 |
| This XXL sized largemouth bass clubbed a 10-inch shiner intended for stripers...cool! |
Yeah...that's what my good friend Brandon Rawlings, said as we were about to embark on a leisurely afternoon of trolling at Piney Run Lake in central Maryland. I used to worked there for many years, and we became friends as we pursued bass, stripers, crappie and more at this popular day-use lake of 290 acres. He had been doing well on stripers and big bass by trolling large live shiners. No secrets here...travel slow and let the baits out on a long line and troll around in quest of a hookup.
 |
| Big baits play cool in aerated cooler with treated water. |
His baits were big...some over ten inches, which is actually larger than a high percentage of the fish I catch! To keep them jumpy, he kept them in an aerated cooler treated with Aqua Safe to eliminate any 'treated water' dangers. We used board planners and Billy Bob floats, and dropped the baits back 50 to 75 yards behind the boat on a slow troll. Earlier success stories this year had put several nice stripers in the boat for him. Here are a couple examples...
 |
| Our buddy Justin with a 10-pound class striper. |
 |
| Brandon shows off a prime spring striper that he trolled up earlier this month. Nice feeesh! |
These fish are likely from a 2007 stocking of advanced fingerling striped bass that entered the water at 7-8 inches long. Released in November of that year, they were able to escape predation from the lakes healthy largemouth population due to the diminished feeding activity during the cold. A six-year old striper in Piney Run can run from 30 to 34 inches, thanks to a strong shiner and panfish forage base and trout stocking during the year. Minimal reproduction was observed in the early 1990's by MD DNR, but by-and-large, this is a 'stocked' fishery that is maintained by such, along with volunteer release efforts from far-sighted anglers.
 |
| Brandon put me on this fine-looking 14 pounder that we released after some quick pics. |
Although we had numerous strikes that afternoon, we only hooked up on three fish. One was a fine looking 14 pound striper and the other fish was an impressive largemouth bass that took one of the overgrown minnows. We had another nice striper on for several minutes, but the fish pulled free. That's fishing.
 |
| Big baits equal big fish! |
Big bait...big fish. We've all heard it before. Nothing new. And one of the nice things about large baits is that you might get a striper, big catfish or a big bass at any time. Yeah...they cost alot, but they are worth it. And the trolling gig...it unto itself, is a great way to spend a warm spring day on a pretty lake, with a good friend, searching for fish. There's a lot of water out there, a lot of searching for that one big bite.
Trolling...a great search tool for big fish, the 'catch of the day', the one you've been looking for. Kinda' like life...we cruise around alot, often looking in the wrong places, for fullfilment and happiness. Hoping, praying for that one big bite, the 'answer'. What are you trolling for today? Are you looking in the right place?
Proverbs 16:25 states this...'There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to his death."
When I relied on 'my thinking', I suffered. When I rely on God's Truth, I prosper.
STOP TROLLING...START CATCHING!
No comments:
Post a Comment