For the Love of Bass Part Deux

Only mere hours separated our red eye small mouth run and our midnight dash southbound.  I planned on sleeping on my Kelty air bed in the camper of my truck bed, after an hour or so high beams and loud chatter drew my out of my slumber.  With only an hour of sleep, jello legs and road buzz, we were asking for another long hot grueling day.

I was rigged with three rods this time around.  My Sage Bass for throwing a big Dahlberg diver, TCX 7wt for punching my 330gr outbound short long range.  And a 6wt with floating line and a small mouse pattern.  My first fast ball thrown at me was within' the first 15 minutes of fishing. Still under the cover of night, I chose to fish a large diver fly to create a resonating pattern in the upper water column.  After a few dives, I let my fly settle on the surface.  A terrifying surface blow up nearly made my heart stop.  I pulled the trigger too slow and missed my shot at a largemouth lunker.

Several more takes were taken on my diver, yet nothing on the magnitude of the first one.  I couldn't manage to get any to stick on this fly.  Perhaps it was the weed guard, but most likely it was my poor reflexes.  It was a mistake to compromise this trip with lack of rest.  I switched out the Bass rod and decided to throw mice.  After what felt like 100 casts, I finally find a large mouth ready to rumble.  Not a large fish, but enough to make the 6wt dance with joy.  My first fish on a mouse pattern.

By now, the sun has risen over the crest and the topwater bite turned off like a light switch.  I grabbed the 7wt and headed toward the center of the lake.  It looked like bombs were exploding in the distance like there was a war going on.  The bass were leaping on the school of baitfish, it was a blitzkrieg.  Explosion after explosion, cast after cast, fish after fish.  It was fly fishing nirvana.  Never have I experienced anything like it.  Bombing casts into the frenzy and stripping shad patterns warp speed back to the boat guaranteed a pull.  The next four hours was high bore adrenaline pumping bass on the fly action.  We were up in the triple digits as our catch rate never seemed to slow down.  None were monsters, but all were respectable sized bass in the 2-3lb range.

We left the lake with bass thumb and the muscle memory of the bass tug.  Until next year...

Land of The Lost

June gloom is here in full swing in southern California.  Overcast days were hit and miss in May, and unfortunately the last Perris outing was a bust.  This time, we may have got more than we asked for... The morning was overcast for sure, however the visibility was less than 20' when we arrived.  The shoreline was hidden behind the curtain of fog and distant outlines became mind bending illusions.  I was expecting velociraptors and pterodactyls to appear as if we fell through a wormhole. 

As the fog slowly lifted, Charles and I finally realized that we had nearly lapped the middle island of the lake.  Nearly an hour was wasted fighting through the fog and weeds, we finally find the cove we were looking for.  I only brought one rod with me on this trip, my Sage XP 890 with RIO Powerfly floating line.  I started with a size 2 frog popper, working the reed lines and sticks.  It didn't take long to get my first and last topwater take.

 

The water in this cove was only a foot deep in sections.  Carp were tail walking over the reeds and making a ruckus.  Not many large mouths were found in this cove when compared to a few weekends in the past.  We left and headed east.  The sun pierced through the cloud layer by the time we reached the east cove and damselfly activity increased.  We switched to a foam backed adult damselfly that I tied the night before.

The damselfly got several takes but failed to connect due to poor timing or distractions.  Working fly line and flies in the sticks required zen patience as it will quickly wear down ones mind and spirit.  I will most likely tie more of these patterns and experiment with different hook types per Charles recommendation.  Once we left the east cove, Charles tied on his fugly fly which saved him from the skunk.  On our way out, the motor died yet again.  We rowed to the launch ramp this time as carrying it out of the beach was a hard lesson learned.  Hopefully covering distance will be easier with Cruise n Carry 6600 gas motor I picked up over the weekend.  Lets hope this Japanese machinery from the 80's will be as dependable as the cars from that era.

Ouch!

Charles and I left for Perris at 5:15am to get on the topwater bite asap.  The weather forecast was calling for hot and sunny conditions all day.  By 5:45am the sun was already blazing with no cloud cover.  I had a feeling it was going to be a tough day. 

We fished the shallows and threw poppers most of the morning.  Not a single bass came up for my fly.  Charles had a handful of missed opportunities and eventually we switched to streamers.  I rigged the 6wt with T3 Outbound sinktip.  We switched flies several times and Charles finally got a take on his fugly fly.  I tied on the swamp mutant bugger that I have success with at Prado lake.  Eventually I got a hard take and hard fight from am angry foul hooked bluegill.  Ouch!

If the fishing wasn't hard enough why should it end there?  The trolling motor limped about halfway to the boat ramp until it basically died.  About a quarter mile later we paddled and carried the lifeless pram to the parking lot.  What a day...

Alone at Prado

Since I got off work at 8:00am, I returned to Prado Lake to scratch away the topwater itch.  The lake was calm and glassy.  Clouds were just beginning to burn off and the topwater bite only lasted about an hour before I had to fish subsurface.  Considering that the lake was all to myself, I had expected the bass action to be more intense.  Large clumps of algae floated on the lake's surface and the water had a unusual tint to it.  Not thinking much of it at the time, I later asked a work buddy that used to control algae on lakes.  He confirmed that my description sounded like a copper sulfate treatment. 

The fishing was slow all morning and I called it quits around 1pm.  Water temps in the upper water column was 75degrees according to the finder.  It may be awhile before I return to this lake.

Topwater

Off guard and struggling with limited resources, our unexpected journey to Lake Perris was a hard battle.  The fishing partner showed up around 5:45 thinking that Prado Lake opened around 6:00am.  Tough times for us continues and I wasn't going to sit around until Prado opened their gates at 8:00pm.  We returned to my place to collect extra needed gear and made a mad dash to Perris.

Thinking that we were going to be fishing Prado, I did not bother charging my trolling motor battery or fish finder for that matter.  Nothing went as planned and we sailed off with a 50% charged battery and dead finder.  We were to fall back on good old instincts.  Luckily the sky was cloudy however wind made the topwater bite difficult that day.  I managed three topwater bass all on the frog gurgler fly.  I did get to fish with my new Winston BIIMX saltwater 6wt fly rod that I got for a steal on eBay.  It can really throw large flies with authority all while busting through wind.  It's my new versatile streamer stick that has accompanying me to the bay, bass lakes and eventually large trout water.

The new streamer rod.

Life support.  We limped into the boat ramp with 5% battery power.

Return to the Salt

The original plan to fish in San Diego was sabotaged.  I was really looking forward to freshwater bass fishing, however the trip would not have been the same without the other fish bums.  With the weather making another cold change, Charles and I went budget fly fishing at Newport bay.  Supposedly the tide swing was small but decent. The morning was cool and misty, the water smooth as glass. 

Charles knows this water.  Who needs maps and depth finders when you have experience.  Despite the weak tide swing he managed two halibut and a spotted bay bass.  I worked hard as usual, but after a fly change and relentless casting I finally hooked up with my first spottie on a fly.  It pulled my pram like a little tugboat during the fight.  I can only imagine what a 5lber would do!

Overall, it was a good morning with a new species added to my list.  I just hope our catch rate increases sometime soon.  Local bass fishing shouldn't be as hard as Deschutes river steelheading.

Stubborn as a Bass

Largemouth Bass have been pretty stubborn to me lately.  Being stubborn myself, I set out on another bass hunt with Charles after work.  This time I decided to fish a lake that is just down the road from my house.  Launching the pram here is a breeze.  We were on the water in record time and the wind was surprisingly calm despite the ominous clouds above us. 

I decided to fish my Sage Flight 6wt with rio grand floating line.  The lake is relatively shallow and I felt that sinking line was unnecessary as I was hoping to fish a popper as well.  We made several drifts in a cove with only a mere short strike.  I changed the color of my fly from black - rust - finally olive and black.  The fly is a woolly bugger mutation that I tied specifically for swampy looking water.  It did the trick.. I was on a solid 2lb LMB and possibly among the strongest bass I've fought on a fly rod. 

Charles contributed a fly patch for the pram

It was another rough day despite catching and releasing a nice local bass.  Hopefully with more stable weather this bass fishery will be more consistent.  The wind really began to pick up as we were getting ready to leave.  Dark clouds were moving in and socking in around our local mountain range.  Hopefully those dark clouds bring more water to our watershed.  The trout really need it for a good spawn this year.

Dropped Shot

I took my long time friend Brett out to LMV with Charles.  Jesse gave me some of his drop shot bait and tackle to experiment with and I taught Brett some of the fundamentals of drop shot fishing.  I spent most of the afternoon guiding him in the most productive cove in the lake.  While many donkey's were sighted, it was a different story trying to get the drift and cast just right. 

Charles quickly tied into some juvenile sized bass and upon his release one of the lake giant's pursued the dink bass and quickly inhaled it.  It was an intense sight and I wish Charles had recorded it on his contour camera.  I didn't get to fish much myself but sometimes it is more fun when you see friends catch and have fun, even if they are just dinks.

Against All Odds

Friday's are always the hardest day of the week for me.  I am the most sleep deprived and beat from five days of a third shift work week.  Charles wanted to check out Long Beach Bay, however I knew I just didn't have it in me to battle through the LA traffic.  Instead, I asked him to come over to fish my local bass lakes in my pram.  I knocked back a red bull and loaded the boat with my 6wt and the boat bag, and we were off. 

We headed over to Puddingstone Reservoir not knowing what the expect.  It is a large lake for the pram and we wanted to find a launch point closest to one of the prime bass spots.  It was a nightmare getting my boat on the water to say the least.  A younger version of Lieutenant Ramathorn from Super Troopers

Let me see your boat registration sir. 

  Nearly a hour later we finally got on the water.  But I could sense Ramathorn glassing me from the other side of the lake since I launched my boat from the non-motorized lagoon.  My casting was compromised for at least a few hours due to the stress and tension. 

I fished my size 4 olive mutated olive bugger most of the afternoon.  Several hard takes were on this fly as I was either fixing a knot in my fly line or re-poisoning the boat due to wind gusts. Since the bass were taking this particular fly, I felt no need to change it until sun down. 

The little pram steadily fought clear across the opposite side of the lake, despite the wind chop and wakes caused by speed boaters.  This lagoon was clearly more shallow with much more bass structure.  I lost another bass strike in this lagoon and decided to switch out my spool for floating line.  From the corner of my eye I saw a big splash from either a bass or carp.  It was a big fish and it is common for carp to jump for no apparent reason.  However, a part of me wants to believe it was a large bass inhaling one of the young coots fleeing toward the brushy bank. 

Against all odds, I decided to tie on a frog gurgler popper.  We drifted along the side of a submerged tree.  I cast my popper and let it sit for a moment... gave it a few pops and let it sit... a swell of water formed around the frog and like a giant straw.  I set the hook and the bass wrestled my 6wt and I all the way to the boat. She was a beauty, possibly the best looking bass I've caught.  

My first bass on topwater!

We made multiple drifts around this lagoon but it seemed the bass got tight lipped.  Charles lost a few bass on his topwater baitfish pattern and had to face the skunk...  We initially swore we were never retuning to this lake, however we may just give it another chance.

Getting Back Up

MVL crushed me like the T-101 at the end of Terminator 2.  It simply destroyed me.. The lake seemed to tease me as wind followed me into every cove.  The wind forced me to make blind casts since the water was too choppy for sight casting.  I lost a chunky bass as it followed my fly right out of the water while I was foolishly repositioning my line.  Meanwhile Charles became the MVL trout slayer of the day. 

Today after work, I tied up some size 4 dumbbell eyed woolly bugger variants for Prado Lake tomorrow afternoon.  A few of these have rubber leg skirts and some don't.  I will try shad patterns as well, Since they are abundant in this lake.  With little energy left from a rough week, I have just enough left in me to tie a handful of flies to get back up for another fight.

Charles at MVL.  This is a pretty good beer btw.

 

MVL Awakens

The past few outings on this lake was just plain frustrating. Constant pressure changes throughout the past month seemed to have shut the fishery down until now.  The bass were staging up in the shallows and sight fishing couldn't have been better. The water was crystal clear down to at least 30' deep.  For a moment, it seemed like we were sight fishing for bone fish in a tropical lagoon. 

Overall, the bass were much larger than last spring.  I was on a legitimate bass within 30 minutes and Charles followed up with another one.  A monster bass (estimated 5lb) self released boat side which was a heart breaker.  Otherwise, we nearly completed the MVL slam minus the bluegill and catfish.  My first ever crappie on a flyrod and Charles landed his first Nebraska Tailwalker trout.  It was a fun day.

Trial Run at Prado Lake

I took my new boat out at my local bass lake to test everything out.  The boat is a used spring creek pram that Charles and Ed used for bay fishing nearly a decade ago.  Since then it has been in storage awaiting it's return to the water.  I am now the proud owner of it and it will see time on several lakes and bays throughout southern California.

The trolling motor is a old hand me down Minn Kota from Jesse Pinkerton of Fishing Alliance.  The 27lb thrust was sufficient for small lakes like this and four hours on the water barely dented the battery life.  The pram glided over the lake like a stealth bomber.  The fishing itself was slow and all bumps felt like lazy short strikes on my streamer.  The weather was cold and foggy and I will have to return as temperatures stabilize on this lake.  Otherwise, the scenery was "bassey" and I saw a cooper's hawk kiting a young coot.  I am hoping this lake will produce excellent topwater fishing during summer.

An ugly creation of mine. 

several short strikes occured near the bank.

Re-loaded

I've been busy reloading my supply of various warm water and saltwater fly patters since losing my bugger beast earlier in the winter season.  The bugger beast is a great home-base fly box, however it was a bit large to store in a boat bag.  I spoke with Matt Cassel, owner of Cliff Outdoors about some upcoming products.  After telling him how I lost my bugger beast box, and all its flies, he offered me a good deal on a replacement.  This time, I decided to try out the bugger beast jr box.  It's the perfect size to store in a boat bag and holds enough flies for a long day on the water.

Some of my new flies had a chance to swim at LMV last week.  It wasn't hard to convince Charles to join me on the lake at the spur of a moment. Even though the fishing was slow, we both managed to get some pulls from big flies.  I was using my Sage XP 8wt with a 7" articulated trout fly for most of the afternoon.  The 400gr RIO Outbound short pulled the fly down to the depths reasonably fast, however my impatience is still craving faster sink time.  While slowly stripping one of the deep drop-off''s, my line stopped and pulled hard momentarily.  As soon as I set the hook, the fly was let go.  Most of the bass takes were subtle and difficult to detect.  Next time I will have to count down a few moments before hook setting.

After switching to my 6wt with the time tested purple bugger, I almost immediately connected in our favorite cove.  It was a good sized bass with a slim belly, larger than the usual dink bass.  I suspect that the bass pre-spawn is just beginning and hopefully more bass begin to move around to forage.

Charles was facing the possibility of smelling skunk.  With only mere minutes left before lake closing, Charles connects with a feisty tail walker trout.  These are the famed hard fighting stocker's that he had laughed about since last trout season.  These full finned, football shaped trout fight like gladiators. It eventually came unbuttoned near boat-side.  While not technically a total skunk, I think he walked away with a half smile.  Hopefully the lake is shaping up for a good season!

First Large Mouth Bass of the year.

Frog Gurgler

I am anticipating more warm-water and salt-water fly fishing this year.  It seems that my trout traveling funds will be limited more than I would like.  On the bright side, I enjoy tying big ugly bass flies.  This one was introduced to me last spring while fishing with Charles.  The gurgler I tied last year was pretty simple and a little uglier.  At least this one will sort of resemble something natural.  This should be deadly when thrown off cattail infested banks around my local bass ponds. 

Hook: Gamakatsu SP11-3L3H  size 6 
Body:Chartreuse crystal chenille. Rubber legs.  2mm green foam tied and folded over the top.  I may double it over next time for higher floating.  I added spots with a sharpie on top of the foam.  The bass probably wont see it, but I can.
Tail:  Chartreuse marabou and black crystal flash.

Fish-Skull Sculpin Helmet

Without much luck with the articulated rainbow trout pattern, I decided to try out the sculpin helmets from Fish-Skull to offer something different.  They are weighted heads that provide a somewhat realistic profile.  These flies are much heavier than the trout patterns I tied earlier this season. They should sink deeper into the water column where I think the large bass may be holding.  Since Shad is not present in LMV, I can only assume that the bass are preying on blue gill, small catfish and trout. I suppose these would most resemble a catfish.

Hook: Gamakatsu SP11-3L3H  size 1/0 
Head: Fish-Skull Sculpin Helmet - Olive large
Body:  Olive barred rabbit strips (I tied one with rubber legs, choose whatever color)

I used 30lb mono for a weed guard and tied the fly hook point up.

Tying Like a Machine

 It's been too long since updating some fishing reports. Since my last outing to the upper Kern river, I have fished several rivers in central Oregon, a local stream and the lower and upper Owens river. Those reports will come out soon...

I've been tying flies like a machine over the past few weeks. Primarily bass flies since trout stocking has commenced in my local lakes. I had finally got around to filling my Cliff bugger Beast fly box with articulated rainbow trout flies, shad, blue gill and a variety of bugger and clousers. And guess what? They are all gone.

Tuck and I finally got out to fly fish. We decided to meet at MVL since it was convenient and I've managed to get some strong stockers to take streamers. I brought my 8wt and all my bass flies to offer the large mouth pigs that inhabit the lake.

A few LMB took our wooly buggers with Tuck getting a nice one that muscled itself into the weeds. After a few hours the rain began to really come down and my urge to use the restroom became unbearable. My mind turned off and left my fly box on top of the restroom trash can. Some lucky guy or gal now has a nice fly box full of bass flies. Good luck.

The past few days I've been tying like a mad man. I literally lost every bass fly I owned. At least now I have a starting point.

Grind

Went out to MVL with Brett today to check up on our local bass fishery. Since my last outing with Charles, I noticed the juvenile bass have outgrown their "trout" sized shape and into beer belly bass. They are defiantly on the feed and we are not only getting quantity but quality as well.

Even with the onslaught of summer letting up, the bass were still holding in the shade and under structure. Since it has been as windy as the plains of Mongolia, I have returned to gear and
plastics to make my life a little easier.

I've been teaching Brett some basics of bass fishing with spin gear and plastics. His catch rate has been increasing and understanding of rigging and fish handling are improving. Brett had his first quality bass out of MVL today while hook setting, playing and properly landing the bass all on his own. It was a proud moment for both him and I.

I had a few memorable moments of my own. One in particular was sight casting a rather muscle bound large mouth hunkered under a dock. I made a perfect cast that I may never have been able to recreate if I tried a hundred times. The anticipation of the take pumped adrenaline. My senses heightened and reaction time on edge.
I watched the shadow of the hulk suddenly shift, knowing what it was in pursuit of. The take was explosive and my Okuma SST UL bent into a frown.
My reel screamed like cats in heat and I dialed her in to a quite purr. While focused on fighting and landing the beast, I had neglected to watch my surrounding. We were on a collision course with the dock and while sharply turning the boat, the angle of my line became obscure and the bass spit the hook, looked at me eye to eye and plunged back into the deep. The bass was easily pushing 5lbs and skin was dark as night with turquoise patterns that looked like a lightning storm.

A few more great bass were lost on my part, while the juveniles practically jumped into my hands. It was great fishing nonetheless.

Next up... Return to the Golden Trout Wilderness for some Fly Fishing adventure!

Old School

Bluegill and PBR go together like summertime and lemonade.

Headed out to LMV with Brett for a simple time out on the lake.  I fished conventional gear for a change.  My decision to fish gear was to see how it stacked up to the fly, and also to reminisce on my old days of fishing gear.  Today I was fishing with my Okuma SST UL with a 3" triple ripple purple jig (which proved to be deadly).  Brett was using a two piece BPS Micro-lite pack rod that I used to use for backpacking. Half of this rod is now at the bottom of the marketplace cove.  Rest in pieces.

We launched the boat around 2:45pm and headed to the south coves where I have been getting big strikes recently.   Right off the bat I got a juvenile bass on a 1" watermelon seed squirming jig.  Brett was having some difficulty casting the light jig and we had to cut the bird's nest and re-rig.  The wind was hitting hard and we took refuge in the marketplace cove where it is typically calm.  Within a few casts I hear a "plop" about 20' from the boat.  It couldn't have been the 1/32oz jig head that made that sound? I looked at Brett's line and noticed that the jig broke off at the knot and I followed the line back to the rod and noticed that the tip section was now gone?! I shrugged it off and helped him rig the rod with a heavier jig so it would at least cast for the remainder of the day.  I continued fishing the 1" jig and picked up several bluegill slightly larger than my hand. 

The wind had calmed and we returned to the south side of the lake.  I tied on the 3" triple ripple and began slaying the bass.  Most were typical trout sized bass, however more than a few were 3lb+ bass that all came unglued... including a monster bluegill that swam faster than I could retrieve slack line. I definitely caught more bass and larger bass on the jig versus fly.  Brett connected with a really nice bass that looked like a solid 3-4lber.  The 4lb line failed at the knot and it would have been a nice catch.  It was a fun day fishing gear for a change and eating hot wings at Oggi's.  Just like the old days.

Right of Passage

One of a dozen juvenile bass caught while carping

Now that my carp challenge with Tuck is over, I was long overdue for that cold beer that he owed me.  Even though the fishing today was lousy, It was rewarding enough to be with some good fishing buddies to drink a cold one and share stories.  The plan was to meet Tuck around 10am however I got there earlier to do some scouting with Charles.  The morning was slightly cool, overcast and breezy.  The overcast weather made the water dark and sight fishing for carp was difficult.  I knew this was going to be a recipe for a carp challenge. 

I fished a section while waiting for Tuck and I was immediately getting baby bass to strike like mad.  Nearly every cast produced hits from these little monsters.  They fought hard for there size and this was the first time I have ever seen this many bass come from this water.  Now if only mom and pops would show themselves.. there is a rumor that a fly fisherman has caught an 8lb LMB here.  I'd like to put that rumor to the test.

The invisible man with a 6lb carp.

The wind was ripping the surface of the water by the time Tuck arrived.  I gave him some rubber legged prince aggravator flies that I tied the night before and we headed down to the river.  We worked section after section with no results.  Only a few carp were sighted and the water was lower than it has ever been.  The lower water level created sand bars and islands which made wading and casting easier, however the carp seemed to have dissipated like ghosts.  It wasn't long until Charles connected with his first carp of the day.  The fish weighed in at 6lbs and gave him some hard pulling runs.   Tuck and I moved downstream to get in on some action of our own.  I sighted a tailing carp and presented my aggravator several times before it finally gave me a take.  The carp took my fly hard and broke my tippet in seconds.  This was a re-occurring theme for the rest of the day and I lost about four carp due to old tippet or bad knots.  I don't know what the deal was but it was frustrating enough for me to buy a new spool of 8lb fluorocarbon at the end of the day.  Hopefully this does not happen again!

Unfortunately, Tuck didn't even get a mere look at any of his well presented flies.  I guess you have to earn your right of passage on this river.  It took me about four tries to finally land a carp and I had to go through hell to get it.  Even carp master Charles was having a hard time on this particular day.  Your time will come Tuck, and hopefully we can drink some cold ones and hear of your adventures in British Columbia when you return.  Good luck buddy, we'll see you in a few months.

Tuck casting to tailing carp.  And wet wading in sewage water... I hope all your shots are current dude.

Never Give Up

Sometimes you need to emerge from the ashes and rise a champion. With the last defeat at Lake MV, I was demoralized to return anytime soon. The water was green with algae bloom the last time Charles and I fished here. We invested at least three hours of fishing that day and my one juvenile bass came unbuttoned a few feet from the boat. This time we came prepared with a topographic map of the lake and an arsenal of rods for top water and sub surface fishing. 

I was fortunate enough to purchase the Sage DS2 5wt that Charles built a decade ago. He had just finished the epoxy and it looks good. This rod is paired with a Galvan OB3 and RIO mainstream WF5 and it balances and casts surprisingly well. I used it for top water with a roughly tied Gurgler pattern. The top water action was not happening and it wasn't long until I switched to my 6wt to throw a size 8 olive clouser with large prismatic eyes. The water was clear to the bottom of the shallows (15-20') and juvenile bass were scattered. An occasional monster bass would come cruising by but stayed tight lipped. There were also a few steelhead size Nebraska Tailwalkers that cruised through the shallows however none were eager to take a fly.

We arrived at our favorite cove approx. 2pm and fished here until nearly 4pm.  The bass were active and striking between these hours although it was difficult to get a solid connect.  I fished the underwater structure using various strips and pauses, retrieve rates, etc.. the most productive was quick short strips.  I landed the first bass of the day, it was a dinky 10" bass that fought like a bass twice its size.  I was really surprised it was as small as it was... however from my experience fishing for trout, the little guys never give up.

As we were about to leave this cove, the trolling motor was puttering out.  It is frustrating to have a boat out and have it die in the heat of battle.  Precious time was being lost as this was the most productive hour of the day.  Shortly before limping back to the boat dock, Charles connected with a nearly 2lb redear sunfish! Unfortunately this redear and the juvenile LMB were the only fish at hand for five hours of hard fishing.  After switching out trolling motors we used the map to fish some new territory.  Only a few weak bumps were produced despite fishing the drop-offs and other fishy features.  On the way out, we gave one last fight and we found where the monster sunfish were holding.  Despite every attempt to fool or anger these fish, their mouths remained glued shut.  

Once the weather becomes warmer and more stable, hopefully the fish become more active.  We only had a two hour window when the fish were aggressive.  At least we fought hard and you just never know when that 8lb bass is going to strike your fly.  Until then... I wont give up on this lake.