I made trips to Lake Athens on both Tuesday and Wednesday this week. I caught 25 bass Tuesday and 22 bass Wednesday. The best fish weighed 5.16 pounds. There were bedding bass everywhere on the lower lake. But there are also bass fry in big numbers in all the spawning areas. That tells me the spawn is just about over. I’m thinking I’ll try Lake Athens again next week, but I’ll have rods rigged with other baits besides bed fishing baits. I’m hoping there will still be fish on the beds, but I have my doubts. You would expect the spawn to last longer than early April, but it’s been a really warm spring.

Most fish were caught on TRD’s rigged as a tiny child rig. I also caught a few on a ShadZ on a jig. I was surprised at catching this many bass, considering the incredible fishing pressure Lake Athens receives in the spring. But just like at Fork, many anglers don’t sight fish for bass much, and the ones who do seem to fail to see lots of bass. The late spawn seems to suit me better on this lake, rather than the earlier bedding bass that are more easy to see on the beds in shallow coves, and cast to by so many anglers.

Wednesday’s 5.16 pounder.