I finally headed out just as it was getting light. At 27 degrees, it was cold.
Just past the bridge I again saw many, many birds fluttering around so I decided to troll the area looking. I did see all the bait the birds were seeing but there were no fish chasing the bait. I trolled the mouth of Hales Ford creek and across on the other side and all the way up to R30, following the birds all the way. I maybe marked a stray fish here and there. Pooh.
So I ran up to Indian and decided to troll while I hunted for the fish. I did see a few scattered fish and even a few pairs but nothing bit. I went all the way up to the condos and still didn't see anything. Trolling on the way back out, short of the marina, I got a big, solid hit. There were big head shakes and a lot of weight there. I had just cleared the other line when the line went slack. Gone. I checked the lure and one tine on the rear hook was straightened. And these are the 2x replacements I put on all my little lures. Dang.
I made two more passes in that area but saw nothing and got no bites. I trolled out of Indian Creek and up to Grimes and actually saw more scattered fish than in the creek. Mostly sorta deep. The water was a little off color so I started back down lake. Nothing at R35. I trolled the stretch from R34-R32-R31 with no results. I ran back to the bridge and trolled from there up past Coast Guard point, over to Yacht ClubC creek mouth, back up that side, and over across past CG point again. The water was clearer there and seemed to change around the bridge but I didn't see any difference in fish density, and also saw a lot less bait. For the heck of it I ran up Hales to Campers and cast around the banks for a bit but had no takers. Times are tough so I think I'll just try again. Later Joel
Just past the bridge I again saw many, many birds fluttering around so I decided to troll the area looking. I did see all the bait the birds were seeing but there were no fish chasing the bait. I trolled the mouth of Hales Ford creek and across on the other side and all the way up to R30, following the birds all the way. I maybe marked a stray fish here and there. Pooh.
So I ran up to Indian and decided to troll while I hunted for the fish. I did see a few scattered fish and even a few pairs but nothing bit. I went all the way up to the condos and still didn't see anything. Trolling on the way back out, short of the marina, I got a big, solid hit. There were big head shakes and a lot of weight there. I had just cleared the other line when the line went slack. Gone. I checked the lure and one tine on the rear hook was straightened. And these are the 2x replacements I put on all my little lures. Dang.
I made two more passes in that area but saw nothing and got no bites. I trolled out of Indian Creek and up to Grimes and actually saw more scattered fish than in the creek. Mostly sorta deep. The water was a little off color so I started back down lake. Nothing at R35. I trolled the stretch from R34-R32-R31 with no results. I ran back to the bridge and trolled from there up past Coast Guard point, over to Yacht ClubC creek mouth, back up that side, and over across past CG point again. The water was clearer there and seemed to change around the bridge but I didn't see any difference in fish density, and also saw a lot less bait. For the heck of it I ran up Hales to Campers and cast around the banks for a bit but had no takers. Times are tough so I think I'll just try again. Later Joel