Got out today thinking the fish would be rolling on the surface with the incoming storm. WRONG! I don't think I've ever done more riding in one day as I did today. I went as far north as Wahoo and as far south as the Dam in search of fish breaking but all the gas I burned was in vain…
I hit the water around 11:00 and expected to find fish on top as we have a big low pressure system moving in over the next day. Cloud cover was dominant and the only thing missing was wind. I guess maybe that was a major factor because over the next 4 hours I didn't see much of anything up top. On the way up the lake, I bumped into the only surface fish I was to see. This happened right in front of Rivers Fork camp ground. I got off one cast with a fluke and hooked up. A few minutes a later a 7 lb Striper was landed. This happened around noon.
Soon after I was up in Sardis mulling around my bud DY who was seeing fish down low. He was holding his ground but the fish weren't biting. I idled around searching to see if there was anything worth waiting for but only graphed small fish so I boogied. From there I headed south and around 2:00 PM stumbled upon some fish deep in front of the dam. I dropped my DD and bam, fish on. Some 7-8 minutes later I had boated a summer sized Striper around 11-12 lbs which made the day.
Around 2:30 I threw in the towel and was calling the day a bust and headed back to dock. Before I did I had to look in front of Aqualand one more time. This is where I had all that action last week so I was hoping maybe there would be something up and about. Well, to my surprise, I spotted a small school of fish tracking northward. There were 4-6 fish swimming much like you see dolphins along the coast with their backs coming out of the water. Weird thing was these fish weren't feeding; they were just cruising up and down and they were BIG! I grabbed my giant trout plug, made a cast right on top of them and for a moment could "feel" a fish. It didn't seem like a bite but instead it felt like the bait was rubbing on one as it swam by. At that point my lure got "launched" out of the water and I'm not sure if they tail whacked it or if it was a miss hit. Regardless, there was no hookup and that splash seemed to initiate a deep dive. In other words, they were gone.
Overall a "bad" day everything considered. After getting home, I checked the BP for the day and noted there was no major rise or peak; it essentially was a "flatline". This was in contrast to yesterday when it rose up and dropped which in turn initiated a strong bite DY witnessed. This time of year a flatline or low BP for a day will enable the fish to stay deep regardless of light. Yesterday, given the steep drop off from 11-3, the fish were up high so I guess I missed it. Oh well, such is the plight of winter fishing on Lanier.
Went out on the lake today for the first time in November and man was it wild! Fish were breaking everywhere; definitely the most action I've ever seen "up top". I spent 4 hours on the water and didn't have to travel beyond Flowery/Aqualand/Mud for all the "action".
Got on the water around 11 and immediately found birds in Flowery Branch. I wasn't able to get close as they would scatter as I approached but I never did see fish so I wasn't fretting it. After turning the corner at the mouth of FB and heading toward the gas dock, I was able to hit pay-dirt. Small pods of fish were surfacing all around and I started throwing everything at them figuring they'd be quick to bite my offering. Turns out I was wrong. For the most part, they didn't want anything big. Instinctively I expected this but with hope I kept the heavy tackle tied on hoping I could somehow coerce them. Wasn't happening… Reluctantly I tied on a fluke and sure enough, that was the deal.
Flukes cast to rolling fish would get attention. The key was getting on top of the fish right as they surfaced, which is a lot harder than it sounds, and the other key was patience. Fast retrieves are a no-no when they're on this small bait bite; let the lure sit and 4 of 5 times they'll bite it on the drop. At noon I had my first fish, around 12 lbs, and just 2 bites so I wasn't knocking them out but I was making progress. With fish seemingly everywhere I thought I would have had more luck but getting quality casts proved to be a lot more difficult than I imagined. Still, I hung in tough and stuck to my game plan.
Around 1-2 PM I was able to make 2 decent casts (after 20+ bad ones). Both resulted in hits; one hit was converted to a fish boated. The light lure on heavy line made long casts difficult and took away one of my "strengths". Still, I kept at it. Around 3 PM I got another bite and then another. At days end I had boated 4, ranging in size from 11-14 lbs, and all were caught on fluke. I did have 3-4 instances where I was over them thick and nada. This was hard to accept. But overall, not bad considering I hadn't been out in a month.
Today the surface temps were up around 66 degrees and still quite high considering the time of year. I do expect them to drop a lot in the coming weeks and for the most part, fishing to be tough or "tougher still". A good day will be anything over 5 fish; a decent day 2-4 and there is always potential for the inenviable "skunky" ala "Olla" (def: Rick going out for the nite bite and not catching anything…). There will be days when they turn on and this will usually be right before a storm. Fast approaching systems with a falling BP and wind will be best. Slow moving LP systems won't provide nearly as good impact with the best time to go for these storms a day or two before they arrive (even if it's sunny). Such is the pattern in the winter so try to go when it will most count and you'll be sure to put fish on the boat!
The following "montage" video features some great moments I was lucky enough to capture on camera. The file is large but worth the wait! Let it download at least 1/2 way before you hit the "play" button so it plays smoothly with no delay.
If you have problems playing it, click here: FLASH VERSION OF STRIPER VIDEO
I decided to do a little exploring today and after spending a few hours scouring the lake in the rain, decided to hit some old holes. The recent rain, cold air and wind has caused the lake water surface temperature to drop almost 10 degrees below what I would consider normal. This in turn is causing the fish to scatter. I was able to catch fish above Browns Bridge which typically doesn't happen till after October some time. These fish have been smaller for me and since I'm always after "big", I headed back to the dam to finish out the day. Turned out to be the right call….
Around 4:00 they started getting thick on the screen and before long I was trolling and jigging them like it was just another summer day. The first fish I landed turned out to be a MONSTER! Weighing in at just over 20 lbs, I can't say I've ever boated a fish so fat this time of year!
