Well, if weeknight tourney results are any indicator, Belleville is gonna fish pretty tough this year, as decent size fish seem to be pretty scarce.
I fished last night in an open event. I started the evening off fishing shallow at the upper end of the lake. Small, buck, brownfish were up real tight to cover, and devouring my jig (Nemesis Upskirt Jig, with Case plastics trailer OF COURSE).
The flipping and pitching bit was hot and I was having a blast. After 45 minutes I had to remind myself that it was a tourney, and I needed to leave this small fish pattern and go find keepers.
The entire lake was very muddied up. I got on a half way decent crankin' bite, midlake, before having my tm cable come loose.
Without my tool kit in the boat, I was pretty much out of commission and spent the next three hours drifting/dragging a drow shot tube, to no avail. I didn't find any fish in water deeper than 10.
Yeah it's been tuff lately...
After twenty years of fishing tourneys on that lake, I guess that I am not surprised. I can remember great years on Belleville, and I can remember some really crappy years on Belleville!
Well, the good news is that my trolling motor cable was intact, but had only loosened and come off track. 45 minutes this evening (in the dark) and now she is good as new. Maybe I will try my luck on Belleville again tomorrow night?
Well, made the trip up there today, and it was pretty good. Never left Sandy's marina area. Fished the point and the adjoining cove all morning. The day started slow but after I picked up my spinning rod and started throwing the wacky worm it was on. Between my son and I we caught over 30 smallmouth, over half were keepers. Nothing real big, our best 5 was probably around 14lbs. When the wacky bite slowed down I started drop shotting it and boated 6 more on that. Bryson caught a couple on the buzz frog and a rattle trap also. Don, I was going to call you before we left but a little mishap involving the back seat breaking and Bryson taking an unexpected swim changed our plans a little bit.
14# is a pretty darn good day on Bville, almost any day of the week!