5-13-11

5-13-2011 Fri
9:40 AM- 8:30 PM

Weather: N15, overcast, 58˚, 29.85MB, steady, (2:53 PM)

H2O: 11.33’, falling, 81.4 KCFS, clear, 56 ˚ - 60 ˚

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 4 (Nelson, WI).

Caught: 55 pike and 15 largemouth bass (one pike was forty-one inches and I had fifteen over thirty inches).
Partners: None

Comments
It was Friday the 13th, but who cared the fish were very aggressive and attacking! The fishing was as good as I have ever seen, and I do not expect to ever have that privilege again. I have never had pike that aggressive or abundant!
I was confident that the weather conditions would be conducive to good pike fishing; there was a moderate wind and it was overcast, perfect pike conditions. The water was high and very clear, which was another plus. The only part of the conditions I did not like was the temperature; it had dropped thirty degrees since yesterday afternoon.
It took about an hour to find the fish, but when I did it was holy mackerel, or should I say holy pike. I found the fish relating to some kind of cover, with flooded bushes being the real pike magnets. Most fish were quite shallow, being in anywhere from one to four feet of water. I caught fish on just about everything I threw at them, but the reliable terminator spinner bait in white was hard to beat. I did have pretty good luck using a swim bait, but I had a very hard time hooking them on this rig. The pike in the very shallow water were not as big, but boy were they fun. A lot of times as soon as I started the retrieve, a wake would appear on a mission to intercept the intruder in their lair.
The bass were not as numerous or aggressive. My theory was they were probably scared they were going to become a meal for a hungry pike. The best part of the day was seeing very few fishermen. I did learn that if I caught a few fish in one location and they stopped biting, by simply changing baits I was able to coax a few more into the boat.

Observations

My redbud tree in the backyard has started to bloom, and the lilacs are very close to blooming. I did notice some aquatic vegetation starting to sprout up from the bottom, but no lily pads had yet ruptured the surface.