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Old 04-18-13, 07:36 PM   #1
keithdog
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Default Next week is a quandry.

I'm on vacation next week and plan to get out at least twice for some serious bass fishing. I'll be staying home and fishing the lakes in my town. Small natural lakes of 70 acres and 90 acres. Good fishing can be had at both, but the weather this week/spring have me in a quandary on what to expect. Temps for the most part have been cold with an occasional day around 70 degrees such as today. The next few days are going to top out in the mid to upper 40's again. Over all, it's been much colder than warmer by far. Add to that, we have had TONS of rain. Over 6 inches in the past week with heavier rain expected overnight. Perhaps two more inches by morning. Then a COLD weekend, back into the 40's again. I know how and where the bass "should" be this time of year, but this weather may have really screwed things up. My plan for now it to attack shallow cover where I expect the bass to be holding tight to cover. But with water temps still being on the cold side, may they have backed out into deeper haunts? I expect to have fairly muddy water, but until I am out there, I just won't know. I'll still be working a jig heavily, but not sure about a suspending jerk bait. I DO think a large spinnerbait might be a good option if the water is off colored. And of course, a lipless crank. I also feel a 2.5 squarebill rattling crankbait might pick up a few. My biggest question is, how deep will they be? I'm guessing they will either be very shallow hugging cover, or hanging off the first break into deeper water.
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Old 04-18-13, 08:05 PM   #2
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Keith ask them if you can postpone your vacation for 30 days
Is there anything green yet?If so then they might be in or near.
If you've got water temps at or close to 55 I'd tie on 3 dif cranks til you find the depth they're liking.
If water temps are less than that maybe try a 3/8 or heavier flick shake and gently hop down the breaks out in front of wherever they usually bed til you find them.

How much you want to bet that the week after your vacation the temps will soar.

*side note* remember last year during the classic when we were talking about how that guy was rigging a senko with a small spinner in the tail? I did pretty good this spring with that just fishing it straight back real slow just off the bottom with water temps between 48 and 52. Guarnteed they won't be expecting that.

Get out there and take dominion over those rascals
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Old 04-18-13, 09:44 PM   #3
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I like your idea of having 3 diff cranks tied on to see what depth they are at. Last week I did dredge up some green in water around 8-12 foot deep or so, but it wasn't visible from the surface yet. I'll definitely be checking those areas out. As for the following weeks weather, you know it will be! lol
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Old 04-18-13, 10:37 PM   #4
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If I had to bet, I'd say they're off a little deeper keith. But the (comparatively) warmer rain just might drive them shallow. I certainly expect the water to be real muddy cause of all the rain. I'd throw a big black and blue rattling jig with a blue pork rind allot, however the spinnerbait might help locate them. I'd personally stray away from the suspending jerkbaits due to the (expected) low visibly.

Good luck bud, hope they corporate for ya... enjoy your time off!
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Old 04-19-13, 06:57 AM   #5
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Quote:
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I'd personally stray away from the suspending jerkbaits due to the (expected) low visibly.
My thought exactly. I will have to wait till I get on the water. Loomis Lake can get very muddy, while Flint lake can remain surprisingly clear. I'll have to make my final decision after I can actually see the conditions.
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Old 04-19-13, 08:45 AM   #6
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Both some shallow on cover and the rest out by the drop,bay mouths points ,rock piles or west side rock banks.Enjoy your time off if nothing else by doing nothing,if fishing does not pan out.Tend to think this see sawing in temp confuses us more than them,yet it does stretch the spawn out.Here its 62f back of bays higher yet cold fronts make some back off,smallies in spawn largies starting,spawn while normally not all at once say over period of 3 weeks,weather like this can drag it out to 4-5.
Im running heat today yesterday 80 plus.And yes here some veggies poking thru.
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Old 04-19-13, 10:10 AM   #7
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Kieth, first off enjoy your Sprinter Vacation!

My only input is at least your fishing natural lakes.
If you get ANY sun at all, head up the creeks or feeder creeks or what ever feeds your BOW.
Dark water will be an asset with the warming here.
Swimjigs worked like a spinner and a natural jig, half and half will maybe help with the search.
1/4 oz regular jigs may also work using same presentation. High action trailers may also help if water is dark.

Only other ideas...throw every 'NEW' bait you bought over winter.
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Old 04-20-13, 05:05 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joedog View Post
Kieth, first off enjoy your Sprinter Vacation!

My only input is at least your fishing natural lakes.
If you get ANY sun at all, head up the creeks or feeder creeks or what ever feeds your BOW.
Dark water will be an asset with the warming here.
Swimjigs worked like a spinner and a natural jig, half and half will maybe help with the search.
1/4 oz regular jigs may also work using same presentation. High action trailers may also help if water is dark.

Only other ideas...throw every 'NEW' bait you bought over winter.
Good advise Joe. I'll try the swim jig if it's not too muddy. Otherwise, it will have to clear up some. No feeder creeks or streams in my lakes. The are just lakes carved out by the glaciers back during the ice age.
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Old 04-23-13, 07:19 PM   #9
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Well, so far I got out Sunday and nothing happening. Bitter cold, lots of wind and bright sunny skies, and one bass. The water quality, though being off colored, wasn't near as bad as expected. Easily 6 foot visibility except for the far wind blown west end which was like coffee. I threw jerk baits, chatter baits, jig N craw, lipless cranks, crank baits, and caught my one little dink on a spinner bait.

Today, storms were approaching and the wife informed me there was no way she was sitting through that. Myself, I wasn't either! So I headed back to the park on the lake where I could cast from shore. I perched myself where the main lake blows into the coffee stained west bay. There are nice submerged weed beds there, and fairly clear water at the mouth. I only had about 45 minutes to spare, but I landed 5 bass, all small males on an Excalibur Lipless crank in the Rayburn Red color pattern which has been very good to me the last couple years. The lake is still very high from all the rain, but the males seem to be making their move to the shallows, so the females should be right behind then shortly. I figure they are hanging out in the weed beds in about 12 foot of water.

The next trip is planned for Thursday morning. I hope tomorrows weather don't put the kibosh on it all with snow mixed with rain is forecast for tomorrow night. Wednesdays forecast is for 35 in the morning and mid 50's by afternoon, so not in any hurry to get out there Wednesday morning.
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Old 04-24-13, 09:40 AM   #10
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Someone turn the heat back on its 39f ,global warming my asp.
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