Post by djkimmel on Oct 17, 2005 22:43:15 GMT -5
Lake Ovid - Saturday Oct 15
With my own personal gas reserve depleted after last weeks all week northern expedition, I decided to not contribute my fair share to the suffering gas companies by sticking close to home this weekend. Not too hard to do with a top largemouth lake like Ovid within half an hour.
The shoreline weeds have thinned out more since the DK open a few weeks ago. But still some strands here and there, and not all brown. And surprising enough, some larger shallow weed beds that still have a lot of green mixed in on some of the humps. I could see this better now because they’ve dropped the lake a half a foot or so. I don’t think I’ve noticed this in recent fall/winter seasons. Maybe they are doing something different this year… or maybe my memory is that bad?
I wanted to start fishing right away since I didn’t get on the water until about noon. I went to the nearest river channel wood pile and couldn’t buy a bite. But I started tossing my big, wide-wobbling Big N crankbait (blue/chartreuse) and popped a solid keeper in about 4-5 foot on the point where the channel swings closest to shore. Did I mention the wind was really whipping out of the N/NW?
Thought I was on to things, but no more bites there. I did try a few different things, but I like reeling that big crank slowly through the remnants of the weed edge. This quality keeper hit after the lure ripped through two weed patches.
I decided I had to head uplake to the channel swing where I lost 3 good fish flipping during the DK open. I was pitching the same lure to the channel edge to any weed clumps or strands, and right away I whacked a 3+ exactly as they were sitting and hitting during the tournament. This time I got it, but no more bites again.
After a bit of trying upwind points and wood/drops with no bites, I decided to head towards the low end and the humps by the dam. I was surprised to see a lot of green weeds. I could have had a bunch of good lure options, but the dropping water had the weeds folding over again even though there were more holes. I was also surprised to see lots of big shiners in the weeds… and a few bass blasting them.
I started out on the end with no bites outside the weeds. I then worked my way down the windward edge looking for an active school. On a channel swing causing an indent into the humps and I popped another solid keeper by ticking the weed edge with the crankbait again. Unfortunately, it jumped and threw the lure just out of my reach.
I whipped another cast right back in and got slammed hard! This fish had some real strength, but my drag slipped at the wrong moment and the strong fish was gone as soon as a little slack got in the line. I tried, but couldn’t get another bite on the crank. I picked up a flashy spinnerbait and tossed it over the thick weed edge. Another solid keeper creamed it hard on the first cast. I made sure I got this one.
The bite died again and I finally noticed that some bass were killing shiners up in the weed mats (there were actually 3 real thick spots). I figured the bass seemed spooky, but I could use the wind to drift and cast a slop bait.
Wow! Were the bass spooky! I tossed a weedless spoon and one bass exploded 10 feet from by boat when the spoon looped over it. Scared the heck out of it. I had another one really blast away when I made a cast a few minutes later. I saw a couple more rip through minnows, but show no interest at all in my spoon.
I tried 3 drifts with no takers. I decided to hit the weed indent with the crankbait again. I made a cast to the edge facing the wind the most and the big crank was crushed. I knew this was not a bass. I could feel the muscular wobble of a long powerful fish. I horsed the musky close to the boat. It was spinning and flailing away like crazy and I could see my nice lure crossways in its mouth.
Unfortunately, it twisted the right way (wrong for me) and turned to strip out line again. It was just big enough and ornery enough that it had its way with me, and despite 20-pound test line – ping! Goes my nice crankbait. I only have a couple of 2 different colors. Rats! Time to go, but I have a plan for the next morning.
Lake Ovid Sun October 16
I got out earlier today, but not a lot earlier. The fall bite isn’t always hot early anyway. I headed right for the weed humps by the dam. I tied on a ¼ oz War Eagle buzzbait – red head/white skirt with a small white hologram tube on the hook. I thought it would be noisy enough, but not too noisy or imposing for the jumpy bass on top of the humps.
I did try off the tip again just in case, but no bites. I tossed the stealthy buzzer into the first weed finger up from the tip and a really nice bass immediately and softly pulled it under. With the stiff breeze again, the overcast in the morning and the dark water, I never actually saw the bass, but my buzzer was under water and heading sideways.
It was a quality, hard-fighting largemouth. I figured I’d nailed this pattern, but after a half hour with no bites… maybe not. The shiners were still in the weeds, but some were suspended out too. I wasn’t seeing hardly any topwater action, but birds were diving on the bait to tell me they were still around.
This time the big crankbait wasn’t working. I had a Tenn shad Big N, but I painted the belly chartreuse to be closer to the hot color from yesterday. I let the wind drift me back through the thick weedy tops of the humps again after no takers on worms, Carolina rigs and other baits. I switched back to the buzzbait and shortly after a small keeper just blasted it. Then again, no more bites.
I went over near the beach and worked the shallow edge (4 to 6 ft) facing the wind with the doctored crankbait. These bass were much more interested in the slow wobbling crankbait. The first one slammed the lure. Two more followed along one stretch. Two keepers and a 12-incher or so. I figured there had to be a bunch of bass so I went back through with the buzzer. I had a future trophy slash the buzzer 8 feet from the boat. The little 10-incher had the spirit if not the size.
I tried some protected weed edges and points with not luck. I started thinking about how bass move to wood in the fall when weeds die so I headed for some stumps along a ditch. Way in the back at the shallowest big stump, I had a 3+ crush a white on white War Eagle spinnerbait. What a fighter.
I thought this was a lot of fun and remembered where some more scattered wood was in a shallow bay I don’t fish a lot. The water looked like it had actually dropped another 6 inche (maybe less), but I went looking. I found a medium stickup angled of the bottom in the corner of the bay. This bass was an avid reader because when my spinnerbait passed over the log, it slashed the spinnerbait viciously – another nice keeper.
I hit several more pieces of wood – although many were real shallow – with no takers. I did have a roamer smack the spinnerbait close to shore along the bank. It was a subkeeper. I actually saw a couple chasing minnows, but I couldn’t get another bite. Then it was time to go home. All-in-all, a nice day on the lake (and I pulled my crank away from 2 muskies today without losing anything).
With my own personal gas reserve depleted after last weeks all week northern expedition, I decided to not contribute my fair share to the suffering gas companies by sticking close to home this weekend. Not too hard to do with a top largemouth lake like Ovid within half an hour.
The shoreline weeds have thinned out more since the DK open a few weeks ago. But still some strands here and there, and not all brown. And surprising enough, some larger shallow weed beds that still have a lot of green mixed in on some of the humps. I could see this better now because they’ve dropped the lake a half a foot or so. I don’t think I’ve noticed this in recent fall/winter seasons. Maybe they are doing something different this year… or maybe my memory is that bad?
I wanted to start fishing right away since I didn’t get on the water until about noon. I went to the nearest river channel wood pile and couldn’t buy a bite. But I started tossing my big, wide-wobbling Big N crankbait (blue/chartreuse) and popped a solid keeper in about 4-5 foot on the point where the channel swings closest to shore. Did I mention the wind was really whipping out of the N/NW?
Thought I was on to things, but no more bites there. I did try a few different things, but I like reeling that big crank slowly through the remnants of the weed edge. This quality keeper hit after the lure ripped through two weed patches.
I decided I had to head uplake to the channel swing where I lost 3 good fish flipping during the DK open. I was pitching the same lure to the channel edge to any weed clumps or strands, and right away I whacked a 3+ exactly as they were sitting and hitting during the tournament. This time I got it, but no more bites again.
After a bit of trying upwind points and wood/drops with no bites, I decided to head towards the low end and the humps by the dam. I was surprised to see a lot of green weeds. I could have had a bunch of good lure options, but the dropping water had the weeds folding over again even though there were more holes. I was also surprised to see lots of big shiners in the weeds… and a few bass blasting them.
I started out on the end with no bites outside the weeds. I then worked my way down the windward edge looking for an active school. On a channel swing causing an indent into the humps and I popped another solid keeper by ticking the weed edge with the crankbait again. Unfortunately, it jumped and threw the lure just out of my reach.
I whipped another cast right back in and got slammed hard! This fish had some real strength, but my drag slipped at the wrong moment and the strong fish was gone as soon as a little slack got in the line. I tried, but couldn’t get another bite on the crank. I picked up a flashy spinnerbait and tossed it over the thick weed edge. Another solid keeper creamed it hard on the first cast. I made sure I got this one.
The bite died again and I finally noticed that some bass were killing shiners up in the weed mats (there were actually 3 real thick spots). I figured the bass seemed spooky, but I could use the wind to drift and cast a slop bait.
Wow! Were the bass spooky! I tossed a weedless spoon and one bass exploded 10 feet from by boat when the spoon looped over it. Scared the heck out of it. I had another one really blast away when I made a cast a few minutes later. I saw a couple more rip through minnows, but show no interest at all in my spoon.
I tried 3 drifts with no takers. I decided to hit the weed indent with the crankbait again. I made a cast to the edge facing the wind the most and the big crank was crushed. I knew this was not a bass. I could feel the muscular wobble of a long powerful fish. I horsed the musky close to the boat. It was spinning and flailing away like crazy and I could see my nice lure crossways in its mouth.
Unfortunately, it twisted the right way (wrong for me) and turned to strip out line again. It was just big enough and ornery enough that it had its way with me, and despite 20-pound test line – ping! Goes my nice crankbait. I only have a couple of 2 different colors. Rats! Time to go, but I have a plan for the next morning.
Lake Ovid Sun October 16
I got out earlier today, but not a lot earlier. The fall bite isn’t always hot early anyway. I headed right for the weed humps by the dam. I tied on a ¼ oz War Eagle buzzbait – red head/white skirt with a small white hologram tube on the hook. I thought it would be noisy enough, but not too noisy or imposing for the jumpy bass on top of the humps.
I did try off the tip again just in case, but no bites. I tossed the stealthy buzzer into the first weed finger up from the tip and a really nice bass immediately and softly pulled it under. With the stiff breeze again, the overcast in the morning and the dark water, I never actually saw the bass, but my buzzer was under water and heading sideways.
It was a quality, hard-fighting largemouth. I figured I’d nailed this pattern, but after a half hour with no bites… maybe not. The shiners were still in the weeds, but some were suspended out too. I wasn’t seeing hardly any topwater action, but birds were diving on the bait to tell me they were still around.
This time the big crankbait wasn’t working. I had a Tenn shad Big N, but I painted the belly chartreuse to be closer to the hot color from yesterday. I let the wind drift me back through the thick weedy tops of the humps again after no takers on worms, Carolina rigs and other baits. I switched back to the buzzbait and shortly after a small keeper just blasted it. Then again, no more bites.
I went over near the beach and worked the shallow edge (4 to 6 ft) facing the wind with the doctored crankbait. These bass were much more interested in the slow wobbling crankbait. The first one slammed the lure. Two more followed along one stretch. Two keepers and a 12-incher or so. I figured there had to be a bunch of bass so I went back through with the buzzer. I had a future trophy slash the buzzer 8 feet from the boat. The little 10-incher had the spirit if not the size.
I tried some protected weed edges and points with not luck. I started thinking about how bass move to wood in the fall when weeds die so I headed for some stumps along a ditch. Way in the back at the shallowest big stump, I had a 3+ crush a white on white War Eagle spinnerbait. What a fighter.
I thought this was a lot of fun and remembered where some more scattered wood was in a shallow bay I don’t fish a lot. The water looked like it had actually dropped another 6 inche (maybe less), but I went looking. I found a medium stickup angled of the bottom in the corner of the bay. This bass was an avid reader because when my spinnerbait passed over the log, it slashed the spinnerbait viciously – another nice keeper.
I hit several more pieces of wood – although many were real shallow – with no takers. I did have a roamer smack the spinnerbait close to shore along the bank. It was a subkeeper. I actually saw a couple chasing minnows, but I couldn’t get another bite. Then it was time to go home. All-in-all, a nice day on the lake (and I pulled my crank away from 2 muskies today without losing anything).