Best5Zach Outdoors: Fishing report for Wheeler/Recreational Companionship

With the weather being so warm despite being in December, it was hard to pass up an afternoon fishing trip on Alyse's half day.

Sure, it's deer season and our house is a wreck.

But how many times will you have the ability to fish in December. In the mid 60s. With a light mist? Never, I'd say.

So, despite being broke and having a filthy house, we put in at the Triana Ramp. You can find it here: Now, here is a funny laugher for you, since I am supposed to be this smart rocket scientist and all....

There are two ramps. I always use the first one. But, I am always finding the pot hole at the bottom of the ramp! I mean...it's HUGE. Even when I try and miss it, I still hit it. This thing is so big, it makes putting the boat back on the trailer almost impossible. But, hey...it's no big deal...so I use it anyway....

Until one day, this old guy sitting on the dock finally walks up to me and says:
"Boy, can't you tell that ramp is broken?"
"Oh?"
"Yeah, half the ramps is washed away. Why don't you use your brain and use the other ramp."

I had to admit. I hadn't thought of that. Some smart guy I am. Of course, I never claimed to be....

Anyway, after fighting with the big motor, I got it lit and idled out of the cove. Shut down the motor and we ate our hot Arby's sandwiches. Yum.

After we ate, I tried to start the big motor, but it wouldn't cooperate. It was flooded. With the cold weather and high humidity, the gas wasn't evaporating out of the carb bowls. So, I decided we would fish the point in front of Triana, especially since the water was so low. Everything around was out of the water, stumps, lay downs, rocks, everything. I guess we would be fishing off shore.

I flipped on the Hummingbird, switched it to give me Sidescan along with the traditional look and MAN bait everywhere. Not just bait, but there were TONS of fish on the bait. However, they were suspending about 15 feet in 30 feet of water. So, I threw a spoon and I gave Alyse my crankin' stick with a Spro John DD in Chartreuse.

I really like the Little John DD for a multitude of reasons, which I will be going over in a post. That being said, these fish were in the 18-20 foot range and this bait will get there. The Color was perfect for this stained conditions of the water line.

Didn't take long to find out what we were messing with. We started yanking white bass out left and right.

Catching white bass is a trip. It's particularly great for when you fish with your significant other or your children. Once you find them, you can catch them and catch them. Usually, on the end of a cast, if you DON'T catch one...you can just let the bait sit and they will eventually nab it. HAHA!

Well, we did that for about an hour and until we were almost bored with it. The motor fired up and I ran down river. I wanted to fish some hard placements, like Cotaco creek and the pumphouse. We stopped at the pumphouse first, alas, everything here was also out of water. Worse, I couldn't find any suspended fish anywhere NEAR it. So, I cranked the big motor. And cranked. And cranked. No luck.

Oh well. It was just flooded. So, we decided to let the current push us down the river just a bit to a set of bluffs. Many of you who read this blog know about how I am trying to learn new methods. I have received a few crash courses on catching spots, on bluffs, with jigs. Determined to give that a shot, I tied a jig on and went to town, throwing a Gambler Blue Grass Jog with Gambler trailer

As luck would have it...I did at least find ONE fish! I wasn't too surprised. I was covering water quickly, I wasn't slowing down, and the water was low, making it hard to target anything particular. I could tell Alyse was getting bored, so I wanted to get us on to something. Motor still wouldn't start. Worse yet, the motor was draining the battery quickly. At her suggestion, I decided to at least start back towards the ramp. But, after about 30 minutes of fighting the current, it was obvious that we might be in trouble. That's when I got smart. See, what I had been doing wrong was flying down the river and killing the motor before letting it idle down. So, it was still pumping fuel in as fast as it could, filling up the carb bowls. In "normal" weather, the gas would evaporate. But, it was humid and cold. So, the gas was puddling up. Well, I knew I needed to drain the gas out...but how? then I thought about it. I unhooked the gas line and let it drain, then I tilted the motor all the way up. A few minutes later, she fired up. We ran up river to the NASA barge tie ups, which always hold fish. Alyse made me tie on her favorite crank bait, a Strike King Series 3 in sexy shad with some small modifications.