Big Blue

So here is what is going on for me on the big blue.  The weather has been stable for the last few days and is predicted to remain that way.  Air temps are rising into the low 90s in the afternoon and minimal cloud cover.  Winds have been gusty out of the SE just about every day approaching 10 to 15 sustained with maybe 20 mph gusts.  Water temps are holding pretty steady where I have been fishing in the mid 70s and of course it is about as clear as you could ever expect.  What I have been trying to do is find the deepest grass I can which is way up river in 30 to 35 ft of water and also in proximity of creek channel intersections, pretty textbook huh.  Boat control is a bit tough with gusty winds but marker buoys help for points of reference.  It is kind of go grind it out on main lake spots hoping a fraction of your casts make it into the strike zone.  The fish are there and they are eating bluegill imitation Omega 1oz promega jigs with a swimbait trailer, senko style and plum ol monster worms.  It is pretty hard to detect the strikes sometimes that deep in the wind but swimming the jig and kinda stroking it when it loads up with grass is somewhat easier, reaction strike I suppose.  The big girls are still kinda absent, best fish this trip would be a pair of 6s and an 8 and that is pretty weak for Amistad but I really have nothing to compare it to as this is my first visit.  On we go, event starts tomorrow and well, I am headed to the water.  

Practice

I have been at Amistad for a couple of days now and am yet to get on a decent dependable pattern.  Conditions are mainly sunny during the day with low clouds haze early and an occasional pop up thunderstorm late in the day.  Winds are always from the SE and howling, 20+ sustained and gusts much higher.  The landscape is so flat around here for the most part it is hard to get out of the wind and really I prefer to fish in the wind but this is ridiculous.  Water temps are in the high 70s to low 80s and gin clear.  If it were not for the wave action I would guess you could see 15 to 20 ft easy.  Early in the day I have been able to pitch senkos and jigs to cover in 6-8 ft of water and catch small fish here and there up to maybe 4lb.  As the day progresses I have been drifting with the wind where it is manageable and dragging a senko with decent numbers but still not the size I am looking for, maybe up to 5lb.  I am really searching for an area with trees in about 12 to 15 ft of water so I can wing my swimbait looking for a kicker fish or two.  I need to make this happen as a 3- 5 lb average will NOT cut it on game day.  I have fished some huge hydrilla flats in Evans and San Pedro up to 30+ ft.  Lots and lots of grass out deep starting a 12 going to 30+.  Today I am going to Tule and Zorro looking for huisache trees and drains cutting in and out of spawning flats.  I think I am going to have to fish much deeper than I am used to to find the big bite.  On we go... 

onward

Wheeler presented an opportunity to me to finally have a decent finish and I failed to capitalize on it.  I had a consistent pattern going all through practice, even though there was a post spawn 'funk' going on there were fish in the bushes and pads.  Black/red tubes and creatures flipped to what water remained under the bushes as well as some top water and swimmers through the pads produced fish for me and my colleagues all week.  I realized that the amount of boat traffic through my areas required me to expand my playing field for day two to some more expansive areas and less pressured areas.  This was not really a game day decision, I knew I needed to do this right after the weigh in day one and well I could not make it happen.  I ran to Limestone creek and fished the first main cut on the right and well my coangler smoked me in there, we then ran to the first point of Flint creek but those fish were NOT present at all then back to my Foxy area to fill my limit of short fish and we finished the day behind Decatur flats fishing tubes through the pads but could not cull up any.  I feel like my strategy was sound even though the water conditions changed a bit, I just could not get it done.  My roomie Dustin Evans from Memphis did though finishing 7th overall and I am really happy for him.  I will state this again, Wheeler is an under rated jewel in north Alabama offering a very diverse fishery just over an hour from Nashville.  If you get the chance to check it out I highly recommend it.  

So I am off to Amistad tomorrow.  Another storied lake I have never been to only read about.  With a little help from Troy and Mike (they bent over backwards, in the rain, at night, in a friggin parking lot) with some custom bream tilapia skirt jobs I hope to find some spawning or schooling gills to go and imitate to fool the big girls.  I have high expectations for this last event of the spring season even though I have never been on this water.  I feel something coming together here and lets hope I am right.