Bass Open 2023

Donnie

Donnie is a founder of Basshogg, avid bass fisherman and cottager

Bass Open 2023 is officially underway! After a long winter it’s just great to get some lines back in the water. With the addition of two new boats this year, the anticipation was killing us. On the eve of opening day some of the guys made the trip up to the lake. This is a good sized lake with everything we look for in bass fishing. Weed beds, rocky shoals, grassy bays, structure, you name it. With the boats ready to go, we spent the night getting our tackle ready and prepping for a long sunny day on the water.

Where Were the Bass Biting?

For Bass Open 2023 we started off in deep water near the middle of the lake. With little to no action we steadily made our way towards a kelp field a couple hundred feet from shore. The water was 72 degrees and between 8 and 12 feet. This is were the frenzy started and didn’t let up. We were mainly getting Largemouth Bass that were feeding just off the bottom. But they were also active for some top water as well.

The water was calm between 0730 and 0830. The clouds burnt off as the morning went on. Shane and I were fishing off of a 16 foot pontoon set up for bass fishing. Bellz had his boat usually no more than a couple hundred yards from us. Close enough so that if there was any excitement everyone would know. Also close enough to hurl the odd smack talk back and forth.

What Were the Bass Biting?

In short, Bass Open saw the bass eating pretty much anything we threw at them. Shane stuck to mainly 5″ Senkos rigged Texas and Wacky. I started with a Neko worm, then switched to a weedless wacky hook with a senko. Since the bass wouldn’t stop biting I changed things up again. A craw on my jig was hitting well so I went with a crankbait with perch colors that also had them striking. By the end of the session we felt like it didn’t matter what we threw in the water.

Taking a Breather

After not even an hour and a half Bass Open 2023 proved such a success that we needed a break. Although we didn’t find the elusive Hogg that would all so badly wanted, it’s hard to complain. Everyone had war wounds on their thumbs and fingers after so many catches. After almost 8 months away from the sport we love, Bass Open has finally arrived, and we couldn’t be happier.

Full Video of Bass Open 2023

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