May 24, 2015 - Hutto Lake Park

We had some very bad storms last night in the area. So bad in fact they had to shut down part of I-35 just north of San Marcos due to the Blanco river flooding. In Wimberly (a town southwest of Austin) they got so much rain the Blanco river there was 40+ ft above flood stage. I had some things to do at the house, but by 1:00pm I had nothing else on my list to do. It was fair most of the day and the sun would peek out every now and then, so I decided to go down to the pond and try my new rod+reel out again,

Just like yesterday, the place was a little crowded. It almost looked like the same people from the day before were there again. I started walking over to my favorite spot on the northeast side, but halfway there I noticed a man standing there. So, I decided to set shop halfway between the dock and where the man was at. The wind was blowing hard again at times, which really made it difficult to cast. After about 10-15 mins, I decided to walk clock-wise around the pond to try my luck on the northwest side. As luck would have it as soon as I got near the spot, I noticed a couple guys had already taken position there to fish. I noticed the man that was at the northeast side had left, so I kept walking around until I got to that spot.

On my second (or maybe third) cast I got a bite and set the hook and started to reel it in but evidently it got loose. It probably swallowed the worm from the end that didn't have the hook and I never even had it to begin with. Probably 4-5 casts after that I hooked one, though. It felt big, but when I got it to shore, it was a little dink probably 11" long. No more than 4-5 casts later, I caught my second one - a 14" LMB. Probably 10 mins after that, I caught another little dink just like the first one. I stayed there for about another 45 mins and while I felt a couple hits, I never got was able to catch anything else.

May 23, 2015 - Hutto Lake Park

I decided to hit the pond about 11:30am today to try out the new rod+reel and some of the new lures. I realized when I got there that I had forgotten to switch the handle on the reel to the right side. For some reason, spinning reels usually come with the handle on the left side while baitcasting reels have them on the right. I wasn't sure how to do it on this new Stradic reel, so I just went ahead and fished with the handle on the left side.

We've had a ton of rain the last few weeks and the weather this weekend is supposed to be more rain. It actually rained overnight several times as the thunder woke me up a couple of the times. So I was surprised in the morning when the rain had stopped. It was still mostly cloudy and some of the clouds were dark, but the rain held off for most of the morning. So I took the opportunity to head on down to the pond. I was expecting it to be empty since the ground was still a little damp from the overnight rains, but when I got there I noticed several people fishing. Luckily, no one was at my favorite spot on the northeast corner.

I fished for a good hour trying out different lures, but got nothing. The wind was a little strong - probably 10-15 mph and gusts of 20 mph - so it was hard to throw at times. As far as the new rod+reel, it took a while to get used to it, but I finally got it working. I switched over to a 5" pumpkin senko worm and after about 10 casts, I finally landed a largemouth bass. It felt huge on the new rod+reel, but ended up only being 16", which isn't too bad. When I was reeling it in, the drag was set too low so I had to adjust it while I was still reeling the fish in. When I got it close to the bank, I just lifted it out with my hands. After raking some pictures and throwing the fish back, I adjusted the drag a little more.

One of the times I was reeling in I just happened to look down and right in the water about 4' away from me was that snake just sitting there looking up at me. It startled me so I jumped a little and when I did the snake took off out in the pond. It circled away from me and swam to the pond grass to the right of me. I figured I had enough for the day anyway, so I packed it up and went home without catching anything else.

May 22, 2015 - New Rod and Lures

I had a bunch of points saved up at work, so I decided to use them to get a new Shimano Crucial rod to go with my new reel earlier this week. I also got some squarebill lures, a buzzbait, some craws, and some more hooks. When I was at work today, I got an email saying the packages had arrived. So after work, I headed over and picked them up. When I got home, I put the reel on the rod and was hoping that the rain would subside a little this weekend so I could try them out.

May 16, 2015 - Hutto Lake Park

I hadn't been fishing since May 9th due to all the rain we've been having. This morning was cloudy, but rain-free so I decided to go to the pond nearby and try my luck. I noticed the water was actually nice after all the rain we had. It had about the same clarity and was only up about 2-3". The pond has a drain on the north side, so it must have been draining the water pretty good the last few days. I tried the southeast side for about 30 mins with no luck, so decided to hit the northeast side. While walking to the spot, I noticed a man with two dogs who had them running loose. I'm not one to complain, but there is a sign that clearly states all pets are to be on a leash at the front of the park.

After about 20 mins of catching nothing at the new spot, I decided to switch the handle on my spinning rod to see if it worked better if I spun with my left hand vs. my right. As luck would have it, I threw my lure in and started reeling in with my left hand and then I got a bite. After a good struggle, I finally landed this 14" largemouth bass:

Needless to say I switched the handle back to the right side as that just felt bad all around. The new Stradic reel I bought the day before has the handle on the left side, so I guess I'll have to move it over to the right side once I get a rod for it.

May 15, 2015 - New Fishing Reel

I've been eyeballing the Shimano Stradic ci4+ spinning reel for a while now, but the price has been a bit steep (around $230 brand new). In the online bass fishing message board I frequent I came across a pro fisherman who was actually wanting to unload his Stradic ci4+ 1000 for a good bargain. We collaborated on a price and I met him to buy it. It's a really nice reel as it is about half the size of the reel I have on my $30 Zebco, and it has a smoother and faster spin.

Now I just have to buy a Shimano spinning rod to go with it. I have some points saved up from work, and they actually have a couple of Shimano freshwater reels available, so I may get it from there as the rods are kind of expensive, too.

May 9, 2015 - Hutto Lake Park

What turned out to be a slow day ended up being really good (for me, anyway). I finished the day catching four LMB. I got to the pond/lake around 7:00am and tried the northeast section first. After getting nothing for the first 45 mins, I decided to head to the southeast section. While walking past the dock, I noticed several people fishing. I setup shop on the rocks on the southeast side and commenced to fishing my 5" watermelon senko. About 10 mins later, I landed a relatively small LMB (around 12-13"). As I was taking a picture of it, an approximately 12yr-old boy walked by and got all excited about the size of the fish. He asked if he could take it to show his dad, but I told him I had to let it go. About 10 mins later, the boy came back with all his fishing gear and asked if he could fish next to me. I didn't see a problem so I told him sure. He then started asking me 100 questions about bass fishing (like I'm an expert). I told him what I knew and since he had no tackle for bass fishing, I gave him a 2/0 hook and a 4" pumpkin senko and told him where and how to cast it. He threw it a few times, but got nothing. I had to leave, and when I left I notice he had snagged it in some of that pond grass. Here is the fish I caught:

Later, I decided to go back to the pond to try my luck fishing near dusk. I first tried the rock pile where I last fished with the boy, and sure enough I spotted the senko I had given him stuck in the grass. I should have rigged it weedless before giving it to him. Oh well. I tried at that spot for about 30 mins with no luck, so moved over to the northeast side. After about another 30 mins I finally got a bite, but while reeeling it in, it got loose. Bummer as it felt kind of big. About 15 mins later, I got another bite, but this time I managed to reel the fish in which was quite easy since he hit it about 10' away from the shore:

Not more than 8 mins after letting that one go, I caught another one:

And 9 mins after that one, yet another one:

By that time my back was killing me for some reason, and I decided to head out. I had actually walked down to the pond, so I had abut a quarter mile walk back home. It was definitely a good day all around.

May 7, 2015 - Hutto Lake Park

Stopped by the pond/lake again on my way into work and snagged this 14" LMB near the rock pile in the southeast part:

May 5, 2015 - Hutto Lake Park

Stopped by before heading into work and caught this 15" LMB on a senko in the northeast section:

May 3, 2015 - Hutto Lake Park

Went back the next day even earlier. I think I arrived around 6:30am, but didn't catch anything the whole first hour. The next hour I caught these two 14" LMB in the northeast side on 5" watermelon senkos:

May 2, 2015 - Hutto Lake Park

Headed down early on Saturday to see if the fish were biting. Got there about 6:45am and noticed another person fishing in the spot I've been going to lately on the southeast shore. So, I walked up to the opening in the northeast side and about 20 mins later, I caught this nice 14" LMB on a 5" watermelon senko:

Not even 5 mins later, I snagged this 18" LMB in roughly the same spot using the same lure:

I'm not 100% sure, but this fish or the one I caught back in April were my personal best. Both were about the same size and weight.

April 26, 2015 - Hutto Lake Park

Caught this 14" largemouth bass near the rocks on the southeast shore in the morning:

April 24, 2015 - Hutto Lake Park

Decided to stop by before heading into work. I didn't catch anything, but I took a couple of photos of this snake swimming by me:

April 18, 2015 - Hutto Lake Park

Decided to try my luck fishing at the pond/lake again on a Saturday morning. Got there a little after 7:00am, and caught these two largemouth bass on a 4" pumpkin senko (thought I try something different):

Both were in the 14-15" range. The first one I got by the rocks on the southeast side and the second was on the north side by the drain. I went back in the afternoon around 2:00pm, and snagged this nice 16" largemouth bass in the north side by the drain:

April 5, 2015 - Hutto Lake Park

I went by the little lake/pond two times - once in the morning and once in the mid-afternoon. Both times I picked up a small largemouth bass. The first one I caught was at a new place - on the southeast side next to the hike/bike path where all the rocks are:

The one in the afternoon was caught in that small place on the north side next to the drain:

Both were caught using a 5" watermelon senko, which has become my main lure now.

April 4, 2015 - Hutto Lake Park

After getting skunked at Lake Pflugerville several times, I decided to go back to Hutto Lake Park. I noticed in the north part where all the vegetation is located, someone had cleared out a small space next to the drain that regulates the level of the lake/pond. So, I decided to squeeze in there and see if I would have any luck.

I started fishing about 11:30am, and after not getting a bite for about 30 mins I was about to pack it up and try another spot. But then I finally landed a bass - my first one there and probably the first one I've caught in about 35 years. I can't recall the exact size, but I think it was around 13-14". I caught it with a weighted white jog hook with a white 4" grub:

After letting it go, I felt a rush of adrenaline in me and decided to stay there and try my luck some more. And I'm glad I did. After about another 15-20 mins., I landed another fish. I could tell when I caught it, it was a lot bigger than the last one I caught. When I got it on shore, I quickly got out my little 6" measuring stick that came with one of my tackle boxes and laid the fish beside it. It wasn't until later when I got home and used MS Paint to guesstimate the length to be around 18-19". A really nice sized largemouth bass. I figure it weighed a good 3+ lbs as well and was definitely a personal best for any type of fish. What's funny is I had left the weighted white head jig hook on but added a 5" watermelon senko on it.

Wow, that really pumped me up. So I decided to try once more. After about another 30 mins, I landed another largemought bass - this one about the same size as the first one I caught above. This one, though, really fought hard. And even when I landed him, he was flapping all over the place. He flapped so hard he came loose from the hook and landed on the ground, which is why the pictures show him with a lot of grass/debris. I caught him with a 5" watermelon senko.

After about another 30-40 mins of fishing and not catching anything, I decided to go back home. However, still feeling excited about what I caught earlier, I decided to go back around 5:30pm and try again. This time I tried fishing the very northeast part of the lake/pond next to the vegetation that lines the whole north side. While I was fishing kept noticing a fish jumping in the vegetation to my left, but I couldn't get my bait in there, so I kept fishing along the other vegetation. About 30 mins later, I finally caught one - another 14" largemouth bass. When I was reeling it in, the fish decided to head to some vegetation and I actually had to wade out in the water about 5' from the shore to get him. I felt pretty bad as he had swallowed the hook and there was no way I could get it out with severely injuring or killing him. So I cut the line off as close to the hook as I could and let him go. Hopefully he survived. I caught it with a 5" watermelon senko (T-rigged):