My wife Yvette and I were up at 3:30 this morning, antsy to get to the Basin for a bream slaughter. The sun was just peaking through the trees when we made the first cast in American Lake.

We didn't get a nibble, and about five minutes later I made the decision it was time to head to my secret goggle-eye hole. I had fished the area once this year with buddy Sam Ebeyer, and we left with 42 massive warmouth. It has never failed to disappoint for the past five or six years since I found it.

After making the run to the stretch of water, we cast out a couple of crickets. Yvette's cork was the first to bobble, but she missed it. I set the hook a moment later, and wrestled the first goggle-eye into the boat.

We began picking up fish all along the bank, using crickets and jigs. I even caught one on a small spinner.

However, the crickets fished under slip corks produced best, and by 9:30 a.m. we had 30 or so fish cooling in the box. The catch was a mix of massive goggle-eye and bull bream, with some chinquapin thrown in the mix.

As the sun got up and shadows began to disappear, fishing became a bit less frenetic. However, there were a few keys that more than doubled our catch.

First, the fish predictably moved to the flooded trees, seeking refuge from the harsh sunlight.

Second, patience became important. Whereas fish early in the morning would pounce on our offerings, we had to wait out the fish.

I found one of the bet ways to tempt bream was to snap the rod tip sharply, causing the crucket to bounce up as line slipped through the cork before giving slack so the insect fell again. My cork would move little, if at all.

Finally, after Yvette took a little nap and we ate a sandwich, the heat got the best of us and we headed in at about 12:30 p.m.

We left them biting, but we had plenty to eat: 77 bream were in the box.

The only trouble came on our way home, when one of my trailer tires disintegrated hear Sorrento. A half hour later, we were on the way - and then all that was left was cleaning the catch.

What a great day fishing, and I was so lucky to share it with my wife. Already planning to get a new tire for the trailer so we can make another trip to the honey hole.