By Marty Dixon/Staff Correspondent
I finally was able to finally get some time on the water during the past week, not as much as I would have liked, but some time is better than none.
I only got in an hour or two over the weekend. We had a birthday party for granddaughter Zailyn to attend. She turned 9 and is now actively seeking a job, because I had informed her that at age 9 is time to go to work. I have to give a little grief when I have the opportunity.
My wife Texann and I were able to get Hurricane Anna out in Pops’ Sparkle Boat for a ride. The only thing she says is “faster” when we ride in the boat. We went down past the Minnesota Bend until Anna found us a suitable fishing spot. Once we found the right place, Anna got to use her new fishing pole, which I do not put a hook in yet since I’m not keen on a trip to the ER for hook removal.
We fished for a good 30 minutes before Anna was ready to “go fast” again. We managed to catch some crappie from the boat house. She reeled in all of the fish on Pops’ spinning rod. Baby fish were the order of the day. Anna stayed with it until the bite dried up, then back to the sand box she went.
Since the pros left town after the B.A.S.S. Elite tournament, fishing has been spotty at best. One night it will take 12 pounds to win the local tournament, then the next night nine pounds wins. I’m not sure what methods were being used, but I’ve been throwing everything I can get my hands on. I got out Monday afternoon for short trip and pulled a 3.75-pound spotted bass slow rolling a spinnerbait near rocks. I could only manage a few dinks to go with her.
Tuesday was another short trip since we had to go get Anna to stay with us. I had one good fish swimming a jig on river grass a 3.5 pound largemouth. Bro-ther Butch and I fished the Wednesday night tournament, which with a bang. We landed a good keeper in the first 15 minutes but then went over two hours before we put another keeper in the boat. We caught four or five non-keepers, and two of them were an eighth of an inch short. At about 7:30 p.m., we finally boated a nice 2.75 pounder. I lost another fish on a frog that was a solid keeper that would have given us our third fish, but I swung and missed. The weights were lower, and we should have weighed in but did not. We had enough for third place. Once again, I ducked when I should have dodged. We boated had all of our fish from river grass. A few fish can be caught flipping, I think.
Honest Eric Hubbard caught a few fish on a jig and crankbait earlier this week. Unfortunately, he also caught the side of his face with a crankbait. He called to see if I was still on the water Tuesday. Eric had a good fish on the line that went airborne and threw the crankbait at him. It came back so fast that Erich could not move and it hit him in the face. He thought he might have to call me to come get it out of his face. I didn’t tell him that getting me to do so would have been as useful as an umbrella in the Sahara Desert. I probably would have yanked on it one time and passed out, and we both would have paid a visit to the ER.
Results for Tuesday’s tournament were Willy D. and Jake in first place with 9.12 pounds and a Big Fish of 4.10 pounds; second place went to Mike and Stan with 8.13 pounds; and third place went to Austin and Colby with 7.80 pounds. Wednesday’s results were Willy D. and Jamon in first place with 6.87 pounds and a Big Fish of 3.32 pounds; second place went to The Chief and Ladon with 5.74 pounds; and third place went to L.J. Brown and Grandpaw Wally with 4.78 pounds. Congratulations to all the winners this week.
I’m searching for someone to provide fishing reports and tournament results on the lower end of the lake. If anyone is interested, please message me on Facebook.
As the lake gets back to normal and the water clears up from the flooding fishing, it should settle on into the summer pattern. Also, the pros are still in Alabama at Lake Guntersville all this weekend, so get out and see them. All of those guys are super-friendly. The expo will be held Saturday and Sunday.
Until next time, tight lines and sparkle boats to all!
Marty Dixon is a 1982 Sardis High School graduate and retired high school educator and coach. He was head coach of the Gadsden State women’s basketball team from 2015 to 2019. He and his wife Texann live in Gadsden. He can be contacted at fishn4funin02@yahoo.com and the Neely Henry Bass Fishing page on Facebook.