Chupacabras and other beasts at Round Lake 8-5-17

[djkimmel]

Not 100% sure... but I think I just heard a chupacabra!?!

I made the mistake of not being able to sleep so I was up extra early and just headed to the lake even though I never seem to get really good bites very early. I had just launched and was going to head out into the always spooky pitch black mystery around Round Lake when I heard a primal scream?!? What the...??

Never heard such a scream before... I imagine the boys from cable land would have called it a 'squatch' maybe... I had recently started to hear lots of coyotes in the morning around round so maybe they caught something?


Been an odd, breezy, chilly morning. Missed a good horny toad bite in the pads by the ramp in the dark (dogfish... or bass??). Had 2 small bass attack my black Jitterbug. Lots of minnows and small panfish on the surface though more scattered. Less bass busting them but enough I should have a lot more than 2 bass (the pike are biting, of course). Caught this small keeper on a wacky rig tossed to some anxious gills early.


I do have this going for me! Caught it on the 'pike killer' (green gizzard shad KVD 2.5) I picked up after realizing I was slowing down too fast, too early again. Inhaled it! Out deeper near another school of gills. Saw a number of really nice bass busting around the boat, but despite throwing the kitchen sink at them I got bumkiss!

Been the pike show again since then but I'm rearming and back after them!


That square bill was almost swallowed by my big bass! Ripped it through some milfoil tops and it was on! It's why I keep throwing the 'pike killer' despite the pike constantly wanting to steal it away from me!! I usually throw it on 20 lbs. test P-Line Halo for bite off limitation and a better ability to rip it through weeds!


He ain't heavy... he's my largemouth... Same place and bait I caught 1 over 4 the other day. Ripping the KVD 2.5 squarebill 'pike killer' on 20 pounds test Fluorocarbon through the milfoil and other weeds that are left. Thought it might happen again but as they say, lightning never strikes the same place twice...


Color me embarrassed! Went froggin' for a while to get out of the wind and take a jet ski/boat break. Went a dismal 2 for 10... In my defense this was the 2nd biggest... Most were dinks. Going to topwater myself in for the evening though this is the slowest, toughest day I've had this year on Round. Post-frontal, I guess.


Not much happened the rest of my fishing day. But later, when I was changing to get some shut eye for the night, I saw I had a nice 3 or so inch wide welt on my tummy/side! A round spot bigger than a quarter and a streak off towards the back. The next day or two I actually developed a larger bruise about half the size of a dollar bill. I guess I'm out of froggin' / slop shape...?!?

[djkimmel]

Actually, I did have 2 really, really nice bass crash my triple-wing buzzbait late in the evening as I was working my way in... I was embarrassed to mention that I missed them both somehow!!! Even got my skirt pulled down by one of them still without hooking up! I've got to get my reaction and timing down this year... been a disturbing year for lost and missed fish.