Spring is in full swing and the fish are starting to get more active. Austin and I hooked up the Jon Boat and headed out for our first trip to Shanklin's Ferry this year. The morning started out cold (in the mid 30's) but quickly warmed to near 80 by the end of the day. The river was up a little with a slight stain and the water temperature was in the upper 50's low 60's so overall conditions were pretty good. On our way in a large hen turkey darted out in front of the truck. This is becoming somewhat of a ritual. Every time we go to Shanklin's we seem to see at least one turkey crossing a river bottom corn field we drive past (I'll have to keep that in mind during turkey season). The day was a mixed bag. We caught 18 fish altogether, a couple of which were over 2lbs. There didn't seem to be a clear pattern. Some would chase others not, some were up shallow while others were out deep. Some hit active baits like G-tails while others required a more finesse jigging approach with tubes. In the end it was a day well spent on the water and we have plans to return in the next few weeks when patterns will start to emerge and the fishing should get even better.
