We came back for better weather. The lake had other ideas.
After a difficult first visit to Loughborough Lake, we decided to give this beautiful Ontario water another try. The forecast suggested pleasant temperatures and manageable wind. What greeted us was quite different: overcast skies, periods of hard rain, and winds that stayed strong throughout the trip.
The fishing was worth the effort. Even with the boat moving around and casts getting pushed off course, we found largemouth bass and northern pike willing to take moving lures. We fished clear water, looked for productive weed edges, and tested how well our equipment worked when the weather refused to cooperate.
Three very different lures earned their time in the water
Livingston lures: A compact Blue Back Chrome Shad model drew repeated strikes from largemouth bass and pike, especially around water in the six- to eight-foot range. The lure's ability to cover water made it valuable when we could not finesse a bait exactly where we wanted it.
Rat-L-Trap: Our half-ounce Chrome Purple Back pattern was a dependable choice for bass and pike. Its weight helped us maintain casting distance in the wind, and its vibration gave fish something to find while we worked through rougher stretches.
McCoy V-Twin spinnerbait: This one made an impression on Dennis. It had been less productive on earlier outings, but here the bass and pike hit it repeatedly. Dennis kept reaching for it because, trip after trip and cast after cast, it was producing fish.
When the wind takes over, change the presentation—not the whole plan
Instead of forcing a weightless worm to behave in rough weather, we leaned on lures that could be cast accurately enough and retrieved through the places fish were holding. A heavier lipless bait or spinnerbait let us keep fishing productively until the wind eased.
Spinnerbait blade and skirt choices mattered
BOOYAH spinnerbaits gave us a useful comparison. In the brighter breaks between clouds we tried light or chartreuse skirts with willow blades. When the sky went dark, black-skirt models with Colorado blades offered a different profile and vibration.
Much of this work happened in shallow weedy areas around three to five feet deep. The willow-blade baits were especially helpful when we needed to pull a lure along vegetation without constantly hanging up. We kept the broader-bladed versions out of the heaviest weeds.
When the lake settled, the soft plastics came back out
Anyone who knows theBASSguys knows we love fishing soft-plastic baits. But this trip reminded us that there's a time and place for them. Trying to work an unweighted worm at distance in sustained wind was frustrating. We prefer to cast out, work the bait naturally, and enjoy playing the fish rather than immediately pulling it from heavy cover.
During breaks in the wind, four-inch tubes and four- to five-inch stick worms caught nice bass. For those presentations we kept the line light—typically in the eight- to ten-pound range—and avoided unnecessary weight whenever the conditions allowed.
Real-world tackle notes, not showroom claims
The Okuma Calera baitcaster gave us adjustable casting controls that mattered in gusty conditions. The combination of magnetic and centrifugal control let us fine-tune the reel rather than fight backlash after backlash.
Our K-Labs carbon-composite rods, used across both spinning and baitcasting setups, handled repeated casting and fish under tough conditions. This was another on-water check for gear we'd already been using—not a one-cast first impression.
Those observations describe the models we actually fished in the archived report. Product ranges, availability and specifications may have changed since then.
Good fishing doesn't require perfect conditions
We went back hoping for pleasant weather and found another hard-weather trip. But we also found productive water, dependable moving baits, a few surprises, and a reminder to let the fish and conditions guide the tackle choices.
As recorded in the original report, we used artificial baits and released our catches. That is the story worth keeping: ordinary anglers testing real gear on real water, then sharing exactly what helped.
