November 21, 2006

Bass Fishing at Sangchris Lake, near Springfield IL

4.25 Pounds at 19.5 inches (massive head!!!)

After getting an email from Ed K., I just had to get down to Sangchris at least one more time !!!!

Ed was right on the money, Thanks Ed !!!!

Mom and I hit the water at 10AM and fished until 4 PM (DARK...).

We launched in the Hot (center) Arm of the lake. Sangchris is about 3 FEET below normal pool, almost all of the lilypads are up on dry ground, water temp was 58-60 degrees, clarity of 1 foot (perfect for "skinny water" fishing).

98% of the bass were small, but the numbers were outrageous. Shallow crankbaits produced some of the wildest bass action I've ever seen. Literally dozens of "doubles", when we each had a bass hooked at the same time.

Mom is modeling my "Michelin Man" Suit. A set of overstuffed goose-down bib-overalls designed for ice fishing (it was 33 degrees when we launched).

The color/size/make of the crankbait didn't seem to make ANY difference when it came to the 8-14 inch bass. I have no idea how many we actually caught. But the "keepers" were rare, probably because 50% of casts were smacked by a 10 incher within 3 seconds of hitting the water. While it was a blast, after a few hours, the lack of size was starting to frustrate me, so I went with a larger, deeper, natural looking Bill Dance Excalibur brand "Fat Free Shad". It didn't deter many of the 10 inches, but it was the key to getting ALL the keepers. Fish of the Day was a 19.5 incher that weighed 4.25 pounds. That's about 1/2 pound more than a 19 incher should weigh, he had a Huge Mouth and a massive torso. That fish has the potential to be a Monster in a few years.

We fished right up to sundown, and picked up a small striper at the very end.

The small bass were all-over the place, but in massive schools in 1-3 feet of water, the few "keepers" were out a little more in 4-6 feet. If you see bass Swooshing and shad flying right at the shoreline, immediately run over and throw any crankbait you have tied on, twitch, twitch, STRIKE.

Hopefully, we can get out again before the season ends,

 but if not, it was a good way to end the season.

Good Luck Everybody.

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