SE Winds and Cold on Lake Aldred - 03/28/10

Hello Folks,

I was able to get back on Lake Aldred (Susquehanna River) yesterday. It was my first trip to my home waters and the conditions were rather poor. The air temp was 32 degrees when I left my home and there was a slight southerly breeze blowing. That changed rather quickly once I was on the water and the winds picked up to 15+ mph from the SE.

It is nearly impossible to hide anywhere on Lake Aldred from a SE wind.

I launched around 7:15 a.m. and headed to the west shoreline where I found nice colored water... emerald green. The current was moving rather well which indicated that the Safe Harbor Power Station was pumping water through the generators. The water temperature was 45 degrees and a bit warmer than when I started fishing further north on Saturday.

I had decided to only toss two different styles of lures... a tube and a Rat'l Trap. I stuck to that plan all day long, especially when the winds started to pick up. Why? Because I couldn't take the time to step off the trolling motor in such heavy winds around the rock ledges and boulders. I had placed two different colored tubes and 1/8th oz. tube head jigs on the front deck so I would have them available to me. This allowed me to change or replace break-offs without leaving the front deck of the boat. Safety first!

I didn't get a single bite before 11:00 a.m. So, I took some time to find a nice
quiet spot behind a boulder island to hunker down out of the wind, toss my anchor, and eat lunch. The hot coffee I brought along in the Thermos really hit the spot on this cold morning. Having 15+ mph winds blowing over 45 degree water makes for some cold, shivering feelings. Brrrrrrr!

Jeff and his wife, Penny, arrived on the scene around 11:30 a.m. after having a tough morning with their trailer lights. They brought some minnows to toss around and were only able to hit one walleye on their trip. You know it's pretty darn tough fishing when even the "eyes" and the smallies won't take live bait!

I headed back over to the west bank after talking with them and finally hit a 14" smallmouth bass on a tube. Yes! I was finally de-skunked. This is not a legal fish (18") for this time of year, but it felt good to feel a "thunk" on the other end of the line after fishing for nearly five "loooong" hours.

I decided to pack it up and head back to the ramp around 2:00 p.m. After a bumpy ride back, I arrived at the ramp. The wind died down a bit and I decided to fish in and around the launch. Good thing I did because a beautiful 15.5" smallie took my tube. Heck, maybe I should have been fishing there all day... LOL!

Take care,
Dad

p.s. Sorry, no pics today because I was still "playing" around with my new I-Kam Xtreme Video Sunglasses. I took a short video of a beautiful water fall I came upon along the shoreline. The water fall water was from the rain run off. The angling of the video is not too good so I decided to keep it in the vault! I'll keep practicing and will eventually get a decent one to show here.