Finally back on the water and really didn’t know what to expect for a bite as the previous day a major front had passed through and dropped the temps by 20 degrees. Weather was bluebird skies with a good breeze from the NW and temps were in the mid 60’s with water temps down to around 67 degrees. I wasn’t sure if the fall pattern had started yet but with the cold front that had gone through, decided to fish deep in the weeds. The area I concentrated on is the mouth of a creek arm and has a big flat in the front of it that ranges from 5 to 8 feet of water. There is milfoil and grass mixed all around this flat and has always seemed to hold fish from previous outings here. Started out on the front of the arm in 8 feet of water and surprisingly started getting a few bites right away. But, they were grabbing at the tail of the bait because I could feel them pick it up and when I went to set the hook, they either ripped the bait in half or I just missed the hook-set all together. I was fishing a Carolina rig with a BearPaws Freedom Fry in the largemouth bass color. The fish were definitely active and I was amazed as I figured that it was going to be a tough bite for the day. Finally was able to start catching a couple of bass but they were only 12-13 inches long. Then the wind shifted from the NW to the NE and that definitely made a difference in the fish biting more frequently. Every few casts I was either catching a bass or getting and missing a bite but they definitely had turned on. Then a solid hit picked up my bait and as I reeled in the slack and went to set the hook, all I heard was a pop. I stood there looking dumbfounded as I didn’t know what just happened and I looked at my rod because I thought that I had broken it. Rod looked fine but the line broke right at the reel and that created that sound. I stood there dazed and then looked in the water to see if I could see my line as there was going to be quite a few yards dragging behind this fish. I used the rod and stuck that into the water trying to see if I could snag the tail end of the broken line but unfortunately was unable to find that line anymore. Kept working the area and picking up a couple more of the same 13 inch bass and then the wind shifted back to the NW and that seemed to shut the bite down all together. Moved around to another couple of areas that weren’t productive at all and decided to call it a day. This probably was one of my most productive days on this lake and I had figured before I even got there that it was going to be a tough bite. Goes to show you that no matter how much time you spend on the water, nature always throws a loop into your thinking. The technique that was the most productive was working the Carolina rig through the thickest weeds in the area. Cast out and work the bait slowly through the weeds back to the boat and all the way back to the boat as there were bites right next to the boat as well. Fall is definitely in the air and once these fish start moving on their feeding binge, then it will be time to break out the crankbait and start covering water.
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