# 30 minutes of action and then I had to go home.



## richg99 (Jul 27, 2018)

I ran to my latest favorite launch on Watts Bar Lake in Eastern TN this morning.

Imagine this...the launch is only 36 minutes from my house. I am SO USED to driving 80 miles around the City of Houston traffic to get to West Galveston Bay, that 36 minutes is like a walk in the park.

I launched my 1652 G3 tinny but never started the motor. (That is a good thing). 

Put the trolling motor down and moved about 100 feet away from the double ramps. I knew that there are night tournaments out of that launch/park, and was pretty sure that Thursday evening was a large one. That should have meant that a few good fish would still be in the area.

Sure enough, ten casts with a Spittin' Image topwater, and I had a 3 or 4 lb LM bass blow up on it. She took it, ran a few feet...jumped...and, of course, spit the Spittin' image lure right back at me. 

Now, like every one of you, I've lost plenty of topwater bites. But...I think that this one was all my fault! 

About six months ago, I bought a couple of Lew's baitcasting reels. I like them a lot...but..I have noticed that somehow the drag gets loose on its own. Seems to be happening even when they are hanging inside of my Fish-Mobile van. Of course, that isn't possible but they are loose a lot. This dumb fisherman forgot to check the drag before his first cast. Duhhhhh (won't happen again, I hope.)

She was a big enough fish that I was [email protected]#[email protected]% at myself for a while. Well, another nice bass blew up on the same lure ten casts later. What a START to this morning! I missed that one cleanly. She never had a hold of the plug, so I chalked it up to just normal top-water issues.

Somewhere, I read that if you have some top-water action, but they are not committing to the baits, to throw a plastic worm into the mix. 

I had a Texas-rigged Senko rod laying on the deck. In it went and a few casts later, I finally put a nice 18 inch long LM bass into the boat.

I don't know about you, but the first 30 minutes of most of my fishing days are NOT normally filled with this kind of action!

Behind me, a serious explosion happened. I never saw the fish, but if my 18-inch bass was near a 3 lbr., this guy had to be double that. I kept at this tiny area, casting both tops and Senkos for fifteen minutes more. By then the sun had risen and brightened up the whole little bay. 

There was a small line of docks about a 1/4 mile away, so I thought I go pitch some worms under them before things got too warm.

That was the end of my fishing day! I cranked the key and the battery stirred once and quit. Somehow, even though I had the boat's battery charger plugged in all night long...she was DEAD. Both batteries were way down. Luckily, the trolling motor had enough juice left to get me to the dock, not 100 yards away.

When I got her home, I found one broken lead from the two-bank charger and also stopped to read the instructions on the internet for the Marinco onboard charger that I've had for a couple of years. I replaced the trolling motor battery with a GSM about two weeks ago. It seems that the Marinco charger will charge GSMs and regular batteries, but NOT if TWO DIFFERENT types are on the same circuit. I should have known better. Anyhow, the GSM was way down to 9 volts or so. I hope she will come back. The regular starting battery was at 11.5 or so. Apparently, the broken lead caused all of this and the engine kept the starting battery charged enough, but not enough for this day.

Oh well, 30 minutes of good fishing is way better than sitting out there half a day without a bite!

richg99


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## LDUBS (Jul 28, 2018)

Great report -- I feel like I was there. Too bad about the battery issues, but at least you are now highly motivated to get back out to that place. 

I agree, 36 minutes is like having it in your backyard. There is a small reservoir about 30 minutes from me that I used to frequent. Very pretty Alpine-like setting and no crowds at all during the week. But the water quality sucked last time I was there, so I have zero motivation to go back.


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## richg99 (Jul 28, 2018)

Water quality. I guess it is whatever you are used to. Texas lakes are all reserviors. None are clear water. 

In fact, I find it easier to catch bass in the murky water than in the crystal clear lakes in my subdivision in TN.

The TVA lakes, like Watts Bar, are just sections of the Tennessee river that are murky, also. The fish adapt. I adapt. 
rich


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## LDUBS (Jul 28, 2018)

I gotcha Rich, but this went beyond murky water. I think the place was having some kind of algae problem. Stuff was floating on the surface. Left a nasty ring around my hull and stained my hands. Another reservoir not too far away is having a similar algae bloom problem and warning people not to let their dogs enter the water.


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## richg99 (Jul 28, 2018)

Please delete.


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## 10sne1 (Jul 30, 2018)

Oh my, I think you just put me on fish! We have a local tourney every thurs pm, too. Could be fun to go catch last nights fish at the ramp! I’m catch and release, so it won’t be, like harvesting behind said tourneys! Could be interesting. Don’t think I’ll share this with my buddy’s, but could be fun, if I could do this the following days at different lakes, as the tourney thurs, pm tourney travels week to week.


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## richg99 (Jul 30, 2018)

Shhhh. No one was supposed to see that idea. Ha ha

I went back to the same place this morning. Seems that there is a Sunday tournament there, also. No fish. No bites.

But, some those rotten results might be due to the fact that it is the Morning After a Full Moon. I have Never caught much after they stay up all night feeding.

I did get one. That story follows later today.


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## handyandy (Jul 31, 2018)

Rich that sucks about the batteries, but a good day fishing none the less, and at least you found out close by. I haven't been able to justify the GSM batteries yet, good old quality deep cycles have done me well, and still do.


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