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Mattawoman, 8/11
Ron (ronaultmtd) suggested an evening bass and catfish trip for Saturday, and Mike (chexone) and I joined him. I had chores to do, so I didn't get on the water until about 4:30, which was about 45min after high tide according to the tide chart, but the current was still flooding. Ron, Ron's daughter, Laura, and Mike were upstream from the ramp. I hit some of the spots where I had luck on Thursday on my way up to meet them. Naturally, it started thundering as soon as I settled in, and there was lots of lightning to the north. 
Storms were to the south, too. The weather radio didn't say anything about the immediate area, but following Ron, Laura, and Mike back to the ramp seemed like a good idea.
Once we got to the ramp, it seemed like the thunder and lightning had stopped, so we started working our way downstream. I wasn't having any luck with the firetiger Rapala squarebilled crank, my white chatterbait, or any of the frog lures I threw. However, Mike landed a nice 18" bass, which was the biggest one he has caught:
Ron working the area (I love the casting action shot):
Laura joining him:
Ron and Laura anchored up by a hole in a river bend while Mike and continued looking for bass and snakeheads. Something kept stealing Laura's bait, but it wasn't long before she hooked up with a nice blue cat, which was her first fish caught from a kayak:
They set up again, while Mike and I worked our way downstream:
I had a nice blow-up on a Spro popping frog. I managed to not spaz out and jerk the lure away, but the fish still got away.
I probably didn't set the hook hard enough. It was either a really nice bass or a snakehead in the mid-20s. I thought I saw some brown when it came out of the water.
Mike had the hot hand and had a bunch of blow-ups but couldn't connect. I pulled alongside him to see if his luck would rub off, but nothing would bite. I heard on the radio that a storm was about to hit Smallwood State Park and head our way. A while after that it started raining hard with thunder seemingly right overhead. We called it a night at that point, which was around 7 or 7:30.
I'm not sure what everyone else's tally was for the evening, but I was skunked. I had a good blow-up, though, and was connected for a little while. I'm not sure where that falls on our skunk scale? A opossum? Maybe a groundhog since the fish popped out for a bit before retreating to its lair? Also, where does catching a thunderstorm fit on the scale?
I was frustrated that I couldn't fish the Magic Hour on two trips in a row. As I drove home, the sky cleared up. I decided to hit Bumpy Oak Pond, which was nearby and was known for its snakehead population. I didn't have any luck there, either, and it seemed like things were slow for the other guys fishing there, too. I need to figure out how to launch a yak there. The weeds are really thick, but I might be able to get around in the Tarpon.
It was good fishing with Ron and Mike again and meeting Ron's daughter. We may have a new kayak fishing convert in our midst.
Storms were to the south, too. The weather radio didn't say anything about the immediate area, but following Ron, Laura, and Mike back to the ramp seemed like a good idea. Once we got to the ramp, it seemed like the thunder and lightning had stopped, so we started working our way downstream. I wasn't having any luck with the firetiger Rapala squarebilled crank, my white chatterbait, or any of the frog lures I threw. However, Mike landed a nice 18" bass, which was the biggest one he has caught:
Ron working the area (I love the casting action shot):
Laura joining him:
Ron and Laura anchored up by a hole in a river bend while Mike and continued looking for bass and snakeheads. Something kept stealing Laura's bait, but it wasn't long before she hooked up with a nice blue cat, which was her first fish caught from a kayak:
They set up again, while Mike and I worked our way downstream:
I had a nice blow-up on a Spro popping frog. I managed to not spaz out and jerk the lure away, but the fish still got away.
I probably didn't set the hook hard enough. It was either a really nice bass or a snakehead in the mid-20s. I thought I saw some brown when it came out of the water. Mike had the hot hand and had a bunch of blow-ups but couldn't connect. I pulled alongside him to see if his luck would rub off, but nothing would bite. I heard on the radio that a storm was about to hit Smallwood State Park and head our way. A while after that it started raining hard with thunder seemingly right overhead. We called it a night at that point, which was around 7 or 7:30.
I'm not sure what everyone else's tally was for the evening, but I was skunked. I had a good blow-up, though, and was connected for a little while. I'm not sure where that falls on our skunk scale? A opossum? Maybe a groundhog since the fish popped out for a bit before retreating to its lair? Also, where does catching a thunderstorm fit on the scale?
I was frustrated that I couldn't fish the Magic Hour on two trips in a row. As I drove home, the sky cleared up. I decided to hit Bumpy Oak Pond, which was nearby and was known for its snakehead population. I didn't have any luck there, either, and it seemed like things were slow for the other guys fishing there, too. I need to figure out how to launch a yak there. The weeds are really thick, but I might be able to get around in the Tarpon.
It was good fishing with Ron and Mike again and meeting Ron's daughter. We may have a new kayak fishing convert in our midst.
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