When I hooked into this 19 inch 3.5lb smallmouth bass I thought I was snagged on the bottom.  My pole doubled over and the line didn’t budge.  I kept cranking though and soon enough the pole started bouncing.  The bass made three acrobatic leaps to throw the hook, but it held.  The trickiest part was netting this sucker by my self, yes I was solo again today… oh the other bass is 15″ no slouch either.

If no one has ever taught you how to properly net a fish, here is how:

1. Only use a net if you intend to keep the fish as it will greatly increase the fish’s chances of getting diseased, exhausted, and injured.
2. Have the net in the water before the fish is all the way up, this way it doesn’t get spooked seeing this big goddamn thing coming at it when it reaches the surface.
3. Guide the fish HEAD FIRST into the net so that if it tries to swim away it just goes deeper into the net.
4. As soon as the bulk of the fish is in the net, lift the  handle straight up like you are trying to poke a hole in the sky.  The net handle should be perpendicular to the water surface.  DO NOT lift by using a scooping motion, it will only give the fish more opportunity to jump out of the net.
5. Get the net into the boat and let out some slack if you can so the entire weight of the fish is supported by the net.
6. Done.

Time: 7am to 12noon

Weather: Sunny 85degrees in the early am no wind, later wind from what seemed like every direction.

Fish: Smallmouth Bass

Bait: Live Herring.   I was able to keep 2 dozen alive for 5 hours in a 10 gallon insulated cooler that I dumped fresh water into every half hour or so.  I need an aerator though.  I left today because all my bait died.

Location: Tried drifting, then started trolling around the North Tower and around the outside of the northwest cove back down to the boat launch.  At this point, the drift was non existent (no wind).  I gave up on trout and trolled the herring in front of the rocks at the rock walkway.

Method: I hooked the Herring under the chin and out a nostril and suspended them behind a 1 oz. egg sinker.  I set two rods in the stern and set the trolling motor to 4 or 5 (fast and fastest).  I caught the big smallmouth trolling fastest.  In 40 to 50 feet of water, fished 20 to 30 feet down.