Blue Marsh 7/1 & 7/2

[Deleted]

I certainly did not break any records for number of Bass caught this weekend but I still had a great time. The lake was very muddy this weekend up in the no-wake areas of the lake. With a holiday weekend per say I knew boat traffic would be awful on the main lake so I decided to stick with the upper launch both days. I got an early start on Saturday but it took nearly 2 hours to land my first Bass. I fished from about 6:00 AM until 11:00 and landed 5 LM bass. All were in the 12-15" size range. After heavy storms on Saturday I almost decided not to go on Sunday. I knew the upper lake would be a muddy mess and full of debris (which it was); but I opted to head out to the lake around 8:30 anyway. I'm so glad I went; in the first 90 minutes of fishing I landed two LM bass; one about 12" and the other was 14". Boat traffic was getting really heavy even up in the no wake so I wanted to hit one last spot before I headed in. After fishing the shady spot along the shore and coming up empty handed I was about to head in. For some reason I decided to make a few casts on the opposite sunny side of the bank and I caught my largest BM Bass to date. She put up a real fight on 6 lb. line and a ML spinning combo. But I have a lot of trust in my gear so I remained as calm as I could, haha. There's nothing like holding on to the rod with one hand and searching for the net which is under all of my gear while the Bass is pulling out line. I did manage though and got her netted; took a few pics and then set her in the aerated livewell for about 10 minutes so she could recoup from the battle. Then she was safely put back in the water where she swam away. So only 8 bass this weekend on Blue Marsh; but what a great time. From what I hear the bottom main lake ramps were closed off because the parking lots were full. That brought many pleasure boaters up to the upper ramp where the line was almost back to the road with folks waiting to launch. I talked to one guy who said he had waited almost 1.5 hours until he was able to physically launch his boat. I knew it was time to get off the lake at that point and head home.

[icemole]

Don't know if you saw my Saturday post .... Main lake was practically empty at least till we left at 11ish. No waiting at either dock even. Wasn't muddy but the "pea soup" was all the way down already.

[havnfun]

Congrats on a great fish. Did you get a weight?

[Deleted]

She measured in at just a tad bit over 24"; the only scale I have is a boga grip with a spring style scale and it was solidly on 8-1/2 (the scale only measures in 1/2 pound increments) but not sure on the accuracy of the scale. When reading customer reviews of the scale most say it's fairly accurate? By using the generic formula to get the weight of a fish I am fairly sure it was at least 8.

[havnfun]

There is a conversion chart online that says a 24" Largemouth should weigh 8.6lbs. so you are right on. Big fish for the northeast.

[icemole]

You can check the accuracy - go to your local butcher buy a 1 lb. steak also buy something heavier(ham, pork shoulder, roast) and compare weights just remember to weigh it without any "packaging". if it reads correct at 1 lb. it should read the heavier weight correct too(not always the case though). Not familiar with that scale - my Berkley digital has a "zero" adjustment screw that I can calibrate to match. I check my scale in spring and again in late fall - so far over the 15+ years I've owned it has stayed true with no more adjustments needed.

[Deleted]

I guess I need to go out and buy a nice 16 oz Filet Mignon; then I'll weigh it on the scale for accuracy and then throw it on the grill, haha : )

[zigtherat]

Congrats on the new BM personal best! That's a huge fish whatever the weight actually is and a great story to go along with it! That filet mignon trick sounds like a great idea haha.

[icemole]

I was not questioning the weight. He said he did not know how accurate his scale was, now he(and anyone else)knows one way to check. The scales at butcher/grocery stores are supposed to be certified.

[MasterBaiter]

The boga grips are usually quite accurate, congrats on a true Pennsylvania brute! Not many people in this state get a chance to wrestle in one that big, especially from a public body of water!