Flipping bushes and my jig got hung. Trying to get it loose at an angle and when it let go it came in an entirely unanticipated direction and popped me in the head. As I said in a prior post, I was very fortunate this didn't turn out much worse. In the words of President Reagan, "I forgot to duck".
Thought I would share how some of my day went today. Wish I could say there was only thing that went wrong but I'd be lying if I did.
Started off flipping bushes and willows and dodging the rain. Ran up the river to a place I really got them several years ago and only had one bite. Got hung on a bush and was trying to get it free when the jig let loose and didn't give me time to duck. Once I got back to the truck I took a pic to show the damage. I will post the pic in a separate post but I was very fortunate.
Dodged some of the storms and went to the mid-lake area to put in. That is when this happened.
Changed clothes and while changing realized I had a small split in the rain suit bottoms - my new warm weather rain bottoms. At this point I am beginning to wonder if the Lord was telling me something, but I put in and fished for a couple of hours and then another storm rolled in. Docked the boat and sat in the truck for an hour. It was then I realized my Costa's were missing. I had them on riding back in the rain when I docked my boat but they were nowhere to be found. And, I still have not found them.
Took back out and got the nerve up to put in farther down the lake. At this point I was wondering what might happen next. No bad luck at the next stop and I did catch a 5 pounder. Sure hope all my bad luck is out of the way for a while!
For the 20 years prior to getting my new 519 in November I ran 4 batteries for my 24 volt trolling motor to make sure I never went down on power during a day of fishing. I like to fish docks and it comes in real handy to be able to run the trolling motor on high between every dock. I feel that definitely allows me to fish more docks in a day, thus more opportunities for a bite. It also allows me to cover more water looking for bedding fish in a day or be able to fish in current all day with no issues.
I went with a 24 volt Ultrex on the new boat but have only been using 2 batteries. I noticed last week the first day I looked for bedding fish that there was a small loss of speed on high by mid-afternoon. Friday I purchased the needed jumpers (4 lawn mower battery cables), 2 new battery trays, and 2 new batteries and installed them Friday evening. I charged all 4 batteries overnight and fished James on Saturday. I fished a jig on docks exclusively all day and ran the trolling motor on 10 between every dock. At the end of the day I could not tell any difference in speed from the morning. 4 batteries also helps out when charging at a crowded motel and you might not be getting the power you need. I honestly feel I can fish two days without charging if necessary using 4. I know there are other battery options out there (Lithium comes to mind), but in my opinion they are cost prohibitive for the average weekend angler like me.
Fished a wildcat tournament at James today. Short hours - 7:30-2:00 but plenty long enough if you are doing the right thing!
I fished there last Tuesday and had a great day with a #Katch-her Lures jig. Based on that, I committed to fishing that jig on staging spots all day. I ended up boating 4 fish for 7 and change. I did get second big fish with a 3.70 something. I had 6 jig bites today and boated 4. I lost one that I did not see and another that was a little over 3. The quality bites were not there today like Tuesday. The water temp has risen somewhat and I think the better fish were most likely suspended in the middle of the pockets waiting to move up.
I want to give a shout out to a former student, Charlie Scott, who got his first tournament win today. I remember how much he loved to fish while in high school and he has worked hard to learn all he can. It was worth the trip just to see him get his first one. My guess is it will not be his last either. He is dedicated to spending time on the water and, in my opinion, that is the most important requirement for tournament success. I hope I get to see him get his second win as well...
Had a great afternoon at Lake James. Water temp was 51 early and I spent most of the time deep the first half of the day. After lunch I picked a jig up and started fishing shallow. Here are two jig fish back to back.
