I decided to head up north with new trolling motor this year and test out some of the bigger lakes I was avoiding without it. I got to Lake Terrell in Ferndale at 8:15am and already 3 guys fishing from dock and 3 empty trailers in the parking lot...guess I left late.
I have never fished there so went to right of boat launch and it was windy and lake is pretty wide open. I tried my top water perch rapala but went up a size to #7 due to rumored huge fish here. I also had on swimbait in bluegill color and a green/black spinner bait to start. I didn't see any fish moving near top as motored around the pads and no bites on top water or spinnerbait...so went deep in the pads closer to shore and found a good opening to cast the swimbait jig too...sure enough about 4th cast fish on...then fish went down and got snagged on a whole patch of lily pads...I kept the line tight and motored over to the spot I thought he was...and started pulling pads to find him...about minute into that my line came back empty...so had to be huge...or will be each year on re tell...never saw him just felt good.
I tried the pads and had a few more bumps on top water lure but no fish. Decided to head to other side and try to avoid the pads...I was trolling my top water minnow over and about half way over started to hit the bottom a lot...yep this lake is really shallow...so gave up trolling and made it to South corner on East side of lake by the channel...decided to avoid the channel and work the shoreline heading north...wise move. Caught a blue gill right away on top water minnow...then got out a ways from shore and cast my top water minnow...no bites on first few twitches decided to reel it in and fish on! 10" Bass this time...got one more smaller bass same way...then wind blew me closer to shore by reeds and cast with top water minnow behinds some reed and big roll and bite...I set the hook and fish on! This one came at the boat and whoa! That's a biggin! Had to find my drag I use 6-8lb test line and had to fight him a bit before I got a hand on his lip...he was snagged on the outside of his gill. I got him up and out of the water and he wiggled off and dropped back into the water and my pole came apart! He wasn't getting away that easy...I grabbed the top of the pole bottom landed in the boat and pulled him by hand back to the boat to lip him a 2nd time...got him. He was hooked very well took pliers and some work to get him unlooked...luckily he wasn't hooked on inside of gills and was fine. Took nice selfies and let him go. That was my big one this year 17"!
I got two more small bass on top water then tried the swim jig again...about 3rd cast had one hit almost to the boat and she hit hard...saw her right away and this time on 8lb test on 5 1/2ft spinning rod...she was pulling hard and after a good fight landed her. I say her as she had a huge belly. This one swallowed the jig and was also 17" but wider then the first and heavier. My guess as I didn't weight it is 3 lbs as it was fat.
I ended up quitting due to wind mostly and was just motoring around at the end to check out the rest of the lake.
I got 9 fish 8 Bass 2-17" 1-10" 2=9" 1-8" 2 dinks and one bluegill.
Lots of boats out there only saw one other boat catch anything.
I will have to come back again on less windy day.
All fish caught photographed and released.
James
