Chandos Report

[Guest Johnny Bass]

Decided to try famous Chandos lake for some trophy pike. We left late and launched a little past 9am. Didn't have a map, so we did alot of exploring. Covered some water that we were told is productive. Not even a wiff.

 

The water temps were 55 degrees. There was a slight wind and it was bright and sunny. After realizing that this was a deep lake, I realized we picked the wrong day to fish this lake. We should have came on an overcast day when the fish come up and suspend.

 

Anyways, kept covering shoreline and I had my first follow. A pike. Didn't commit. Kept fishing I had another follow. Didn't commit. Kept fishing, had another follow, this one was a smallie. We moved.

 

Then I had another follow. This one was a bit larger. Maybe 6-7 lbs and all scared up. The tail and body had white scars all over it.Could have been a laker but doubt it. I tell my friend I just seen the ugliest fish follow. He insisted I was only seeing my reflection.

 

Fishing was looking promising.

 

On the next drift? Wham. I pick up my first Chandos pike. Its a hammer handle but were on the board. On my second drift? Wham pick up another one. This ones a bit more decent. Yes the shirt came off and I got a bad burn!

 

 

Then I hooked a small LM bass. Quickly released. About an hour later I pick up another LM bass on a bucktail. Quickly released.

 

I then decide to throw something bigger. A big white spinnerbait that is a killer lure and discontinued. All I hear is snap!!!Lost it and they dont make em no more!I was a little ticked!

 

Then we decided to troll. I put on white/blue/red duckbill minnow. A little while later, fish on. Its pulling drag! Bring it in and its a hammer handle less than a pound.This little bugger almost got me hooked. Lucky the hook's barb didn't get stuck and all I got was alittle scratch.

 

We trolled for awhile with no success. We then started marking alot of fish in deep water. We decided to jig. My buddy was using a jig and grub and I was using an airplane jig. Nothing.

 

The water temps were heating up and had hit 62 degrees.

 

We decided to start casting again. I am thinking with all the follows(about 7-8 all together) I should use a slower retrieving reel with a lower gear ratio. I have a cheesy Diawa Regal and a cheap BPS rod. Cast it out, it doesn't cast as far as the other set up but sure enough, after a few casts, I nail a pike. Hammer handle.

 

On the very next cast my buddy says fish on. I see his rod bent over.After a decent fight he pulls in this decent pike. Only 32 inches but nice and thick. My friend broke the skunk.

 

 

Then on another section of the lake my buddy hits another one! This one is also 32 inches, though this one was hooked good and it mangled the hooks to pieces.

 

 

Here's a shot of the hooks and the magic lure that I use that mark went to go purchase.Well at least part of it.lol

 

 

From 4 to 6 we didn't even get a follow.

 

Then we decided to long line for Lakers. I have never caught one and wanted to try. I had about atleast a hundred yards out and a mann stretch20(I believe they are called?). I dont know if it goes doen 40 feet but I figure we might get a huge pike also. We tried for 2 hours with no luck. We casting abit near the launch for a bit. I got a follow and shortly after my buddy caught a pike. About 3-4 pounds. No picture taken. We decided to call it a day. It was a long drive home and we didn't get much sleep.

 

All in all, it was an OK day. We did alot of exploring and got lost once too.The lake looked promising and there were alot of shoals and fallen debree that had tubes written all over it. I may go back in the fall!!The lake is pretty deep and as long as you are not near shore or Islands, it is all open water and all the obstructions are clearly marked by poles.

 

Oh by the way. Did you guys see the moon last night? It had a big star right next to it. I have never seen anything like it.

[danbo]

Good stuff!

[mattyk]

nice report!

[ccmtcanada]

Nice job out there!! Great report...very well written...almost felt like I was there! Thanks for the pics...looked like a great time out on the water.

[bassmaster4]

nice gators

[ehg]

Great report. I like your reports from all the different lakes the last couple of years.

Really inspired to try Head lake after your post last year.

 

Nice job again,

 

ehg

[Roy]

Thanks for the report Johnny. What did you do, shave your chest over the winter?

[hawg_hauler]

Ironic how that works. You say that the fishing was terrible between 4-6 and that is when the fish turned on for us. This year the lake is really messed up. Bass haven't started to spawn yet and we were getting readings of 60 deg. Normally the temps are around 52 - 54 and there are tons of bass sitting on beds.

 

We started our day around 7am and boated a six pounder and had three follows in the first hour. Then it stopped and our usual holes were not holding any fish. Around 2pm we decided to try new water and about 3:30 we found the honey hole. In three hours we caught two fish over 15lbs, four around 10lbs and two under. Seen lots more and had lots of follows.

 

Went back in on Sunday and got a 10lbs gator in the first ten minutes off the same spot and then nothing. Fished a bit of new water again and came across a little sheltered bay that was loaded with pike around 10lbs.

 

Be thankful for the weather, the last two or three years I have done the opener it has snowed.

[b2kptbo]

Great report JB, ya caught some and thats what it's about...

[Guest Johnny Bass]

Thanks guys. I hope to have lots and lots of reports this year. Hawg Hawler. We saw many, many follows and not one was anywhere near 10 lbs. So you must know the spots. We wasted alot of time scouting, jigging for lakers and whities, and trolling deep water with no luck. I think I have found a few good spots but still have alot of water to explore. Lot of prime smallie structure. Oddly enough, we did not see many bass follows.

 

I wil definately give that lake another shot, though next time I will be there bright and early!

 

Roy, my chest does not have much hair to begin with. Though I did shave my goatie so I dont get a funny looking tan.

[Bob Apple]

J. Bass what is up with not showing the whole pic of the lure, do you fish for the CIA!

[Tacklebuster]

Great report, by the way that star is Venus, and lower on the horizon below the crescent moon and slightly north of it you can see Mercury just after the sun sets.

[wildminnow]

Grizzley you obviosly dont follow this board too closely the rule is you if put pictures on this website they are used for all kinds of high tech top secret projects like where you were fishing, if someone figured it out they steal your spot and catch all your fish. As for the lure if he showed you all of it you would bulk order it from bass pro and buy all of them, then you could look at some more pictures, and steal his fishing spot, and if his boat was in the picture you could figure out where he lived and steal his wife too, cant risk showing "whole" pictures that would be insane!!!

[Roy]

if his boat was in the picture you could figure out where he lived and steal his wife too

 

I forsee a poopload of boat pictures showing up on the board in the near future....

[Jen]

Nice fish with teeth...

 

Looks like you had a great time!

 

Cheers,

 

Jen

[hawg_hauler]

JohnnyB, we weren't having much luck until we started exploring new water. I have fished the Pike opener on Chandos Lake for the last 8 years and have always gone to the same spots. Totally different ballgame this year. Lots of unusual happenings this year, like the bass not in spawning mode yet! There is a tournament on the lake that almost every year sees someone bring in a 20lber. It is in June this year so I would imagine the weights will be a bit lower as the big girls start to descend to deeper water.