Mark and I fished two bodies of water along the Mattawoman this morning. Together we caught six fish, all largemouth bass, and all being a pound or less. We hunted 'bass-holding' structure, points, ridges, creek channels, inlets, humps and flats. We forgot to bring our portable Bottom Line fish finder, but these were familiar waters. It was pretty much a Senko-free day, because the plastic worms were not producing any hits. Mark caught a bass using a topwater Heddon Zara Spook Swayback. It's always great when you catch a fish on a topwater lure. We tried a BooYah skirtless, 'in-line' spinner with a chart plastic tail, but to no avail. Considering all of the different lures, I was expecting some bluegill, cause I was actually targeting them, after going fishless for nearly an hour.

We threw about every type of lure we had. I got this bass on a Strike King spinnerbait with a second stinger, or trailer hook. I caught a second bass on this same lure and the fish was attached by both hooks! It was a beautiful morning to be on the water, it was sunny, breezy, cool with lots of fall color and falling leaves. On unsheltered open water, we actually had waves. SAV (submerged aquatic vegetation) was really starting to break-up and deteriorate, obviously changing ambush patterns for bass. Some areas of fetch were covered in rack lines of leaves, which had dropped onto the water and were carried/pushed by wind into the banks. I tried working these rack line edges (ecotones) in the hopes I could draw a bite, but het (Russian for No, pronounced knee-et) I thought that fish we supposed to be in a ravenous feeding pattern from mid October thru mid November, as they detect the shorter day lengths, cooling water and the desire to put on weight to carry them into winter lethargy.

      What the hay! Go Detroit! ( Yankee killers, and now St. Louis )

Mark Burchick