Tuesday, February 20, 2018

First Warm Water Fishing for 2018

As most of you know Walker County Lake is one of my favorite fishing destinations. I’ve landed huge bluegills here from its waters that equal those I’ve caught on my beloved Smith Lake. To say I was excited to fish its waters again after a two-year absence was an understatement.

Cathey and I are still trying to adjust to the move out of state and back to Alabama; in fact, it will take us the rest of this year to complete the cycle of the move. Our lot we are planning to build on is saturated with rain almost daily.  It will take weeks before any construction can start sometime in March. The building process will last at least 6 months if the weather cooperates. In the meantime, we will stay dry in our rental home, which houses my Pelican boat in the carport. No way was I going to store my Pelican and miss spring fishing on some of the smaller lakes I fish here. Sorry to veer off subject, back to Walker outing: This is the earliest I’ve fished this lake, but the forecast pulled me like a magnet to its waters today. A high of 80 degrees is somewhat unusual even for the northern part of Alabama this time of the year.
The water was somewhat stained because of all the rain making me think I was going to fish dark small to medium poppers. So I had a game plan and I hoped it would work. The water temp was 58 which is a long way from the spawning season for the big bull bluegills.
My first bull bluegill in one of the small nooks near the levee; this fish nailed a Betts popper sitting still. It was a hoot to land so many bluegills this afternoon after being absent from this lake for a while.
The warm temps have started to produce buds on some of the trees along the lake's bank. I have a feeling we are in for an early spring here in Alabama.
The blue Booglebug popper attracted a lot of bass today. It’s not your average popper; it becomes submerged when worked along the surface film. All the bass I landed today nailed it submerged. There would be no Redeye bass landed today. 

16 comments:

  1. It’s awsome, that first day of topwater. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a fun day for you, buddy! I'm sitting here with the heater on. It dumped 14 in of snow last night. Lol

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's always good to be "home". Glad you're getting out.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, it looks like spring has slowly sprung there on the bass and bluegill lake. I'm glad you're enjoying the transition and wish you the best as your new home gets built.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey Bill that bluegill is quite a handful.
    I'm glad your "home".

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well, you've got me excited Bill! Like Emily, we're still fighting snow and cold temperatures with no Spring in sight yet.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ralph
    A fun time for sure!! Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  8. Emily
    The cool weather is headed back next week--hope you guys have an early spring. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mark
    Could have stayed longer, but my battery got low so I headed home. Thanks for the comment

    ReplyDelete
  10. Howard
    Clear Creek will be waiting on you when the weather changes. Thanks for the comment

    ReplyDelete
  11. Alan
    I almost counted it, hope to land the big bull on the next trip. Thanks for the comment

    ReplyDelete
  12. Kevin
    A rare day in February for sure---thanks for the comment

    ReplyDelete
  13. Walt
    Glad I got the fishing to ease the frustration of the house building--thanks for the comment

    ReplyDelete
  14. Man you got me itching bad now! That sounds like the perfect day of fun, the gills haven't become very active here in middle Tennessee yet. The water temps are on the rise though so not too much longer I hope.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Rob
    I've landed bluegill on top at another lake I fish here in this area where the water temp was 55, so all is not lost where you are. This time of year when the water temps are still below spawning season, you need to have patience and let the popper set still for at least 15 to 20 seconds before you move it. Most of the time they will nail it, and sometimes they will hit it after a little movement of the popper. Good Luck with the coming spring season. Thanks for the comment

    ReplyDelete