May is Rippin
The spotted bass bite in May just continued to get even better than in April! All the anglers fishing on Lake Shasta seemed to be talking about their huge number of fish being boated per rod for each outing. It was crazy good!
The water temperatures of Lake Shasta warmed from the mid-50’s to the 60’s, and as this change took place spotted bass became really aggressive, and hungry. April these fish were aggressive to be certain, but May showed us that food sources were of greater concern than spawn nests at this time. Many of the fish we were to boat appeared to be males with degradation of tails, and pectoral fins from building the redd (spawn nest). These fish tended to be really skinny, and would do their best to swallow the bait.
Big Wormin and Flies
Up and down the lake are hoots and hollers from folks boating primarily spotted bass, and an elusive large mouth, or cagey small mouth too. Stories of 30, 40, even 50+ fish outings were shared on the launching ramp with gusto, colorful wordings, and outright belly laughs. “Haven’t seen anything like this in years” was very common.
Even an inexperienced bass angler like myself could boat 20 fish, and I am really thankful to Andrew for showing me how to use the Neko rig. During May my daily totals climbed into the 30’s and beyond. Don had quit using his spinning gear, and began using his fly gear again. The flies Don was using are a pattern he dreamed up. He is quite imaginative, and his creations are very pretty. They are fuzzy, and flow at the same time, and look really natural moving in the water. Don was boating about 20 fish per day too, but kept pecking at me about my boat positioning, so much so I finally broke down and bought a new MinnKota trolling motor.
Boat Positioning
Now my learning curve spiked. The trolling motor was helping me keep in deep enough water so Don could cast towards the bank, but not keep hooking up the bottom. Running the motor and trying to fish was a chore though. We made it work pretty well by my casting my lures into the deeper water off shore, and Don casting to the bank. I found the boat positioned to keep 40 feet of water under us allowed both techniques to produce bass. I am quite certain that these fish seeming to be everywhere helped a bit too!
Springtime has some really gusty winds blowing periodically on Lake Shasta, so even using the trolling motor can be a huge task. We could be on a promising structure, make one cast, and have the wind drive us off before the baits hit the bottom. I did learn how to work a drift with the wind, but I is still extremely frustrating to not be able to cover the target area.
One afternoon Don and I were fishing some points on the McCloud arm of Lake Shasta when we observed a guy sitting about 100 yards off from a point catching fish after fish and not moving. The wind was blowing us all around. How could he just stay in that one spot without even an anchor rope that we could see? Hmm, I would have to find out.
The Electric Anchor
After weeks of this frustration I was trolling for Kokannee on Whiskeytown when I talked to a couple of fellows who were extolling the wonders of an i-Pilot for their trolling motor. So I looked into this product, and began to save for one. The anchor feature was what I was looking for!
I ordered the i-Pilot kit in late October. It arrived a couple of weeks later, and I rushed back home to attempt the install. There are lots of You Tube videos about this subject. I was ready.
Got home, set up the You Tube video, and began disassembling the trolling motor as was described. I noticed the new motor cover did not match up with the bottom cover. I tried to configure any number of ways, but it would not match. Hmm, pretty discouraging.
More Research
I spoke with everybody I could to find out most said this thing should work fine. Finally the rep, for Phil’s Propeller, for these products said I should call MinnKota directly for more information. What I found out from MinnKota was that all PowerDrive units after 2016 were constructed differently than the previous models, so the kit I received would not work. Not only did it not fit, there is a bunch of software upgrades installed that were not compatible. The new kit allows for more bluetooth options, like pairing with mobile phones, and sonar units. I ordered the unit from the MinnKota part number that was given to me. It still has not arrived as of this writing, but I am following up with everyone I can talk to. The new version of the i-Pilot that works with my motor, (and some others), seems difficult to find. We are going to try ordering it straight from MinnKota.
Be Ready for Windy Conditions during Spring months
The bass bites are tremendous during the Spring months after the pre-spawn, but those hunting for these fish need to be prepared for the windy conditions on Lake Shasta. Having the right technologies is very helpful, but not absolutely necessary. The fishing is still satisfying going old school. Look for rock points, and rip rap along the shoreline, and use your imagination to continue what you see out from the bank. The fish will be where you think! Then you will be Ketchinnee!