davefishj  05/10/2007 - 12:43  Trip Reports  Loch Raven    Fished from 6am to 2pm this past Sunday and had one of my best days on Loch Raven. The wind was gusting 20 to 30mph all morning long and while it made it challenging to keep the boat positioned the fish seemed unfazed. I didn't keep a strict tally of fish landed but I'd conservatively guess fifteen, mostly 2 lb+ largemouth with a few dinks and a handful of pickerel thrown in. During the early morning hours I threw a tandem fluke rig with moderate success. It was my first time fishing this type of bait and I was reasonably pleased with the results. For the rest of the day I threw a finesse worm on a stand-up jig head. Fishing this bait rather slow, hopping and dragging along the bottom drew the most strikes and caught the most fish.
I witnessed numerous massive schools of what appeared to be bluegill. Some were so big that I mistook them for large groupings of stumps just below the water surface. The schools were rather tight nit and lethargic and were regularly breaking the surface. As I pulled up to them with the trolling motor they weren't easily spooked and I could see largemouth bass darting up and feeding from beneath. Was this some type of pre-spawn behaviour? If you're more knowledgeable in this area feel free to chime in as I'd be interested in learning more.
My 4-year old son joined me for the last hour and half of fishing and that was certainly the day's highlight. He's getting more used to the outdoors and is starting to really enjoy talking about all the wildlife, helping me steer the boat from place to place, and casting his Spiderman rod and reel. I tied a fluke on the end of his line and by the time we left he was able to cast a considerable distance, something he took exceptional pride in. Spending time on the boat with him is simply one of the most enjoyable things in life. I can't wait 'til his 1-year old baby brother can join us!

Pics from the trip available at my blog: Dave's Fishing Journal