New plastic baits. Familiar water. A slow start.
We headed back to one of our favorite Ontario lakes with two things to put through a real fishing test: Wave Fishing soft plastics that were new to us, and K-Labs spinning and baitcasting rods we'd been enjoying on earlier trips.
The opening couple of days were hot and humid for June, with air temperatures around 82°F. We caught some bass, but not the numbers or sizes we'd hoped for. That happens, even on water we know well.
Wind, clouds, cool air—and the fishing improved.
Then the conditions turned. Strong wind, cooler air in the mid-to-upper 60s, and periods of rain arrived. The weather may have been less comfortable for us, but the fishing picked up dramatically.
In the original report we described several days of excellent bass action, with quality largemouth and smallmouth coming from different parts of the lake. The change reminded us not to assume that a pleasant day for the fishermen is automatically the best day for the fish.
Keep fishing through changing conditions.
A slow start did not define the trip. Once the weather shifted, we kept moving and giving the same soft plastics a chance. The bass told us the bite had changed.
The five-inch worm that caught our attention.
The 5-inch Wave Fishing Tiki Snake was particularly productive for largemouth bass. Our original notes recorded six-pound largemouths for Dan, Dennis and Pete on that bait—a memorable showing for a soft plastic we had brought to the lake to evaluate.
We can't attribute every strike to the lure alone; weather, fish location, and presentation mattered too. But the fish were taking these baits with enough consistency that we kept them tied on.
The smallmouths kept us reaching for another bag.
The other standout was the 5-inch Wave Fishing Tiki Stick. This was the bait we kept throwing for smallmouth. The original trip account said we went through every bag we'd brought because the fish were hitting it so often.
What makes that useful advice today is not a promise about a particular brand or color. It's the value of a simple, natural-looking soft plastic that you can present without unnecessary hardware when the bass will take it.
Sometimes the least complicated rig wins.
For both Tiki styles, our trip notes describe using them without added weight, with a 3/0 circle hook and 12-pound fluorocarbon leader. The general tackle list also included 8-pound monofilament, 12-pound braid, and lighter fluorocarbon leaders on other setups.
The weightless presentation let the bait move naturally. We stuck with the approach because it was catching fish, rather than adding a sinker just to make casting easier. As always, conditions and individual rigging choices can require adjustments.
K-Labs rods earned their place on the boat.
We fished K-Labs spinning and baitcasting rods through the changing weather, including medium and medium-fast configurations around seven feet two inches. We'd previously liked their sensitivity, and this trip gave us another chance to check them under real pressure.
With wind and rain hitting the rod and line, picking out a subtle bite from the weather was more difficult. The feedback through the rods helped us distinguish a fish from the conditions and respond more confidently.
This is the reason we've always shared our fishing stories: not to repeat a catalog description, but to describe what happened when the gear actually went fishing. The models and products described are from the original historical outing; current availability and specifications may differ.
