Freshwater Bubba-Fishing Report

[wfleming]

In the spirit of R-T brotherhood (any sisters out there?), this weekend I fished in a small lake in the Pioneer Valley. Spawning time for bluegills and crappie, with bass entering the spawning cycle (I'll try not to sound like TNN on Saturday mornings.) This means lots of aggressive panfish, which are fun on a 3-4 wgt rod. Bead-head olive wooly bugger on a floating line with a 7'leader. (Feel free to use these tips any time you want.);

Unfortunately, this also meant that the bass are wary and/or uninterested. Numerous times, I swam a fly or lure past uninterested or fleeing bass. Finally, as time ran out on Sunday before the trip back to Boston, I hooked and landed a 2-3 lb, 18" fish. It was, I must admit, on a soft plastic grub. (I am also forced to admit that I still haven't found a fly that is as effective as soft plastic baits for bass.)

The most frustrating/exciting part about fishing a warm water lake this time of year is that the weed growth is just beginning, and the fish are shallow, so you can easily see how many fish, especially large ones, are actually there. Each May, I see at least 3-4 bass in the 5-6lb range, about 2 lbs bigger than I have caught in the 7 years I have been fishing here. Does give one eternal hope, though.

[saxatilis]

Were the bass on beds?? If they were a small white plastic bait of almost any kind placed on the sweet spot of the bed will take the bass almost every time. It can be great fun as long as you don't overdue it or keep any fish. Those salt guys are missing out on some fantastic smallie fish right know. I know this because a buddy of mine took me smallmouth fishing last year in May and we caught a bunch up to 3 lbs! His handle is fisher and he knows alot!!

[wfleming]

These fish were in their "getting ready for bed" phase (you know, "brush your teeth, put on your pajamas"). Actually, on Sunday, I saw 2 males sweeping the beds, and one female on the bed. It seems to happen in a very compressed timeframe in New England. In the South, spawning can go on for months. Here, it is usually over in 3-4 weeks, and triggered by water temp and a full moon.

On the lake I fish, small plastics do very well, but most of the time, the female leaves the bed when the bait lands, and you have to wait her out, sometimes for 5 minutes, until she returns. Then a small jerk will trigger a strike. (The bait, not the fisherman.);