I had to work at getting out of bed when the alarm went off at 5am. I knew I would regret it if I didn't. After yesterday's taste, I wanted more.
The river was glassy when I launched at 6:30. I was immediatley into dinks but pushed straight for the mouth. More dinks in front of David Taylor.... No surprises.
Upon arriving at yesterday's hot spot, I found marks, but not of the quality I had seen 24 hours prior. I pulled up a bunch of 12"-14" and I was thinking of relocating or pulling the plug altogether. I did want to wait until the same tide stage as yesterdays bite, so I lingered in other parts of the area and told myself that if one last pass yielded nothing, I would head back to the launch.
When I approached the area, it was clear that the fish had moved in, but were a little deeper than yesterday. They were in 15'-18' FOW on a ledge. The water temp was 75 degrees and the wind were out of the NE at 10-15.
I started catching higher teen fish. Then a keeper at 21". I was making another pass when my starboard rod went down with a ferocity I haven't seen since the spring. I knew instantly that it wasn't the bottom making the drag sing because I could see and feel significant head shakes.
My pulse quickened and I started to think of all the things I needed to do to land and photograph this fish. I quickly remembered how many nice fish I have lost when I allowed myself to get distracted. I stopped doing everything and focused on the task at hand.
By the time it was boatside, I had a flash back of the nice fish I lost during the tournament and did not try and get my grips on until I had flipped her into the boat. Only then did I dig out the measuring board and the camera.
I was pumped when she measured out at 28"!! I knew I wasn't getting home any time soon....
DSCN4221.jpgDSCN4222.jpg
I kept it up and landed more teenagers and a 22". The bite died around 9:30 - just as the tide was approaching slack, so I headed back in and prepared for work with a smile on my face.
The Severn is getting hot as the water cools down!
The river was glassy when I launched at 6:30. I was immediatley into dinks but pushed straight for the mouth. More dinks in front of David Taylor.... No surprises.
Upon arriving at yesterday's hot spot, I found marks, but not of the quality I had seen 24 hours prior. I pulled up a bunch of 12"-14" and I was thinking of relocating or pulling the plug altogether. I did want to wait until the same tide stage as yesterdays bite, so I lingered in other parts of the area and told myself that if one last pass yielded nothing, I would head back to the launch.
When I approached the area, it was clear that the fish had moved in, but were a little deeper than yesterday. They were in 15'-18' FOW on a ledge. The water temp was 75 degrees and the wind were out of the NE at 10-15.
I started catching higher teen fish. Then a keeper at 21". I was making another pass when my starboard rod went down with a ferocity I haven't seen since the spring. I knew instantly that it wasn't the bottom making the drag sing because I could see and feel significant head shakes.
My pulse quickened and I started to think of all the things I needed to do to land and photograph this fish. I quickly remembered how many nice fish I have lost when I allowed myself to get distracted. I stopped doing everything and focused on the task at hand.
By the time it was boatside, I had a flash back of the nice fish I lost during the tournament and did not try and get my grips on until I had flipped her into the boat. Only then did I dig out the measuring board and the camera.
I was pumped when she measured out at 28"!! I knew I wasn't getting home any time soon....
DSCN4221.jpgDSCN4222.jpg
I kept it up and landed more teenagers and a 22". The bite died around 9:30 - just as the tide was approaching slack, so I headed back in and prepared for work with a smile on my face.
The Severn is getting hot as the water cools down!
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