Was out scouting yesterday afternoon from the bank, looking at water conditions. The rain definitely brought some changes with it. The river feeding the lake was pretty much at flood stage. Tried to do some bank fishing but the trash and limbs were so thick you couldn't hardly keep your line from getting ripped away.

Since owning a boat for most of my adult life, I've kind of forgotten what it was like to bank fish. Brought back a lot of memories. I've obviously forgotten how to do it properly as well. After catching a few dinks and losing a couple of better fish, I decided to try a different spot. That's where I don't miss bank fishing. Took me forever to find a fishable spot.

I was pretty far downriver from another guy fishing a spot that I would've thought had way too much flow to fish. I was trying to find slack water. Didn't take me long to realize he was killing it. He was fishing the outside bend of a deeper hole in the river. We were about a quarter to a half mile from where the river dumps into the north end of the lake. I watched him catch several fish, three of which were well over twenty pounds and one of those that I'm certain was at least 35. He wasn't having to deal with the limbs and trash as much because the flow there was so strong it was concentrating most of it into the center of the river. He was casting his bait close to the middle and letting it drift with the current on a tight line until it came to a rest. That's when I thought to myself, "oh yeah, dummy, that's how you're supposed to do it". Been a long time since I bank fished.

I have become spoiled with my ability to go anywhere I want on the water. Remembering those days reminded me of my blessings. It also makes me respect guys who don't have the means to get out in a boat. Guys who are good bank fisherman are really good fisherman period. The deck is stacked against them. When you can't get out in a boat, you're already cut off from about 90 percent of the available water. So frustrating to be on the bank, looking at a spot on the other side thinking, man if I could just get over there! Being able to get good at catching fish in ten percent of the water is worth noting!

As usual, I'm starting to ramble. The whole point of this post was to let you guys know the fish are definitely biting well after the rain. you definitely want to find the incoming water, and no, you can't have too much flow! I don't have any pics because I wasn't doing it right and couldn't produce anything worth taking pics of, but I'll be back out in the next couple of days and should be able to then. Good luck and less wind!

good flow is always good . thanks for your post

Glad at least you got out Geno, given the hurricane force winds we have been enjoying for the past what seems like 3 months.

Looking forward to the next calm day and bluebird skies, even if the fish aint biting so much. I gotta top up the tan for the summer!

Seriously, I have been suffering from severe cat'm withdrawal symptoms, and no one wants to see an old ugly guy cry.