That got me thinking that lately I had been out fishing without much of a plan. I had been mostly alternating between a spinner bait and swim bait trying to "find" fish. Basically power fishing in a kayak. No thought or preparation. Just drift the bank and keep chunkin' and see if something bites. If the wind was blowing that usually meant one cast at the most to that fishy looking patch of pads. I'm not sure how I slipped into that pattern but once I realized it I knew I had to make some changes.
So I was determined that the next time I went out, I was going to have a plan. The next time out turned out to the be the early May event for the Florida Bass Paddlers at Lake Ida in Delray Beach. I had fished the lake a few times and caught fish throwing a lipless crankbait but nothing big and no real numbers. I was determined to change that.
The Plan
I remembered the West side of the lake was lined with reeds and grass with some pockets and coves that only a kayak could get to. I hadn't fished that side much in my previous trips so I knew I wanted to spend some time over there. My weapon of choice was going to be the hollow bodied frog. I was ready for some topwater destruction. I was also going to throw a chatter bait around lily pads and I always keep a Bruiser Baits Super Swimmer tied on to throw in grass.
The plan was to get in those thick places and throw the frog early. Then work my way north using whichever of the three baits fit the surroundings as I moved from one spot to another. The important part of the plan was to slow down and actually fish the spots I selected before moving on.
The Execution
I started chunkin' that frog into the slop and pads with vigor and enthusiasm. It looked like a real, very frightened frog as it plopped through the grassy water. I was impressing myself with laser accuracy and flawless presentation. Unfortunately, I was far more impressed than the fish. Not only did I not get a single bite, the frog seemed to actually be scaring fish. Being quick on my feet ................ or in my kayak, I switched to a lizard with a fairly light bullet sinker. I needed something with a little more finesse. It was a good move as I landed 3 fish but they were all small. Still I was happy with myself for staying and fishing the spot and having the flexibility to make a change when the original plan, the frog plan, failed.
With my high hopes of frog explosions dashed, I decided to move down the bank and find another place I liked. I threw the chatter bait as I went along looking for submerged grass or fish relating to the sparse reeds. Then I came to a long stretch of a taller type of reed tighter to the bank with a fairly quick drop from a few feet to about 10 feet. A lot of times bass will hang out near the roots of these reeds waiting for bait fish. So I pulled the Super Swimmer and started working the reeds.
Instead of my typical run and gun (again, in a kayak) I would anchor with my YakAttack ParkNPole and fish parallel to the bank. That way I could keep my bait either right at the reeds or right at the drop for the entire length of the cast. I could work the entire length of the bank instead of a cast every 30 feet. The technique paid off as I was able to pick up two more fish from that stretch.
Next was a small bridge. I had high hopes for the bridge because the lake really funneled down at that spot and created a little movement in the water. It turned out it was too shallow and there was no cover to speak of so no dice at that bridge.
I used the steadily increasing wind to drift the East side of the lake, tossing the chatter bait and swim bait at docks, sea walls and anything that looked like it might hold fish. Pretty soon I came up on a cove that led to another bridge. I had remembered seeing this bridge on a previous trip but didn't fish it. Today would be different.
I staked out and started throwing the Super Swimmer at the pilings, through the middle and along each side of the bridge. The decision to sit still and fish paid off as it didn't happen right away but I was able to find some submerged grass on the north wall of the bridge and picked up a strong 17" bass. I would show you but he was not pleased about being laid out on my Hawg Trough and escaped while I was getting the camera ready. A few more cast to that side with no luck so I threw to the south side. Second cast resulted in a 16" largemouth. See.
I didn't want to leave fish biting so I alternated side to side and soon landed a hard pulling 18" bass.
I fished the bridge a bit longer with no luck so it was time to move on. By this time, the wind had really picked up on the main lake and it was littered with screaming jet skis and boats so fishing was taking a second seat to safety. In fact at one point I had thrown the chatter bait along some lilies and as the lure approached the kayak I looked up to make sure the jet ski that seemed to be bearing down on me was going to turn. Just as I started to lift the bait out of the water the fish of the day took an aggressive swipe at it and missed. I repositioned and tried everything I could think of to get that one to bite again with no luck. So all that was left was to risk life and limb to try to get back to the launch.
It wasn't my best day on the water ever but I was actually very pleased with the outing. I purposely slowed down and fished the areas that had the proper elements and it paid off. By the end of the day I had almost forgotten that my frog plan had failed.
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