Sunday afternoon bassin' 5-25

With the weather looking pretty good, 80 degrees and little wind, I thought I would go chase some bass after Church. I went to a small lake in the west metro area that usually puts out tons of bass for me, both size and numbers. I put my tube on a cart and wheeled it down to the lake on a bike path, the only public access. I noticed how clear the water was, usually it is pea green, even in the spring. Got in and started fishing, when I saw a HUGE snapping turtle following me.
I took a pic, but you can barely see it near the bottom. Mabye he thought I was the big ugly blue mamma turtle! Was going to try to get more pics but he disappeared.
I fished most of my usual spots and had little more than a few half hearted bites from some dinky bass. I have heard rumors there was a pretty bad winterkill this year there, hope that is not the case, but I can't understand why there are no bass in the shallows, hmmm.
Put on a power minnow and did good for crappies and small larrys for about a half hour, then decided I needed to try another lake if I wanted big fish. I also noticed the storm clouds building in the northwest.
Got the car loaded up and got out of there, the weatherman was on talking hail and possible twisters in the north metro area, so I headed south and decided to try a small lake in the wouthwest metro that has all catch and release regs for bass.
I got on the water just as the storms where passing just to the north.
The wind had kicked up pretty good, and the temps dropped fast as the front came through.
I found some fairly calm water around a point and started flinging a cabelas aquaglow hoochikoochi swimshad on a big hook with no weight.
I like this plastic, you can twitch it like a jerkbait, do a swim retrieve with the tail doing the work, let it drop to the bottom, or buzz it on the top. I started getting little bass pretty good casting near shore, then I got a decent one near 16 inches, then more small fish.
I worked my way out a bit, the wind was lightening up quite a bit, that is when I nailed the big 20 inch toad. She bit while I was letting it sink a bit in the deeper water. whoo hoo! Jumped 3 times, and of corse they look bigger when they jump too!
Soon the wind was gone, the water was like glass and fish were moving all around. I saw some huge carp feeding on the top, but they wouldn't take the shad.
Got some more nice bass, including a 18.5 incher, soon after the sun set, the fish quit biting, and the bugs started, but I had caught plenty of fish, my thumb was shot from gripping so many fish lips!

All the pictures are here:
http://mtbucket.blogspot.com/2008/05...afternoon.html

http://bp0.blogger.com/_bVefDirc0ps/...0/big+bass.jpg