July 27 - Aug 1 Report

Apart from some crazy wind the middle and latter parts of the week, it was absolutely gorgeous on the flowage. Warm day time temps and cool evenings for great sleeping weather. Water temps cooled big time after nearly 80 on Sunday and Monday.

My friend and I fished with a local guide on four area lakes on Monday. We fished hard but did not see a fish, much to our guide's surprise and dismay. We got back on the flowage Tuesday evening but didn't see a fish.

Wednesday morning started off fabulous and quickly broke our hearts. At our first spot on his first cast, my buddy in the back of the boat hooked up with a monster, a legit fish whose first number was 5. After 20 seconds of rolling and thrashing, the double blade came flying at the boat. This was one of the three largest fish I've seen on the flowage. We hunted that fish the remainder of the week and did not see him again.

Two spots later as 3-footers crash the side of the boat, my buddy hooks up again with another big fish in the upper 40s. The fish hit boat side on the same double blade in the 8. When he set the hook, a roller nailed the boat knocking him to the deck. He held his rod high in the air and looked like a turtle flipped over on his shell. I thought for sure he was going in with the fish. He scrambled to his feet, and I knew we were going to get this fish. I grabbed the net and seconds later the double blade came flying back at us. Heartbreak number two of the morning. We did not see that fish again either.

Thursday morning we were working an edge. I hadn't been happy with my new navionics chip. My buddy was having better success with the free navionics app on his phone which only ticked me off even more. I was doing everything I could to keep us on track, fighting the images and the big wind. While retrieving, my eyes were mostly down on my screen. From the back of the boat, my partner yells "Fish!" which, of course, can only mean he's hooked up again. I instinctively lift my rod only to look and see a 4' fish hot on my double blade that is now hanging inches above the water. I shoved the lure back in the water but it was too late. My friend yelled, "Why did you take your bait out of the water!" I yelled back "Why did you scream fish when the fish wasn't close to you!" Heartbreak number three of the trip.

Later that morning I caught a 37" fish on the same double blade. Then Friday morning I caught a 36" fish on a suick. And that was it for the fish we saw. We did not see a fish in the afternoon or evening. It was a morning bite and a mostly bucktail bite.

On a side note, I am now looking for a new fishing partner the last week of July every summer.

Nice report. Last week of july?? If the guy in the back of the boat sees that many 4 foot plus fish... pencil me in for the back of your boat next year. I promise I won't yell fish. ha ha

At least you have some fish to go back on in the resort tourney