05-14-2009, 09:22 PM
[cool][#0000ff]Was supposed to get a newbie tuber checked out in his new tube this morning. Planned to head to Lincoln Beach. He couldn't make it so I did a "Plan B" at the Knolls. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Glassy calm at 7 AM launch. Air temp 43 and water temp already 60. Green water. Looking good...except for the early skeeters.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Kicked out about 20 feet from shore and made my first cast, with a tandem tube jig rig. Bang. First whitie of the day. Then got several more in quick succession. Then it got to be pretty fast and furious. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Those little whities were plentiful and playful. Too bad they weren't just a bit bigger. Most were about 9 or 10 inches, with a few 11s. The spawn must be on. My "sushi board" apron got well creamed.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After about the first hundred, I kicked out into deeper water and tried dragging a minnow. Lots of snags in that area and I had to keep kicking back to undo them when my rig pulled tight under a rock. One rock moved...a lot. Turned out to be my first and smallest kitty...about 24 inches.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Several groups of "locals" showed up and began wading and casting for the whities. Looks like the "network" is working. They were all catching (and keeping) a grundle of white bass. They also parked all around my vehicle and took over my launch spot so that had to get out someplace else later.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I played around with the whities some more. I kept trying to find something they would not hit. If there was something that wouldn't work, I couldn't find it in my tackle supply today. I caught white bass on maybe 20 different lures...plastics, hardbaits, spinners, etc. No finesse required.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was sitting in about 5 feet of water and casting back into two or three feet of water...and catching fish. The other guys were wading out to about 2 feet deep and casting out to 4 or 5 feet deep...and catching fish. Seemed to be a pattern. NOT.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Still couldn't find any larger whities so I decided to keep a few to fillet for the scampi pan. Kept a small percenage of the next hundred. Ended up with about 30 for the fillet board.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As I was kicking around the local group, I tossed out some white bass meat on my "bead bling" rig. Pow, zing, bendo. My rod had some serious arc to it and the locals were hollering up a storm. Got them excited anyway. I kept hearing "walleye, walleye". Wrongo. It was a 27" kitty that weighed right on the nose at 8#. Heard a lot more noise when I released it with a big show.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The lake stayed quite calm all morning. Just a few clouds and a light ripple a couple of times. Not bad. Water temp had warmed up to 65 by the time I beached the tube and headed home.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Anybody who wants to catch a lot of fish can do it on the whities right now. Small jigs a couple of feet under a bobber or almost any spinner will get 'er done.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Didn't see any carp rolling in the shallows today, but did see MANY clumps of prespawners in their "dating game" get togethers. They should be all over the shoreline by the weekend. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Glassy calm at 7 AM launch. Air temp 43 and water temp already 60. Green water. Looking good...except for the early skeeters.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Kicked out about 20 feet from shore and made my first cast, with a tandem tube jig rig. Bang. First whitie of the day. Then got several more in quick succession. Then it got to be pretty fast and furious. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Those little whities were plentiful and playful. Too bad they weren't just a bit bigger. Most were about 9 or 10 inches, with a few 11s. The spawn must be on. My "sushi board" apron got well creamed.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]After about the first hundred, I kicked out into deeper water and tried dragging a minnow. Lots of snags in that area and I had to keep kicking back to undo them when my rig pulled tight under a rock. One rock moved...a lot. Turned out to be my first and smallest kitty...about 24 inches.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Several groups of "locals" showed up and began wading and casting for the whities. Looks like the "network" is working. They were all catching (and keeping) a grundle of white bass. They also parked all around my vehicle and took over my launch spot so that had to get out someplace else later.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I played around with the whities some more. I kept trying to find something they would not hit. If there was something that wouldn't work, I couldn't find it in my tackle supply today. I caught white bass on maybe 20 different lures...plastics, hardbaits, spinners, etc. No finesse required.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I was sitting in about 5 feet of water and casting back into two or three feet of water...and catching fish. The other guys were wading out to about 2 feet deep and casting out to 4 or 5 feet deep...and catching fish. Seemed to be a pattern. NOT.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Still couldn't find any larger whities so I decided to keep a few to fillet for the scampi pan. Kept a small percenage of the next hundred. Ended up with about 30 for the fillet board.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As I was kicking around the local group, I tossed out some white bass meat on my "bead bling" rig. Pow, zing, bendo. My rod had some serious arc to it and the locals were hollering up a storm. Got them excited anyway. I kept hearing "walleye, walleye". Wrongo. It was a 27" kitty that weighed right on the nose at 8#. Heard a lot more noise when I released it with a big show.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The lake stayed quite calm all morning. Just a few clouds and a light ripple a couple of times. Not bad. Water temp had warmed up to 65 by the time I beached the tube and headed home.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Anybody who wants to catch a lot of fish can do it on the whities right now. Small jigs a couple of feet under a bobber or almost any spinner will get 'er done.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Didn't see any carp rolling in the shallows today, but did see MANY clumps of prespawners in their "dating game" get togethers. They should be all over the shoreline by the weekend. [/#0000ff]
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