Nickajack Angler, Chick, Bass, 3/7/10, TeamD

[FishNews]

FINALLY got to go fishing again after this long winter.... Had to drive back from Pickwick area after visiting my son, Matt & I met up at Wolfever a little after 1pm. The weather was awesome! I thought I was overly excited until I got to the ramp to see the calamity that unfolded in trying to get launched and parked. The left side of that ramp has a bad place on that side with the water being down so far. The folks trying to get in and out were just not orderly at all. And there is a pic that shows the smoke of the yahoo's that were clogging the landing area. <br />We got out trying to find what we felt was a good pattern to follow with what Matt and others who fished Nick on Sat. had learned the day before. Find 6-8 ft of water along ledges or near flats and you should be on some fish with a jerk bait. It just didn't work out that way. So, we were left to test shallow, deep and creek/main river alike. We tried in earnest to toss pointers and other jerk baits to no avail. We tried cranks, shaky heads and just notta. Then switched to what Matt said had been working for some of you here that have shared - traps. So, we switched and stuck to that pattern hitting main points, and troughs next to flats we know hold fish this time of year, just not at these temps. <br />While fishing across from HBSP, Matt calls out "Watch this..." And this cabin cruiser comes rolling down the lake, about 15 yards outside of the channel and BAM! He runs all the way out of the water. Lists to the right. It was kind of funny, due to how many times we've all seen the idiots fly around that area... it's an old conversation. Money enough to buy a boat and no sense to operate it. Matt and I started discussing "you know bass fishermen are a bit more common sense guys... knowing the water and knowing what the buoys are marking..." Not even 20 seconds later a bass boat comes up river around the point, and across the flat we are fishing on... and Matt yells "STOP! STOP!" He kilss the engine, tilts up his motor and runs aground... we watched them get out and work pretty hard to push that boat off that bar. Not sure anymore if it's , or funny.... <br />We kept finding large schools of gizzard shad and foul hooked three on traps as we retrieved. Each time thinking a nice fish hooked up, and pull up a shad. One fish after all that effort. I was so happy to be back on the water and ready to do it again. As always, a great time with Matt on the water and always a lot of laughs.