Thread: 3-27-24 Weekly Meetup

Temperature was around 60 when we met up just before 11am this morning. With promises of low 70’s, but with northern winds from 7-14 mph .
The lake level was about the same as last trip but the lake had experienced a rise and fall of around five feet . Water color was stained most ramps we visited , but better than the chocolate milk we’d been dealing with.
The two rods I used today were both 6’3” Abu Garcia MB 3 rods , one a four piece light , the other a two piece UL . Older model 500 Shimano reels , a Symetre and a Sahara , both spooled with Daiwa J Braid X8 and 4# Floroclear leaders .

When I arrived my buddy was already one fish up on me , which quickly became four up before I caught a nice crappie to get the skunk off .
As the day went one he stayed ahead of me , at one time , he was 14 to my 4 .
I kept losing fish . I lost two nice ones I expect were spotted bass . One cut my leader after giving me a good couple of runs .
At the last couple of ramps we fished I caught up and once I got home and did a picture count , I came out the winner with 18 fish to my buddies 17 .
We actually thought we were tied when we left to head home .
I caught 8 various sized bluegill , three good crappies , three green sunfish, a couple of spotted bass and a couple of my favorites, shellcracker .
My buddy landed the largest spotted bass using a Roostertail .
I stuck with my tungsten jigs and Trout Magnets all day .
Check out my lucky sweatshirt in my last picture with one of my crappies .

I thought I would mention my fishing buddy’s tackle .
He carries two spinning rods to the water , with a 5’9” 2wt flyrod in his vehicle.
One of his rods is a gifted 6’6” St Croix Triumph light action paired with a Shimano Sienna 500 reel spooled with 2# SOS . This is his Trout Magnet rod . He would never spend what it cost on a St Croix rod , even an entry level one .
Yep I converted him . He said he got tied of being outfished by them .
The other , the one he landed the nice spotted bass on , is a five foot Shakespeare Ugly Stik painted with Trion spinning reel and 4# line . It usually has a Roostertail tied on it .
He calls his Ugly Stick combo his “heavy tackle “ .
Just thought it might be interesting to share his tackle he uses to keep me on my toes.
I’m usually just a few fish ahead of him at the end of the day , but it’s not because of his tackle .
He’s outfished me a few times . LOL !