January thunderstorm fishing

[NJ219bands]

Went ultralight jigging in a 48 degrees NJ lake this afternoon on a warm, cloudy day with little wind and an approaching thunderstorm. Saw 10 other fishermen catch lots of perch, crappies, largemouth bass and a golden shiner. The bass hit shiners under a bobber. Most anglers were ultralight jigging. A few fish swirled. I caught a large tree branch from the bottom of the lake. My top double overhand knot slipped and the loop disappeared. I’ll tie a new rig tomorrow. My 60 year old 4 lb test monofilament line is still very strong. Saw Canada geese, mallards, mergansers, gulls, great blue heron and an adult bald eagle flying. Caught and released 23 white perch including 2 doubles and 7 yellow perch with Walmart red worm halves on two gold hooks and a 1/16 oz unpainted leadhead jig on 4 lb test line. Landed 305 fish in 8 NJ freshwater fishing trips this year. I quit early after the thunderstorm arrived. Lightning is very scary and dangerous. The last two fishermen also quit before I drove away.