First Official Spring Fishing Trip

Today marked my first official fishing trip out since starting my new job. First day off as well, having went in every time they called me this week in order to get some extra hours and pad out my first check.

So what was my goal today? Besides the obvious act of catching fish, I wanted to test the action of some of my smaller lures and to see how they worked with the line and rod that I primarily use.

As I walked along the shore, donning my glasses so cut down on the glare against the water's surface, I spied some little bluegill in the shallows, no doubt basking in the sun-warmed water. I equipped a small Strike King bitsy minnow lure and tossed it out. The lure was too lightweight for my medium-light setup, but I was able to get it out far enough away from shore to put on a show for the fish.

And they took it. I watched through my polarized lens as the fish emerged from the depths and snagged the lure on its retrieve. It put up a little fight, but didn't stand a chance against my Zebco Omega Pro reel.

Some time passed, but I got no more bites so I moved from the open waters of the reservoir to the inlet on the opposite side of the lake. Lots of trees were down along the shoreline, providing ample coverage for bass to ambush prey. 

And man, they were there! A massive largemouth was hovering around beneath a tree near where I stood, and I had to have spent 90-minutes or more throwing everything I had at it trying to catch it, but it was not having any of it. 

Next time out, I will bring some live bait with me and see what I can do.