BASS FISHING AND THE MOON

6.5 pound large mouth bass

When the local lakes' water temperature hits 60 degrees something magical happens. Male Large mouth as well as Spotted bass move into shallow water to spawn. Male fish (three to five pound weight class) will fan an area with their tails removing the loose debris . They are creating a bed for the often larger females ( five plus pounds) to lay her eggs. While the male is fanning the female will be staged in a little deeper water hiding within some type of structure until the time is right. What triggers the spawning female that the time is right? Through my 40 plus years of bass fishing, I can share with you with confidence it is the full moon. The first weekend in May (5th, 6th and 7th) will be peak spawning season as this is the first time in 2012 where the water temperature is 60 degrees under a full moon. You will want to work the shoreline with plugs, spinners or plastic worms. I prefer to walk along the banks than to fish from a boat.

 When you see a bed (small circular indentation) there will be fish near by. The spawning bass are not actively feed, but they will strike anything that is endangering it's offspring. Cast past the bed and bring it back towards towards you let in sink into the center of the bed and leave it there. The bass will pick it up in their mouth and try to spit it out away from the bed. This is when you set the hook. Make sure your drag is set fairly lose as the bass is going to make a fast aggressive run in an attempt to free itself.  If you are lucky enough to land a large female who is on her bed please do not keep it. Your trophy of a lifetime is the life's blood to future generations of fish and fisherman.

RECONNECT

As my life gets jam packed with the busyness of living, my son and I drift off course from time to time. When I felt this disconnect happening last week, we did what we both like to do, we went fishing. The conditions were not ideal, but that was not the point. It was time to reconnect. We loaded our gear into the truck at 9 a.m., much later than usual and drove to Spenceville State recreation area on Highway 20, eight miles from Grass Valley towards Marysville, next to Beal Air Force base. Three years go we started a tradition. We do what we refer to as "pond hopping." The state game area is filled with small ponds and also Dry Creek, which has a great water fall. Pond hopping is one activity that we both enjoy. We love to hike around in the warm spring sun with our fly rods in hand. The purpose of the day was to reconnect with my 10 year old boy. While driving in the car we talked about our fantasy basketball teams (he is in the finals this week and I'm not), school and his travel baseball team. The conversation never got too deep, but the chatter was comforting. We ate junk food from the gas station and drank soda (two things we do not consume very often) while sitting on the back of the tail gate. We walked the weed filled shorelines together of many ponds that day. As we both looked into the water for spawning bass, I could see his refection . I wondered what he sees through his eyes and if he enjoys these moments as much as I do. I recalled a few fading memories of my childhood fishing with my father. I do not recall a single fish being caught, but that was not the point. I warmly remember my father being there.