Ivan spurs bass activity

By Staff
September 17, 2004
Mike Giles / outdoors writer
With Hurricane Ivan churning the Gulf waters south of the Gulf coast I knew that there was only one thing to do. Go fishing. Experienced anglers know that the fish usually feed in a frenzy just before a storm or weather front comes through. With only one good afternoon predicted for the rest of the week, I launched my boat and headed out to one of my old hot spots on a local lake. Nary another boat was seen on the water. Imagine that.
As I slowed down and graphed a spot, about a half dozen bass busted through the choppy waves slashing the surface in search of an easy meal. The wind had already picked up to fifteen miles per hour straight out of the east. Usually an east wind means only one thing, lockjaw. An old saying that I picked up from Max Hodgins went like this, "Wind out of the east, fish bite the least." Well that is normally the rule, but on this afternoon, the east winds were coming off of the outer edges of the hurricanes strong storm waves.
Hurricane Bass
Dropping my marker buoy, I quickly shut off the engine and began to cast. After a couple of fruitless casts with a crankbait, I sent a Carolina rigged worm towards the action and instantly had a hook up. My first bass was caught and released to the "supper well." Ms. Kathy had instructed that I better bring in a few fillets before the weather got cold. Seems the kids might not understand the catch and release concept that I normally employ when they are hungry for fish. Today I would keep a few for the supper table, if I could catch them.
As the day wore on the wind seemed to calm somewhat and the surface activity picked up. Bass would strike at random here and there four or five at a time in some instances.
Four casts in a row brought four strikes and four bass in the boat. Carolina rigged June Bug worms and jigs were the ticket. With more bass striking out in the deeper water I could here that suppertime bell ringing. After moving some forty yards I switched crankbait colors and sent my new bait out into the midst of the mob. Just as it got to the boat it hit bottom and an angry bass slammed into it. Two more casts brought identical strikes, and bass. Switching back to a worm, the bass just kept hammering it. Worms, jigs, crankbaits and Wing Dings all produced strikes on this magical afternoon.
Enough for Supper
After securing enough to please my bride and children, I went back to my normal catch and release mode. The afternoon however, took on one of those magical auras that rarely happen. With the water all to myself the bass just kept slashing the shad and my lures. I would catch a few on a bait and then change to another just to see if they would continue to strike. Bass after bass did hit my lures right up until dark.
Although the storm will most likely spawn destruction when it crosses our mainland, it provided me with a short respite from the toll of everyday life as it spurred on the bass activity. As I caught and released one last bass on a jig, I had just enough time to make it to the boat landing before total darkness. In the future when I think of Ivan, I'll be reminded of a magical afternoon on the water.