Quick Trip Before Work

Wanting to wet a line before work the next day, I planned on taking a quick trip out to New Underwood Dam in the morning this week to see if anything was around. I hadn't been there since the spring and was hopeful that the cooler weather would spark some of the better bluegills in the dam to be feeding heavier.

I was only going to bring a couple of rods rigged with snell hooks, Northland Fishing Tackle slip bobbers, a few split shots for weight and some Eurotackle Mummy Worms for bait. I would start at the boat dock and fish above the weeds as best I could, then move out to the dam and toss the setup beyond the closer weeds into the deeper water.

My Sonarphone T-Pod bobber would feature prominently in my approach, as I would use it to see the depth, structure, and whether any fish were around. Casting out the T-Pod, I slowly reeled it in and held it at various points, trying to find the best places to cast my line to that had the least amount of overgrown weeds below it.

I was able to figure out about how far my slip bobber stop needed to be at to keep the worms out of weeds, which in many cases, was less than two feet above the height of the weeds. But the readings also showed some fish in the area, hovering just above them so I figured there was a good chance at catching some fish.

There were plenty of hits, but the quick hitting fish proved difficult to set a hook into. I did manage to catch several in the area, most being small, but some reasonable ones were caught as well.

With the wind blowing out of the northwest, the second location on the dam proved difficult to cast into without some added weight on the casting line, but using the T-Pod helped to eliminate a few spots and allowed me to use my time more efficiently.

The depth was deeper and taller weeds weren't as much of a problem, so I was able to drop the presentation to the depth where fish were showing up on my smart phone thanks to the T-Pod. Like before, most of the fish were small, but there were some better ones there, though none over 9" that I'm always after when going after bluegills.

At least the fish were in a biting mood and I got a couple of hours of enjoyment in before heading off to work. Take advantage of those close home waters when you can. Having something that gives you depth readings, like the T-Pod, gives you an advantage and can help make your trip more efficient and successful by showing you where structure and fish are. @After all, fishing before work can add a sparkle to your day.