As if Otay could get any better...

The past few weeks have been nutty out there. And Sat it seemed the weather the planets and the timing all lined up for an epic day.

it started with breakers. There were so many schools everywhere In the main lake. A few of us noticed how many were around and we stayed well away from the crowd of boats fishing a school. No one was around me. Closet boat 200 yards at best. The fish smashed the lures on every cast into them. Not only that if you tossed in and around where they were busting you pickup blind cast fish. I could hear the other guys in the distance screaming hookup! Haha. That lasted a good 3 hours! I stopped counting them after 15 bass. After it slowed I went to the grass in harveys. Picked up 1 fish on a senko and noticed the clouds came back and wind stopped. Went back up were they were busting.... and here we go again. Not as many yet busting. Picked up another limit. Then as soon as someone sees you the boats start piling up. All good trolled away and noticed a school of busters behind a guys boat who was graphing structure. He was setting up for bait fishing. Once he got his anchors set I was able to use his boat as a reference to where to cast. I figured the fish were on the bottom. Started bouncing a spoon. Picked up a strong limit in 8 tosses. That slowed so I went to another area where they have been busting lately and lots of bait. Picked up another 4 went back to the other busters area and grabbed 3 more as well as hooked myself pretty badly...fish shook and it slipped... Right into my left middle finger. I removed the hook and kept going. Re-set the bait and Landed 3 more fish and then headed back over to the spoon area. First cast. Wham. Another fish. A few tosses later another fish. That slowed and went searching my old spots. Did not feel right. Nothing looked right and left. Went back to the spoon spot and landed 3 more in short order. Left there and went to where the bait was again and landed 3 more once again. Left there and went back to the spoon area... this time no takers. Went back to another old spot... nope, left and went back to the bait and landed 3 more.

all in all it was a feverish day of casting, landing fish and hooking myself.

 

Yep!!

 

I used the braid trick and from the hook being so deeply buried and a thin wire it only straightened the hook out a little...and that hurt! Hahaha. So I rotated it and Slowly pulled and it came out nicely. This one was not as bad as 2017 and having a 5lb do the same thing. Except the bottom hook was deep in the mouth of the fish with the front deep in my palm just below my thumb. Needed 2 people for that one.

best thing I can say it this. Always have tools on the boat or your box with you just incase something like this happens. Not a utility knife. Real Tools. They help.

,

 

I was able to. I used the deck of the boat. It worked as good as It could. Worked great in 2017.

Tools, For the boat. I have Serious side cutters, channel locks, thick and thin needle nose. Wire strippers/crimper. Razor knife. Crescent wrench. Flash light All size screw drivers. Electrical tape. First aid kit. Hose clamps. Zip ties. Jumper cables.
For your box- serious side cutter. Strong enough to easily cut through split rings. Sharp knife and quality needle nose. Electrical tape-band aids. Needing the tip of the cutters matters. I have a bunch of odds and ends as well. Cant have something a simple as a hook in your hand stop your day.
Many time the cutting angle does not work for needle nose pliers. side cutters!

my side cutters saved me. I had to cut the split ring to remove myself from the lure. I got lucky that the top treble was easy to remove from the fish while being connected to it.

I almost snapped a photo of the fish hanging off my finger as thats how I got hooked. Its Almost always the ditch pickles that hurt you. They flip and flop so hard. It almost happened twice yesterday. It happens quickly. Haha..

 

I do as well. The back only... sometimes they slip. I do that with a lot of fish. Especially a lure. I hate bass thumb also. I’ll lip them for a photo. Most are like one of the photos I have on this thread When fishing breakere. Holding the back.

 

Man... that s as true as the day is long... I hit it right as the low happened. Sunday it started to rise again... this week will be blazing hot... hopefully by the weekend they come around again...

 

Agreed!!!

 

That would be crazy to see that... Lowest lake levels I have seen was back in the 90's when V had no Island. You could walk across to Grassy bay which was more like a Grassy Bend than a bay with the water that low. No boat lunch available. Breakers everywhere... You'd see them on the other side an cant get to them. had to race around the Island to get there.. hahaha. That's when I'd take my 20hp Merc of my Fisher marine and put it on a rental and just had a blast... No one there less a couple rental boats. maybe 3 boats total including me. and heaven forbid a guy with a bass boat would be seen in a rental!! they never showed up, hahaha... Some of the best days at V I can remember...