Did you get out over the weekend or one afternoon and do any fishing? What a wild week last week was.

I planned to get out Thursday to do some fishing, but Tuesday afternoon I went over to see Vanessa and the grandkids since it had been almost a week since I had seen them, with me being at the Bassmaster Classic.

Bentley reminded me that he would see me on Thursday during his field trip. I had forgotten that I had volunteered to help.

Thursday, I had to be at the Cat Point Creek unit of the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge to help Alice French of Menokin do a program for the Friends of the Rappahannock.

The field trip was part of the students’ MWEE outdoor field experience, and the cost is covered by the NOAA BWET grant held by Essex County Public Schools. Through a collaboration between the Friends of the Rappahannock, Friends of the Refuge, and the Rappahannock Tribe, students rotated through four immersive stations designed to bridge history and environmental science.

During the experience, the students got to explore heritage and traveled through time via the “Moccasins and Paddles” program to uncover the rich history of local waterways and used maps to learn how the waterways are connected.

They investigated ecosystems and observed bird behaviors and analyzed human impacts on the surrounding environment. They also applied field science and formulated hypotheses and conducted water quality testing on Cat Point Creek.

Finally, they promoted stewardship and identified best management practices (BMPs) to protect and improve the water quality of the Rappahannock River.

It was supposed to get warmer, but the morning was mighty chilly as I got to the refuge. And it was still chilly as the 6th grade kids from Essex arrived. It was a fun and educational time for the kids. Walking between the different stations helped keep them warm.

Volunteering to help was an easy decision for me, but it was also an important decision. Helping make our youth well-rounded citizens who are looking to make sure our environment is protected is very important. It is up to us to make sure we do everything we can to preserve history and learn about how nature works and how it has helped form our world.

Now to Fishing

Saturday, I finally was able to get back to what I love, fishing. I made my way over to Wilna Pond to have some fun and hopefully catch a 10-pound monster bass. I started off catching a nice 1 1/2-pound bass on a worm. But it took me a little bit to find another bass.

The water temperature was around 57 degrees when I started, but it rose to around 63 degrees before I left.

Tim Gray came over and joined me in the boat. We fished hard, but the fish weren’t cooperating.

We finally got to a little cove, and I saw the baitfish being chased. I threw my wackyrigged stick bait up around some cover and missed one. I then threw a few feet from that spot, and something hit it.

I leaned back into it and felt that tug. It didn’t feel big, but it was running hard across in front of me. And then the rod fully loaded and bent over, and I knew I had a decent bass. It pulled drag and then went under the boat as I fought it.

I finally got it beside the boat where I could see her. She was bigger than I thought, but the little hook was holding tight. I got her beside the boat and reached down and lifted her into the boat.

She was one of those monster bass, but not the ten I was hoping for. I was not complaining at all. I got a couple good pictures and then released her back into the pond. What a fat girl! She weighed 6.36 pounds.

I checked after her release, and I had forgotten the most important picture. I did not have a picture of me holding her.

It was but a few minutes before Tim hooked into the only bass he would get into the boat that day. Oh, he got bites, but they managed to come unhooked too many times.

The one he got to stay hooked wasn’t a bad bass. It made a couple jumps, which is when they can come unhooked a lot easier. But I got her into the net and got a great picture of Tim with his 4.25-pound bass before she went back into the pond. I ended up with six bass, the smallest being just 9.25 inches. What an awesome day of fun and laughter, plus some nice bass too.

Working With This Weather

The nice 80-degree Sunday was amazing, but it couldn’t last long. We will be back to more normal springtime temperatures this week. But the warming water temperatures will have the bass moving and feeding heavily in preparation for the spawn.

Look for bass chasing the baitfish up in the shallows as the sun warms the water. There are a few baits to have tied on. The first would be a moving bait. This could be a spinnerbait or a shallow-running crankbait. A double willow-bladed spinnerbait or a willow leaf with a smaller Colorado blade are perfect to imitate baitfish.

My next choice is something to work along the bottom and around structure, laydowns, and around lily pads. A jig with a trailer is always a good choice. A Texas-rigged creature bait or worm tied on is also a must-have.

And lastly, a wacky-rigged stick bait. The fall is slower, but pay attention to your line as it falls. When the line goes slack, you are on the bottom. Give it a little lift to get it off the bottom and let it fall again. If your line starts running away, set the hook.

Safety in Mind

Although the warm days feel good and it starts warming the water, it is still cold, and you can experience hypothermia.

Make sure to wear your life jacket, especially if the main motor is engaged, and have your kill switch attached to your life jacket. Always wear it if you are on a jet ski, in a canoe, or a kayak. Have a dry bag with a complete change of clothes along with a towel to dry off with.

Leave a float/bank plan with someone. Let them know if you make changes to it. This is so authorities can have a starting point to look for you should something happen.

Think safety first, have fun, and live to fish another day!

If you get to go fishing one afternoon/ evening or this coming weekend, take some pictures of your catch or the kids having fun. I want to see them and share it here for everyone to see just how beautiful the Northern Neck is for fishing. Send your pictures, fishing reports, questions or comments, to FishingNNK@gmail.com. This column is about you and for you and fishing in the Northern Neck. Remember, “Do yourself a favor, take a kid fishing.” Make a memory to last a lifetime.