andy!  another day or so;; should be just right for you!!  good luck!

Comment by Andy is OptiMystic on March 15, 2015 at 7:06pm

Not sure when I will get back there next. I don't know about carp there. Definitely has large catfish. A lot of the shallows are virtually unreachable in the swamp.

Comment by Jim Gronaw on March 15, 2015 at 7:02pm

Tough conditions...no doubt. Don't know if you have carp in that lake, but in early spring they can go very shallow to find water that is just a bit warmer than the rest of the lake. Spook easy, too.

Be interesting to see if you can make a move with warmer, clearer conditions in the near future. Good luck!

Comment by Andy is OptiMystic on March 15, 2015 at 5:56pm

Talked to a local who was giving up and headed in and he blamed the mud more than the wind. Paddling back into the swamp there was neither, but I am not sure how you could fish that. I worked my way in to a couple of "holes" - small open areas that were 3' or so deep between the grass/weed mats but everything would scatter if I got in one  (would see movement and small mud clouds where something took off). I could see into other holes over the top of mats and the surface would ripple/dimple with scattering bait and then boil; something was feeding in there.

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on March 15, 2015 at 5:46pm

Cheers to your determination Andy........I was definitely planing on getting out today but emergent work consumed this Sunday......talked to several friends that made attempts and several that just postponed as the winds were even higher than predicted......very few fish caught and the highest water temperature reported was 55.........no shallow crappie and bass anglers not much to report either.........the tides of March remain some of the hardest to predict but the days are getting longer and sun a little closer.......we will all have that memorable trip soon.....hope you wear them out when you get the chance!

Comment by Andy is OptiMystic on March 15, 2015 at 5:18pm

Last entry was from my phone. Longer explanation. I lost a crappie at the boat and a buddy caught one within a couple of minutes. We marked them but couldn't get them to bite scattered in deep water (10' - 14') and found almost none in the shallower 4' - 8' (mostly < 6') area that covers most of the lake. I did a lot of paddling without fishing either fighting wind out in the open or poking around in places like where I took the picture. I should have taken another further in. Center right, there is a little opening. That goes back into the swamp and I followed some clear small channel. There were minnows in the grass in the swamp and boils from feeding fish but they were not where I could get at them easily. I think a lot of the bedding goes on back in where it's hard to get at. Wish I had slayed them, but I am new to the blackwater game and it isn't easy...

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