Post by Brian on May 15, 2013 10:49:02 GMT -5
I didn't think we'd get many bass Tuesday fishing out of Benson Landing. But it seemed like it would be a good "fishing day", so after sleeping in until the temperature here hit 34 degrees we hit the road. Arriving at the ramp at the 11:15 just as heavy cloud cover moved in. It was chilly, air temp barely 50 and water temp 58. But the water was still pretty clean. Confidence now rising.
I figured the gar and sheephead would be back down deeper again. The gar were, but couldn't find a sheephead, so don't know where they went off to.
. We tried bottom fishing for awhile and it produced some schoolie lm about 1 lb. each. A nearby back water looked juicy, and I'd heard a Master Angler pike was in the 'hood. We conjured up some pickerel, missed a couple of nice, but not huge, pike and Diane got a couple decent lm's. She was on fire. Nearby I got a decent white perch, then the blade fell off of the spinnerbait, so no chance to follow up that "action".
Spent the next few hours fishing, no catching. Good looking areas. Bass had to be there, just couldn't find the key. The north wind had now died out for the most part. Mirror like water. Confidence flagged. Then a puff or two of southerly breeze. Lets go pike fishing. We went back to the area where the pike were last week. Of course the conditions had changed and the pike were gone. But some bait was around and an alewife or two.
Loaded up with the big flash and splash. One half ounce spinner baits, 3/8 oz. buzzbaits and "big" chatterbaits
. Not too long after wards we got into the pike again. 
. I got a 32"er to hit the chatterbait and a 30"er on the spinnerbait (that was the end of that Hog Caller as the wire broke at the r-bend just as I un-hooked the pike). Mean while Diane is catching lm on her spinnerbait and buzzbait. I can't seem to get the bass to bite this day... no matter. Di's on fish.
All of a sudden there's a humongous eruption of water and spray as her buzzbait disappears. Di sets the hook. A giant boil the size of a car hood is all that's left. "I think it's gone" she says as her line went limp. All the while reeling furiously, the line tightens again. "Still there" she says. Next a big pike greyhounds across the surface. Cool! This fish was jacked up! Giving her medium action spinning rod and 20 lb test braid a work out. Not the longest fish of the day but a very thick one. We fished around a while longer and got one more pike to erupt on her buzzbait but no hook up this time.
Tried one more "pike spot" before we had to quit at 6:40 and "only" got two 3 lb. lm. ;D A good day. The fish total was split pretty evenly this time, with Di getting one more lm than I did
And the overall size of the fish we caught and released was larger that the last couple of trips. By days end we'd landed 15 lm, 3 pickerel, 3 pike and the white perch.
It's heading for deeper water.
31.5" but a toad, didn't weigh it, likely 8 lb.+
I figured the gar and sheephead would be back down deeper again. The gar were, but couldn't find a sheephead, so don't know where they went off to.
. We tried bottom fishing for awhile and it produced some schoolie lm about 1 lb. each. A nearby back water looked juicy, and I'd heard a Master Angler pike was in the 'hood. We conjured up some pickerel, missed a couple of nice, but not huge, pike and Diane got a couple decent lm's. She was on fire. Nearby I got a decent white perch, then the blade fell off of the spinnerbait, so no chance to follow up that "action".Spent the next few hours fishing, no catching. Good looking areas. Bass had to be there, just couldn't find the key. The north wind had now died out for the most part. Mirror like water. Confidence flagged. Then a puff or two of southerly breeze. Lets go pike fishing. We went back to the area where the pike were last week. Of course the conditions had changed and the pike were gone. But some bait was around and an alewife or two.
Loaded up with the big flash and splash. One half ounce spinner baits, 3/8 oz. buzzbaits and "big" chatterbaits
. Not too long after wards we got into the pike again. 
. I got a 32"er to hit the chatterbait and a 30"er on the spinnerbait (that was the end of that Hog Caller as the wire broke at the r-bend just as I un-hooked the pike). Mean while Diane is catching lm on her spinnerbait and buzzbait. I can't seem to get the bass to bite this day... no matter. Di's on fish. All of a sudden there's a humongous eruption of water and spray as her buzzbait disappears. Di sets the hook. A giant boil the size of a car hood is all that's left. "I think it's gone" she says as her line went limp. All the while reeling furiously, the line tightens again. "Still there" she says. Next a big pike greyhounds across the surface. Cool! This fish was jacked up! Giving her medium action spinning rod and 20 lb test braid a work out. Not the longest fish of the day but a very thick one. We fished around a while longer and got one more pike to erupt on her buzzbait but no hook up this time.
Tried one more "pike spot" before we had to quit at 6:40 and "only" got two 3 lb. lm. ;D A good day. The fish total was split pretty evenly this time, with Di getting one more lm than I did
And the overall size of the fish we caught and released was larger that the last couple of trips. By days end we'd landed 15 lm, 3 pickerel, 3 pike and the white perch.
It's heading for deeper water
.
31.5" but a toad, didn't weigh it, likely 8 lb.+
