Sunday, May 1, 2011

Boxes, Bags, And Bass



In my last couple of blog posts, I mentioned that I was going to be busy for most of April and wouldn't be here much. That held true. The big project that has kept me so busy is a new house which I bought in early April. I was tied up with the closing process, packing, moving, and unpacking (which isn't done yet). I actually started looking at houses in February, found this one in March, and closed in April. I despise the moving process, as I'm sure many folks do, but it's nice to be in a brand new home. 

I just recently got Internet service and hope to be back to visiting blogs in the near future. There is still unpacking that needs to be done so I'll be working on that until it's finished - or I say it's good enough. Anyway, that's what I've been busy with the past few weeks and I'm glad the ordeal is over. 

On another topic, some people have asked about the bass tournaments I talked about in previous posts. Let's just say it has been a rough start. There were three tournaments scheduled in the month of April. I had to miss the first one due to unexpected circumstances, but the weather was really nasty that day and the fishing was terrible. Ma Nature has wreaked havoc this spring which caused the second tournament to be cancelled due to dangerous lake conditions. The third tournament was yesterday, but the lake where these particular tournaments are held just broke its record for high water level. A few days ago when I checked, the water level was 24 feet above summer pool and it's even higher now. The lake is a mess. 

My tournament partner, Jim, and I decided to change gears yesterday and fish a different lake. This lake doesn't have the feeder streams that many of our lakes have so it doesn't get all of the rain run-off which allows it to maintain a more consistent water level. This lake is smaller than the tournament lake (800 acres vs. 8,000 acres), but we wanted to catch some fish rather than battle high water. Apparently, so did everybody else because the lake was packed! The parking lots at all of the boat ramps were completely full. 

This lake is man-made and was specifically designed for fishing. Before damming up the river, the Corps of Engineers put in a lot of artificial structure which now sits at the bottom of the lake. They also left the trees which created tons of standing submerged timber. There is no swimming, skiing, or jet skis allowed on the lake. 




The morning started off slow and we didn't have any bites. Actually, the whole day was rather slow and several other anglers we spoke to said they weren't catching anything. I finally caught our first fish of the day shortly before lunch. When it was all said and done, I caught four bass and Jim caught one. I had a fifth one on, but it made a jump and threw the lure. My second fish was also the big fish of the day. I caught it in shallow water on a small, square-billed crankbait. It weighed 4.8 pounds and was 20.5" long. 



It was the first really nice day we've had in a long time and I'm sure that was part of what brought so many people out. That and the fact it was Saturday and this lake is the only one in the area that hasn't been adversely affected by all of the rain. There was also a co-ed tournament taking place on the lake (no, not college co-ed's). We saw several boats where the wife/girlfriend was reading a book or getting some sun while the guys were fishing. Since the tournament rules required a female on the team, no doubt a few husbands/boyfriends asked their significant others to come along just so they could get in the tournament. Actual fishing was a different story. We did see some women who were actively fishing, though. 

Well, I should be getting back into the full swing of things very soon. I've missed reading your blogs. I feel very out of the loop right now. It was necessary time away, though, and there really wasn't any way around it. Now if I could just snap my fingers and make these boxes and bags go away....

10 comments:

Dawn said...

Hmmmm...I guess we could all come over and help you unpack....but less adventure for you;)
NICE CATCH! Way to start of the season:) Looks like a wonderful day!

TexWisGirl said...

Great to have you back in Blogland! And even better that you're back to taking some fishing/outdoor time! That looks like a great catch and a great way to escape boxes! :)

Thanks for letting us know you're alive and seeing daylight! Congrats on your new home!

Coloradocasters said...

That is a sweet bucket! Good luck with the moving. Yes, we all pretty much hate that part. Good to see you back and posting!

Nancy said...

Excellent fish, Brian.

It's good to get away from the normal routine...

Good to see you back, tho. :)

Joe said...

My wife and I have only moved once and that was after only being married 6 months. I can't even imagine moving now after 29 years.

Anonymous said...

Likewise, I am glad you caught us all up on what has been going on. You have been missed. Really can't complain about your fishing, can you? Nice Bass and pretty lake to boot. Glad you were able to take advantage of the weather.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the new place and Good Luck with the boxes! We've been there and done that too friend. (and let me just say we are NOT doing it again anytime to soon... Lord willing that is.)

Take care and breathe deep!

Unknown said...

Moving is such a pain in the rear! I hope some sense of normalcy returns to your life soon. High water fishing just isn't much fun.

-stephanie

TexWisGirl said...

hey,bjk - love what you've done to the place! :)

darlin said...

Hi there, I don't know for certain how I stumbled upon your blog but I'm thinking that I clicked on a comment you made on Dawn's blog and here I am. I love your top photo, it looks like there should be alligators or something along the shorelines. Nice fish, I bet it was delicious!

Have a great weekend and have fun with unpacking, I'm still unpacking and I bought my house in July of last year! lol I've been painting and renovating, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!