Went pretty early this morning. Northeast wind did not make me optimistic. I tried a couple of prospect spots before getting down to business. The first business spot with a DT-10 got things going rather quickly. I believe I caught the same fish that I caught last week with the buzz bait. It had a big head, probably 4 pounds worth, but only weighed 2-13 because it was so skinny. It also only had one eye. It also was all the way across the lake from where it was caught last week. After that there was another good bite on the DT-10 but the five pound fish came up and jumped completely out of the water and gave me the bait back. Then the 3 3/4 FOD was caught on a worm. All this time I was counting on the place where I “every casted” them the day before yesterday. It is a pretty good stretch of bank . I visited it 3 or 4 times today but no school was to be found. I picked up a couple more fish on the 70 bank but that was it for the bass. I caught more gars today than anything else . Probably 5 or 6. Luckily none of them got a bait. They were not large ones like the one the other day. A five footer came up with the new deep diving expensive crankbait in its mouth. I knew it was gone but luckily the gar was hung with only one hook. It stayed on for a long time and I tried to hold the gars mouth out of the water to keep it from getting fouled of the line. Finally that big joker did one of those dances they do and threw the hook. The lake was covered today with boats preparing for a tournament. Lake Ferguson has had a tournament of some sort every weekend. Way too much pressure but that was not my problem today.

I was at the wharf this morning at a little after 6:00, and a good thing too because the fish were active when I arrived at the lower 70 bank. Caught some right away on a Red Eye shad 3/8 oz and also a DT-6. The fish were scattered and not concentrated. The fishermen were concentrated. For some reason two perch jerkers pulled in one right after the other just in the spot Mickey and I caught a bunch of fish at this same water level last year. Pulling in wasn’t enough. They had to drop the paddle on the floor of the boat and make all kind of noise in the shallow water. After catching a few things slowed down so out came the DT-10 for a trip down the bank. Caught a 3 1/2 quickly but only one. Things slowed and I moved to the upper lake where it was take a ticket and wait for a spot. I was spying too. Saw one guy fishing in a place that I have never seen anyone fishing. On the way out, I ran the Humminbird over it and figured out what the deal was. I bet there was a school there early and they had stopped biting because he left. The tables said major periods early and late with a minor in the middle of the day. After the upper lake fiasco, I returned to the 70 bank with 9 fish and caught another. Today I had a time constraint and planned to leave the lake at 12:00. At 11:45 I left to look at one more place. I casted around for a while an caught a small one on a DT-6. Then I moved out to the dropoff in 10 feet of water and caught a nice one on a DT-10. Another and another, almost every cast. Must have been the minor period. There was one time that I saw one on the depthfinder and said out loud ” I’m right on top of them”. The words were not out of my mouth good and I caught one right at the boat. Two weighed 4 even and most of the rest were between 3 3/4 and 2-13. They quit so I headed in. Caught 21 in all. Good day with good size.

Lake Ferguson was at 35.1 feet and falling this morning when I went to the wharf to launch. I had no clue where to go, but this was the only day for me to fish for about a week, so I went. Apparently no one else had a good idea either because the wharf was almost deserted. I tried 17 different spots, deep, shallow, and all in between, and caught 2 bass and a few stripes. The places were all ones where I have caught fish before. The bass were caught on a worm and a buzz bait. The one on the buzz was in very shallow water and the bait must have hit right on top of him because there was one splash when the bait hit the water and the fish had it. Not much result = short post.

Jackson and I went to the lake this morning at 7:45 with the intention of catching a lot of the schooling bass that are showing up around the lake. We were going to keep them, if you can believe that ! One spot is particularly famous for them, they’ve been there for two months. Sure enough, when we arrived they were up eating shad and it was obvious they were small. Jackson had on a super spook jr. and I had a DT-6. The spook caught a couple and the DT-6 got some nips but pickings were slim. The fish were still chasing shad but not really wanting what we offered. There were other spots we tried but none had the visible action so we came back for another whipping. I tried every small bait in my box but there was no real answer. A small beetle spin or an Alabama rig would have been just the bait but neither of us had one. We found a few fish back in the trees that would hit a Booyah every now and then. The weather was clouding up and there was a sprinkle of rain so we decided to quit. 11 bass total.

Hal and I met at the gate at 6:15 this morning, rode to the Garhole and prepared the boat for fishing. We went a different direction from the last time I was there. We caught a few to start, Hal with a buzz bait and me with a DT-6 and a worm. After a short while we both settled in to a worm. Most of the fish were on the smaller side of the spectrum. As we went around the hole, we would change baits as the situation dictated. For instance, I broke out a DT-10 in a spot where I caught some on it last time I was there and it did catch one, but still the worm was the main bait for success. We went a little over an hour with not even a bite. The fish never seemed to have a real “bite” going on today. The weather was threatening most of the day but the rain held off. Hal’s weather app kept telling us the rain was coming at 4:30 and sure enough it rained on me on the way home about that time.

This was our mascot for today. It followed us around just like a little puppy. There was another the same size and one a little larger but they were a bit shy. We ended up with 25 bass at 3:00 and a FOD of 3 1/2 pounds. Also had an honorable mention of 3 1/4. I have no idea where the big ones have gone.

I arrived at Wolf Lake this morning at 6:15 but the radar had a small cluster of showers coming straight for the landing. I prepared the boat and got out the garbage bag to put my tackle bag in to keep it dry. After doodling around killing time, I looked at the radar again and saw the rain drying up so I set sail. The spot where the water runs out of the lake is close by the landing. Mickey and I caught some there last year so that was the first stop. There was no visible action . I was able to get some nips on a swim jig and a Booyah but no fish caught. Next was a dependable place where the bank is washed out that has some limbs down deeper. Nothing there either. Fish have been caught over sand where people have put it down so they can have a beach. The bass will congregate on those spots to feed. I stopped at one that had a boathouse bonus. Got a hard lick on a DT-6 by the boathouse but no hint of a hook up. A shaky head got a nibble too but no fish. Next I went across the lake to a shallow point that is really hard to see. It is one of the first places I caught fish the first time I fished in Wolf Lake. I caught 8 there on the shaky head. You really had to shake the worm to get a bite. Once they bit they held on pretty well. When that ran out I left for other places where fish have been caught but there was only one fish here and there. The good deed for the day was when I saw a snowy egret all splayed out and thought it was dead. As I looked, it moved and I went closer to see what the problem was. A piece of fishing line that someone got tangled in a tree had wrapped around a couple of feathers or maybe the birds wing and the bird was in the water and could not move. I cut the line and moved off so as not to scare the bird but it remained in the water standing in a submerged bush. I was thinking there might be another piece of line and maybe a hook. My presence again was enough to make it swim to the bank and it walked off. With that, I headed to the spot where I caught the fish but only got two pickups that did not hold on. That did it. Back to the ramp . Total of 12 fish. Wolf Lake has been scratched off of my list for a couple of years.

Since the bite has been in the middle of the day, I was in no hurry to get to the lake early. The first cast was made at 7:50. In the past some sort of plastic was the ticket but I started out with a swimbait because, being by myself, I could get in close to the bank and cast parallel. The water was not as clear as last time but maybe a swimbait would work. It did not, so I changed to a worm. I caught a little one fairly quickly but nothing followed. Lake X has some depth features and since the water has warmed maybe the fish were out deeper. I did catch another keeper with a DT-10 out in the open on about the third cast and thought I had found something out, but it was just an “old Indian trick”. The lake is full of wood but I was having a hang up day with a worm and was getting hung up before the fish could get to the bait. There is a place where the 6 foot depth comes abruptly up to 2 feet and there is some gravel. The DT-6 caught a couple there and lost one too but it kept coming up with mud on the bill that almost would not come off and would mess up the action of the bait. A 3/4 ounce Red eye shad I figured would do a better job. The fish in this area were bigger too. There was one area where the bait would come in with some grass on it, evidently a shallow spot that grew a little grass when the water level fell at some point in time. When the red eye hit that spot, I would rip the bait and when I caught up to it there would be a fish on it, good ones too. There were other areas where the fish would be, but the shallow grassy spot was more dependable for a bite. With the wind blowing pretty hard at times the spot lock really earned its keep today and made it really easy to fish. The bite started after 11:00 and I could still get a bite at 2:00 but things had slowed and I had to go to an art show at 5:30 to get my culture in, so I left. The count was 13 bass and a FOD of 6 1/2 . Only 4 were under 16 inches and 3 were between 4 1/2 and 4 3/4 the others were 2 1/2 to a little over 3. A splendid day of fishing. Did I mention the two good fish that came up and scolded me but spitting the bait back? They were not as big as the 6 1/2 but ones I would have liked to have weighed.

This morning at 6:30 I arrived at the boat landing. It took about 20 minutes for me to load my equipment and launch the boat. The Garhole was down about 18 inches from the last time I fished there. A DT-10 was the first thing I tried because, as you have read, my cranking reel shot out a few trips ago and now I have a Shimano SLX 70 mgl that I wanted to try. The reel really shined. Would cast a mile and was not too hard to crank. New reel or not, there were no takers. Today I decided to go a different direction than the normal one. Trying not to get stuck in a rut. A worm and a DT-6 were also tied on. I visited some good places with no bites but finally I made a bad cast with the worm and reeling it fast to get back to the boat it came across a sunken top and a bass came up and hit it on top. Luckily I kept my wits about me and waited a count before I set the hook and caught it. I managed to catch a few more but things were going slowly. Fishing with a worm off of a steep bank, all of a sudden there was a commotion and bubbles came up like something big was on the bottom and got scared and left in a hurry. I noticed my line was moving and was nervous not knowing what denizen might have the worm, suspecting a large turtle or catfish. It ended up being a 4 3/4 pound bass that had black spots all over it almost like camouflage.

A very pleasant surprise. Continuing on my different track going clockwise around the hole I came upon a place that used to be a hot spot but the last couple of years has been terrible. I still could not pass it without giving it a try. Lo and behold, my new reel hauled in a 3 3/4 on a DT-10. I was hoping for more there but no. Things were still going slow and I was becoming worried because some good places were empty, at least of any fish I could catch. A worm thrown up next to a down tree got a thump and the line started to move. On hookset a big fish powered off and pulled drag. When the big bass came up I really got excited until long into the fight the fish shook and the hook came loose. My first guess was between 6 and 7 pounds but you can’t put a guess on the scales. I was sick. Losing a fish doesn’t usually bother me but this time I got low. I kept thinking of the one Butler hooked twice and decided I was going to soon try that place again. I did try again a little later but it was to no avail. As the clouds were gathering, I caught a couple more around the bank but there was no concentration. In desperation, I returned to one of the good places where I caught nothing earlier this morning and it was looking like a repeat. I thought I felt a sprinkle of rain so I was in a hurry. Just a couple more casts. Something just stopped the DT-6, pulled drag and refused to come up. I was thinking big catfish but when it showed it was a good bass. Now the problem was getting it in the boat. The landing net rotted this spring when the water took the boat, I had forgotten the little red plastic vice grip type fish landing tool and the DT-6 was sideways in the fish’s mouth. After about 5 tries I finally slipped my fingers under the fish’s gills and lifted it into the boat. FOD 6-0. Could not get another to bite but, rejuvenated, I decided to go to the place where I caught the one on the DT-10 hoping it is coming back. It was good for two, another 4 3/4 and a 3 3/4. Maybe if the water falls a little more it will really be good. Ended up with 14 in all . Biggest 5 weighed 22 1/4 pounds and if I had caught the big one that got away……….. You know the joke about if a frog had wings.

Jackson and I met at the lake at 7:00 this morning and hiked it right up to the 70 bank. On a long stretch of bank where the fish were active Friday we caught only a few stripes with our deep diving crankbaits. Since that didn’t work we eased into the trees with shallower baits to see if the fish had retreated there. We caught only two there and a hoop net with several catfish. We left the net unharmed and we saw another and managed to avoid it. Before we left we tried deep again but still nothing. Another spot in the upper lake was calling me because it is relatively small and there is usually a fish around. When we arrived I pushed the “go to” button on the trolling motor to put us in just right spot. A DT-10 caught one pretty quickly but only one. Jackson broke out a 10 inch worm and managed to catch a few more but there was a long time between bites.

One was hooked deep and after repeated tries to revive the fish we scooped it up and gave it to some people nearby. We had a total of 8 fish with a 3 1/2 FOD.

We were not the only ones hooking a fish deep. Butler sent me this photo of one’s mouth that broke his line and then bit again 15 minutes later. The fish was hungry as it swallowed the bait both times. That one went to the skillet too. Great photo.

Since starting late worked so well Wednesday, starting was late this morning too. Fishing started around 9:30 on the 70 bank back in the trees a little. There was a guy in there bream fishing and he was catching some big ones regularly. The bass were not exactly eating it up as I only caught a small one on a red eye shad and two more on a worm, all by the same tree. Since that was not working, I went out to 10 feet and started throwing a DT-10 parallel to the bank. Right away one of those 3 3/4 lake Ferguson feisty bass loaded on. Since I had tried to save my Shimano Caenan by putting JB Weld in the holes that were stripped, it was “clucking” a little. A second bass a mirror image of the first bit and came to the boat. When I cast in the other direction another one, just like the other ones, came to the scales. I was sorry I had wasted time up in the trees. Casting in the same direction, another bit but when I set the hook the reel locked up because the side plate was trying to come off. Had to hand line that one in. That caused a change of reels for that rod because it is excellent for pulling crankbaits. I would have dropped the Caenan overboard except the line on it is new and I want to put it on the replacement that is coming next week. After the changeover, there were no bites to be had so I left for the spot that was so good Wednesday. The trolling motor will let you save an exact spot and when you get close and push the button, it will take you there and stop. The spot was saved Wednesday, so I pushed the button when I got close and it motored me right to it and stopped. Technology is wonderful when it is working. 3 3/4 on the first cast with the River 2 sea Tactical DD. Another fish was trying to take the bait out of its mouth. I was pretty much stuck on that number but I like it. No more with the crank but a 4 3/4 on a worm, and again, the second fish was trying to take the bait out of its mouth. Was using a 3/8 oz. shaky head today because of the deep water. It worked well. Caught a few more with a 2-13 showing up among some even 3 pounders. After catching one more small fish in another place, I beat it back to the first spot. Casting parallel to the bank again, I managed to catch another one before I lost a DT-10, even after employing the “gitter”. After fishing a long way down the bank, another 3-9 showed up, way out in the open. By then the rain that was close had departed and I could make it to the ramp without getting wet. There were 14 bass with a FOD of 4 3/4 and 8 others from 3 even to 3 3/4. A great day on Ferguson.

Mickey had a knee replacement yesterday and is doing well. He called this morning when I first started fishing. His daughter is an operating room nurse where he had it done. She was on another case but was present when Mickey came out of the anesthesia. The first thing he told her was ” Call Harley and tell him to come pick me up, we need to go fishing in Ross Barnett”.