Fishing Trip #49 May 11, 2015 5:30 AM

Went fishing for about 30 minutes on my way to work this morning. The lake was calm and quiet. I caught a bass on my first cast. I caught a second bass about 5 minutes later. This one was hooked deep, so I had to work with the pliers to remove the hook without hurting the fish. Two casts later, I lost my lure and tackle. It took me about 10 minutes, without glasses in the dark, to get a proper knot and swivel setup ready. I went up and down the north bank of the lake, but nothing was biting now. Still, it was a good trip.

Weather conditions: 47 degree air temperature with no winds. The sky was pre-dawn and overcast.

Caught 2 largemouth bass using an H2O XPRESS Shallow Running Jointed Square-Bill Crankbait.

Catch and Release.

Catch #1

Catch #2

Fishing Trip #48 May 9, 2015 8:30 AM

Went fishing this morning for 2 hours and 30 minutes. I walked all the way around the lake, fishing in many different locations. I had 7 fish on with my Shallow Running Jointed Square-Bill Crankbait. I was was able to catch 6 of them but one spit the hook near the shore. I caught my first catfish of the season.

Weather conditions: 63 degree air temperature with winds from the east. The sky was overcast and cloudy.

Caught 5 largemouth bass and 1 catfish using an H2O XPRESS Shallow Running Jointed Square-Bill Crankbait.

Catch and Release.

Cat Fish!

Bass #1

Bass #2

Bass #3

Bass #4

Bass #5

Lots of weeds in the water

Fishing Trip #47 May 7, 2015 5:50 AM

Went fishing for about 30 minutes on my way to work this morning. The winds were blowing even harder than yesterday morning and the water was just as choppy. I had two solid strikes with my Shallow Running Jointed Square-Bill Crankbait and caught one of them. This fish was a real fighter and quite a beauty!

As I was leaving, I saw a small pile of dead crappie in the grass near the shore. What a waste! These fish could have been released back into the lake or taken home for a meal. People who do this give us anglers a bad name.
Weather conditions: 66 degree air temperature with strong winds (12-18 mph) from the south. The sky was cloudy.

Caught 1 largemouth bass using an H2O XPRESS Shallow Running Jointed Square-Bill Crankbait.

Catch and Release.

Awesome Catch!

Morning Sky

Windy Conditions

Fishing Trip #46 May 6, 2015 5:30 AM

Went fishing for about 45 minutes on my way to work this morning. The winds were really blowing and the water was very choppy. There was also intermittent rain, but nothing that would make me pack up early and leave. I used a plastic worm with a Texas Rig set up and caught one panfish. My H2O XPRESS Shallow Running Jointed Square-Bill Crankbait was still the best lure this morning. I had two largemouth bass on but was only able to land one of them. I also caught a second panfish with it.

Weather conditions: 66 degree air temperature with strong winds (10-15 mph) from the southeast. The sky was very cloudy with intermittent rain.

Caught 1 largemouth bass using an H2O XPRESS Shallow Running Jointed Square-Bill Crankbait and 2 panfish (one with a plastic worm and the other with the H2O XPRESS Shallow Running Jointed Square-Bill Crankbait).

Catch and Release.

Catch #1

Catch #2

Catch #3

Fishing Trip #45 May 5, 2015 5:40 AM

Went fishing for about 30 minutes on my way to work this morning. I tried my Midnight Special Spinnerbait at several locations but no fish were biting. I also used my Shallow Running Crankbait and caught two bass with it.

Weather conditions: 61 degree air temperature with a light wind from the south. The sky was partly cloudy.

Caught 2 largemouth bass using an H2O XPRESS Shallow Running Jointed Square-Bill Crankbait.

Catch and Release.

Catch #1

Catch #2

Fishing Trip #44 May 2, 2015 9:30 AM

I tried a new location today. I have seen a small lake in the southeast corner of Longview Lake when I drive to the library from work. I decided to give it a try this morning. Here are some of my observations:

• This is more of a pond than a lake, probably less than 4 acres in size (according to Google Earth).
• The water depth is very shallow. No matter where or how far I cast my line, my lures immediately hit bottom and brought in weeds or slime from the bottom. There are fishing limit signs posted around this pond, so I am assuming that there are fish in it. Perhaps natural bait, like night crawlers, would yield better results.
• There is a lot of wildlife in the area. Deer and beaver tracks are seen along the water's edge. A beaver dam and chewed-down trees are along the east side of the pond. Bird houses are located in several spots around the pond. I came across a snake in the grass near the water's edge. I showed a close-up picture of it to a friend who spent time on a farm near Truman Lake when he was growing up. He identified it as a cotton mouth.

I fished and explored for about 45 minutes.

Weather Conditions: 60 degree air temperature with 8 mph winds from the south. Partly cloudy skies.

No fish caught and no bites.

Looking North

Deer Tracks

Beaver Tracks

Beaver Dam

Beaver's "handiwork" on one of several trees

Bird House

Looking South

Snake in the grass

Fishing Trip #43 May 1, 2015 5:40 AM

Went fishing for about 40 minutes on my way to work this morning. The lake was a little choppy. I tried my Midnight Special Spinnerbait at several locations, but the fish were not interested in it. I had a second rod and reel set up with a Jointed Crankbait. That was what they were hungry for this morning. The second bass I caught was a beauty, giving me a great fight through a patch of weeds all the way to the shore.

Weather conditions: 49 degree air temperature with 6 mph winds from the southeast. The sky was going from dawn to sunrise

Caught 3 largemouth bass using an H2O XPRESS Shallow Running Jointed Square-Bill Crankbait.

Catch and Release.

Catch #1

Catch #2

Catch #3