I'm back, and it's time for another round of my favorite game fish, SHAD! I know how much y'all have missed me...

With the warmer temps, I couldn't stand it any longer, and I had to go out to scout my favorite haunts. Jack Frost was good to us this year, bless his pointy little icicles, the banks at Bissell, and Bart's are looking good, even if the water is a little high yet.

Bissell was marginally fishable, the water was mostly clear, and free of debris but there wasn't much current. And while the water wasn't up into the parking lot, it had staked a claim to a fair part of the ramp. I didn't waste any time there, and headed over to Bart's.

While the Farm'y was up, it wasn't too bad or hard to fish. Especially above the RR bridge, where the water was only up to the feet of the trees closest to the water. I had plenty of room to stand and, more importantly, cast. Water was clear but moving languidly. I forgot my thermometer so, no surface temp but the water looked cold, and probably was due to the recent rain. (I doubt there is any snow melt contributing to the runoff.)

It was a beautiful morning to be out for about an hour, just before 10 to 11:20-ish. Nice and warm in the sun, with little to no breeze. And nobody around except passersby, a few of whom stopped to chat. In brief, I took casting practice today. I didn't really expect anything, and when a fat bug treading water mid-stream floated by entirely unmolested, it confirmed what I expected: no fish today. Maybe tomorrow morning, we'll see if I can steal an hour or two.

Important stuff, tackle: one-piece UglyStick U/L rod, Penn 4200 SS reel spooled with 10# Power Pro. Terminal tackle: 5/8 oz drail, ~4-1/2' leader of 8# Flouro over silver willows (I tried a yellow with black dot, and a green/white with black dot). I love this set up, it casts like a dream, and I can throw it all day long!

I'm looking forward to this year's run, and can't wait for the ladies to make an appearance--tight lines!