Some Days I Love My Job

Some days a plan comes together.  After six weeks of daily extreme storms followed by two weeks of extreme heat, I had fallen behind in shooting pictures needed for upcoming articles.  With deadlines approaching, I set up three photo shoots in one day.

Yesterday morning, I started out at Conneaut Lake at 6 AM with Steve Hughes to obtain photos of his weedline cranking technique for largemouth with a Bomber Fat Free Shad; these were needed for a website article.  Steve came through with fish and I was out of there before noon. 

At 1:00 PM, I met Pymatuning Lake crappie expert "Hooker" at Hill's Country Store and we proceeded to Bay 41 launch.  This shoot was for an article on depthfinder use for crappie fishing.  Out first stop on a stump-covered hump produced one crappie.  But Hooker came through at our second stop which yielded impressive sonar photos of deep cover and crappies - and plenty of fish on Bobby Garland Baby baits.

Then back to Conneaut Lake for a 5:00 meeting with Bryan Stuyvesant to obtain photos of  his drop shot technique for smallmouth bass, needed for a Cabela's Outfitter Journal Article.  We struggled but Bryan came through with a photo fish.  We also learned just how much white bass love umbrella rigs!


Thanks to rhree great anglers hitting home runs under pressure.  Gee, some days I love my job!

Heat Wave Breaks

Fishing in Northwest Pennsylvania this summer as been a challenge.  A funny shift in the jet stream has generated record rainfall and record heat in our area for the past month.  I attempted a couple trips to area lakes, but literally melted in the 95 degree temperatures and near 100% humidity within an hour. 

The heat wave finally broke yesterday, with temperatures dropping into the 80s.  So with a heavy overcast and misty rain last evening, Marilyn and I headed to Conneaut Lake hoping to connect with active smallmouth on top  - knowing that today we would be under high pressure.  But the smallies didn't get the news bulletin.  Actually, every species apparently had lockjaw.     

So I began probing the deeper edge of one of the mid-lake humps with my newly installed Garmin echoMAP 50.  When I spotted what appeared to be exposed rocks, baitfish school and some larger fish on the screen in about 17 feet of water, Marilyn cast a drop-shot rig and slowly dragged the sinker until she contacted rocks.  A little shake or two of the Lunker City Ribster Worm, and a she was connected to her first Conneaut Lake smallmouth of the summer!