Yesterday was a beautiful day to be out on the water. Mid seventies, clear with a slight wind from the south. The fish are still moody as can be but can be tempted if your offering is small and in their face. After going way back into the shallows of Shoal Creek I picked up one 12’ Kentucky, I then fished my way towards the mouth (several miles). Several good-looking spots produced nothing; however, a couple of my favorite spots gave up some (near) trophy fish.
This fine looking 18” smallie was the first to say hello, followed by this sweet little 20” walley. I can tell you this: fish this size are a lot of fun on a fly rod! They stayed deep for a couple minutes until finally showing color about six feet down. All of us who fish can appreciate the “wonderment” of just what it is we’re hooked on to, while we wait for the fish to make a showing. If anything in life can turn the clock back to being a kid again, it’s those moments waiting to see what it is. All the while, silently chanting “lord, just let me get a look at this thing”. Funny how the chant turns to “lord, let’s get this thing in the boat”.
I never know for sure whether it was location or switching to a brighter colored bait, but this little yellow/white Clouser Deep Minnow did the trick. Both fish came from about 16 feet of 48 degree water (surface temp). With some luck the sun will warm this water and we can start seeing fish move to where they should be, until then, deep and slow remains the name of the game.