Ten years of Litton's Fishing Lines

Today marks 10 years since I began blogging in 2011. Most of you weren't following then, and though the content was often quirky, I did faithfully write about outings as I do now. Within a few months or so, Litton's Fishing Lines will  surpass half a million visitations, although including my other blog, Fishing In New Jersey, we're well past that number.

When I began blogging, I wasn't yet aware of the NJ Fishing.com message board, the NJ Fly Fishing board, or the various sites on Facebook, which I visit fairly regularly, and some of you have seen some of my posts. There are loads of information available on those sites, so I thank you for participating on this one. You can see photos of big fish daily elsewhere, whereas you don't see a big fish here each day. You can always access older posts and see some.. 

I never got into blogging to compete. As I say, I didn't even know "the competition" existed, besides the outdoor magazines and other blogs. I like to think I'm doing the same thing now I did 10 years ago--giving fishing word. Picture, too, but mainly word. Thus, Litton's Fishing Lines. I wasn't thinking of cocaine when I chose the title; I was thinking of sentences. 

Out in the Rain

The water hasn't warmed enough. I'm sure it did significantly under yesterday's sun, but every night it's losing heat...and with today's clouds, heavy rain, and 53-degree high, didn't warm much. 

I knew sticking to the big, throbbing spinner was probably my only shot at a bass, but nothing hit.

Some Small Bass on Jerkbait and Topwater Plug

A day that defied spinners. 

Bedminster Pond remained calm the entire hour and fifteen minutes I fished. Fifty-nine degrees when I arrived, 52 when I left.  Maybe it was cooler in the damp shadows than by the highway. 

I first made my way to the pond's edge at a corner, the surface exploded in dozens of boils, though the fish weren't large. Maybe a few nine or 10-inch bass. I couldn't tell. I cast one of the two large spinners I made the other night, which throbbed heavily as I expected it would, a good rendition of the Savko Special I caught an 18-incher on three years ago here, a big blade and a string of lightweight beads on the wire. Nothing went for it and I quickly advanced to the next spot.

It blew up with four times more fish basking in the sun. Dramatic. "Holy shit," I said out loud. But again, none very large. 

Nothing hit the spinner and I wondered if I had a Rebel Minnow in my box. I did not, but among other sinking plugs, I had one about an inch-and-a-half-inch long that sinks very slowly. On the first cast, I caught a little eight-inch largemouth. Nothing else would hit, so I moved on, once fish quit regrouping and boiling the surface as I cast over them.

Subsequent spots had no fish basking, but I did catch a smaller bass on the plug as I made my way back, switching to a little surface plug. That exercise resulted in two more bass of about eight inches.

Like last year--small bass. And though I did see small fish out in the middle get busted, I saw no other evidence of larger. They must be in the pond, because the last few years have involved no thick ice that could have resulted in a fish kill. 

Smallest bass