Not bad when it comes to openers
This is a tale of two “opening days” — one decidedly more productive than the other.
Both days were fun — but for different reasons.
The official start of my 2009 bass fishing season was last Saturday. With optimism high and spirits buoyed by the nice weather that had settled over Youngstown that week, I calculated that the bass would be up in the shallow cover at Mosquito Creek Reservoir.
As the clock passed 11 a.m., I towed the Ranger up Ohio 11, not worrying at all about the relatively late start. Early spring bass fishing is typically an afternoon game, with better results after the water has been warmed by the day’s sunshine.
Friend Steve Zarbaugh and I launched the boat and zoomed to a cove with willows and fallen trees — great cover for spring largemouths looking for quick lunches. The water temperature was 50 degrees, plenty warm enough to build confidence that we’d find a few bass.
Turns out, we were wrong. We flipped and pitched jigs and tubes to every little nook and crannie in spring hotspots around Mosquito’s north end. We ventured south to check out a few of the spots that should have cold-water bass, but they were equally as unproductive as our initial stops.
But anglers are pretty good at rationalizing their experiences. We agreed it was good to get out, even if the fish don’t cooperate. A bad day of fishing is better than a good day working. The best day to go fishing is any day you can.
Rationalizations, yes. But they also are true.
It was good to feel the wind in my face as I drove the boat from spot to spot. It was good to smell the freshness of the spring woods. It was good to see other anglers out on the water, where they belong, after the long winter.
It also was good to know that even if that trip fizzled, I was heading south for a few days. That was my ace in the hole.
So my second “opening day” was Thursday. With just five minutes of fishing time invested, my first largemouth of 2009 was caught.
I spent two hours tossing Yum Dingers around the shallow banks. The bass were eager to grab the weightless worm, as it fluttered and teased them. The adult fish were chasing bluegills and other predators from schools of newly hatched fry, so it didn’t take much enticing to get strikes.
The two hours resulted in seven fish ranging from 1 to 3 pounds. Not bad.
But the biggest bass Thursday, a bruiser that I guessed at 6 pounds, broke water with my hook secure in the corner of her jaw, then dove for the security of deeper water. My drag was a little tight, and failed to slip. The line broke and the bass, of course, escaped.
We anglers rationalize. That’s OK, I was going to release her. At least I got to see her. I enjoyed the best part of fishing — the fight.
Rationalizations, yes. But also were true.
And now my 2009 bass year is officially under way.
jack@innismaggiore.com