How-To

Day on the Lake with McCaghren

Spend "A Day on the Lake" with Billy McCaghren on a lake he's never seen in this Bassmaster Magazine exclusive.

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<p>In <em>Bassmaster</em>’s “Day on the Lake” series, Elite Series pros are challenged to fish on small lakes they’ve never seen before, giving them seven hours to locate and catch bass while we log their every move. Spring is here, and it’s Billy McCaghren’s turn at bat during the immediate prespawn. The 39-year-old Mayflower, Ark., pro has fished the Elite Series for four years and has qualified for one Classic. Here’s what happened March 29, 2012, when we put McCaghren on Lake L, a small reservoir. If you’ve ever wondered how a prematurely warm spring impacts bass activity, what follows should provide some helpful insights.</p> <p><strong>7:07 a.m. </strong>Arkansas Elite Series pro Billy McCaghren starts his day on Lake L by running to a shallow spawning cove.</p>
In Bassmaster’s “Day on the Lake” series, Elite Series pros are challenged to fish on small lakes they’ve never seen before, giving them seven hours to locate and catch bass while we log their every move. Spring is here, and it’s Billy McCaghren’s turn at bat during the immediate prespawn. The 39-year-old Mayflower, Ark., pro has fished the Elite Series for four years and has qualified for one Classic. Here’s what happened March 29, 2012, when we put McCaghren on Lake L, a small reservoir. If you’ve ever wondered how a prematurely warm spring impacts bass activity, what follows should provide some helpful insights.
7:07 a.m. Arkansas Elite Series pro Billy McCaghren starts his day on Lake L by running to a shallow spawning cove.
<p><strong>7:21 a.m. </strong>McCaghren pitches a jig around boat docks on Lake L.</p>
7:21 a.m. McCaghren pitches a jig around boat docks on Lake L.
<p> </p> <p><strong>7:41 a.m. </strong>McCaghren’s first bass of the day, a 4-pound largemouth, ate a sinking worm next to a moored pontoon boat.</p>
 
7:41 a.m. McCaghren’s first bass of the day, a 4-pound largemouth, ate a sinking worm next to a moored pontoon boat.
<p><strong>8:42 a.m. </strong>McCaghren fishes a bank on Lake L with a soft jerkbait.</p>
8:42 a.m. McCaghren fishes a bank on Lake L with a soft jerkbait.
The Owner swimbait hook McCaghren used with his Zoom Swim Fluke featured a movable belly weight.
The Owner swimbait hook McCaghren used with his Zoom Swim Fluke featured a movable belly weight.
<p><strong>9:32 a.m. </strong>McCaghren tries a trick worm in the back of a shallow cove.</p>
9:32 a.m. McCaghren tries a trick worm in the back of a shallow cove.
<p><strong>10:54 a.m. </strong>McCaghren bags his third keeper, 1 pound, 8 ounces, off a stump on a Zoom Trick Worm.</p>
10:54 a.m. McCaghren bags his third keeper, 1 pound, 8 ounces, off a stump on a Zoom Trick Worm.
<p><strong>12:31 p.m.  </strong>McCaghren catches a 5-8 largemouth off its spawning bed on a white craw.</p>
12:31 p.m.  McCaghren catches a 5-8 largemouth off its spawning bed on a white craw.
<p><strong>12:37 p.m. </strong>McCaghren, who ended the day with a total weight of 13 pounds, 12 ounces, spots an 8-pound bass cruising along a shallow shoreline. “I hit this lake right at the beginning of a major spawning event,” McCaghren told <em>Bassmaster. </em>“We saw a ton of bass cruising shallow water and only a few fish on beds – when the full moon hits in a few days, a lot more bass should be locked onto the nest. I caught my biggest fish off a bed, but can’t say for sure whether the other three were in a spawning mode or not. Interestingly, a lot of fish were bumping my search lures in the morning, but this aggressive behavior tapered off dramatically as the day wore on.” </p>
12:37 p.m. McCaghren, who ended the day with a total weight of 13 pounds, 12 ounces, spots an 8-pound bass cruising along a shallow shoreline. “I hit this lake right at the beginning of a major spawning event,” McCaghren told Bassmaster. “We saw a ton of bass cruising shallow water and only a few fish on beds – when the full moon hits in a few days, a lot more bass should be locked onto the nest. I caught my biggest fish off a bed, but can’t say for sure whether the other three were in a spawning mode or not. Interestingly, a lot of fish were bumping my search lures in the morning, but this aggressive behavior tapered off dramatically as the day wore on.” 

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