3-18-2012 Sun
11:00 AM – 5:15 PM
Weather: S18 G 28, sunny, 77˚, 29.83 falling
Water: 7.07’ rising, 62.8 kcfs, 62 -70 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 8
Caught: Approximately twenty largemouth bass 10- 17”, 22” dogfish
Partners: Myself

Comments

It was my first time out bass fishing for the year and I was exploring my favorite area; Goose Island. The calendar was telling me it was mid- March and it was much too early for bass fishing, but the weather and water temperature were telling me the time was here. I guess the weather and temperatures were correct. The bass bit extremely well today, however I was only able to catch them in one area.
When I did find them they were stacked! For the first hour A Texas rigged grub was the go to bait, followed by a rattle trap. I was unable to get a bite on a spinner bait. However, as I got into the back of the first bay and the water temperature shot up to seventy degrees the spinner bait began to shine. The fish were extremely active and I caught multiple fish on every pass. The first spot never did burn out, but I got bored of the area and wanted to do some exploring.
The wind was extremely brutal, and unfortunately I allowed it to somewhat dictate my next fishing spots. I never did catch another bass during the rest of the day. I did run into a few smallish pike but never did stick one hard enough to put into the boat.

Observations:

The river is still on the rise and with the strong winds today the clarity was relatively poor. It seemed wherever I found the warmest water I would find bait fish and with the bait fish I would find the bass. The best bait today was a one quarter ounce double blade spinner bait with a chartreuse and white skirt. It was best to slow roll it just over the top of the weeds. All the fish were caught in less than two feet of water.