Bassin’ the West Mpls Metro

Wednesday afternoon and evening my fishing club had our second mid-week outing on a fairly small Minneapolis metro lake. I have not fished for Largemouth at all in June up to last week. I have really enjoyed the best month and a half of Smallmouth fishing I’ve ever had, and now I had to get serious about some Largemouth. Wednesday afternoon there were a few thunderstorms east of us that were not a factor, and we got very lucky in the weather department. The evening was terrific, mild, light winds, and clearing skies. I prefished two days (three to four hours each), and I had a hard time finding any active fish. I had caught only one nice fish before Wednesday.
My partner Dave (IDA-Coffey) and I arrived at the lake by 3:30pm, and started to scout out the lake. With what I learned a few days earlier, I thought our best shot at some descent Bass, was to fish shallow shoreline weed and wood cover with shallow crankbaits, stick-worms, and jig and pigs.

Overall the fishing was fairly slow for the six club boats that were there. Dave and I keep moving around the lake, and using different presentations. The first pictured Largemouth was a measured 20 inch fish, that was over 5 pounds, that I found under a boat up on a lift. I had been using a white Senko around pads, and weed edges, and worked toward this dock, and skipped the Senko to right under the boat transom. A light tap was all I felt, and hit this fish hard, and it barely moved, I was able to work it out to open water, and after a short, but hard battle, Dave put the net on it. The 4/0 hook was only skin hooked inside the mouth, yes that was lucky.
The next photo is Dave with a nice bass he caught using a nightcrawler. He had a lot of action on the crawlers, but “other fish” were eating them up.

This next fish was caught inside a dead tree in about 3 feet of water with a black and blue jig and pig. I had pitched around it for a few casts, but as soon as I put the jig under a five inch branch the Bass hit, it measured just over 18 inches. (sorry for the no flash).

A friend in another boat called on the radio, and said he was coming over so to I could shoot a few pics of his partners just caught Hawg. In a moment they came flying around the corner on plane and came up along side of me. Tim’s Largemouth measured 22 inches and would be over 6 pounds. It is Tim’s biggest Largemouth to date, and will almost assuredly win Largemouth of the Year honors at the end of our Club year. The bass was quickly returned to the water, and the smile IS STILL on Tim’s face. I’m going to call him Mr. 22 from now on.
Most members averaged 3 to 4 fish per person with the slow evening, but there was some real quality fish caught. Some of the bigger fish that I heard caught were measured fish of 18, 18, 18, 19, 20, and 22 inches for the twelve members.
Can not wait to get out there and hit again, sure beats working..