6-7-2021
I want to start this blog by saying, “Thank you!” This goes out to all of my family and friends for all of their support. I started my fishing blog over one year ago, documenting all of my fishing adventures in hopes of inspiring anyone who has that “Itch to fish.”
A Catfish grabbed my jerkbait the other day, and it literally yanked my rod down with my line screaming as it torpedoed to the lake bottom. It must have had an opportunity to spit the hook as I realized upon almost landing it that the jerkbait was attached directly to its tail. The Catfish was able to dislodge the jerkbait in a frantic dance on shore as I watched in dismay.
I missed a strike recently, a really strong, good one, and I thought back on that Catfish strike I had the other day. Was it a Catfish, or a nice sized Largemouth Bass, or a nicer sized Striped Bass? I guess that I will never know, but that missed strike had me yearning for more hours of fishing.
Over the past two weeks, I’ve been consistently going fishing, and let me tell you it has been so rewarding. All of my fishing sessions took place at Silverwood Lake in two different locations on the lake (The Marina & Vista Point). Here’s a breakdown of the fish I landed by specie (4 different kinds of fish).
To begin with, the Trout bite has slowed way down for me. I was able to land two one-pound Trout on jerkbait lures. One Trout struck on a mini jig for a total of 3 Trout caught. I’m still trying for Trout even though it’s been really slow. Mostly, the Largemouth Bass bite has picked up recently.
I landed eight Largemouth Bass weighing in at (1.40, 2.40, 2.09, 2.30, 2.24, 2.75, 1.80, & 2.82 lbs.). As you can see, only two of those bass were near three pounds, along with four solid two pounders, and two bass weighing under 2 pounds (The average of all 8 = 2.22 lbs.). All of these bass put up some solid fights, and they were caught on jerkbaits, photographed, and released rather quickly.
On a fishing session one day, I was at a point where I casted/reeled in a jerkbait over a hundred times without a nibble. Just as I was about to finish up, I had a small bite on my jerkbait. Upon landing the fish, I realized it was a Crappie which weighed 1.24 lbs. I was completely enamored with its black and gold colors (black & yellow). I was on the verge of catching nothing, also known as a “Skunk,” but with good patience and determination to catch, I was awarded with this fish. A little under a year ago, I landed a Crappie just under a pound, so this was a pleasant surprise (0.97).
Are you ready for this? One of my fishing buddies recently landed a 11 & ½ pound Striped Bass on a night where he let me know he would be fishing. Since I accidently fell asleep that night, I was awakened the next morning by a text stating, “Told you.” I immediately texted him back, but checked a Fishing App we both use, and I saw his accomplishment. Immediately after noticing his post, I began texting him and congratulating him on his efforts.
A couple hours later, I met him at the spot where he landed his fish. Now let me tell you, I personally thought two things: 1) There was no way I’d catch a double-digit Striper anytime soon (A yearlong goal for me set earlier that day). & 2) There probably wasn’t any other Double Digit Striper hanging around this spot. I’m glad I got to connect with this fisherman because he sure knows how to catch big Striper. And “Yeah,” I was wrong on both of those thoughts.
As a fisherman, I knew that I should branch out and try other spots first. I caught a nice Largemouth Bass at 2 pounds & 2 small Stripers at one pound each in another cove. As I worked my way back to my friend’s initial spot, I made a few casts to the right of his area. In a few more casts, I had a really nice fish on which was a double-digit Striper weighing 15.41 lbs. I had to stop fishing for a while after that catch. How did I catch my goal of a double-digit Striped Bass in less than a day? I pondered this question for a while also.
1st Double Digit Striper weighing @ 15.41 lbs. 
Thank you to Striper Hunter!!!
I came to this conclusion. There are some passionate people in this world who will show you the way and provide you with support as you go. Staying focused and being determined will make any of our journey’s great ones, but the friendships and memories we make along the way is what it’s really all about.
I end with this. Three days after I caught a 15-pound Striper, I landed one even larger at 17.50 lbs. This catch cements into my mind why it is so important to always, “Expect the unexpected,” especially when you’re out there fishing. Talk about mind blowing, I do not have any more words at this point….
17.58 lbs Striper caught on a jerkbait. 