20181009- Hitting the Major.Major with Summer like Temps the day after the New Moon FAL (Fish Activity Level) @94%

What a great combination of good weather and good FAL! I was excited to get on the water. The combination of conditions was perfect except for the downed water levels at my favorite trophy Reservoir. Current water levels were down 4 to 6 feet for Dam repair this could work for me or against me. Concentrating fish seems to be a good thing so we'll see.

Once at the boat launch I did a careful review for safe launching conditions. The concrete slabs for the launch were out of alignment and there were 8 to 10 in drops from the top of the concrete slab to the lake bottom at the end of the slab. A bad scenario for trailer axles! One corner of the launch offered the safest entry into the water. It required a slight offset in the angle of launch of the boat for the safest entry.

Once the boat was launched I noticed another Angler setting up for and checking out the launch.

Striking up a conversation I pointed out the safest launch entry point and direction for him to Launch. By further discussion, he disclosed he was fishing for and targeting walleyes. He stated this was a lake he rarely fished but has done well in the past on walleyes and smallmouth bass. He continued talking while checking his phone that he was here to fish the major period and had only a couple hours to fish… my jaw was dropping a bit… then he stated he surprises many of his fishing buddies with his large quantities of walleye fishing the periods midday in the middle of summer… yep then the jaw hit the ground.

Literally hundreds of discussions thru the years with fishermen on the water and at the launch sites… including ice fishing…. Fishermen that just don’t get it don’t believe in it or ignore solunar strategy all together. Then there are some that believe there is a relationship with the full moon and fishing/hunting success/failure but may also be a coincidence in their experience. I have never met another fisherman that “got it”… fishing the intra-day solunar major and minor periods.

Once on the water and on my way to my first waypoint checking map depths to actual sonar readings revealed a drawdown in water level between 4 and five foot on avg. the water surface temp sitting at low 60’s.

My Rod bundle for the day included 3 long-cast micro jigging rods and 2 slip/float/spring cricket/waxie setups. I’ve been really excited about my spring cricket fly and jig pattern… lately it’s been causing some real excitement with the Lepomis including a Certificate fish the past month.

An Intra-Month New Moon Period @ 94% and timing the Major.Period Intraday becomes a Major.Major, an awesome timeframe to be in for fishing success.

Once settled onto the flat which was one time sitting steadily at 9-0’ and now 5-0’ I noticed the fish were slow in bite thinking they now have become widely scattered due to the reduced water levels.

I started some controlled drifts with wind and trolling motor and picked up the pace on the bite a bit. Most of the bites were long-casting/micro jigs/waxies… my go to method.

The fishing was still at a slower pace than normal for the period consideration.

I noticed some potential weather coming in with thunder in the far distance. Checking Accucast weather I noted a t’storm small in size and started working my way towards the bridge for some temporary cover.

The life of the t’storm was about 35 mins so I continued fishing under the bridge using the slip/float/spring cricket/waxie method putting some nice casts tight to the concrete.

In a short time frame I connected with a great fish along with a great fight on the Ultra light setup… right away I knew it was a good LMB by the battle and played it carefully with pressure keeping it away from the bottom rubble. I netted and visually sized it up I thought immediately it was a certificate fish… I quickly took a few snaps and stretched the massive LMB on the scale… at best I stretched the fish to 21.75 but it averaged 21.5… @ 21.75 my Personal Best! I quickly released the HAWG back into the water. WOW!!!

On my way back to the launch the walleye angler I spoke to earlier stopped me to show me his limit of walleyes and a nice N.Pike!

Another great day on the water folks!

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