An approaching weather front with dropping temperatures prompted me to pack my waterfowl gear and head to a local lake early last week. I planned to take advantage of the early goose season, and bag a Canada goose or two for Thanksgiving.
Waterfowl were indeed on the move, but not the panda-colored birds I had hoped for. Instead, large flocks of teal worked may decoys at first light. One group of 50 or more landed in my decoy set. The bad news was that teal season ended in mid-September.
I heard splashing not ten yards from my boat before it was light enough to see. As the sky lightened, I began to see bass crashing into minnows along the shoreline. I often carry a spinning rod on my waterfowl hunts, just in case the birds don’t cooperate. This particular morning became a good point in case.
I grabbed my rod, which was rigged with a 5-inch Big Bite Bait electric blue stick worm. I mad an accurate cast to the middle of an expanding water ring, where a bass had just exploded on a school of minnows. My line immediately zoomed to the right. I set the hook, but the hefty bass came unhooked on the first jump. I cast again and hooked up once more. I landed a plump 15-inch largemouth bass. I intended to take a few home for a meal, but this one had to go back in the water. The lake I was fishing had a 13-to-15-inch slot limit, meaning every bass in that size range had to be returned to the water.
Ripples next to my decoys indicated another bass was on the prowl. I cast to the spot and immediately nailed another scrappy bass. That 12-inch fish went into the live well.
I knew the spot well where I set up to goose hunt. Several brush piles were in the general vicinity, so I began casting towards them and quickly added two more fish to the live well. A good meal prospect been to take shape.
I spotted the a tree limb scarcely protruding out of the water. I reasoned that more limbs were likely in the same spot. I cast to the wood and a bass hit my plastic worm as soon as it hit the water. The scrappy bass stripped line from my reel then went airborne. It jumped twice more before I swung it into the boat. It measured 16-inches, a legal fish. However, I returned it to the water. A 16-inch largemouth is well ver 2-pounds and on its way to becoming a big bass. I prefer to release bass that size, and keep those 12-inches or less for a fish fry.
I left my decoy set and eased the boat around the point in search of more bass. I cast to the shoreline, near a lay-down. Another hungry bass inhaled the worm and the fight was on again. I released another 15-inch fish and eased towards a treetop 20 yards off shore.
I cast the 5-inch worm into the tangle of limbs and let it sink. A scrappy bass grabbed it on the fall, and promptly wrapped my line around a submerged limb. I stepped on the trolling motor foot pedal and moved closer to the treetop. I yo-yoed the bass up and down a few times before pulling it free of the limbs. At 14-inches the plump bass had to be released.
As I cast to the shoreline; I heard a faint “honk, hoooonk, honk.” A lone Canada goose swung just outside my decoys. Although I was 50 yards away, I grabbed my call and honked a couple of notes. The goose turned my direction, but quickly spotted the boat and flared. Had I still been by my decoys, I may have killed a Thanksgiving goose. I didn’t fret much, because the bass fishing was great.
I saw another bass chasing minnow in weed cover along the shoreline. I made a long cast to reach the moss and weeds, but placed the worm right on target. It sank through the moss and my line immediately shot out of the weed cover into open water. The magnificent fish jumped out of the water, shaking its head violently, attempting to rid itself of the blue worm hanging from the corner of its mouth.
I grabbed my phone to video the action. The feisty bass jumped twice more before diving under the boat, bending my rod underneath. The drag screamed as I put pressure on the fish to get it from underneath the boat.
Seconds later I slid the bass to hand. It measured 16-1/2-inches, the biggest of the day. It weighed a solid 3-pounds.
I eased the boat on down the shoreline, casting to open pockets in the weeds. I picked up a couple of small fish. Next, I turned my attention to another treetop and cast to the tangle of limbs. The weedless worm sank steadily, thumping limbs as it descended. Then my line raced into the open. I added my fourth 12-inch bass to the live well.
I heard honking and turned to look. A pair of Canada geese soared right over my decoys. I returned their honks and they swung my way, but soon flared after seeing the boat in open water.
Tired, but happy with my good fishing fortune, I motored back around the point to pick up my decoys. One had floated away, so I headed across the lake to look for it. The wind blew straight south, so I expected to find the decoy on the south shoreline.
I quickly found the lost goose decoy. Numerous dead trees stood in the water, so I began casting to them. Within a dozen casts, I added my last two 12-inch bass to the live well. I’d had a super day on the water, all because of an incoming weather front.
