What’s Your Attitude On Those Tough Fishing Days?

Oftentimes it’s persistence that pays off. I just spent a couple days by myself fishing Choke Canyon Lake, near Three Rivers, TX. The lake is several feet low and still dropping. The weather was very hot and dry, almost no wind, clear blue skies, and the fishing solunar tables showed it to be a couple of the worst days to fish in September.

With all those negative factors, not to mention, water temperature at 88 degrees and much of the grass dried up on the bank, fishing was tough. However, it’s days like this that really test one’s true grit.

Probably the hardest for me, and maybe most, is staying focused when sweat is pouring down my face, staying hydrated is next to impossible, and bites are sparse. The natural thing is to rely on the same techniques and locations that worked in the past. Most anglers begin doubting their abilities, get frustrated, start making excuses, and loss focus, yet they still proceed in the same manner. Or, they give up and go home.

I challenge each of you to use these tough fishing days as opportunities to learn and become better anglers. I know it’s hard! I guide for a living and I never want to have those days with clients, but it happens. Should I just give up or use those experiences to learn and teach others? I choose the later.

On my first day at Choke Canyon, the fishing was tough most of the day, except from about 4 PM until dark. The wind came up suddenly and the bass turned on. I fished one island on the windy point and side and caught over 20 bass. But, they were all small. However, I had managed to scrap out a nice size limit of keeper bass durning the tough time of the day. At the boat ramp, a man approached me, as usual, and asked about my day. In our conversation, he lamented that they hired a guide and they never caught a fish. He, obviously, asked what I had done differently. Then he told me that they fished the banks all day and never tried anything different. So why had I managed to catch some good size bass along with many little ones and they did not catch a thing? I don’t know because I was not with them, but I will share my thoughts, game plan and what I did to catch fish under such tough fishing conditions.

First, understanding that bass are coldblooded and must eat more often when the weather is hot, helped me to develop an overall strategy before ever hitting the water. Because the water level had dropped a lot, I studied my topographical map before going. That’s kind of normal for me when I plan to fish by myself. I am always looking for some new spots and when the lakes are low, there is no better time to scout. I had determined to concentrate on main lake points from about mid lake toward the dam, underwater humps and roadbeds in the same area.

I started shallow, up to 10 feet, for about one and a half hours with only one three pounder on Bomber’s Black Pearl Model A 8’ to10’ crankbait. I was using crankbaits as a searching tool so I could cover lots of water in a short time. Plus, in the summertime, bass will hit a faster moving bait before hitting a slow worm. The one bass came off the side of a shallow, gravel laden point with no deep water near by. That puzzled me. I kept moving from point to point trying numerous techniques, with little success.

So I moved to a deep water point with significant drop off, from 15 to 30 feet, at about 9 AM. Immediately, I hooked up on a couple, seemly big fish, but lost them both. One hit a Texas rig and the other on a Carolina rig. I was using Yum’s Margi Gras 6” Dinger on the Texas rig and an Owner’s Watermelon with Black Flake 4.3 “ Yuki Bug on the Carolina rig. I fished that point for another 20 minutes without a bite.

I then decided to move into a main lake pocket that had some grass on the flat and dropped off quickly forming two points and water depth of 25‘ on the middle of the pocket. Using a Texas rig an a Zoom 6” Watermelon Seed Lizard, I picked up three bass at the grass edge, two were keepers. I moved out and followed one point into the main lake and picked up another three pounder on the same Bomber Model A. I also hung a Gaspergou (freshwater drum) on the same bait that must have weighed 15 pounds or better. The last time I saw the fish it was headed west before pulling loose.

What had I allowed these fish to teach me? They wanted action, proximity to deeper water and grass, if possible. I did not fish the Texas and Carolina rigs in the usual manner. Instead, I swam the baits for a few feet, followed by a quick jerk and then an immediate pause for several seconds. The bass did not just pick it up, they attacked it.

On the crankbait, I dug the ground up out to the break and contacted everything I could to stimulate strikes. After contacting brush or weeds, I paused and then walked the bait for a few feet before speeding up again.

Again, I moved. This time to an island point that formed a saddle and then a hump. The top of the hump was 16’ with 30’ plus water on three sides and a 23’ saddle. The water was a little clearer so I began with a drop shot and Owner’s 3.3” Yuki Bug in Cinnamon with Blue Flake. I used the drop shot like a Carolina rig which produced a couple quick bites and bass close to the top of the hump, and one better fish just at the break.

I switched to a Carolina with a bigger Yuki Bug and caught several better bass on the breaks. Then the wind decided to blow rather hard so I just moved towards the windy point and along the windy side throwing and swimming Texas rig with the Zoom Lizard through the edge of the grass. I caught small bass until I got tired and called it a day.

Now, did I try other baits and techniques that day? You bet! Top waters, jerk baits, several cranks, wacky worms, shaky heads, swim baits, and buzz baits. I tried them fast, slow and everything in between and only caught a couple bass on the wacky worm style. The main point is that I did not just fish one way, I offered a selection in various
ways and patiently waited for the bass to tell me what, how and where they wanted to bite THAT day.

Day two was very much a mirror image, weather wise, as the first. I decided to pull out the fly rod, since the water was calm. Within 5 minutes, I boated one about 5 pounds on a tan colored diving Dalhberg along the side of a grass laden point. I had a few other takes, but could not get another stuck.

The sun rose and the bites stopped. I moved off the point and began with a Luhr-Jensen Tennessee Shad Hot Lips Express 18’-24’. I was fishing along breaks and over deeper water. The first several fish were hybrid strippers so I moved to a main lake point and fished parallel to the drop off.

A few minutes later I boated a big bass on the Hot Lips Express. About that time a boat was flying by so I flagged him down to see if he had scales, as mine were not working. The bass weighed 10 1/2 pounds and was released for another day. The other boater and I fished that area for another 30 minutes without another fish and we both left.

I decided to fish a few spots on the other end of the lake so I made the long run and fished several points without any action. I spotted some grass farther back down the point so I moved into shallower water and started throwing the Carolina with the 5.3’ Yuki Bug. I would just reach the edge of the exposed grass and quickly swim, jerk and pause the rig.

To my surprise, in that hot murky water, I picked up another bass about 5 pounds and a couple other keeps. After several more minutes, I left looking for other similar areas. I fished four or five similar spots and only caught a couple smaller bass.

I moved back to main lake points with my Hot Lips Express and began digging up the ground but did not put another in the boat. I switch to drop shot, used like a Carolina, with the 3.3” Yuki Bug. I hooked a big fish but my knot ( Albright knot tying the braided line to the fluorocarbon line) came lose, my bad. I know the bass was big because it came up trying to throw the bait. I boated a couple more small fish and then decide to get off the water and head home.

Now, I ask you, what made the difference between me and the other guide? Was it my superior skills? Very doubtful! Was it the water we fished? I doubt that, as well, because bass were caught is all depths. Or, was it the fact that I was not set on one kind of fishing and allowed the bass to tell me what, how and where there wanted to eat, instead of me forcing my way on them. I believe the later.

The next time you plan to go fishing, think about the season, weather, water level, habitat and habits. Don’t go fishing with your mind made up how the fish will bite that day or the next. On those tough days, be open minded, focused, and stay positive. You just might learn a lot about bass fishing and catching!

Barry Dodd