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My roots in bass fishing are firmly grounded in tidal waters.
My home waters are that of the upper Chesapeake Bay. I have also
ventured to some eastern shore rivers and the Potomac River for
excellent tidal bass fishing. It is said that a bass is a bass,
but if you put me on a lake; my prospective changes dramatically.
Such was the case in late June when the "Tackle Box"
clan went to visit my brother Gil and his wife Marge in Lexington,
North Carolina. Gale, Sarah and Marge gallivanted their way through
Davidson and Rowan counties while Gil and I fished in the blistering
heat those sweltering last days of the month on Lakes Tuckertown
and High Rock.
Tidal bass fishing and lake bass fishing are two different concepts.
Yes, you are targeting the same green back, largemouth species,
but in two total different environments. Sure, you are casting
some of the same lures, yet I would be out of my element if not
for someone who knows the lakes like Gil. He's been fishing the
Yadkin River chain of lakes of nearly 23 years.
Our first day was spent on Tuckertown. Gil says it's a great lake,
but it is becoming inundated with what he calls black snot grass.
I've seen some of this grass in late summer in Furnace Bay, but
not to wide spread through a fishery like that of Tuckertown.
Unlike Maryland's tidal waters with its hydrilla, milfoil, and
eel grass, this is the only vegetation on either Tuckertown or
High Rock. On these two lakes it's all about hard cover and structure.
This is a drastic difference for me. I do fish fallen wood, rock
piles, and piers at home, although grass patterns can often dominate
the summertime bite.
Gil said he had some fish "in", meaning we would be
fishing shallow. I figured this is right up my alley. "In
"or "shallow" are terms relative to the body of
water one is fishing. In the Gunpowder River and Susquehanna Flats,
shallow means less than 3 feet. On High Rock and Tuckertown, these
terms mean 10 to 12 feet. So we motor off to some of Gil's Tuckertown
hotspots. We're sitting in 20-plus feet of water casting to 10
feet of water. There are humps in the area that rise up to 3 feet.
We probed the area with Rapala DT10 and Risto Rap crankbaits.
Gil caught a couple small bass and grumbled over two cantankerous
catfish that bent the hooks on his DT10.
We had heard the warning horn that the lake was going to pull
water through the dam. We make a run up the lake to where Gil
thought we'd have a good shot at catching bass from some points.
I cast to the bank and bounced my Risto Rap off of rocks. At the
point, the plug was struck forcefully by a solid 2-pound bass.
From there it was off to a stump filled flat in 7 to 9 feet of
water. Gil showed his Carolina rig prowess by landing several
quality bass from the flat.
The rest of our days were spent on High Rock Lake. This is the
impoundment where deep cranking legend and FLW Tour pro David
Fritts got his start. The lake is known to produce good bites
on crankbaits, yet the bite was very stagnant while I was there.
Still wanting to fish "in" Gil stuck to shoreline patterns.
We fished piers, retaining walls, riprap, and bridge pilings.
I was thinking that "in" in this case would be more
like home. Not the case. Though some of the piers were in 3 to
5 feet of water, most of the cover was in 10 to 12 feet.
Although we were fishing a bit deeper than I am accustomed, I
was comfortable with the technique. Gil likes to cast spider grub
jigs. He did well with them, but I got few bites. I switched to
my trusty PB&J Baby Boo jig with a Rage Chunk trailer and
got in on the action. I've heard it said many times that confidence
is a major part of fishing. It is amazing how two guys on the
same boat have the same result with two similar lures because
of the individual success they've had with said lures.
I'm in awe at how quickly the lake structure drops off. The water
along the bridge riprap dropped quickly into 10 feet. Some 30
feet out into the river, the bridge pilings sat in 25 feet. Some
of the channels we navigate in the upper Chesapeake don't have
25 feet of water in them. Fishing presentations at times needed
to be slow. And you know how much that pains me.
Fishing slow and deep -- 10 feet and below is deep by my standards
-- is not my cup of tea. However, learning new techniques helps
an angler become more rounded. I got several bites on the Boo
jig and even decided to try a shaky head worm, which I rarely
fish. That lure also generated some strikes. Now I've got a growing
confidence in that presentation, too.
When I travel to fish High Rock Lake, I always hope for a mid-depth
and deep crankbait bite. That's the part of fishing a different
body of water I like. But things don't always go as planned. This
time it simply didn't work out. Gil caught a couple bass on his
DT10, but they were the only ones. This venture to The Rock taught
me a lot and I'll try more areas with jigs and a shaky head worm.
I truly have an appreciation for the two different worlds of bass
fishing.
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