My fishing trips usually consist of crawling out of bed during the wee hours and backing the trailer into the water just as the eastern horizon ligthens.
This outing was going to be somewhat different, other obligations delaying my arrival at Hugh Demby's house until 8:30 a.m. Still, that would give us ample time to get the boat hooked to the truck and all of our goodies loaded before 9, our designated departure time.
Although being on the water at daybreak is essential during the brunt of summer, the spring season is a great deal more forgiving. The forecast was also in our favor, a high percentage that thunderstorms would roll in during late morning meaning a sudden fall in barometric pressure. Unstable weather was expected for the remainder of the day.
We weren't overly excited about facing adverse conditions but were confident of some impressive biting periods. The key was to stay close enough to the truck, or other locations, where we could take cover if lightning, hail or high winds moved in.
The water temperature was hovering around that magic number when the bass would begin their annual spawn. We were a little unsure of what type of water would be holding fish. But with a little luck and perseverance we would figure out their patterns early.
Dropping the trolling motor in the water just as the boat coasted to a stop on a long, shallow point, I cast a rogue and jerked it toward the boat. Within a few casts, I tied into a nice walleye.
Soon thereafter, I found myself in yet another fight, when a striper found the presentation more than it could resist. Two fish in the boat in short order, but our question had not yet been answered. We still had no idea if the bass were on their nests.
Easing into a nearby pocket, we cast floating worms. This particular location would likely provide us with the information we needed, consistently proving a spawning area in years past. And if they were already nesting, it would provide us with the answer we needed.
But no cigar -- not a single bite. It was quickly becoming evident they had not begun their annual process of replenishing the reservoir with their species.
We would not completely ignore proven spawning grounds. but casting the rogue over steep rocky points had led to a success during my most previous outing. So, we headed for a section of water where this type of terrain was abundant.
Sure enough, the first stop lent to a fair share of action. Within no time we had boated several bass. As one might suspect, some of the fish didn't reach the 13-inch length limit posted on Lake Ouachita. But despite casting in an environment where spotted bass usually prevailed, we were also coaxing some pretty nice largemouths into the boat.
As the day continued, we located several points holding fish. Although still managing to boat our share of keepers, we were most hopeful to find nesting fish before day's end. The water temperature was right, and they were suspect to begin their annual mating rituals any time.
Catching a striper, white bass and a nice size spotted bass from one point, we had just enough time to check out a nearby pocket. We had located nesting fish at this exact location a few years ago, when they had still not began to spawn anywhere else.
Just as we had hoped for, this spot paid off again. We had time enough to coax a couple into biting before heading home. We would have preferred spending more time on the water, but the outing had proven successful. We caught 53 fish, seeing the first indication that some more exciting bass fishing lay just hours ahead.
Sports on 04/26/2015