Snatchers Bay Lake

Photo credit: SarahJean Fishing Bay Lake 6/2/18

Conditions: 47-64℉, Cloudy with fog for several hours, light and heavy rain after the first couple of hours, Windy ESE.

The Day:
The guys weren't in a big rush to launch the boats on this blustery foggy morning.  I think we blasted off a minute or two after 7AM.  Chuck took me to his starting spot where a couple of loons were milling around.  Chuck got a couple of small keepers in the boat and a pike or two and a rock bass. I think I got a pike and missed a couple of bites.  After fishing the area for around half an hour or so we moved on.  Chuck got a little turned around in the fog for a second, but quickly got back on track.

We next went to a large weed flat where Tuma and Sarah were fishing.  Chuck said they were on the juice.  I got a couple of pike to start things off on the Pure Poison and Chuck landed a couple of small keepers and a pike or two.  It was pretty clear to me at this point that the bass were not in a chasing mood, so I went to the craw tube.  It wasn't that long and I had my first keeper in the boat, a solid 2.18lb fish.  I quickly followed that up with a 1.71lb bass.  Then it was a pike fest for a while and Chuck filled out his limit with little keepers.  Tuma left.  I noticed a fish swirl on the surface.  I picked up a white Pure Poison/RaZor Shad and got a 1.14lb keeper on it.  We got a few more pike and it started to rain.

We headed South to try some docks.  Chuck got a rock bass.  We headed back North.  I got pike on three consecutive casts on the Pure Poison/Craw Fatty.  I also got 1.21lb and .88lb squeaker along with a few more pike.  We fished along Malkerson Island and got some more pike and a rock bass or two.  We went back to the large weed flat where Bailey/Herman were now fishing. I think Chuck got a couple of bass that didn't help and I got a few pike and missed some bites.  I also had a pike bite off my Texas Rig, so I downsized to 3/16oz sinker from 3/8th.

It started to rain harder just as we headed South and West.  We were fishing an offshore point.  Chuck and I both quickly got a small keeper.  Chuck invited me up to the front deck to fish next to him.  I had a fish pick up my Texas rig, but when I set the hook the fish had dropped it and the rig flew out of the water with the sinker nailing Chuck right in the eye.  I saw the whole thing as it happened, quite scary.  Chuck was in quite a bit of pain for a couple of minutes, but then he recovered fairly quickly after that.  I was a gun shy for a little while after that and missed some bites due to a poor hook-set because of it.

We moved back into the central part of the lake and I got some pike on a Whopper Plopper and Chuck got a small bass off of a dock.  We then went back up to the Northern part of the lake to try the starting spot getting nothing,  Chuck asked me if I had any ideas and I did, which paid off in me getting 2.50lber, my biggest of the day during the heaviest downpour.

We went back to work the large weed flat again.  I missed several fish as they bit on the upswing of my jigging motion.  Also caught a few more pike.

We tried a spot over by Chuck's starting spot and I got a very minor cull along with a rock bass and a pike or two.  We tried his starting spot one last time and then the day was done.  It quit raining during the last hour or so.

The Results:
My Fish weighted 10lbs 1ozs, which put me in 14th Place out of 28 anglers.  I jumped 2 places due to some anglers getting to the weigh-in a bit late.  Chuck had 9/14 and finished right behind me in 15th. Jim Smith won with 13/10 and Dave Branum caught a 5/01 hawg for "Lunker".

Thoughts: Both Chuck and I just didn't put enough two-pound fish in the boat.  One more 2lber would have jumped me into the top 10 and another one probably Top 6.

Final Results: