Pike In The Rain? Weekend Plans?

Once again I decided to hunt some critters of the toothy kind, this particular outing fell on the new moon which just passed. Most of my outings towards the end of last summer, and my outings so far this year have revolved around these crucial dates.

I made my way down to my favorite pike flats but I didn't have a good feeling as it rained heavily for a few days leading up to new moon. I figured that at least having this phase in my favor would help increase my odds and balance out the fact that the water had a sloppy chocolate milk color to it.

Needless to say after casting for a couple of hours with various cranks I came away empty-handed. As I mentioned, the water was quite a mess. It was very dirty and that was due to the heavy rains that we encountered, as well as the fact that all the ice and snow had melted. It's amazing what a couple of days of warm weather can do to the ice. It was completely gone and the snow on the banks disappeared as run off into the lake. As I was casting it was difficult to see my lures in the water. On my previous outings, they were clearly visible which is important if you get a follower. Today, I couldn't see my lures 8 inches below the surface. Quite a difference in a week.

The outlook for this upcoming weekend once again looks bleak so I am again making some backup plans. My first alternate is to head up to my cottage on Rice Lake to check on the latest ice conditions. The ice has melted to a degree, but it would be nice to have some open water beyond the end of my dock so I can throw out a minnow and a bobber and try to hook into some perch or crappie.

Another alternative is to head to the annual Toronto Sportsmen's Show. After giving this option a few seconds of consideration, I decided against it as they are charging $17 for admission not to mention at least $15 - $20 for parking. Throw in a beer or two while you cruise the aisles and I am already out of pocket, close to $50 dollars. The way I look at it, that is $50 less I can spend on various items like plastics and hard baits.

The final alternatives are quite attractive and those are to either hit BPS as they still have their annual Spring Classic on or go to LeBaron's as they are having their tax free event. The options to stay closer to home are much more attractive. Stay tuned to see what the weekend brings.