Well, no smile on my face today then LOL Just kidding, I still had a good time. I put in at the new marina and trolled around the entire lagoon, using hair jigs and trout magnets under floats. I tried varying depths and also tight lining next to the docks and boat slips. Caught one decent bluegill and that was it. Near where those 3 water fountains are, I saw a lot of baitfish swimming around and from time to time they would splash but it didn't look like anything was chasing them. Tried the hair jig and trout magnet close to them but nothing. I threw a rattletrap into the mix and along the edge of them but nothing. I did end up snagging a couple of shad though, and caught 2 drum on Senkos close to the rip rap. I was waiting for my buddy to show up so I went out in the main river and fished near the shore adjacent to the marina (saw no bait fish). Again, tried hair jigs and trout nagents under bobbers and varied depths - nothing.
Once my buddy showed up, we ran up river to the areas I fished last week and we looked for stumps and downed trees and tried the hair jigs and trout magnets...nothing. It sure is a pain fishing that 2-pound line in a good wind! That stuff is like thread.
Finally, we put away the panfish rigs and fished for bass the rest of the day along the rocks and bluffs. The water was super clear today, the cleanest I've seen it so far. We caught lots of dinks but also a few decent LM and some spots on flukes, watermelon-colored bitsy bug jigs and 1/4 oz sexy shad redeye shad rattle traps.
It may take me a few years but eventually I'll figure that river out...I have nothing but time, God willing
BTW, a guy that was bank fishing near the marina told me it was still too early for the crappie along there, he said they wouldn't show up till sometime in December...not sure if that's true or not but I sure had a hard time finding any today. But to be honest, there may have been thousands around me and I just didn't give them what they wanted, or how they wanted it. One of these days!