BY BRADY GARRETT
ESCONDIDO— There may be a formula to having a good day at Lake Wohlford, and it has nothing to do with fishing. It has to do with someone trying to cut me off in the permit line. Twice this year I’ve been first, and those same two times someone tried to make me second. Neither got what they wanted, and I went on to have epic days.
I never have any idea what I’m going to find when I get to Wohlford, but there are certain signs that will point to a positive or negative day. Bryce and Jason were on the dock on this foggy morning, and these are some good dudes. Very efficient, friendly, and are always aware of anglers’ time, as in, they don’t waste it. The next good sign came in the form of the water level, in that it was much lower than my last visit. This is good, as I’ve had horrible luck at this lake when the level is up.
The first stop was a spot we call “Joe’s Rocks,” named after local legend “Mexico Joe,” who has had tremendous success in this zone. I tossed out a fourth rotation on the reel, SWOOSH, the Choppo got nuked. About 30 seconds later, she was in the net, and when I first saw the head, I thought it was a double-digit. Then I saw how skinny she was, and she ended up weighing 7.5 pounds on the dock scale. Not a bad start.
From there, the topwater bite took off. The fog was lingering, and the bass were up shallow chasing…something. Sometimes I thought it was fry, other times I thought it was small shad. The good and bad was that there was no real structure to focus on. The boils and chasers were everywhere, and they’ll hit a topwater near the tules, near the rock, or in open water.
By the time the day was over, I had 11 fish, and they’d hit crankbaits, blades, topwaters and underspins. I saw some guys on shore catch a few on Senkos, too. Jake was on the dock when I ended the day, and he offered to help carry my gear up to my truck. Wow, if only all the employees were as considerate as the three I met today. Still, it was good to be back at the home pond.
