Short day trip with Rick (aka: Snaggy), Friday May 15th

Got out for a quick trip up the lake after hearing about some awesome action early this morning. Turns out all the action was in the morning; we didn't do well but it was a nice day to be on the water and in the end, getting to watch Rick commit another "classic moment" is what days like this are all about…

Got up to the same area I was at yesterday just after 3:00 and spent an hour looking for fish. We were marking a few small ones but nothing significant. Most were small and single so we just kept moving. Water temps were hitting a new high ranging from 77-80 degrees. Finally after 4:00 we came upon a small school and stopped the boat. I was able to get a small 7-8 lb'er to hit a jigged Daredevle. Rick actually got a hit but no hook up. We spent another 30-40 minutes chasing the few we saw but they were pretty much gone by 5:00 so we headed back down the lake.

Along the way we stopped at several locations but there just wasn't much happening. Water temps are climbing steadily; the main lake was 76 all the way back to the dock so the down line should be on soon. With the fish wanting to be high up in the water column and the weekend warriors hitting the lake big time, I just don't think it was a good time to be out. Friday afternoons generally means a lot of people will be hitting the water for some weekend R&R. Today was no exception. By 4:00 PM the boat traffic was like any normal summer weekend. In other words, it was pretty crazy out there with jet skiers, water skiers and people tubing. Definitely not the kind of traffic any fisherman likes to see. Next week I'm sticking to early morning trips as the fish are definitely more active and up high in the water column so that will be the best time to do some "catching".

We were back at the dock before 7:00 when Rick pulled another one of his classic "stunts" that made this trip well worth my time and gas. While moving off the back of my boat onto the dock, he somehow let one of his reels "fly" out his back pack and onto my swim board. From there it bounced into the lake where it joined all the other equipment Rick has tossed in over the years. I'm sure all this equipment (mostly mine) are huddled together on the lake bottom right now, enjoying a "cold one" this Friday night, talking about their "friend" Rick who likes to practice "catch and release" with his equipment!!