Pitching the Shadow Line for Largemouth Bass

Finally caught some fish after going skunked since that big bass, besides a seven-inch white perch fishing stripers on the Hudson. I tried Round Valley Monday and yesterday. On Monday it was 52 degrees at 2:00 pm, way too cold for reservoir bass and not a hit in the pond either. Yesterday I went to Beher's and bought shiners to try for brown trout. Sky overcast with light showers, I hoped this would hold out. But once I got to the reservoir, skies cleared. I put a shiner down 20 to 30 feet deep twice for trout, two spots in Ranger Cove, but having noticed a bass fisherman catch one on a minnow plug after telling me he had caught three. So bass are active. I tried live lining the shiners shallow and had a pickerel cut off. But I spotted a smallmouth bass--the largest I've ever seen--six pounds to my estimate. The notion that I had just the right bait to tempt a hit wasn't convincing. I figured this bass would ignore persistent offering and did.

Today I pitched a bright blue Chompers worm to the sunny sides of Mount Hope shadow lines--and well outside in the sun too, which is where I caught both bass associated with fallen timber. (Could have been under the logs, but the logs were about eight inches in diameter.) The idea behind fishing the shadow line by placing a worm in the sunlight near the shadow edge is that sunlight highlights the worm, particularly if brightly colored. Bass in shade rush out and take.

I had to persist like a pro today. My last bass, 14 inches, I caught on my last cast. But I was up for fishing hard. Some days energy fits like hand in glove and whatever means are at my disposal get used well with an effortless feeling. I felt a little critical of my pitching. Every cast or pitch counts. I fished some complicated sticks and getting the worm right on the spot can make all the difference. But those pitches and casts that didn't fall right I just ignored once I noted them and tried again.

Trying for Hudson River Striped Bass, Kingston New York

I had this trip in mind ever since I read an article in The Fisherman by Milt Rosko several years ago about the amazing Hudson River striper fishing near Kingston in May. My wife came along with our black Labrador, Sadie. She enjoyed being on the river enough to suggest we do it again. I had offered that she try and fish, but she says she wants to try fly fishing, so maybe first things first.

It's not the charter captain's fault all I caught was a seven-inch white perch by dipping a bloodworm. We marked dozens or hundreds of bass and for everyone around, also marking stripers, the bite proved very slow. We fished both live and cut herring on bottom, weighted by six to eight-ounce bank sinkers, in 20 to 27 feet of water for four hours total, trying three different spots. I lost a striper of about 25 pounds at boatside; it took a live herring. Two other hits on cut herring gave me significant jolts, one of these I know was a striper by the trout-like, tentative feel as the fish ran with the bait.

Saw a nice striper about 25 pounds caught by trolling with downriggers.

At least we had action. The fish I had on put up a long, dogged fight. It did not want to come in, big enough to have that chance of the hook pulling on its side. I would have released it anyhow. Hudson stripers eat tomcods full of PCBs. The bass have been in the river only a month or so, but long enough that I don't care for me or my family to follow the State of New York's suggestion that we eat four half-pound servings per month. Besides, these bass are probably not spawned out yet.

I asked our captain what he thought about the striper population. He said from a Hudson River perspective, it's on the rise. From what I've gathered, the Hudson River is the second largest striped bass nursery, next to Chesapeake Bay, but I couldn't find a percentage comparison. Chesapeake Bay is a very large place compared to the Hudson, although there's tidal flow here all the way to Troy at a certain dam. I don't recall the name.

Fishing in general for stripers on the Hudson will be good until June. Some are even caught from shore, but a boat or a charter captain seems to greatly advantage.

Trying for Round Valley Bass, Spotting Rainbow Trout, Hearing a Songbird

The reservoir's not warmed enough for the bass yet. The pond on the right side of the dike is, but I got no hits. I tried both. The pond is some 25 feet deep at maximum; the reservoir 160 with half or so of its surface acreage over 80 feet deep. It's also gin clear. Depth and clarity mean it warms much slower than other waters like the pond next to it.

 

Spotted a 22 inch or so rainbow trout in the reservoir, swimming right against the rocks of the dike. A lot of trout were spotted by other anglers today, but no one caught any. About two weeks ago, I tried the pond in 53 degree rain and heavy wind. On my way out, I pulled into the gravel lot to snap a photo or two and an angler was at his trunk. They were catching a lot of small brown trout on spinners right off the launch dock, and one of the guys had just lost a five pounder. Today a lot of sun meant nothing like that was about to happen, and even the bass in the pond refused to cooperate.

 

I did get some interesting photos. And I had heard the pileated woodpecker back in the woods behind the pond, surely the same I heard last week, and possibly the same I spotted a year or two ago. I also heard a very interesting songbird that was not a wood thrush, but had the same depth of tone, so I was pretty sure it wasn't a warbler. 

Weightless Plastic Worm for 4 1/2 pound Largemouth Bass

This bass hadn't spawned yet, unless it had devoured a big lunch--19 1/2 inches, over 4 1/2 pounds, third cast with the Chompers. I use an inset hook at Mount Hope Pond, since the abundance of cover means getting snagged otherwise. Also caught a two-pounder.

Got there about 11:30 and left an hour later just before the deluge. Guess my little romance with Mount Hope and Round Valley begins now. From May 8th last year, I had 16 consecutive outings without getting skunked. Each outing is recorded in a handwritten log that uses shorthand symbols. I can dip into memory of outings from 1974. The shorthand encapsulates what comes alive. The margin for notes helps, too.

No weight for the Chompers, just a barrel swivel to connect 15-pound fluorocarbon to 15-pound Power Pro. I use six-pound test at Round Valley. The Chompers sinks slower than Senko-type worms.

Sunset Largemouth Bass on Spinnerbait

Think they're spawning, but in this pond the bottom is so silted it's a wonder they can. Missed a lot of short hits from bass in close. One jumped off. Caught a couple of two-pounders or close to it, a 2 1/2, and another just over a pound. Another sunset foray at the neighborhood pond. One of those hits created a tremendous boil, sort of like a hippopotamus shaking a bug off its back, but a bass doesn't have to be five pounds to do that.

Nice to get outside and especially to feel the thrills of missed fish and one of them leaping free. You never intentionally lose a fish, but when they foil you, it raises interest even with the pangs of loss.

Largemouth Bass: Warming Waters

I had fished bass at the Round Valley Pond a couple of times during the week. It was 53 degrees and raining on Monday. Something picked up the Chompers and ran fast, dropping it after it felt some tension on the line from my side, but it could have been a big bluegill and that was my impression, just don't have the certainty of recognition from the usual tip-tapping. Friday was in the 60's and still no action in the shallows. Once the 70's are really established, I'm certain bass fishing will be good. I avoid the nesting bucks and fish the outside edges for the lurking females. I fished deep with the Chompers and mini-King spinnerbait with the chill, nothing. A couple of small brown trout spun around the worm when I zipped it in for another cast while just checking the reservoir. I casted the mini-King and they weren't attracted to that at all.

My neighborhood pond is shallow and warms very fast. I couldn't tell if some bucks were guarding beds or not, but tend to doubt that with temperatures way down in the 40's last night. Water's murky. The 17-incher I caught was fat as a log. Also caught two about two pounds apiece, and two about a pound apiece. Sun was down and the mini-King had done it's attractions in 20 minutes or so. That's why I like to go to other places. It takes me two minutes to walk to this pond about the same length of time to catch five bass!

Tilcon Lake Stephens State Park Largemouth Bass and Pickerel

 Wishbone contrails reflected on the lake. I had hoped to hook a lunker, of course. Second time I've fished Tilcon Lake, Stephens State Park. the first time we fished Senko-type worms without a hit. This time I brought along half-a-dozen shiners, since I imagined the water would still be chilly, especially early in the morning. Once a quarry pit, this lake is deep. Had about 45 minutes to fish, catching a bass and two pickerel.

Beautiful place. The mountains flanking the water make the scene. If it were flat land, it wouldn't feel the same. Quarry lakes exist in Indiana and each must be like an oasis. But the Highlands in my back yard always give my mood a vertical lift that flat land can't.