Spawning Bass Can Be Tricky
Spring was in full bloom at Miami Whitewater Forest Lake on Sunday May 6. Wow, what a difference two weeks can be! On April 21 these fishermen braved a 32-degree morning with spitting snow. The weather was much more comfortable for this derby, but the fishing was very challenging.
Successful fishermen understand seasonal patterns. They dictate where the fish will be and what the will be eating. A combination of the first week in May, a full moon and 65-degree water sets up for a very specific pattern: many of the fish were spawning. If you can see those fish in clear water, then you can trick them into biting a lure. However, is the colored water at Miami Whitewater Forest, it is nearly impossible to see them on spawning beds in 3 feet of water. Those fish are not aggressively eating, so they are really hard to catch.
Matt and Steve Wheeler found a specific way to get the bass to bite. It didn’t result in large numbers of fish, but instead the right size. The topped all competitors with a five bass limit that tipped the scales at 13.05 lbs!
Mike and Mark Toht finished second with only two keepers, but WOW were they ever big! Their two fish weighed 9.04 lbs, anchored by the biggest fish weighed in all day at 5.98 lbs! The won a plaque, the big fish jackpot and a gift card to Hamilton Bait & Tackle for that brute.
Larry Fillers and Elvis Miller rounded out the top three with a limit that weighed 8.78 lbs.
The top three place teams were awarded plaques and $1,732.50 in Great parks gift cards. There were 34 teams that participated, and 23 of them successfully weighed in fish. We weighed a total of 102.05 lbs of beautiful Miami Whitewater Forest Lake bass.
Our next Bass Series event will be at Winton Woods Lake on May 19. Entry fees are $70 per team, which includes the boat rental. You can pre-register online here or beginning at 6 a.m. the day of the event.
Hope to see you there!
Neal Ramsey
Director of Guest Experiences-West Region
Matt and Steve Wheeler hold their catches
