Yeah, more fishblogging!
Today was one of the best days we’ve ever had fishing. We headed out to one of our favorite lakes at 8:30 and I was worried we were getting out too late because the sun had already broken through the clouds. But, once again I was wrong because the bass were biting when we got there, they were still biting when we left, and they were biting so good that I’m positive that if we were still out on the lake right now, we’d be catching fish. I never thought I’d say this, but I got tired of catching bass, that’s how frequent the bites were.
And all the fish we caught today were decent size with a couple of real nice ones thrown in there. And for those keeping tabs, every bass was caught on a 5 inch Senko – nothing else worked. One difference though; this time I started using number 3 Gaimatsu hooks rather then the number 2′s I’d been using (For the non-fishermen, the higher the number, the bigger the hook) and I had a better time keeping bass on the hook once they took the bait, unlike last time we went out. I did have one break my line but that was my fault. A bass took my worm and started running for deep water and I set the hook a little too hard – force met force and my line snapped right at the knot. I should have just let the fish take it because at the speed it was taking off, it would have hooked itself.
Here’s Khalil with 2 nice bass. Someone will be having a nice fish dinner this weekend.
And here’s me, rather sunburned with the biggest one I caught today. Man, I took some of my daughter’s SPF 50 sunblock and rubbed it on every couple of hours but it didn’t help me a lot as I still got fried. I guess it would have been worse without the lotion and the trusty cap to protect my shiny dome though.
I don’t know how much longer this great fishing is going to last but I hope we have at least a couple of more weeks. Once the day time temps get in the 90′s there’s no way I’ll be out all day like this.
Another good day fishing here in Korea!
Nice fish!! I’m curious as to how Gar and the guys did down at Andong….
Rob,
Thanks – like I said this was one of the best days we’ve had this year. The bass were biting steady and one time we even lit into a school, as fast as we could cast back out, we had hits.
My theory is; why drive 3, 4 hours when I can catch fish like this within a 45 minute drive of my house?
I don’t blame you at all Nomad, and agree. A boat is a must down at Andong, but you have to have one first, and I don’t! lol From my experience (for what that is worth, about $0.01), the fish tend to be a bit bigger down there, but your catch above would rival a good day down there easily. Those are what, 2.5 – 3.5 pound fish?
LOL, going by *some* people’s weight measurements, those would have to be 10 pounders easy, wouldn’t they?
Hehe, I crack me up sometimes.
LOL Nomad.
I’ve got two packs of GY 5″ Senkos but haven’t tried them yet. Just curious, do you use a bead?
Again, nice catch!
Rob,
Nope, nothing but hook and Senko.
Please read the following articles:
http://www.nybass.com/robj/nybsenkorig.htm
http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/Bagwell/bagwells_bass_tactics_3.html
The point is that there’s really no wrong way to fish a Senko, but patience is the key.
Thanks for the links Nomad. I will definitely check them out.
nice catch, but you dont look like you had fun – I would be smiling if I had a day like you said you had.
Well, I was smiling while I was catching the fish. But it was very hot out that day, and we stayed out a long time, plus the long walk back to the car – I was pretty tired by the time we got home. And trust me, I was smiling once I got in the apartment, had a nice shower, and got in front of a fan.
Nomad,
I think you’re wrong about the bass slowing up when it gets hot. Seems like that’s when it gets good for topwater or anything else that moves. The only time I noticed it slowing up last year was around the end of October. You could be right, but I hope you’re not
A friend turned me on to drop-shotting last weekend. Pretty cool technique, though probably not as productive as the senkos. I also learned you can catch a hell of a lot of nice bass with a 7 – 9″ cherry-red worm on a jig head, as well as on a brush hog or creature bait (pumpkinseed).
Gar,
Drop shots work well with a sandy or muddy bottom, but most of the lakes I fish have rocky bottoms and the weight tends to get snagged almost every cast out. Very annoying. Now I’ve been told that drop shotting works better during the summer than any other time, not sure if that’s true or not. I’ve tried both the baby brush hogs and the Kreature bait with no success – that’s not saying they don’t work, as I tend to suspect it’s me that’s the problem with not being able to catch them on spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and other lures. But then I get impatient – when I try something new and it doesn’t work within the first 30-60 minutes, I go back to the tried and true. I’ll be the first to admit I’m still a novice when it comes to bass but it does perplex me to no end why I can’t get them to hit on a simple lure like a spinner bait. I’ve tried different colors, sizes, retrieval methods (fast, slow, sink and reel etc) but the only 2 places I’ve caught bass on them are the small pay lake on 82 and an irrigation canal near Asan Bay. Someday you’ll have to teach me the way of the spinnerbait, oh grand master
I’ve always been told that top water baits work well right after a good rain because the fish will naturally be looking for sustenance that got washed into the water at that time.
I think the fishing definitely drops off during the dog days of summer, but that may just be me. When it’s hot as heck I don’t put forth the effort that I would on a nice spring day.
Personally, I try not to put too much thought into catching fish. Sure, I like to catch ‘em, and like to know what works, but I also just like getting out there and relaxing.
Rob,
Oh I’m with you on the relaxing bit, and I’m all for that, but I also view fishing as a hobby/challenge/learning experience. I don’t mind not catching anything on one or two trips but after that it gets old quick. I enjoy trying to figure out what makes them tick. Why do they bite like crazy one day and I can’t get a single bite in the same place the very next day? Why does one size/color work in one lake, but not in another? It *seems* like their natural food in most lakes would be bluegill or baby bass, yet why can’t I get them to hit a crankbait that looks like another small fish? These kinds of questions and riddles are part of what motivates me to keep on going out there, trying different things. Unfortunately, even after all this time, I don’t feel like I know any more than I did when I started. LOL.
Oh I understand, maybe what I said came off the wrong way.
“but I also just like getting out there and relaxing,” That attitude mainly developed after I moved to Seoul, which I think you can understand.
Speaking of Seoul, I see guys out on the Han “worming” all the time, but have never seen anyone catch anything though. One of these days I’ll load up all of my stuff in a backpack, take the elevator down to the 1st floor, walk through the streets of Icheon-dong with my hip waders on and try it out, maybe setup a little camp site near the park.
Rob,
I understand completely.
Odd that you mention that. I lived in Korong apartments right there in Icheon-Dong, which was a 5 minute walk from the river. We used to walk down there in the evening and I saw many people fishing but never once saw anyone catching anything. Check out the destinations section on anglerstown, they list some places to fish along the river which may be pretty close to you. Well, close as the crow flies, but with all that traffic, maybe not so close after all, eh?
Although I’ve never done it, I could probably walk to the river in five minutes. I live in Hangaram, near the Pizza Hut, right off of the main road that leads down to the river. I actually love the area, but fishing up here is something that I doubt I’ll be doing anytime soon.
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