I posted this on the float tube forum, but I decided to post it here too since it was in Idaho.
After reading some recent reports from the area about big bass on poppers, I decided I should take a day off from homework for some much needed stress relief. The conditions were calm with an occasional breeze, and the water just might have been a tad clearer than it was a couple of weeks ago. I hit the water just before noon and started around the weedy shallows near the boat launch. Nothing came up for a popper, so I went a little deeper with a Rapala Flat Rap. I finally got a nice hit, more of a pummel really, along the outside edge of the weeds. I eventually wrestled in this chunky specimen. [inline “flat rap bass small.JPG”]
I worked my way up the shoreline tossing a bass bug with a little attention from the local fingerlings and gills, but nothing big enough to even hook up. I tried a shakey head in an area where I’d done well before with one, but nothing would even touch it. I continued along, eventually crossing to a point on the other side of the reservoir. I tied on a deep crank and cast it parallel to the shore in about 12 feet of water. I felt something hit the crank and miss. I gave it two more cranks and contact was made. After several runs, and a couple of head shaking leaps, I was able to net this fatty. [inline “crank bass 18 small.JPG”]
I kept throwing the crank along the bank and soon had another hookup. It didn’t feel quite right and I soon discovered why. [inline “perch small.JPG”]Since I didn’t have my basket with me I tossed the fish back. I worked along the point and scored a few more bass on the crank. I also tried to clean up the scraps with a shakey head and drop shot rig, but only caught some little 10" bass. I felt that my light action rod was being neglected, so I tied on a LC Pointer 65 DD that I had recently purchased. I was just about done with my cast when a nice bass shot up and grabbed it right under my tube.
[inline “lucky bass small.JPG”]Luckily the rod and the 6lb line held up. I caught a couple more fish off the point and decided to move back across to a nice steep bank that was now heavily shaded. My first cast along that bank brought another nice bass that clobbered the lure with only a couple of feet of line out.
[inline “crank bass small.JPG”] I tossed the Lucky Craft tight to the bank, and something gently slurped it in before I even so much as twitched it. Another fat bass soon came to hand.
[inline “lucky bass 2 small.JPG”] I worked my way along the bank catching a few more on cranks. When things cooled off I deployed the shakey head and scared up a couple more.
[inline “shakey bass small.JPG”] When I started the water was only 63, but now it was a balmy 67, and it showed in how hard these fish were fighting. I caught a few more alternating the crank and shakey head along that bank. I realized I only had a bit over an hour of light left, and I was clear down at the dam now. I worked my way back, stopping to catch another bass off the first point.
[inline “crank bass 2 small.JPG”] I threw the jerkbait as I worked my way back to the boat launch and took a couple more bass. It was getting pretty dark now, and I was contemplating calling it a day when I hooked another good fish off the deep side of the weeds on the jerkbait. I was hearing a lot of splashing in the shallows now, so I felt it was time to give the old 8wt some exercise. Three casts against the bank brought three bass. They were smaller guys in the 10-12" range, but they absolutely exploded on it. I turned around and lobbed my popper over the deeper water. This brought me a bit larger fish which were a ton of fun on the fly rod.
[inline “popper bass small.JPG”] One of them leaped completely out of the water and took the bug on the way down.
[inline “popper bass 3 small.JPG”][inline “popper bass 2 small.JPG”]They really seemed to like this popper. [inline “yum small.JPG”]It was getting really difficult to see my fly at this point, but I decided to end by pounding the bank again. My bait plopped down less than a foot from shore. I gave it a couple of plunks, and a huge back rose out of the water and rushed my fly. It had to be a good 18-20" bass. It doubled the 8wt over and took off. I was pretty excited until it dove into a mound of weeds that I couldn’t see because of the darkness. I tried to ease the fish out, but my hook pulled free. I flogged away a little longer, but it was completely dark now and the moon hadn’t quite risen. I was bummed to have lost that big boy, but it was still the best day I’ve had on this fickle water. I ended up with 36 bass and 1 perch. The forecast looks good, so hopefully I’ll make it back before we get a cold snap.
