Attempts at finding fish with a dropshot rig and jigs failed miserably due to the nasty green muk sitting on the bottom of the lake.
We soon discovered that swimbaits (3" Keitechs) with a small jighead and underspin blade started to heat up, and all three of us started to pick a few more bass and bluegill near the shore.
Rick was on one that hit his swimbait like a train and he just knew this one was extra heavy. Unfortunately, it took him into a brushpile and after 3-4 minutes of trying his best, only the hook came back up to greet him.
Around 8am, however, that's when we noticed the boils and breakers mid-lake, and then it was ON! We'd move right next to a school of active fish and my son and I would throw a popper right in the middle of it all and get bit almost instantly. It was insanity.
Rick, who has an obsession with the swimbait (and rightfully so), would cast his bait in the same manner and either get hit instantly, or on the retrieve. Actually, more precisely, on the PAUSE while retrieving. It was a pattern that stuck most of the day for swimbait.
Every so often, the water would calm and the fish would disappear, only to reappear again somewhere else several yards away. As soon the schools moved, we moved with them, and we played this chase game all day until 3:30pm. We could barely eat lunch because who puts their rod down when they're breaking all around you?
Most of the mid-lake fish were bass, with several giant bluegill wanting to get a piece of the action (just ask Rick, he knows
).It was an absolute BLAST. We doubled up several times, had to scramble to get one fish out of the net to grab another one about to show color from below. This was our 6th time coming to Barrett in two years, and it was definitely our best experience yet. We've caught more fish once before, but this was topwater - you can't beat that.
In total, we had 71 fish brought on board, with several more lost right at the boat:
Me: 27 Bass and 3 Bluegill (largest was 3.7 lbs on the popper)
My Son: 9 Bass and 9 Bluegill
Rick: 15 Bass and 8 Bluegill
Core memories were made, for sure. Thank you Barrett!
To the family we met after we arrived back at the dock with the two kids (they wrote an awesome report from earlier), I wish we met you earlier so we could have helped with the motor problems, or even shared some baits with you that we discovered were working well that day! That being said, your kids were super stoked to share their fish stories with us when we arrived, it was great to see and hear! Keep being awesome, and we hope to see you out there again at some point!
Here's my son and I after doubling up mid-lake with poppers:
