One thing that I try to do to enhance my clients’ chances of success is screen out non-productive weather days. When I see unfavorable wind speeds, wind directions, or frontal activity, I’ll encourage folks to postpone until things are right.
This is a sonar screen shot showing very aggressive, heavily schooled white bass on and near bottom responding well to a jigging spoon (slab). The “stacked” red marks just right of the center of the screen are fish that pursued a hooked schoolmate off the bottom as I reeled it in.
So it was today — a front was due to pass overnight (which it did, with tornado warnings, severe thunderstorm warnings, and a quarter inch of rain left behind). Winds were then forecast to go nearly slack from due north. Seeing this poor weather forecast, I contacted my clients and suggested a postponement.
What actually happened is that the winds began out of the west at sunrise at about 8mph, and increased slowly as they turned to the WNW, the NW, and then NNW, ramping up to 17 mph by noon.
With the frontal activity (pressure increasing quickly) occuring during the daylight hours, the fish went on an aggressive feed.
With no clients now lined up, I headed out by myself to look things over and at least identify some bait locations.
Long story short I found not just bait, but fish ready and willing to bite … in three different areas … over a three hour span!! I found fish in 21-13 feet of water at Area 756 and boated 28 fish there. Next, at Area 723 in 31-35 feet, I found another aggressive school of fish and boated 33 fish. Finally, at Area 757 I found a setup nearly identical to that found at Area 723, and boated another 30 fish on the dot (including 1 drum and one 4 pound largemouth).
Yes, I wish I’d had those clients in the boat, but, I don’t have that crystal ball I’ve been looking for in the Cabela’s catalog yet, so, better safe than sorry.
TALLY = 91 FISH, all caught and released
TODAY’S CONDITIONS:
Start Time: 7:15a
End Time: 12:00 noon
Air Temp: 58F at trip’s start.
Water Surface Temp: ~68.0F
Wind: Winds were W8, slowly building and turning to NNW17.
Skies: Skies were clear and bright.