I got on the water at 6:30 AM (1/2 hour before dawn) and headed north from the Public Launch in my canoe. The lake was almost like glass, and there were few fish rising. I used a 3/8-oz. Chrome Kastmaster slab jig on Spinning gear and worked both shorelines up and down the lake. I caught 5 ea. Largemouth Bass (ranging only from 3"-6" in size) and one Smallmouth Bass. The best area for me was the sharp peninsula at the northwest side of the lake; I caught 3 of my 6 fish there in only 10 minutes in calm water. See attached photo of the typical Largemouth Bass dinky fish.

As the WDFW requested, I did not release the fish but kept them since the lake was supposedly "infested" with bass. I had squadrons of small 4"-5" Largemouth Bass escorting my canoe when I was near the shoreline. Most of the fish I caught seemed to be in about 10' of water on the edges of weedlines. I worked some of the docks along the western shoreline, but it's hard to accurately cast with Spinning gear. I need to use Baitcastiing gear if I'm going to concentrate only on docks.

I had the entire lake to myself until 11:15 AM, when a bass boat motored up to the north end of the lake. I didn't see them catch anything. There are some STEEP cliffs going into the water, and I worked them hard trying to catch deeper fish.

This is a nice lake to canoe, so when/if it is rehabilitated with Rotenone this autumn, I will be back to fish Badger again in Spring 2014.

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