Bass Opener 2013 & A Flare-Up Of Tackleitis
I suffer from a chronic disease known as tackleitis. Tackleitis, the inability to resist adding to one’s tackle collection, has no known cure, much to the chagrin of bank accounts and non-fishing spouses everywhere. My most recent flare-up of tackleitis occurred on Saturday night, when I was foolish enough to think I could visit Brass Pro Shops in Vaughan and buy only the pair of waders I was looking for (something durable enough for fieldwork and electro-fishing). However, after an hour in the store I walked back to the car with a brand new 7’1″ MH St. Croix Rage spinning rod, a new reel, some line, several expensive lures, and no waders. The waders would have been a lot cheaper.
There was, fortunately, a good reason to buy the rod (another sign of tackleitis is the ability to justify one’s purchases). With bass season starting this past weekend I was looking forward to doing some frog fishing, and I was tired of using rods that could not handle a giant largemouth bass in the slop, or ones that were too heavy for me to cast a frog with. A new rod was necessary. On Sunday, with the Rage rod packed and ready to go, Darrell and I headed to Island Lake in Orangeville to search for some swamp donkeys.
One of the new bridges at Island Lake that complete a trail. These were dedicated on Saturday, June 22, 2013. They received lots of use while we were there on Sunday, and they should provide some good structure (but they didn’t give us anything).
The sun was shining when we arrived, making for a warm summer day. I was surprised to see fewer boats than normal on the water, but that may have been due in part to the wind. Even though the wind made boat control a little difficult and drained the batteries much faster, it was plenty safe to be out in. Deciding that battery life may be an issue, we headed straight for our favorite frog fishing spots.
I decided to start by tossing my new Jackall Iobee frog. I tied it on to the Rage rod, stood up, looked at a prime weed-line, and took a cast right along the edge. Hmm…did anyone see where that rocket landed? The combination of PowerPro, the new rod, and a heavier frog than I’m used to had my lure flying across the water and onto the shore with each cast. Learning how to handle a new rod usually takes me some time, and even though I spent the entire day figuring it out, I knew immediately that the Rage rod was perfect for frogging. I had decided to stay with a spinning rod for this technique since I find it easier for casting frogs. With the Rage, I could really load up the rod and get a great cast. Everything seemed to be working well, but where were the fish?
Lots of underwater weed reaching the surface and a good collection of lily pads near shore. Looks like an ideal place to me.
Although I managed to provoke a strike from a fish hanging out in the weeds on a small point, I had nothing to show for a couple of hours of fishing. Darrell’s luck was much the same. We moved along the shoreline and managed to spot some bass cruising the shallows, but we couldn’t convince them to bite. Interestingly, we observed several bass redds (nests) that were still in good shape. It looked like these bass, unlike the ones in Fairy Lake, were not very far out of the spawn.
As we moved off the shore and into deeper, more open water, I started tossing some other lures – a spinnerbait, a jerkbait, a crankbait, and a dropshot. Nothing came out to play. The temperature continued to climb through the afternoon, despite the far too brief rainshower, and the heat was starting to get to me. I knew all I needed to stave off the rising crankiness was one fish. I turned to my confidence bait – a Scum Frog.
Darrell was probably thinking, “If she doesn’t catch a fish, I’m walking home.”
The Scum Frog was the lure I first used for frog fishing. I’ll never forget the day Darrell first tied one on to my rod, pointed to the weeds in a small pond, and told me to cast it out there. The explosion of water as a bass nailed it really had my heart pumping, and I was just as hooked as the fish was. My biggest bass to date came on a Scum Frog. I have tried to fish other frogs, but they just don’t give me the magic that a Scum Frog does (for a lot less money, I may add). Sure enough, I tied on my favorite colour, started casting, and in no time, had a fish on. Unfortunately, I’m really out of practice and although I was sure I had given the bass enough time to re-position the bait and get the hooks into it, the fight wasn’t on for long before I lost it.
In fact, I ended up missing three nice bass that I really should have had – my reaction time just wasn’t dialed in. I started to think we were going to be skunked. The fishing seemed to be slow for everyone, but I hate admitting defeat on a lake that I usually land some giants on, especially on the frog bite. When I heard a fish surface behind me, I turned around, cast past the ripples, and started a slow retrieve. Fish on! The explosion of water and sudden weight on my line was extremely heartwarming. The Rage rod did its thing and I was able to pull the fish in before she got me down in the weeds.
First bass of the season! She needs to put some weight back on and hopefully I’ll get her again this summer.
After letting her go, it took a few casts for the adrenaline to settle and only then did I return to a slow retrieve. We continued working along the shore as we made our way back to the launch. Having finally landed a decent bass on a slow day, I was pretty content to leave it at that, but when I spotted an opening within a patch of lily pads, I had to take a cast. That turned out to be a good decision as another spray of water had me setting the hook and reeling in a smaller, but feisty bass.
Another one that couldn’t resist.
It ended up being a fantastic day. I landed a couple of bass on my new Rage rod, which performed exactly as I’d hoped it would, and my trusty Scum Frog once again saved the day. In all, we spent just under seven hours on the water, the single longest outing we’ve had since I returned to to school (and made our lives extremely busy). That seven hours did wonders – for the first time in weeks I was wide awake the next day, did not need a coffee after my morning tea, and I never once felt like napping. Fishing – it does a body good.
argosgirl
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Matt has severe tackleitis. I fish and I still give some of his purchases the side eye. Like that weird catfish river rig on gummy red plastic line (still hasn’t produced a fish). We haven’t used most of our lures, though. We need to renew our boat’s registration before we can head back out.
LOL that’s another sign of the disease – buying strange lures that can’t possibly work, just for the chance to try it. We use everything at least once, but sometimes that’s the only chance a lure will get. Hope you get the boat out soon!
Happy to see you “happy”. That smile on your face tells the story of one successful angler gal. I have heard some good reports on the “Rage” rods out here in Colorado, too. I need to find a “Scum Frog”.
Scum Frogs are awesome! I’ve had people tell me that they do better with other brands, but this is the one that works for me. You really can’t go wrong for the price.