Jun 02 2021
Chris Harper
Fry
Member Since :
2020
Number of Posts :
42
Reservation Number : 28695
Property Name : Kickapoo Lake
Reservation Date : 05/30/2021 All Day -
Total Fish/Sizes : 28 total up to 6 lbs
Lures Used : Chatterbait and Topwaters
I had a lot of fun fishing Sunday at Kickapoo lake. The fish were very aggressive, and when they hit a lure, they meant business. The biggest of the day was just over 6 lbs, 3 went 5 to 5 ½ lbs, and 10 fish were in the 3.6 to 3.9 lb range. I got on the water around 10:45 am; it was overcast, and the water was tea-colored with 12” to 18” of visibility. Chatterbait with gold blade worked the best throughout the day. I tried many different lures and caught a few on a rattletrap and Carolina rig, but every time it slowed down, the chatterbait would produce. I threw the chatterbait until my forearms locked up.
Around 5:30 pm, the topwater bite turned on, and the frog and the shower blows SB125 produced some awesome strikes. The fish would knock 3 feet of slack in my line when they hit the chatterbait, which was a ton of fun.
You do have to clean the grass off your lure fairly frequently, but it’s manageable. I caught only 1 fish in the deep 19-foot water, and that was on the Carolina rig, but it was a 5 ½ lb drag pulling momma.
I left them still biting at 7:45 pm, and I did Cull 7 fish under 14” all the fish I caught looked very healthy and made for an enjoyable trip.
Here are few pics I took.
Jun 02 2021
Steve Alexander
Admin
Member Since :
2002
Number of Posts :
1129
I love this report. And I thank all the members who made this possible for Chris. 10 years ago this lake, likely, had 2 or 3 fish in the entire lake that weighed more than 3 lbs. This lake was a classic stunted bass lake. 99% of the fish were 10-12” and weighed less than ½ lb.
This is what is possible when the club members harvest the small bass. The food chain opens up. More of the food chain (Bluegill and Red ear sunfish) are left to feed fewer, yet bigger fish. We added no additional forage, no additional habitat, no fertilization. We let harvest do the job. It has taken a long time, but the size of these fish have been on the increase for the past few years.
Great job, Chris!! Thanks for sharing.