What do I mean by "gunpowder?", I mean that starting line gun that goes off, analogous to the time everyone runs to the lakes when the stocking trucks back down the ramps, the culture shocked fish that scurry into the unknown and easily into nets... There's a sense of guilt dropping in from the sportsman side of me, but then again, I paid by license fees and I need to make sure that same jerk isn't walking away with a trash bag full of fillets while the rest of us play by the rules.
If you follow WF you know I'm mostly a fly angler anymore but the water being clear as gin I knew these bows had congregated off the shelf transition in 6-7 ft of water. Back to bass basics here; white hair jig garnished with a maggot. We reeled and cheered as these factory fish shot like tarpons through the flats and into the air. I was lucky enough to have the GoPro strapped up and running for a good portion of the ordeal, which is what you'll find below (and with some extra footage stocked up in my memory cards).
Catching Freshly Stocked Fish
Now onto the strategy of finding the bows on the lake. The lake you see above is an old gravel pit bought and converted into a nice public fishing hole. This is somewhat unique because it introduces the depth factor and you really need to figure out your depth scenarios in a place that can exceed 70 ft. There are areas where huge boulders protrude, areas of round pebbles, submerged algal beds and elodea strips, steep banks, bluffs, shelves, even a couple of ponds nearby. I knew the depth game was critical and the water being so clear would cause the fish to hang a little lower, and probably near some structure that could be roamed for gizzard shad or smaller invertebrates. I decided to put the fly rod down and get to jigging. White was the color that day, bouncing and skipping the jig (1/32 oz lead head) around 6/7 ft proved to be the winner. Here's the jig pack I pulled from.
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AuthorRobbie is the creator of WF and loves to spend time in the outdoors chasing steelhead, upland birds, and the beauty of nature. Archives
February 2017
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