Post by rgang4 on Jun 14, 2019 18:28:50 GMT -5
Maybe not but last weekend was the best in a long long time! Just my luck I had to work Saturday from 5-11. Then a trip to CT to help my dad who I am so happy to say is doing great after his radiation treatments for cancer. After that a birthday party nearby for my father in law. Drove 4.5 hrs. to the campground to end a long day at 10:35.
Sunday was supposed to be beautiful with no wind so we planned a trip to Sunset Lake in Benson. Gorgeous day in the kayaks. Target was pumpkinseed sunfish of which there are many and many are big. Seemed to be the wrong time. Other than small fish guarding beds we never did get any big ones. But the gills were around and so were bass and crappie. Crappie are coming on strong at Sunset. Numbers are good and size is getting good too. All fish were keeper size or bigger.
Probably should have stayed all day but we both wanted to be on Champlain for Sunset so we quit at 1:30 and hit the lake at 5 pm. Dock is finally above water👍That’s my first mate tending the boat.
Started where I last caught them but with the water down it seemed to shallow. Hit a bank I know they spawn at and got one nice 3 lber on a Ned Rig. Once I got the skunk out I started searching along a weededge for prespawn fish. Got a few small ones on a swimbait. Went to another spawning area for action and got a couple smallies to come off their bed and eat a crankbait and then a swimbait.
Late evening tried to get some topwater action. I think I heard the fish making fun of me.
Only thing going on late was a gar feeding frenzy.
My wife was mesmerized by the size and numbers.
I eventually snagged one and she netted it and got even more excited!
40” longnose gar, pretty cool! I think it tried to eat my swimbait, was hooked near the mouth outside in.
Sunset was nice. Fishing became an afterthought as the sun lit up the sky😎
Monday I got an early start. Tried topwater again with same bad results around emerging pond weed. Hard to believe no bass in any of the spots we tried that had pondweed. Other species were there from bluegills to bowfin and everything in between.
Wanting prespawn fish I hit some rocky points. Some worked but most didn't. Squarebill has been my best lure lately and not just for bass.
Trout like a squarebill too!😉
Did a lot of running and gunning but found little else so I went back to spots that worked and got them going again on the squarebill. Later in the day found postspawn fish mixed in with prespawners. First time this year I got post spawn bass.
Lake was falling all weekend. Color was good, especially down Benson way. Pike were few and small. Good weed in places but really did not find fish there. It was all rock and only on points. Continues to be a perplexing year and has been slow to come together but things can change fast, especially when there are alewives around which seems to be the case. The spots that were good had them and I know the fish were hammering them. Saw a school of smallies round them up and turn the surface to a bunch of little scales. Glad to be on the upper end of the food chain😁
Sunday was supposed to be beautiful with no wind so we planned a trip to Sunset Lake in Benson. Gorgeous day in the kayaks. Target was pumpkinseed sunfish of which there are many and many are big. Seemed to be the wrong time. Other than small fish guarding beds we never did get any big ones. But the gills were around and so were bass and crappie. Crappie are coming on strong at Sunset. Numbers are good and size is getting good too. All fish were keeper size or bigger.
Probably should have stayed all day but we both wanted to be on Champlain for Sunset so we quit at 1:30 and hit the lake at 5 pm. Dock is finally above water👍That’s my first mate tending the boat.
Started where I last caught them but with the water down it seemed to shallow. Hit a bank I know they spawn at and got one nice 3 lber on a Ned Rig. Once I got the skunk out I started searching along a weededge for prespawn fish. Got a few small ones on a swimbait. Went to another spawning area for action and got a couple smallies to come off their bed and eat a crankbait and then a swimbait.
Late evening tried to get some topwater action. I think I heard the fish making fun of me.
Only thing going on late was a gar feeding frenzy.
My wife was mesmerized by the size and numbers.
I eventually snagged one and she netted it and got even more excited!
40” longnose gar, pretty cool! I think it tried to eat my swimbait, was hooked near the mouth outside in.
Sunset was nice. Fishing became an afterthought as the sun lit up the sky😎
Monday I got an early start. Tried topwater again with same bad results around emerging pond weed. Hard to believe no bass in any of the spots we tried that had pondweed. Other species were there from bluegills to bowfin and everything in between.
Wanting prespawn fish I hit some rocky points. Some worked but most didn't. Squarebill has been my best lure lately and not just for bass.
Trout like a squarebill too!😉
Did a lot of running and gunning but found little else so I went back to spots that worked and got them going again on the squarebill. Later in the day found postspawn fish mixed in with prespawners. First time this year I got post spawn bass.
Lake was falling all weekend. Color was good, especially down Benson way. Pike were few and small. Good weed in places but really did not find fish there. It was all rock and only on points. Continues to be a perplexing year and has been slow to come together but things can change fast, especially when there are alewives around which seems to be the case. The spots that were good had them and I know the fish were hammering them. Saw a school of smallies round them up and turn the surface to a bunch of little scales. Glad to be on the upper end of the food chain😁
.