Went to Lake Cassidy at 4pm and fished until 8pm...was sunny but windy....had t-shirt on to start had to put on sweatshirt and then winter coat...trout fisherman 4 were at launch water level still way up but lily pads are showing...launched and went left...stayed on launch side of lake...tried spinnerbait, swim bait, buzzbait and my goto lure perch rapala top water #7. Had no hits on anything out deep or in middle of pads...was kayakingweek ago and was dead calm and saw some shallow fish that I spooked so figured they maybe shallow...hit first cove by blue house and saw a big wake but didn't get any bumps taps or swirls on my minnow or buzzbait...went down the shoreline from there casting here and there between getting blown all over the place...no luck for two hours...got to next newer dock and that cove and calmed down some....made long cast into the cove between pads on right and shore on left...about third twitch big explosion and fish on! Had to horse him out of lily pads between me and him and got him in...lip him 11" good first bass of the year. Take photo and video and off he goes...couple more casts...think I am getting a nibble try swimming minnow pause it and feel a tug...fish on...nope fish off...try a cast to left and another hit fish on...then off guess he didn't want to see the boat....one more cast to left side of cove...couple twitches and bam....jumper...one hop and reel him in 12". Leave cove go around last dock and try shoreline and move the minnow to fast and see a big swirl...and spook him....get two more close to shore 11" and 11"...very windy again...so decide to head for boat launch...get to last dock and calm again...so try close to shore about third cast fish on...another 11".

Not bad day five in the boat and four more lost...all on top water minnow.
Think it needs a few more warm days for bite to really pick up.

All fish caught photographed and released.

James

---