Summer bass

I visited two ponds early in the morning, and caught one each in each pond.

The first bass was on my Zara Spook, and its bite was nice. Not a big one, but a fat energetic fish.  

In the second pond, I got another bite with another Zara Spook of mine, but couldn't hook it up. I guessed it was a small bass or bluegill. Then, I kept fishing but no bites at all. I almost gave up catching more bass, but tried a spot with a small timber standing from the water. I cast my Pico Pop and retrieved it fast. Just when my bait passed the timber, EXPLOSION! I set a hook full blast, and enjoyed the fight with the bass. A good summer bass, isn't it?

Today's tackle: ABU 5000 DeLuxe, Fenwick Fenglass SP634 Custom with straight rubber grip, Daiwa Sight Surf #4, Zara Spook, Original Zara Spook, Chugger Spook, Big Bud, Pico Pop, etc. 

 BF=22/32/53

Waders

I love Simms waders as they're not only comfortable but durable enough for my fishing. I've used these waders by rotation for 7-8 years, but I've felt nothing to complain with them. I'm afraid you can't wear other manufactures' waders so long years. Long ago I bought two pairs from another famous outdoor brand (Pata*** as you know) , but my legs inside them got wet in only one or two years due to small puncture holes. I tried to repair them by myself, but I couldn't completely fix them.

I'm now wondering which waders I should buy next, and have just browsed Simms' websites. My old G3 waders have a reinforced 5-layer Gore-tex on the back part of the waist and whole legs, but new G3's look to have the material only on the legs. As I almost always fish sitting on my floating tube, 5-layer Gore-tex materials around the waist should be reinforced, I hope. Then, my choice will be expensive G4's? It seems I save money to buy a new waders next.

PS: I have an idea now. How about buying a pair of king size waders to put my camera inside the front space. This way, I may be able to take a bigger camera with me.

New reel

I went fishing this morning again. Today, I guided a friend of mine in two ponds that I have often fished these years. 

As soon as we started, he almost caught a nice bass (today's biggest one) with his Zara Spook, but it went away just before landing. Fish were so-so active, and we  enjoyed topwater fishing from the scratch to the end. It was luckily both caught bass, though no fish were big.

Today, I tried a Shakespeare reel for the first time. Thinking of reels I've used, it was for the first time for me to use a non-ABU baitcasting reel for my bass fishing in these 30 years. The reel (Sigma 002) is super light, and very nice to use long-hour fishing.

Today's tackle: Shakespeare Sigma 002, Mr Don 'Dog Fighter' MW59N w/ STTS grip, Daiwa Sight Surf #4, Original Zara Spook, Chugger Spook, Pico Pop, etc. 

BF=21/30/51

Snakehead in the early morning?

I was thinking snakehead were daytime feeder. I caught this fish with an Original Zara Spook before dawn, and was very surprised to find it was not a bass. It was luck my bait was not broke by the teeth of it.

After the sun rose, small bass were active that reminded me high summer fishing.

Today's tackle: ABU Royal Gold LE, Mr Don 'Dog Fighter' MW59N w/ STTS grip, Daiwa Sight Surf #4, Original Zara Spook, Chugger Spook, Pico Pop, etc. 

BF=20/29/50

Smith's PG

Have you ever heard about Lucky 13 lures painted in Japan? They're called 'Smith's Factory colors', which Smith co. (Japan) import the authorized lure blanks from Heddon and paint them in factories in Japan. The colors are re-created authentically as old Heddon colors, and look very beautiful. 

I find a new color, PG (Golden Shiner), for this year, which I like very much. I almost mail-ordered one or two, but I thought I needed to check my inventory before it. I didn't know, but I have a total of five PG's in my boxes! It seems I should forgo to buy this time...

To pick up something I forgot yesterday

Due to the memorable blow-ups I got yesterday with a Zara Spook I decided to go to the same pond again today. Yes, I made another try using the same bait and the same tackle.

I started before 04:00 am and got a bite with my Jointed Jitterbug when I was slowly retrieving it around a shallow flat area in the pond. I missed the bite and, and I gave up using the bait. I tried some other lures, but I got no hits at all. 

Then, I headed the same inlet as yesterday, and took a deep breath when I got there. I was ready. The first cast, no reaction. I cast to the back-most spot again, waited several seconds, and gave two dog-walking actions to my Zara Spook. Yes, the water exploded as I expected, and a fat bass fought hard with me. How happy I was, as I could enjoy fishing as I planned! The bass was a little larger than that I caught yesterday. I got entirely satisfied with today's fishing, and stopped fishing before 05:30 am.   

Today's tackle: ABU 5500C (black), Phillipson 3M B7L1 custom, Stren Clear Blue 14lb, Heddon 2nd Zara Spook, SOS, Zig Wag, Chugger Spook, Lucky 13, Fred Arbogast Jointed Jitterbug, etc.

BF=19/28/46

Prop bait

We now have a three-day weekend, but I had to go to work yesterday morning and couldn't go fishing. Today, I went for a short-time fishing just early in the morning.

I started at 04:00 am before the sun rose, and keep casting Big Bud for a while. The water was warm, and the water level was going low. When it got glimmer of sun light, I decided to fish a small inlet. I long-cast a Wounded Spook, paused several seconds, and gave a few twitches. Bang! I got a big blow-up, and a nice bass fought hard. I could catch the bass, and noticed I caught a fish with a prop bait for the first time during this fishing season.

I cast a Zara Spool (CHT) again to the inlet, and then it was knocked over and blown into the air twice. The bite was so heady that I couldn't set a hook at all. It was a dramatic topwater fishing, though I couldn't catch it.

Then, I visited another pond but got skunked there. I got home at 06:30 am, and would like to have a good rest from now.

Today's tackle: ABU 5500C (black), Phillipson 3M B7L1 custom, Stren Clear Blue 14lb, Heddon Big Bud, Original Zara Spook, 2nd Zara Spook, Wounded Spook, Lucky 13, Chugger Spook, Pico Pop, etc.

BF=18/27/45

Shim

During the entire fishing yesterday, I was feeling something was wrong with one of my 5500CA's. I heard squeaky noise when I cast with it. Today I checked and overhauled it.

I presumed it was due to a damaged ball-bearing, and after I replaced the left one to a new one, I hear the reel make no weird noises any more. Using this opportunity, I checked other inside parts of it, and I found a fact that I didn't notice. 

ABU 5500CA is one of the earliest palming-cup type Ambassadeur reels, and some parts are different from those for later palming-cup ones. The left side shims (part #11957, spool centering shim) are o-shaped, and the spool shaft directly meets the bucking space of the left-side cup. After you overuse it, the space become worn and it is irreplaceable. 

I guess the ABU thought it bore improvements, and sheet-type shims are used in later reels. Three shims are used in my reel, so I changed the out-most one to a sheet shim. This way, you can replace even if the shim galls.

    

Day off

I took a day off and went fishing. I first thought I would be going to a nearby sea area to catch Japanese whiting, but changed my mind. I left home at 01:00 and headed for Lake Biwa.

I started fishing before 04:00. I got a big bite with my Big Bud, but I could not hook it up. It was cloudy and I supposed it would be good for topwater fishing. I cast and cast, but all I could catch were two small bass. I fished in three areas, and accoding to my GPS watch I paddled a total of more than 12km long (7.5miles). It was the first time for me to bass fish from a kayak and I was surprised at its compact mobility. 

Today's tackle: (1) ABU 5500CA, Fenwick HMG GFC-555, Daiwa Sight Surf #5, (2) ABU 5500CA, Fenwick HMG HFC-555, Stren Lo-Vis Green 14lb, Heddon Big Bud, Original Zara Spook, Chugger Spook, Cotton Cordell Boy Howdy, etc.

BF=17/26/44