WETUMPKA, Ala. — Gerald Swindle caught two keeper spotted bass, while Mike Iaconelli was farther down lake hooking into a mix of spots and largemouth. And this was just a practice day. Since Lake Jordan contains healthy populations of both of these species, which will anglers target?
“Each largemouth that you get is a nice bonus,” Swindle reported form the deck of his Triton this afternoon. “I’m looking for a wad of spots that may be there, but may not be biting. You can fish it for several hours and not get a bite, but as soon as they turn the current on, they may bite instantly.”
Swindle said that he will stick to spotted bass since he knows that Jordan harbors quality keepers. However, he said that he can beat the bank in search of largemouth if necessary. Other pros are incorporating largemouths directly into their gameplan.
“I think it’ll be a mix; you’re going to have to have both each day,” Casey Ashley said as he worked a shallow bank in search of largemouth. “I had a good spot this morning, maybe a 4- or 4 1/2-pounder. If you can catch five like that, you’re doing real good. But it’s probably not going to happen.”
Ashley is gunning for a 13- or 14-pound limit per day and is not ruling out the deep bite.
“From the footage I watched last year, I know some guys caught ‘em out of deep brushpiles. But you can get a lot of bites shallow; it’s just a matter of what size they are.”
Mike Iaconelli was surprised this morning when he was catching largemouth in areas traditionally known for spotted bass. His boat was in nearly 50 feet of water as he worked bass in 30 feet.
“I guess it doesn’t matter which kind they are; they’re good fish!” he said.