Half way over to where we wanted to get to I was talking to Garrett and at the corner of my eye I saw my rod go off and I was like holy $%!# I got a bite! I grabbed my rod and reeled in a small little shaker that decided he had enough balls to hit a swimbait over half his size.
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Thought to myself hot damn days hasn't even really started for us and I already got the skunk off with a species I didn't even plan on catching. Threw the swimbait back out and I managed to get one more 2 mins later about an inch bigger then the first. After that Garrett wanted one, so we ran back through the area once more for 1 bite that Garrett missed and that was it, so enough of that lets get to what we came here for.
We get to our cove that we want to fish and there are weed mats everywhere, so what to do? Frogging time baby. Garrett throws a frog on and I decided to put on a fluke. We threw into, around, and all over mats. I saw a patch of weeds that sat about 6 inches below the surface and I casted my fluke to it and kind of walked the dog with it about 2 inches below the surface trying to call a bass out. Sure enough I got one to come out of it.
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Not a legal sized on but I'll take it. We hit some more matts and I get one to actually slam my fluke on the top of the mat about the same size as my first. Garrett puts down the frog after a while and he decides that its been to long since he had caught a bluegill, so he pulls out a box of night crawlers and before I know it I see a bobber fly out onto the water, and sure enough as soon as it hits the water it goes down.
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Nice one too. Garrett managed to get 5 nice bluegills, all bigger then his hand. I'm going to remember that next time I want to have a panfish fry. We move on to more mats and rocks for a small fish here and a small fish there. I ended up getting 4 bass all undersized, 1 on a senko the rest on my fluke. Garrett did get one small 4 inch bass with a night crawler. We couldn't find enough small fish to keep us entertained or any nice sized fish to brag about so we decided to get off the water and go check out the American. Trolling on the way back Garrett did manage to get about a 15 inch Striper slow trolling our swimbaits. Man I love that method. Pretty sure no one else or very few people do that. Feels kind of like my own thing anyways.
We Debate on Harrington for Shad or Howe for stripers. I personally have had the worst luck so far this shad season so I want to continue my bass search and get on some stripers so Howe it was. We got there about 1900 and we walk along looking for a good looking spot. We find one and fish it for a while. No more then 5 mins after getting there we see a big splash we know is a striper. Its settled were staying here. Garrett tosses a swimbait while I try my pencil popper.
Right away garrett thinks he is getting taps. Not sure if they were bites though, he said it felt like bottom. After feeling it 3 cast in a row he finally decides to set the hook on it and what do you know? he is hooked up. Fights it for a bit and lands a small shaker.
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5 mins later I see him swing for the fences and his rod is doubled over. I get excited and Garrett says its a good one. Then . . . fish off. Garrett beats him self up over what he did wrong and why did it come off. I then realize he grabbed that swimbait out of my box and I told him to check the barb. Sure enough because I fish the upper section of the AR on a regular basis most of my gear is barbless, and sure enough his hook was barbless, so thats what garrett blames losing that fish on.
2020 rolls around and stripers start boiling everywhere. I after seeing Garrett land and lose one I'm throwing a swimbait, but with them boiling like this you know I have to get a top water plug out there. I get my pencil popper out there and as soon as they started jumping they stopped. I switch back to the swimbait and they start jumping again!!! I was thinking what the hell? I throw the pencil popper back out there again and sure enough they stop. Now I am thinking, my plug is scaring them. My pencil popper is big it splashes a lot and it has rattles in it. Its probably scaring them, wish I had a spook, but I don't so I retired topwater for the night.
I stopped and the fish started jumping again. We fished till 2100 with Garrett actually hooking up 1 more time for about 3 seconds and losing the fish again. Still blaming the barbless hook. I couldn't even buy a bite, but with action like that you know I'm going back out there.
Today, Monday. Same spot on the AR on the water by 1730. I toss out a sardine and look for some squawfish for bait. I managed to get a few shaker bites on the sardines, but no hook ups and I couldn't find any squawfish to throw out. 1900 rolls around and I hear a lot of splashing going on up river from me where Garrett is at. I hear some guys yelling so I walk up to find out what was going on. I walk over to find Garrett holding his spook with the saddest look on his face. I walk down and he was fishing with our friend Daryl and they both told me Garrett had a 10+lb striper on his spook, fought it all the way to the bank and the split rings holding his hooks to his lure failed and the fish was gone. BUMMER!!!
I fish with them and you bet I got a spook today. First cast I have a nice blow up, but like a class A amateur I set the hook too early and miss the fish. Thats ok thought because 10 mins later the fish gods gave me a second chance! I get the blow up again, feel the weight and BAM FISH ON! Nothing big, but I land my first topwater fish of the year, and my first striper on a spook.
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I'm sorry about the poor quality, Garrett doesn't know how to take a proper picture.
I guessed the fish to be maybe 16 inches. We fish till 2100 again I get another fish to blow up on my spook 3 times and the fish missed it each time (hate it when that happens, absolutely nothing you can do about it). Garrett gets one to follow his spook and Daryl gets one nice blow up, but the fish missed. Also on a spook. Walking the dog right now is the way to go! I did try ripping a swimbait just a couple inches under the surface for one quick tap. Couldn't get it to connect though.
Its Striper time baby!!! Hopefully I can get a keeper soon.
Till Next Time Guys!
I know I'll be out again soon
Mark
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