Date: 28 April 2012
Air Temp:54-58 (cold front)
Water Temp: 60-62 degrees
Wind: 5 mph and less
Sky: Overcast to Scattered
Tide: High @ 11:35am
My first "skunk" of the year. BUT...a good angler can always find the reason (or excuse).
We fished the last hour and a half of the incoming tide with little luck. Dave did pick one up on a Rat L Trap almost immediately while crossing a grass flat on the way to shallow wood. We fished the flat a little longer without results. We dunked plastic amongst shallow wood and Dave picked up 2 more. Now, 2-3 hours in and I have not had a bite at all at this point.
We changed spots and I had one fish "thump" a Rat L Trap, but no hook up. There was really no water moving yet. We continued to beat shallow wood and Dave picked up another.
Finally, I got a hook into a decent fish, but took too long to get the head turned and get it a way from the wood. The fish manage to wrap me around a downed tree. That (matched with hesitation and a weak hook set to start with) left me fish-less.
We decided to make an exploratory run which turned out to be good. It didn't add to the day's fish count (or lack thereof), but we did find some promising areas for another time.
As mush as I talk about hating fishing in the wind, I think I hate fishing frontal conditions even more (especially cold fronts). The water temp was down 7 degrees. There were a number of boats around us and I didn't see anyone doing that well. That being said, I'm sure someone was on 'em somewhere.
Now for the reason(s). I've already mentioned the cold front, but I did not have my fish watch either. Most importantly, have a look at this fish index (10am-5pm). The chips were stacked against me from the start, LOL.
