I got up at 6am this morning, put on the coffee and hooked up the boat. I was trying to be quiet so as not to wake the wife. As I came in to get the coffee there she was, pouring herself a cup of coffee. I guess I wasn't as quiet as I thought I was. I filled the thermos wished the wife good morning and good bye and headed out. It was 41 deg. as I left the house. That was the warmest day out of the last 3 days here in C. Florida.
The sun was just starting to climb in the sky as I hit the boat ramp, and there was a line forming already. I got in line.
I head out to the happy hunting grounds and I see that they are still arriving. It's going to be a busy day on the water. The winds are calm. The lake is like glass. And the sun rise is breath taking as usual. ( I never get tired of them ! )
I head over to my spot and start to set up. There are more boats here then I have seen in a long time. And yes, I see some rods bending on some of those boats. But not on mine. I make some adjustments. I check the fish finder. I try again. After a while a rod goes off. Fish on, skunk off. It's small so it goes back. I make some more adjustments. and I wait. and watch to see what is happening around me.
What I see is that the other boats are starting to leave the area. I have picked up a few more small one but no keepers yet. I set a new course. This time when the rod goes off, it's a keeper. just two or three more like this and I'll have dinner. They are slow in coming and I have more throw backs then I do keepers but I manage to put enough for dinner in the box. Four get to take the ride home with me.
Today was more about testing and adjusting the new set up. It was a perfect day to try new things. I did not have to fight the wind to control the boat. It was easy to see how the rods reacted when I made changes. I think it was a good day. I may have to go two or three more time to make sure I give the new set up a fair test.