Mickey and I went today and caught 5. They have been hitting swimbaits but today it was worms only, even early.  Water temp started at 79 and went to 84 by 2:00 p.m.. Since it was a bluebird day with high water temps, we started trying deep for bites.  I managed one at 19 feet that I missed. A photo of the 4 1/4 FOD. Hair looks like I need a trim. The next photo is one of a bass that was willing to eat something as long as he is.

Started fishing this morning at about 9:30.  Late start was due to getting Gayden Bishop to the airport.  By noon, I had caught 3 bass with a FOD of 5 lbs 2 oz. The FOD fell for a ribbit, while the others were caught on a swimbait and a worm. It appeared they were at the end of their major period when I got there. A goo came up and attacked the swimbait right at the boat and then quickly spit it out while I watched. A lot of halfhearted bites. Lake is falling and it’s only going to get better. A rumor has it that a “box full of bass” was caught on Whittington on a topwater and a spinnerbait by an unnamed party.  Also of interest, I understand the Skinny Lawyer caught a bass on the first cast with the swimbait I gave him. The fish hit before the bait hit the bottom. He was fishing in a pond with Billy Johnson who told me the story.

The river lakes are getting ready to get good with the falling water.  I’m going to get out my DT-6s and make sure the hooks are sharp.  With all the duckweed that I see as I drive on the levee, it would probably be wise to have a Ribbit or a Scumfrog ready also.  It’s going to start soon.

In the meantime, I’ve seen quite a few alligators lurking next to the levee waiting on an easy meal. This one was an estimated 9 feet long.

Hal and I caught 10 today, all on 4 1/2 inch Bass Magic swimbaits. 6 were over 3 pounds with the FOD at 5 3/4. The fish’s head was out of proportion with the rest of its body. I guess it had spawned and needs to fatten up. The water was clear with a 5 foot visibility. The water temperature started at 70 and went up to 77. They bit best for us until about 9:30.  We caught the fish in water 6 to 10 feet deep, however we saw some men after lunch catch 2 in about 20 feet of water. Here is a photo of the FOD.

Jackson and Harley went fishing today and caught 17. Mine were equally divided between a ribbit and a swimbait. Jackson caught his on a worm a swimbait and a Spro bronze eye frog.  Included in the frog victims was the 6 lb 7 oz FOD pictured here.The fish size today was less that usual. Only 6 of the 17 were over 3. They bit the ribbit best during the middle of the day.  If we had caught all we lost we would have sunk the boat.

I had a brainstorm this morning on how to put a 3/8 oz weight on a swimbait hook.  I figured a 3/8 oz would keep the bait deeper during the retrieve. I have some 1/4 oz squeeze on weights but they’re not quite what I want.  A 3/8 oz bullet weight on the floor caught my eye and the lightbulb came on.  A hacksaw sawed a slot lengthways down to the hole the line goes through. A punch widened the hole so the hook would fit.  A pair of pliers later and here it is. The before and after in the same photo. Compare that to the one with the bought 1/4 oz squeeze on weight.Field test tomorrow.

UPDATE:  Did not work well because there was not enough distance from the bait’s belly to the hook shank. The weight might impede a good hookset.

Richard, Hal, and Harley went fishing Monday afternoon and again Tuesday morning.  We caught 38 bass in all, 19 Monday and 18 Tuesday. Very few were under 3 pounds. Richard was the FOD man both days, this one was 5 1/2 pounds on Tuesday. Most were caught on a Bass Magic 4 1/2 inch swimbait. Some Monday hit a Ribbit frog but none on Tuesday.  The fish were not concentrated and we had to fish a lot of different areas to catch the ones we did.  Most were in water 5 to 8 feet deep.This is an old photo of the Bass Magic where I tried to use a trailer hook. It destroyed the action too much and would not have worked on this trip because of all the timber. I include it to show one and how to rig it. I now rig it with a Gamakatsu  5/0 widegap hook with 1/4 oz of weight on the shank. We had great time.

Jackson and I had a good day despite the howling wind today. We caught 13 mostly on swimbaits but the FOD ( 4 lb 6 oz) fell for a Ribbit at 5:13 pm. A lot (5) of fish put the scold on me today by throwing the swimbait hook on the jump. One fish bit while my line was over a log, broke me off and then jumped to throw the bait.  I’m glad it did jump so I could see it was a tighteye.  We only had 5 less than 3 and 3 of those were 2 3/4.  A good day that could have been great if I could have kept them pinned.

I have not been fishing since 4/25 but I did not get rusty.  This morning at the break of day I was casting and this afternoon about 6:00 I caught number 20. It was a 7 pound 13 ounce bass that appeared to have spawned. At the bottom of the second picture you can see the bait that worked. It’s a Lucky Strike Bass Magic 4 1/2 inch swimbait in natural shad color. Just over half the fish today were caught on that bait.  The rest were caught on a ribbit frog.  The color of the one in the picture was not the only color used. Here is a photo of another one that was fooled by the swimbait.Of the 20, 6 were over 4 pounds with a 5 1/2 being the second largest. Only 5 were less than 3 and all but one of that 5 was 2 1/2 to 3/4.  Great quality of fish. I’m down to my last Bass Magic. Going to have to make a run to the Bass Pro before I go again which is going to be soon.

Went turkey hunting for the last couple of days where Richard Brooks gave a turkey hunting demonstration.  Look at the spurs on that beast. Season’s over, back to fishing.