October 10, 2014
Fishing Time: 2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Rating: 4
Weather Conditions: Cloudy with heavy winds
Bait: Drop Shot with Strike King Green Pumpkin KVD Dream Shot and Quick Drop 1/4 ounce weight
Rod: G-Loomis GX2 Jig and Worm
Reel: Quantum Catalyst PT
Line: 8-pound Sunline Super Sniper FC
Total Bass Caught: 2
Final Weigh in Weight: 2.25 pounds
With school in full swing, I have found that the days that I am able to go fishing are few and far between. However, I had a day off today, so I decided to take some time and head down to Lake Sammamish. I got there around 2:30. Since the west side of the lake has been infested with weeds, I planned on just fishing the east side of the lake. After launching, I motored over to the first point on the east side and fished the docks around there. I didn’t have much luck, so I decided to continue working my way down the docks. I came to a dock that had weed beds lining both sides. I made a cast right next to the swim ladder and was able to hook into a nice 1.25 pound bass. This catch was within my first 30 minutes of fishing, so I had a lot of hope for the rest of the day. I continued down the east side, but wasn’t able to get anything for another 30 minutes or so. I then came across a floating dock noticed the dock was raised on one side, leaving a small gap between the water and the dock. I made a perfect cast into the crevice and sure enough I was able to land another smallmouth. This one weighed in at around one pound. With two fish within an hour time, I was feeling optimistic and continued working the east side docks. I tried my favorite hot spots: the v-shaped dock, the dock with the rock next to it, and the two-level dock on the second point, but I wasn’t able to get any bites. After this dry stretch, I decided to motor over to the Vasa Park area. I fished my favorite dock. I got a few perch bites. I then motored over to Vasa Park and fished the buoys. I cast to the first buoy and as soon as my weight hit the bottom, a bass seized my worm and took off. I set the hook, but just missed him. I tried the buoys for a couple more minutes, hoping that I could catch the one that I missed. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get him to bite again. To finish off the day, I fished the pilings around Vasa Park, but yet again I found myself empty handed. I finally headed in at around 5:00, disappointed that after the early flurry of excitement, I wasn’t able to land any more fish.
Observations: The water temperature was almost consistently 66 degrees, so it has dropped a degree or two since the last time I fished it. The two bass I caught were in 15-19 feet of water, which is a little bit deeper than I expected them to be. The bass that I caught were hugging really closely to the dock and seemed reluctant to bite because I had to leave my drop shot at the bottom for over a minute to trigger a bite. As the fall months begin to take their tole, it seems that I catch the bass in different spots on the lake every time I go. Along with this, my hot spots are becoming less and less reliable as the water gets colder, which tells me that the bass are moving around a lot in preparation for winter.