February 21, Pre-Practice Lake Ouachita, Arkansas
Annie writes:
I am getting homesick, and ready to take a break from fishing. Maybe it’s just getting cabin fever, and I need to get out of this tent. We have no TV, no radio, and I have read five, yes FIVE, books already on this trip. I guess I could go out fishing, but it’s too cold out there for me today.
Dan writes:
I decided that with the sixteen-inch limit on largemouth, maybe I ought to figure out how to catch spotted bass, which have a twelve-inch limit. I spent eight hours down in the lower lake trying, but never caught a spot all day. In fact, in four days of fishing I have not caught a single spotted bass
So lets review. Have I accomplished the goals stated back on Sunday? Two out of four, perhaps. Yes, I have looked at most of the lake, and yes, I have a guess as to what the fish might be doing when I return – moving up into shallow pockets with the warming weather. Have I though identified areas with higher concentrations of fish, and have I chosen the specific section of the lake I will fish upon my return? No. In four days of fishing I have caught only two keeper largemouth, and zero spotted bass. I have to admit that we will be leaving here tomorrow feeling less than optimistic about our return.