Ouch, I suppose it had to happen, but to get skunked on my favorite lake hurts. This was by far the worse trip of the year.

I and my wife got a late start and did not get on the lake until about 8:00 am, leaving by 3:00 pm, and that probably was part of the problem, but ................

We saw schools from 24' to 158' deep, but the downrigger failed to stir them into hitting. We used lures, wedding rings, you name it, from 1 mph to 3 mph, and nothing. We did cast to shore for Bass and hit a small one (~12"), but even they were tight lipped.

We saw one small fish caught by lead line trollers using pop gear, and talked to one boat that caught three fish doing the same early in the day (5 to 7 colors of lead), but that was it.

Now, for the warning. Launch at your own risk. Sure, I got my 17.5 footer in and out, and I saw 18 footers on the water, but I also saw trailers jumping rocks and getting stuck on the ledge while launching. Launching a larger boat right now is risky at best, foolish to say the least. Still, I may do it again later in the year. Take the time to wade the launch and pick your route carefully.

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