Post by Brian on May 9, 2014 9:20:40 GMT -5
We went to Bensons Wednesday 5/7 targeting sheephead, bass, pike and pickerel in that order. I was pretty sure we'd find some bass, was hopefull we'd find sheephead, doubtful we'd get into the pike and usually the pickerel are a by-catch of pike and bass fishing. We got the bass and drum but not the pike and pickerel. Oh well, maybe next time.
We launched at 10:45, calm, clean water for Benson (2' to 2.5' vis.), 55 degree water was over ramp but not into the road. Although judging from the debris in the road, it had been awash recently. South we headed. First spot was a deep point, lots of bait, saw a drum, caught one bass deep and lost two others. No drum. So, we fished a backwater for bass and what ever. Saw lots of gar, some would hit the spinnerbait blades, caught a few small lm and lost a few more, jigs and chatterbaits.
Headed further south looking again for sheephead. By now a puff of wind was blowing from the north and pushing a bit of current. Even though I'd never actually caught a sheephead on this point my confidence was high. Current! Started off dragging the 1/2 oz. football spider jig in the 20' range, then moved to the upper 20' and 30' zone. In the deeper water I get a bite, sweet, it's gotta be a drum or catfish because it weighs a ton and is staying down. But I can't reel it up either, something's wrong. I check my reel, all ok there, then check the rod, where I discover that a wind loop in the 20 lb. test braid has double wound around the rod tip top. It's tight and the fish is pulling hard. I fumble with it for awhile trying to free it up. No good. I hand line in about 10 foot of line and have Di hold it while I struggle to free the tip top. The drum surges several times, Di gets a line cut, not good. I give up and hand line the fish up from the depths. Di slides the net underneath the 13lb. 2 oz. drum. Nice!
I rework my tackle and get set up on the point again. My very next cast get the tiniest of bites, a little bass I figure, but when I set the hook it's game on with another big drum. This time my equipment works as advertised and Di slides the net under a 14 lb 6 oz. sheephead. Nice!
Diane wants to get a sheephead too and has been trying hard. I cut off her 5/16th oz. ball head spider grub and reattach a 1/2 oz. football head with the very last of my ancient Catch 'Em spidergubs. I stop fishing for awhile and try to guide Di toward success. After about 10 minutes or so she tells me to start fishing again, I sort of did but kept my bait out of the "zone". A few minutes later her rod loads up. "It's not a big one" she says. "Too early to tell" I reply. After a heated battle I slip a 17 lb. 14 oz. sheephead into the net. Very cool! We've both now landed a VT Master Angler freshwater drum. We finished up the day bass and pike fishing in backwaters and hit another drum spot while motoring back to the ramp. Quit at 6:00 with 3 drum and 15 lm between us. Can't wait to get back.
Handlining a fish with line that doesn't stretch is a new experience
13 lb 2 oz. 28 1/4"
Shorter at 27 1/4" but stouter, 14 lb. 6 oz.
Diane expertly thumbs the freespool, because the drag was hammered down tight...
hey we're bass fisherman 
Now That's a sheephead. 17 lb. 14 oz. 29 3/4". Even with stout tackle it took some time to bring the leviathan up.
Caught a few bass too. Nothing big. No pattern.
Got them with jig and chunk, football jigs, crankbaits, chatterbaits, one on a spinnerbait. From 2' to 18'.
We launched at 10:45, calm, clean water for Benson (2' to 2.5' vis.), 55 degree water was over ramp but not into the road. Although judging from the debris in the road, it had been awash recently. South we headed. First spot was a deep point, lots of bait, saw a drum, caught one bass deep and lost two others. No drum. So, we fished a backwater for bass and what ever. Saw lots of gar, some would hit the spinnerbait blades, caught a few small lm and lost a few more, jigs and chatterbaits.
Headed further south looking again for sheephead. By now a puff of wind was blowing from the north and pushing a bit of current. Even though I'd never actually caught a sheephead on this point my confidence was high. Current! Started off dragging the 1/2 oz. football spider jig in the 20' range, then moved to the upper 20' and 30' zone. In the deeper water I get a bite, sweet, it's gotta be a drum or catfish because it weighs a ton and is staying down. But I can't reel it up either, something's wrong. I check my reel, all ok there, then check the rod, where I discover that a wind loop in the 20 lb. test braid has double wound around the rod tip top. It's tight and the fish is pulling hard. I fumble with it for awhile trying to free it up. No good. I hand line in about 10 foot of line and have Di hold it while I struggle to free the tip top. The drum surges several times, Di gets a line cut, not good. I give up and hand line the fish up from the depths. Di slides the net underneath the 13lb. 2 oz. drum. Nice!
I rework my tackle and get set up on the point again. My very next cast get the tiniest of bites, a little bass I figure, but when I set the hook it's game on with another big drum. This time my equipment works as advertised and Di slides the net under a 14 lb 6 oz. sheephead. Nice!
Diane wants to get a sheephead too and has been trying hard. I cut off her 5/16th oz. ball head spider grub and reattach a 1/2 oz. football head with the very last of my ancient Catch 'Em spidergubs. I stop fishing for awhile and try to guide Di toward success. After about 10 minutes or so she tells me to start fishing again, I sort of did but kept my bait out of the "zone". A few minutes later her rod loads up. "It's not a big one" she says. "Too early to tell" I reply. After a heated battle I slip a 17 lb. 14 oz. sheephead into the net. Very cool! We've both now landed a VT Master Angler freshwater drum. We finished up the day bass and pike fishing in backwaters and hit another drum spot while motoring back to the ramp. Quit at 6:00 with 3 drum and 15 lm between us. Can't wait to get back.
Handlining a fish with line that doesn't stretch is a new experience
13 lb 2 oz. 28 1/4"
Shorter at 27 1/4" but stouter, 14 lb. 6 oz.
Diane expertly thumbs the freespool, because the drag was hammered down tight...
hey we're bass fisherman 
Now That's a sheephead. 17 lb. 14 oz. 29 3/4". Even with stout tackle it took some time to bring the leviathan up.
Caught a few bass too. Nothing big. No pattern.
Got them with jig and chunk, football jigs, crankbaits, chatterbaits, one on a spinnerbait. From 2' to 18'.
