I don't want to give too much away but I had the opportunity on Saturday to again fish the Mentor Lagoons with a bass fishing pro. In this case it was Mike McCoy of Mentor, a former Marine Corps recruiter turned business head hunter and accomplished bass angler.
His intention was to demonstrate a unique twist on drop-shot fishing but also to help promote his professional standing as a tournament bass angler and the relationship he has with several product sponsors.
To say I had a good time was an understatement. We caught bass up to 4 1/2 pounds using his system.
I mention the Mentor Lagoons because nearly every local bass fisherman knows that the location harbors good angling for largemouth bass. It's really no secret.
What is something of a mystery is how one goes about consistently catching the lagoon's bass. As it fame spreads the bass are becoming more sullen and difficult to catch. And the fish are not always where you'd expect to find them.
They also are caught by different methods as the season progresses. These bass do move around the lagoons, too, specially as the water warms into the 80s during the summer, turning them off.
A key is properly working the structure and cover with pin-point casts, flips and pitches. Those are no easy tricks to master and require some degree of skill. Miss a prospective drop point by even several inches and it becomes a wasted cast. Pitch too much and you'll put the fish down.
You also have to be careful as the lagoons are filled with sunken tree branches, stone and broken concrete rubble that inhale lures, weights and line.
Yet for those fortunate enough to fish it regularly - and that is an important key - and be willing to adapt then the rewards can pay off. Just as they did for McCoy and me.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
jfrischkorn@news-herald.com
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