Aside from sailing or surfing, the wind is not the friend of anyone nautical. In certain places it positions the fish, but that was not the case today. Lake Ferguson was falling slightly this morning when I hit the lake around 9:30, and the wind WAS blowing around 12 MPH and was on the increase. I had many ideas of good places to fish but due to the wind many were almost impossible. The ironwood bushes, or closer to trees, were another impediment. The some of the willows around the lake have died and many of the others have had the tops broken out. When the water falls out, this allows sunlight to reach the ground and the ironwoods have prospered. Fishing around ironwoods is very difficult for me. When you get hung up in one it is rarely easy to get unhung and many times you end up sacrificing your bait. I have always said an ironwood bush is a bass’s best friend. I started off with a vibrating jig and a DT-6 of course. I have been taking a portrait of my DT-6 each time I go fishing because it has caught so many fish and it is getting beat up. If I lose it I want something to remember it by.

By 1:15 I had not the first bite and decided to try one more spot, which was the last I had in mind. By now I had the aforementioned baits on the deck along with two swimbaits, a KVD 1.5, a redeye shad and a green jig with a trailer. The water had 3 1/2 feet of visibility and was just over 51 degrees. I use the DT-6 just like a jerk bait moving it very slowly. As I eased into the spot I noticed some nervous shad which was a good sign. This place was out of the main wind, no waves but enough wind to blow you around. The spot was lined with ironwoods too. There was a sandy ridge where there was only one ironwood bush. I threw the DT-6 there first and at first thought I was hung but I began to feel a fish on the other end. It was a 6 1/2 pound that fought but not like they do when the water is warm. The bait was sideways in its mouth. When I put it in the boat I had to bring it in by the gill cover. No landing penalty, if you watch Major League Fishing on TV.

It is very hard to take a good photo of your fish, holding the fish with one hand and operating the camera with the other. Your arm is just not long enough. I am always in a hurry to return the fish to the water so they will not be stressed. Some of the guys on the TV fishing shows will hold the fish out for what seems for ever to me. When they catch one I wish they would hold their breath until they release the fish. If they hold the fish out too long while they are jabbering, I quickly turn them off. After I caught this one I had another bite but no fish. That made me think I needed a bait with more hooks so out came a deep diving jerk bait with three sharp trebles. I quickly caught three more but much smaller. I then went around the spot casting parallel to the ironwoods hoping to catch some that may be just on the outside of the bushes and be able to see the bait in the clear water. That worked for two more and a couple more bites but it was obvious that things were slowing down. If I were going tomorrow I would be in that spot at 11:45. Snatched the fat out of the fire with six bass in all with the 6 1/2 FOD.