Beaverdam & Pennys Bend Eno - 5/2

[Jeffonc]

Started my day off with a lazy 7:00 wake up and made it to the Beaverdam launch at 8. Water is up, which I was hoping for...


They're doing some work down there at the launch - replacing the posts & cable with some rip-rap. Curious to see what they come up with and how launch-friendly it is going to be. Curbside launching today...


The wind was really working up the lake, and given the first opportunity to make a bad choice, I jumped with both feet. Headed downwind toward the Old Weaver bridge rip-rap wall. It was rough on the windy side, couldn't fish topwater, couldn't keep the boat in place. Actually had a good fish take my King Shad while I was trying to get repositioned after a cast. Line was all up in the brush and while I was trying to get it free, I noticed that it seemed to be making a V back toward the boat... As I got it tight, I saw about a 4lb fish roll right next to me in the boat, stuck to the king shad. I realized I had the fish, the fish realized it had me, and that was the extent of our relationship... gone. Would have been my first swimbait fish - can't believe it declined the honor.

Worked the upstream side of Old Weaver rd where it was more protected from the wind, but no activity.

Paddled back into a stiff wind and hit the cove downstream from the Old Weaver launch. Worked way back into the skinny water with horny toads, king shad, ms-slammer, senko & fluke, but no takers. Water temps were reading 68-69 inside the hull.

I decided to give up on the lake and head up to Penny's Bend to see if I could rescue the day and erase the skunk. Got there around 11:30 and fished until 1. Only a couple of cars in the downstream parking area and only 1 in the gravel lot. I caught 5 whites, all at or just below the Old Oxford bridge, all on white rooster tail. First 4 were pretty small - all 8" and skinny:


but the last one was a bit better - around 12in.



I managed one unplanned slide down the mud and into the water (with a witness, no less!). Slippery stuff there and tough to claw back out of. Sorry, no pictures of that.