Lake Babcock is not a big lake by any means. It's a mere 300 acres. In fact, you're not allowed to use a gas-powered motor. Captain Debbie Hanson had an electric trolling motor and oars to get us from one tried and true spot to the next.
The bite was tough. A cold snap had just moved through. Even the gators were lethargic. We were using my favorite baits that I use back home in Nashville on Percy Priest when the bite is tough- a Yamamoto Senko and the trusty Ned Rig. (Quick side note about the Senko I learned from Jen Ripple of DUN Magazine one night over dinner...it was inspired by an ink pen! Mr. Yamamoto looked at this pen, thought this would make a great bait and used it as the mold! Look at the Senko next time- it looks just like an ink pen!).
Our last stop was a spot we'd tried earlier where Debbie knew a couple big bass like to hang out. It was near one of the floating docks. You had to get the bait in just the right spot...after a couple of casts BOOM! I was lucky enough to catch a beautiful Redear Sunfish a.k.a. Shell Cracker on our trip! I haven't caught one of those since I was fishing Marrowbone Lake in Joelton, TN years ago! They're beautiful fish, and this was a good-sized one too. Hard fighter. Super exciting!
Unfortunately, we were on a bit of a timeline due to the lunch date so we had to end our fishing adventure a bit short in order to have enough time to record our conversation for the show and still make it in time for our lunch date all the way in Punta Gorda...ha! Captain Debbie was extremely accommodating and we had a great conversation that I think you all are going to really enjoy!
Full show notes can be found at https://thewomanangler.com/blogs/the-woman-angler/ep-104-on-the-water-with-captain-debbie-hanson-fishing-babcock-ranch-the-first-solar-powered-town-in-the-u-s
