Lessons From The Backyard

I am lucky to live on a canal and lake that is full of bass.  I use this as my own personal testing ground for all of my latest gear and techniques.  I usually catch my share of bass in the waters, but also learn what works and how to adapt to certain conditions.  Today was a good example of something I learned.  I went out this morning and caught a few on ZMan ZinkerZ but it was pretty slow overall.  I did notice quite a few small baitfish in the shallows.  I was trying to "match the hatch" and found the perfect crankbait that looked like the minnows in both size and color.  Since the water is full of algae and muck right now, I knew it would have to be a shallow diver to be effective.  My bait of choice was right out of the package and I have never used one like it: a Rapala Crankin Rap in a color called Moss Shad.  My prediction was right and I caught quite a few fish on it in a short period of time.  The model was a CRR03 which is 2" and dives 2-3 feet.  I'm starting to really like shallow crankin'.

The second key was to find some moving water.  The entire water system is full of algae, muck and debris right now.  I headed straight to one of the only areas with clean water, a recirculation pump that pumps water from submerged pipes.  It worked immediately and that's where all my action came from. I believe that we learn something new every time we go out fishing, whether it's in a huge lake, small river or even in your own backyard.  It goes back to what I love most about bass fishing; you never stop learning.