Finally a nice day! Forty-six degrees and sunny. That's enough for me to find water and start fishing. I was extra excited on this day because I had acquired some new rods,reels and tackle. The location of choice was a small pond in Bargersville located on private property. Small enough to fishing around four or five times in a few hours. But I knew the fish were in there.
I started around 2 pm fishing a green pumpkin jig with a craw trailer (also green pumpkin), Hoping the shining sun would bring out the flakes enough to get those bass attention. Twenty minutes of slow fishing my new jig tested my patience so I choose to switch to something a little quicker. KVD 's Fire Tiger squarebill crankbait. Surely this would stir things up. Fifteen more minutes and nothing.
Thinking I had the correct bait, I worked my way to the west end of the pond and made a cast. A bite. Reeled in and cast again. A bite and this time a fighting fish! Up until now I've never been lucky enough to watch a bass come up and strike my bait two feet in front of me. Quite an experience to watch it happen.
The next 40 minutes produced five more fish. Seeming as if I had a fish hooked with every cast. I had found a pattern. I had found their schooling area. Unsure if they were feeding or just striking my crankbait out of aggression, I just kept casting until the bite stopped. I switched baits to a soft swimbait white in color. A small adjustment that would pay off two more times. While catching bass on the crankbait, I noticed small grey/white bait fish darting all around the bank. So "matching the hatch" paid off for me.
I've read so many fishing articles that state finding a pattern is key. Once you find what the fish are actually chasing and where they are chasing you'll be onto something. You'll be pulling fish out of the water at good pace. I'm glad I sped things up and stuck with the lurer I had chosen. The missing link was a simple change of location. Fortunately for me the pond I was fishing was small enough that it didn't take long to find the strike zone.
I gotta give credit where credit is due. If it wasn't for the fishing pages I follow on Facebook I would have probably let my slow start get the best of me. Many fellow fisherman have said sometimes the fish just make you find them. They're not always looking for something to chase.
