June 29, 2018
Fishing Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Rating: 7
Weather Conditions: Overcast
Bait: Strike King Gizzard Shad Pro Model 6XD Crankbait
Rod: Abu Garcia Veritas Winch Crankbait Rod
Reel: Shimano Curado Casting Reel
Line: 12-pound Yo-Zuri Hybrid Fishing Line
Total Bass Caught: 2
Final Weigh in Weight: 4.12 pounds
One thing that a lot of people don’t realize is that bass are most aggressive during overcast days. This is especially true during the summer because the cooler temperatures allow the bass to leave their cover and chase down baitfish. When I saw that today would be overcast with minimal wind, I knew that I needed to get out and hit the water. I got to the lake around 6:30 p.m. and headed straight to Gene Coulon Park to fish the rocky shoreline over there. I started out by fishing the point just west of the park and alternated between fishing my drop shot and my jerkbait. I used my drop shot to work the docks and the pilings and used my jerkbait to work the areas in between each dock. After going a whole stretch of docks without so much as a nibble, I decided to mix things up and switch over to a crankbait. A few outings ago I noticed that the picky bass in Lake Washington prefer Gizzard Shad colored baits, so I decided to tie on a deep diving Gizzard Shad crankbait. I continued my way down the rocky shoreline, using my crankbait to work the edge of the weeds, and on my fifth cast I felt my line get heavy. I gave a huge hookset and then saw my line take off in the opposite direction. I knew from the initial tug that I had a decent bass on, so I was very careful to keep the bass from coming off. After a great fight and a big jump, I was able to corral the bass and get it into the boat. When I put it on the scale, it came out to be a solid 2.62 pound smallmouth. I was thrilled to get such a good bass on a crankbait and even more happy that my decision to switch to a crankbait had paid off. I worked the rest of the Gene Coulon Park shoreline without success and then headed over to fish the rock wall by Boeing Field. As I pulled up to Boeing Field, I spotted a nice rocky drop off and decided to deflect my crankbait off of the rocks over there. On my very first cast, I had a bass hammer my lure. I gave a big hookset and eventually was able to get the bass into the boat. This one came out to be a 1.50 pound smallmouth. After that the bite went silent and I went the entire rest of the shoreline without a bite. I finished up the day by fishing the VMAC, but after not having any success there either, I decided to call it a day and head in.
Observations: The water temperature ranged from 69-70 degrees, which is right about where I was expecting it to be heading into the day. The warm summer heat has definitely pushed the bass deeper, as I caught my two bass in 10 to 20 feet of water. The overcast skies worked their magic and I noticed that the bass were a lot more aggressive today. The two bites that I got were both hard bites. The first bass that I caught swallowed the lure, while the second bass swiped at it. Given the record heat that we have been having, I think that all of the bass have been forced to skip their dock phase and go deeper. This means that I will either have to find some offshore structure to fish or keep waiting for overcast days. All in all, it was a solid day of fishing and I look forward to hitting the lake again soon.