Monday APRIL 22, 2024 – I flipped a coin this morning to determine whether I’d spend the day fishing the forebay or the main lake. Before leaving in the morning I made some speculative moves on NVIDIA stock in my investment accounts following last Fridays slide, and things were looking great at the start of trading, I leaned towards the forebay, despite its lower odds. Knowing Dan and Vaughn planned to hit the lake, and considering the weather report’s deadline of 2 PM for lake fishing, the protected nature of the forebay seemed the wiser choice.
Launching at the forebay, I found a serene scene with only a few boats in the lot. Chatting with a fellow angler on the dock, he recounted a lively morning with fish action at daybreak, primarily bass but no stripers. Starting at the powerhouse, I hooked into a school of smaller stripers before exploring other spots for larger catches. While landing a decent LMB near the water tower, I had a close encounter with a sizable striper and its mate. Despite switching to a larger fly, the elusive big ones eluded me. By noon, Dan and Vaughn’s success on the lake spurred me to switch locations before the winds picked up.
Arriving at the lake around 12:30, the calm waters hinted at an imminent change. Just before 1 PM, a message from Dan and Vaughn revealed they had found a massive school of fish on the Trash Racks, motivating me to join them. I pulled up to the opposite side of the racks and the livescope started smoking with huge schools of fish circling the racks like in the old days, making casting decisions challenging.
I spoke briefly with Vaughn and Dan as they decided to leave early because of exhaustion landing fish after fish. I moved over to the north tower where he told me they had 10 double hookups in the last hour and opting for a strategic count 30 seconds before casting, I found immediate success at 25 feet, landing fish after fish, all robust fat 17-19 inchers, a rare sight lately. However, as the winds picked up, I realized staying safe meant leaving early. With the Dam Police on the horizon and choppy waters testing my trolling motor, I weighed my options: risk staying behind the pillar for some shelter or begin the journey back to Dino. Opting for prudence, I decided to leave after landing 11 fish, making a hasty departure as the waves grew. Navigating the tumultuous waters around the trash racks i foundly call “the Washing Machine” I headed back to Dino, reflecting on a successful day split between the lake and forebay, yielding a total of 14 fish in just five hours of fishing. The racks are finally producing fish and the pumps were on today. Vaughn and Dan reported 36 fish from noon to 1:30. Moving into there spot after they left, I landed 11 and left at 2:30.
