This past week was almost a carbon copy of the previous week as we had cold temperatures, lots of wind, and very few days that were pleasant enough to get on the lake and catch a few fish!
I did manage to conduct a trip the one day (Thursday) that was almost springlike and sandwiched in between those days that you knew it was winter! While the early morning temperature was a cold 28 degrees, by our start time of 8:30 a.m., it was in the high 30s and by midday, it was in the 50s! This was the first trip since the early January cold front and the water temperature had lowered from the mid 50s all the way to 49 degrees. I didn’t know what to expect on our trip for catfish. Up to this point in time the cats had been really aggressive, easy to find and a trip usually resulted in a full ice chest or limits of fish.
The three fishermen that joined me on Thursday are all experienced anglers, had fished with me several times in the past and were ready to get out of the house and enjoy a day on the lake. We made the long boat ride up the Richland Creek arm of the lake and started the morning in the timber in 15-20 feet of water. As usual, we were fishing with Mr. Whiskers Cheese Punch Bait ( www.whiskerseeker. com ) on a treble hook. After about 30 minutes, I knew something was not quite right as we only had a couple of bites and one fish in the ice chest. While the action would ebb and flow, we never had the non-stop action we’re accustomed to. We moved around several times, fished different depths and after about three hours had 20-plus fish in the ice chest. The bite was slow, not aggressive and about half the time, we would hook the fish, but it would get off on the way to the surface. They were not “eating and swallowing” the hook, but just barely hitting as the bite was tough to detect. What we encountered is not too unusual on a calm, bluebird sky kind of day that you have after a cold front. We eventually moved to the main lake, fished a few spots in deeper water, and caught several nice blue cats. Around 1 p.m., we made the decision to head for the Marina Cafe and hamburgers and had 26 cats to show for a tough day of fishing.
RC rarely disappoints you as you can usually have fun and catch enough fish for a nice fish fry. This was the case on our wintertime trip last week as we did enjoy a nice day on the water, the guys caught fish and the fish fry is yet to come! Even better days are ahead as we move through the cool months of the year and get ready for springtime. Give us a call as you need to get on the calendar soon if you’re planning a March through May fishing trip.
Royce & Adam Simmons Gone Fishin’ Guide Service 903-389-4117
