Monroe Reservoir/Epsom Lake(coal pit)

[macgyver]

Monroe Reservoir:

Well Saturday, was up at 245am, headed to Monroe Resrvoir, with my boater buddy from the BFL . Met him at the ramp at 430am, and put the boat in. Air temps were in the upper 40, to lower fifties when we started. Water temps never got over 71 degres. We've had up and down weather with storms one day, clear for a couple, then some rain. Anyway the water was up 4-5 feet when we got there, and we headed for one of his morning topwater places. We saw lots of activity on the top, but no takers, on Buzzbaits, Jitterbugs, Popper's. He caught a coupel fo dinks on a Rat-L-Trap type bait, so we started working the shoreline, and timber. I caught a 13 incher on a Weightless Black Lizard. We kept fishing and the clouds would roll in, and spit some rain, then sunshine for awhile, then repeat. We had no luck, with anything, and didn't see anyone else catching anything either. We started working a rip rap bank with cranks, on a reccomendation from my neighbor. Bob(my boater) hooked into 2 bass, one of which was decent, but never go them in the boat, before they threw his cranks. I actually caught a 4"-5" Sunfish on a craw colored crank. He hit it, on a pause, and had one of the barbs in his mouth Anyway we called it the day at noon. So nothing great as for a pattern, but I'll be going back out for some more prefishing before the tourney 6/18. I must say it was kinda chilly all morning, never took off my Fleece pullover till we loaded the boat.

Epsom Lake(coal pit):

Well got up at 245am again, had my boat loaded, and was jones'en for some Bass. Hit the water about 430am, and go to one of my favorite flats for some early topwater. Pretty much the same air temps to start, water temps were 70 to start and some places 74 by 1pm, mostly sunny all day. Had a couple of bats trying to get my baits as I would cast them early. Anyway I threw every topwater imaginable, and got 0 hits. Yet the suckers were pounding the top all around me. I finally quit, and started throwing spinnerbaits, trying to figure out what they wanted, along with some frogs. Again no bites. ??? So I went back to weightless plastics, Lizards and Pulse worms, because I wanted to catch a couple before concentrating on Pitching, since I really need to practice it. Well after 2 1/2 hours on my HOME lake, I finally stated catching some fish, but not in the weeds, out about 2-3 feet from the weedline, in about 2'-5' of water, with the weightless plastics. I worked this pattern for an hour just to catch some fish LOL. Caught some that were 14"-16", but nothing huge. Then I started working on my Pitching, which I found a little more difficult in my boat with a 7'6" Flippin Stick, since there is no casting deck, and you about 1'-2' below the edge of the boat(it's made for sitting and fishing) Anyway I kept working along the banks, really concentrating more on pitching, with little splash, and secondly accuracy. I was using a Netbait Baby Paca Craw, in Green Pumpkin, with a 1/4 pegged bullet weight. I was fishing any pockets or laydowns, and the outside edge of the weedline. I started catching quite a few, and they obviously liked the Paca Craw, since I went through a bag of them. I must say this is really the first time, that I spent any length of time(4+ hours) actually pitching, and it worked very well. I caught some bigger fish, and more numbers than I was on the weightless plastics. Every once in awhile I would sit down for a couple of minutes, and would just cast out the Pacca Craw. To Points and valleys, in deeper water. Heck I caught 2 doing this. Ended up catching well over 20 fish, and quit at 1pm. I got a heck of a lot better a pitching, and could even manage hardly a ripple once in awhile So the pattern for the day was deeper, and tight to cover. I guesstimate to have had about 12lbs of fish, if I was fishing a tourney, doubt it would have won in the BFL, but nobody else was catching hardly any fish. I talked with several folks, and one guy was so excited about catching 1 14" LOL. Anyway's the Coal Pit has now given me confidence in another technique, Pitching. I don't remember who said it, but it really is like hand to hand combat with the Bass 8)

Lizards

[zman]

Lizards, I know what you mean about trying to learn pitching from a small boat with no deck. I added a deck to my boat earlier in the year and its been one of the best additions I ever made to the boat, not only can I now comfortably stand and fish but I even built a dry storage box into the deck which can accomodate a cell phone and camera without any worry of them getting wet. I really recomend you taking a look at making a deck too when you get the time (its a good winter project if you have a garage).

[sabass]

lol, yep, i can't pitch much either, my 9 foot jon boat ain't wide/deep hull enough for me to stand, all while being inches from the water, heck, its hard to make the casts I want to make sometimes.