Wes Price and grandson and friends braved the cold on Friday the 13th. We got started at noon, the temp was still in the upper 30 degree range. We set out for the dam west wall where I had graphed up a big school the day before in 20 to 40 feet of water. I had gone into Warm Creek on Thursday looking for the stripers that were there just 2 weeks before and found nothing. Ichecked out Warm Creek wall and the pump house spots with hardly anything showing up. I went into Antelope Canyon and found a big school there. I threw everything at them but they didn't want to bite, that sounds like finicky stripers doesn't it. You just can't count on stripers to bite this time of the year. One day they want to play and the next day nothing doin'!
We spent a couple of hours at the dam on Friday trying to chum up some of
the group we saw when we first got there but instead they disappeared on us.
We finally went looking for largemouth and smallies. We found them in 30 to
40 feet of water around slightly raised structure, rock piles and even flat
surfaces. The water temp started out at 50.9 and got up to 53 by 4 pm. We
dropped a smoke color grub to the bottom then reeled up a couple of cranks
and it didn't take long and had a really nice fat smallie hit the bait ever
so lightly.
The water depth really makes a difference right now. We were fishing in 18
to 22 feet and didn't hook up at all. I called my buddy Bill and he told me
about fishing deeper, he was right on. Thanks Bill! We were only fishing for
smallies for about an hour or so and caught three fat smallies. Two had eggs
and one had a huge crawdad in it's mouth.
Well, it was cold but we had a good time with great company. They probably
thought I talk a lot but I only told them half of all my stories. A great
bunch of guys.
Good fishing to all! I can't wait for the temps to come up a few more
degrees and the fishing should get really hot.
