I went out to Welch (I really miss Rocky and Yegua) this morning. There were a good number of poles set out with bells on them. They weren't ringing though

I fished from about 6:45 to 8:00 AM and only caught 5. The problem is the shad spawn hasn't really moved forward with these cooler temperatures. I didn't see any shad spawning this morning. I suspect it will explode soon.

As the moon of April goes full the thread-fin shad spawn will be peaking. J-Moe and I finally lined up on some fish early Sunday morning. What we witnessed was not beyond our expectations for the beginning of this season in the life cycle of the fish. All the bass and catfish probably grow more in the next two months feasting on spawning shad than they will the rest of the year. It is a eight week long morning buffet at the shoreline all around the lake. The action can be non-stop at daybreak but seldom continues long after sun-up but as J-Moe and I learned this morning the second wave of the day begins as the "clean-up" crew arrives... OH WHAT FUN!

With low wind, nice temp & weekend, was it very crowded & "wall-to-wall" people?

Are Rocky and Yegua parks closed?

I'm sure it was "wall to wall" at all the popular places... not something I care to witness or partake in if I have a choice.
The whole south shore is walk-in only and it's a long tough hike in the dark to get to the fish before sun-up.
If you do not know the lake very well I'd advise against venturing out to far off the beaten path..
I've done this all my life and know most of the terrain and lake very well which feeds my aversion to crowded places.
Just ask J-Moe.. I'll go places where the fishing is not the greatest even knowing where the best fishing is and the crowds that follow...

They have been on fire until Thursday. It will start again tomorrow

Now there is a Somervillian with Confidence from many years on the lake. I need to look closer at my schedule for tomorrow

Thanks for the post!!

They closed Rocky and Yegua to day use bank fishing permanently. They will allow boat launch until October. Then it will be RV / Campsite admission only. Maybe a few emails to our state congress men and women would bring it to their attention that the Corp is taking away the whole southern half of the lake from us bank and kayak fishermen. I've sent them so many ugly emails in past 6 months they may not listen to me

I might just purchase a pass for a kayak launch and fish from the bank. Just to see how quickly they'll be there to jump on me and make me drag my kayak out 5 feet in the water to fish the same spot

They're not really fishing trips. I call them hiking, kayaking or video trips. I usually end up sitting on the bank watching him fish. He catches three 6 inch bluegill, pounds his chest and says he's a far greater fisherman than J-Moe.

They're more like mini adventures, but every once in awhile those mini adventures turn into epic fish catching adventures. On more than one occasion I've been with Ben catching fish with not another soul in eyesight the entire day. When he hits, he hits big.

That's awesome. Way to think outside the kayak.

Yah, as much as I hate it, I'll give him credit for a few secret honey holes. And it's always entertaining

Some incorrect information. There were quite a few..ALOT of bank fisherman this weekend on both Yegua and Rocky...

Really??? The parks are always closed on weekends to bank fisherman because it is greater than 75% full. The article in the paper quoted the information I wrote.

I guess I need to call the park for myself.

I confirmed with a friend of mine who called them today. No day use passes. Only RV and Boat launch. So if you saw lots of people they must have all rented campsites.