2010 Independance Day Bassin'
I got to Massasoit State Park at about 5:45am - an hour later than I really wanted to be there, but I didn't manage to get to bed until 2am, so... The plan was to fish at Lake Rico first thing, then, when the gates open, go back to Big Bear Hole Pond. It was still low light(see pics) with a fine mist wafting over the water - and on my 2nd cast - BAM! Largemouth #1. I thought, "wow - got one on my second cast, this is gonna be a killer day!" Well, I spoke too soon - it WAS a good day - I got my limit - but there was no discernible pattern that I could key in on... but as a shore angler, I'm at a distinct disadvantage in mobility. The first bass came on a Strike King Shim-E-Stick(a Senko-type bait). I got my bass #2 on a Rebel Pop-R, as I saw fish smacking the surface all around. Later, I went to jerking a Bass Pro Shops minnow bait - bass #3. See what I mean? Just scraping a bite here and there when I can... 'fast & furious' it was NOT. It was about 7:30am by now, so I went to check and see if the gates were opened yet - and they were. YES! The park ranger dude took my fishing license info and gave me a pass for my car to go back into the park. I saw only a few signs of life at Big Bear Hole Pond... a fish smacking every once and a while in the lily pads. So, I fished topwater frogs, but got no hits. I then started flipping a tube(no hits) and the Shim-E-Stick into the pads - BAM! Fish #4. I ended up losing 2 other bass when they threw the hook during the battle. GRRRRRR I moved to another spot that wasn't as choked with pads, so I tied on my old faithful - a spinnerbait. BAM! I just got my limit! Bass #5 comes on a white Bass Pro Shops spinnerbait w/dual nickel willow blades. It's now 10am and I've been fishing for 4 hours - that's a long trip with my bad back, so, tired but happy, I head back to the house. It was a tough day, but I landed 5 fish out of the 7 bites I got - overall, not too bad at all!