Waneta/Lamoka rd 2

[TheBossT127]

Saturday August 25th was the second stop at these lakes for Tioga County Bass Anglers. After the rotten showing I had on Waneta last time, and with the top bags coming from Lamoka, I made my decision early on to go out on that water despite being somewhat less familiar with it.

At the 7am takeoff, everyone left the area except me as I had made a determined effort to fish deeper than I usually do. I was alternating between working the outside edge of the weedline in 12 ft of water with a silver and black Shad Rap, pitching into the pads with a Maniac Salt Stick, and throwing a Scum Frog across the pads. The Shad Rap was the first to pay off with a nice 2lb. fish not 10 minutes into the tournament. It was a solid bite and it left me very hopeful for the rest of the day. I stayed around the island in that area combing with the crankbait and also jigging off the southwest point. No other takers, so after another tournament boat left the south side of the island I worked my way shallow around to the west side. I had a couple of huge blowups on a green pumpkin Yum Wooly Hawgtail that I was flipping into the pads but I couldn't get a hook into one.

I headed south east to try the shady docks that I'd had luck with in the past but that was worthless. Lots of wind out of the south made navigation quite a shore. I moved up the east shore toward a point and as I got into about 8ft the fish finder lit up like the night sky druing the Gulf War! I quickly got a drop shot with a pearl/silver fluke and before I could close the bail a 3lb. largemouth nearly ripped the rod from my hands! I thought I'd be there the rest of the day as I was sure I'd hit the mother lode on this point. When it was all said and done I don't know if I could have gotten another fish from that point if I had M-80's. I tried in vain to work the pattern in other areas, staying deep with the drop shot along what few points that Lamoka offers, as well as working deeper weed edges.

As it turned out, the winning weights came from Waneta, flipping docks of all things (my specialty). It's amazing that two lakes so similar and connected by a canal (if you wanna call it that) could perform so differently. If the State DEC ever gets their head out of the sand and builds the bridge that will allow boats to pass under the road, the possibilities on this water will really open up. Apparently the money is all set aside and no one seems to know what the hold up is.