Recently angling friend and renowned bass angler Rich Zaleski referred to "losing and finding his mojo" when experiencing a couple day dry spell of not catching bass. We've all been there - when the bites don't come as expected on familiar waters. Sure, we all have outstanding days on the water, better than average, just okay and even below average days of catching - we all expect that. But when you cannot put a single desired bass species in the boat...well that was the slump I found myself in during recent weeks. It stared during a one-day trip to New York's Chautauqua Lake for smallmouth bass where Marilyn caught her largest walleye ever, but I could not muster a single bass. The next day at Kinzua Reservoir, Marilyn caught the only "photo fish" and I struck out. Then the following week I fished Conneaut Lake near my home where I normally come up with multiple 4- to 6-pound smallmouths in mid-October - but not a single smallie in two trips. There was talk of taking up golf.
Fortunately things turned around this past week when Marilyn and I hit the Allegheny River after two days of cold rain. The river was rising and dingy, and water temperature dropped from the low 60s to the mid-50s. Now some fishermen might think these were unfavorable conditions, but for October it was just what the doctor ordered. Marilyn struck first with a couple brown beauties taken on a chartreuse-blade Terminator T-1 Spinnerbait. Then it was my turn with a Get Bit Crawling Tube with chartreuse-dyed tail - landing a 3-pounder and then back-to-back 4-pounders. the bite continued strong through early afternoon, providing us a most exciting day. Wow, it feels great to break a slump with brown bass like these!
Recently angling friend and renowned bass angler Rich Zaleski referred to "losing and finding his mojo" when experiencing a couple day dry spell of not catching bass. We've all been there - when the bites don't come as expected on familiar waters. Sure, we all have outstanding days on the water, better than average, just okay and even below average days of catching - we all expect that. But when you cannot put a single desired bass species in the boat...well that was the slump I found myself in during recent weeks. It stared during a one-day trip to New York's Chautauqua Lake for smallmouth bass where Marilyn caught her largest walleye ever, but I could not muster a single bass. The next day at Kinzua Reservoir, Marilyn caught the only "photo fish" and I struck out. Then the following week I fished Conneaut Lake near my home where I normally come up with multiple 4- to 6-pound smallmouths in mid-October - but not a single smallie in two trips. There was talk of taking up golf. 
Fortunately things turned around this past week when Marilyn and I hit the Allegheny River after two days of cold rain. The river was rising and dingy, and water temperature dropped from the low 60s to the mid-50s. Now some fishermen might think these were unfavorable conditions, but for October it was just what the doctor ordered. Marilyn struck first with a couple brown beauties taken on a chartreuse-blade Terminator T-1 Spinnerbait. Then it was my turn with a Get Bit Crawling Tube with chartreuse-dyed tail - landing a 3-pounder and then back-to-back 4-pounders. the bite continued strong through early afternoon, providing us a most exciting day. Wow, it feels great to break a slump with brown bass like these!
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