Wednesday Evening Conditions: Winds W 20-25 mph, Mostly Sunny, 57-58 deg water temp.

There were very strong westerly winds on Lake Monona this evening, so I decided to skip fishing offshore structure for staging fish and to limit my fishing to shallower, protected shorelines. I found several fish shallow, including the two shown below, congregating in small areas. I saw several beds, with solitary occupants, but with the exception of one bass, all fled immediately when they saw the boat. I picked up a few fish sight fishing for spots cleared in the green “moss-like” blanket that cover most of the weeds that covered the bottom. In addition to the bare spots in weeds, I also targeted docks, shoreline timber and rock. There did not seem to be one specific type of structure that was more productive than another. I just put the MinnKota down and covered bank. I did not catch any huge fish tonight, but the ones I caught were definitely healthy-sized.

For lures, Gambler’s new Wacky Jig Head was the one that produced for me. I was quite impressed with some of the features, too. The hook has a short shank, fiber weed guard, and small, weighted head which worked ideally for the conditions I encountered tonight. I threaded a Gambler Sweebo wacky worm on the jig head. I only tried a June Bug color which seemed to work right off the bat. On a side note, this was my first time really testing Suffix Elite fishing line. And let me say, I believe that this line is really tough. I hooked into my first and largest fish of the evening half way down a dock. The bass took me in and out, and around several dock poles before I landed it. The line was visibly frayed in several spots, so I decided to fish with it in that condition the remainder of the night to test its strength. I was amazed that I did not have a single line break on the 10-pound test the remainder of the evening. I guess you can say that I am now a Suffix believer!


Wacky Rig: Rogue Rods SJ663S with 10 lb Suffix Elite. 1/8 oz Gambler Wacky Jig Head and June Bug Gambler Sweebo worm.