Morning bass action! 5/24/11
It's really funny how you can sit in a town for 3 years bored off your bum wondering if there just is anything really worth doing within biking distance. Well, I can whole heartedly say that this morning was a pretty crazy journey in itself, and it just happened to lead me to a pretty sweet reward!
There's this lake I kept seeing on my drive into Corvallis that always left me in wonder what exactly was in it. Last night while I was thinking about it, curiosity finally tipped me over the edge, and this morning I decided to bike out to it (about 20 minutes from my house) and actually give it a look.
Immediately I could tell that it was a backwater carp spawning bed, as the carp were out in full force and layered the lake like a mine field. Although I had worms, I passed on them in the hopes of finding something possibly a little more enticing then big stinky carp (even though they can really be fun to catch). I could also spot some bluegill and what looked like yellow perch swimming along the shoreline, but they were pretty small.
It was around 8:30 when I got there, so the sun was high above the water and already creating heat, and I knew that if there were any bass in this particular lake that they would be hugging cover to escape the heat. Sure enough, I happen to come across a couple fallen logs protruding out into the water next to a tree, and I could see 3 or 4 VERY large shadows that I knew weren't carp. Putting my glasses on, I could easily identify them as very, very nice sized Largemouth.
My first instinct was to try a 3'' senko, so I did, but I could not get them to look interested. After that, I switched to a 4'' rainbow rapala countdown, and while I got the biggest of the pack to come give it a real look, it eventually turned its head and swam back under the log. I knew that these fish likely had been fished before because they just seemed so weary. There was fishing line and a empty scent bottle lying on the ground (which I picked up and took back with me on my way out) so that pretty much confirmed my suspicion.
Unfortunately I took almost all of my bass gear back home with me the last time I went to Portland, so I decided to quit playing around and put 1/2 a nightcrawler that I caught in my back yard the night before under a small orange/yellow bobber, fishing at about a 3 foot depth. All 4 fish came up to it but then turned around, so I increased my depth and let the worm sink all the way to the bottom. At this rate I could see my worm anyway with my glasses because the lake was surprisingly very clear. Once the worm started crawling around on the bottom, the fish mobbed it again, and sure enough, one of the larger of the 4 fish sucked it up like a vacuum, and it was fish on!!!
This is no doubt one of the biggest Largemouth bass I've caught in a long time, and it might be close to my personal best. The pictures don't really do this fish justice, it weighed 5 pounds easy.
After getting a photo or two and releasing, I put another worm on and tossed it back right in the same spot, doing the same technique, and I was able to hook another very nice fish, probably 2-3 pounds or so.
After catching 2 and losing another right at the bank, the fish finally became weary enough to where I was done with them, and moved on. While I spotted a few bass in some other areas, they just didn't seem to be as plentiful, so eventually I had to make it back home so I could go to class at 1. I'm about to be late, so I gotta head out, but I thought I'd share these pics with you guys!
The moral of the story is, get out there! Check out the places close to home, because if you overlook it, you could be the one missing out. Thanks for reading
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When all else fails, I never forget to leave home with a few nightcrawlers, because on days like today it can really save your butt. 
Finals are in 2 weeks and the only thing between me and summer break is one speech and 3 tests, all of which are not till the 2nd week of June. Life is good! 
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