Heat, Hydration, and Hooksets!

Steve and his two sons Steve and Sean went out for a two day excursion on Lake Wallenpaupack at the end of July.  They were up for a week on vacation and had a variety of water based activities planned and fishing on two of them was surely a must as they are very passionate about the sport. The plan was to start with live bait and move to Keitech Baits each day aboard the Legends Outdoors Pontoon Boat.  Day one would be scorching hot with high skies and a reminder that we were in the midst of summer in NE Pennsylvania.  They had a few smallmouth bass on the live bait as they patiently waited for that "big strike", but it was eluding them as the minutes passed by.  Making a move to another key area would then be the ticket as that unmistakable "WHAM" from a striper then occurred and the battle was on.  After some careful back and forth between angler and fish...it would be the fish that tired out first as it was played into the net for a few photos before going back into the waters.  There would be no more stripers landed in the early part of the day and they would switch over to the Keitech Baits and continue their success with smallmouth bass, perch, and pickerel.  Between all the strikes on live bait and the artificial baits, this trio was staying hydrated with plenty of liquids as it is very important on these hot days to keep hydrated and potassium levels up.  The first day would eventually wind down and they would say goodbye until the very next day.  The second day had a very similar game plan, but the results would be much more diminished as the intense heat once again was a factor on another stagnant day.  The live bait bite started out slow, but soon a strike would occur and a fish was on.  It was worked towards the boat and a change in direction of the fish...and the line went limp as sharp teeth of some predator of the deep cut it.  A bit later on, another strike happened and then after a solid hookset and a few shakes from another game fish....another line cut making it back to back saw offs.  The heat was starting to really intensify and the anglers went much shallower with Keitech Baits and continued to use live bait to increase their chances of success.  The bites would be much more difficult to come by today and the size of the fish were at a lesser grade then yesterday.  They hung in there and kept at it and would catch smallmouth bass, a mix of panfish, and a couple of pickerel on the day.  It was a nice day to be out on the water as they seen several forms of wildlife and soaked in the summer sun while conversing about many things including the upcoming activities the rest of the week.  We hope Steve and his family enjoyed their Poconos vacation and look forward to seeing them back again for another outdoor adventure with Legends Outdoors.