I try to get out on the water whenever possible. Like most of the Wired2Fish readers, it's when time allows or if we have products to test. Most of the time, I get to go right after work for a few hours. I am fortunate that we have a couple of good lakes in Central Illinois not far from the office that offer a variety of different types of fishing. You can fish shallow grass, blow down wood and stumps, or creek channel ledges offer structure where deep water techniques can be employed. I like the variety.
This past week, I had the chance to sneak out on a very windy evening where I felt the variables were perfect. Full moon, water is clear, and grass is everywhere topping out in some areas. We are in the post spawn, but even though most anglers feel this is one of the toughest times of the year, I like it as big female bass have a tendency to congregate right after the spawn. If you can find where they are positioned, it can be a "Katie, bar the door" time.
I had been out a few times in recent days testing a new device from Hydrowave to see if it could really make a difference, and to be honest those days had been very tough. I would locate small schools of fish on my Humminbird side imaging, but the largest bass in those schools seemed to be about 3 pounds. Bass were mixed with white bass and saugeye, so it was fun but no school of big fish. It was all about to change!
When I got to the ramp, I noticed there were no other boats in the lot. That surprised me as my last trip the lot was full but feel the heavy west winds and threat for rain and storms may have kept others off.
Sometimes the stars just align. Even though the conditions at first glance may look unfavorable, digging deeper is the key. As I mentioned above there were several factors that held promise - the post spawn slump had to end, a mix of clouds, a strong west wind and most importantly the grass was getting right. The grass is a variable, if figured out, that can be not only a great place for small fish but can hold big cruisers resting after the spawn. I don't pretend to know everything about it, but rest assured, it can drastically change a body of water.
Read more at http://blog.wired2fish.com/blog/bid/55240/A-Day-of-Fishing-to-Best-All-My-Days-of-Fishing
