Cindyjo

Appreciate the update. Thanks

Thanks for the report. Rarely see smallmouths in the Cape Fairarea.

I put them in the fridge for 24 hours with ice on top. Removes any blood and the fishy taste. Always need to make sure all the red meat is removed before putting them in the fridge. Wonderful tasting fillets when prepared this way.

Started fishing at 3:00 yesterday. Bang bang right off the bat 2 keeper lmb both 16". Then started catching these whites. An occasional lmb but all the rest were less than 15". 7 lmb total. Kept the whites put the filets in the freezer. They are a great eating fish. Came off the water at 5:30. water temp. 62 boat traffic - moderate water depth - 25' structure - adjacent to raised plateau at 15', river channel partly cloudy lure - gold colored 3/8oz spoon pattern - retrieve/drop/retrieve whites and lmb were both hitting near the bottom no sonar pics attached. Nothing unique to see. Till next time

Nice bass! Thanks for the report.

First a fishing report. Fall fishing remains excellent. Although I have been out many times since my last report, Monday was the best one to report on. Fished for 2.5hrs. Caught 12 lmb and 2 white bass. The reason to report on Mondays results is the ratio of keepers. Of the 12 bass only two were NOT keepers. The largest on was just over 17". I have noticed as the year progresses, and compared to last year, the bass size keeps improving. Not sure why this is, and it is not very scientific, but it remains my impression. All were caught on a 1/4oz and 3/8oz spoon. Another factor might be related to last year I caught most of the bass on a road runner. This year the first choice is the spoon. I realize many members are fairly new at reading sonar. With this in mind you will find attached two pics. The first one shows baitfish, game fish feeding, depth and temp. The game fish are bass. Before you look at the second pic, study the1st one. See what other information you can see in the photo. Can you see what I see? If you study it closely you will notice gray layers, and yellow layers in the pic. The gray is the solid bottom. The reason for the layering is the boat is directly over a ledge. The reason for the layering is the cone angle of the transducer is picking up these various layers. That is why there is an abundance of fish in this area. The second pic is when i move the boat only approx. 20' further from this spot. Then you can clearly see the drop off. This is important to be able to discern in the 1st pic. When you see a pic like the 1st one it is likely you will find fish. I will generally move away from this position 30 to 60' and then begin casting. I find more fish are caught with the lure moving as horizontal as possible, rather than vertical. I believe this is because this is the natural direction of baitfish. Vertical will certainly catch fish. It just that horizontal catches more fish. I you see something I have missed in the 1st pic please comment. I would also like to learn more. Till next time Cindyjo

Substantial amount of factors affecting fishing. Right off the top of my head here they go: season - spawn, pre, post time on the water time of day weather water clarity depth of fish feeding pattern structure species of fish food source water temperature lure color lure depth presentation retrieve pattern boat traffic (sometimes lots of traffic is good) confidence luck lastly - solunar tables I believe solunar tables are a factor, but not a major decision maker. I agree with an earlier reply, go fishing when you can. The more time on the water the better the chance of finding all the conditions favorable. I'm sure I missed a few factors. Enjoy your fishing.

All were caught on the orange and silver spoon. Unfortunately rocking of the boat, sun light, and camera angle make the spoons appear white ....they are all a silver background.

Went out Sat. early evening and had a great time. Caught many bass and a good number of white bass. Fished about 2 hours. The hit was consistent during that period. Fish were in the 20-25' range. Whites were midway at about 10-15'. Went out yesterday but started earlier due to the increasing chance of rain. Fished 2 hrs. (10:30am-12:30pm) and the first hour was nada. The next hour was a blast. You can see by the attached pics. the fish were finicky. In pic 793 & 795 note how they are on the bottom not really feeding. Had to deliver the lure within 2' of the bottom to catch fish. Pic 798 is really interesting. See how the bass are below the bait fish, not really feeding. I see this a lot on off days. When they are like this I usually go home since the catch will be very slow. For some reason the catch changed after the first hour. They started feeding, but not a frenzy like I have seen many other times. Even with the finicky mood they were in I caught many fish. Several in the 15"-16" range, see pic 792. The lures I used are in pic 799. The 1st one from the left produced all the fish and you can see it in the mouth of the fish in 792. The next 3 did not produce any fish. Unfortunately they were the first ones I tried. No whites today. weather - overcast boat traffic - heavy (Columbus day) solunar table - moderate wind - southeast, breezy fish - challenging but productive lures - orange and silver spoon most productive structure - edge of riverbed, 150 yards offshore, 20-25'ow Till next time. Enjoy

Thanks for the report. TR is a wonderful fall lake for producing significant numbers of bass black,spotted and white.

Correct, it is a 1/4oz jig. Not sure of the name of the bait it was in my box, but it is pearl white.

Went out Wed. early evening for about an hour. NE breeze, mile high skys. Didn't expect much and the sonar showed the fish laying on the bottom. Fished for an hour caught 1 bass, and it was a keeper. Tossed him back in and went home. Noticed the bait fish in the sunlight and could see them turn on their sides in the school. Got a good image as to what the bass see. Went out Thursday early evening. Remembered the mental image of the bait fish from the night before and used the lure in the attached photo. I was in one of my usual fishing spots which I reported in an article here a couple of weeks ago. They were in a feeding frenzy as you will see in the attached photos of the sonar and side sonar. Very large schools of bass feeding. Caught a lot of fish in about 2 hrs. I wont say how many since some would not believe the numbers, but a LOT of bass. My left thumb is raw this morning. The bass in the pic. is 16.5"-17". All the fish were caught on the same lure. Look closely at the side sonar pics. since they do a better job of indicating the number of the fish. The down sonar shows the fish moving through and feeding. There is a lot of detail revealed in the photos if you take time to study them. The night before in the same area showed the fish hanging close to the bottom. They were there, just not feeding. Last night 75deg water SE light breeze clear skys 4:30pm - 6:30pm solunar table - ideal 20'-25' water depth boat traffic - none distance to shore - 100-150 yards structure - small hump raising 3-5' from the bottom baitfish - hugh schools clearly visible from the boat and on side sonar General pattern - fall I was a little surprised with the amount of fish caught with the clear skys, but everything else was ideal. Once I located the schools of bass I anchored so I could maintain an ideal location and casting advantage with the wind. Looking forward to more of the same in the next several weeks.

Check out my posting "latest pics" posted 10/3.

I find the gloves to be good protection from the sun and comfortable to wear. They do not interfere with casting either a bait casting reel or an open face reel. They also do not interfere with driving the boat. Now when I wear the winter gloves that is a whole different story.

Went out each of the last 3 nights. Monday early evening boated 6 nice size white bass (15"-17"), 3 large mouth, and 1 catfish ( I hate catfish). The pics below who the school of white bass feeding. The side sonar shows the ball of bait fish and the white bass alongside. The second pic shows the white bass scattered throughout the area. Unfortunately it took time to grab the camera so the full feeding is not visible. Fished for about 2 hrs. Tuesday evening was interesting. I looked alongside the boat and saw a water snake (not a moccasin). He was about 2' long and as soon as I moved he dove down and to the front of the boat moving towards the center of the lake. I was about 150 yards offshore. There was a slight chop so I lost sight of him but suddenly in the vicinity he was came a hugh splash. It was not a gar or spoonbill. If you fish the lake long enough you can tell the difference. So that only leaves a bass. Now I don't know if the bass went after the snake, and I guess I will never know, but it is awfully coincidental! It leaves you to ponder how big of a plastic worm could we really use to catch bass. Caught 1 more white butt that evening and 2 large mouth. Wednesday was slow. Caught crappie, and yes another catfish! Each night a spoon proved the best bet. Tried various jigs but no takers. Don't know why catfish are hitting a spoon. Wish they would be more selective.

Went out Sunday evening knowing the bite would be tough with the high pressure system. Decided to search for fish since Monday would be a low weather system moving through. Found the bass in 28-32' of water but as expected...no fish. Monday early evening was just the opposite. The first pic shows bass feeding on bait. You can clearly see the bass streaking through the bait fish on the sonar. The side sonar reveals an even more interesting story as you can see the bass in front and alongside the bait ball. Tried a jig with a grub in this school, nada. Tried a jig with a large gulp minnow, nada. The clouds were intermittent so i decided something with more flash. Went to my standard spoon and presto...bonanza! The net in the pic is 18", so you can easily determine the size of the bass. The bass in the other pic is probably 3 lbs. Caught 10 fish of similar size in the next hour. All were feeding after 2 days of a high pressure system. This is the typical fall fish pattern. Caught many fish last year following a similar technique. Search where the fish are, fish when a front moves through, determine the right lure, determine the correct retrieve pattern. This location will hold fish for the next several weeks, maybe as long as 2 months. Just have to decide the best weather days to go after them. Days which are not conducive to catching fish I will search for more areas which hold large numbers of bass. I have more sonar pics if anyone is interested just let me know. The sonar pics are a great learning tool.

It is obvious that he left you more than a fishing hole. I'm sure he smiles from above that a friend such as you took the time to share with us his passing. Thank you for bringing this to the fishing communities attention. My condolences.

Was out last night for 2 hrs. Started searching with both the sonar and side sonar. What is obvious is they have moved from where I have found them for the last 6 weeks. Could not get a bass to bite. I did find them, but they would not take what I was offering. I found them clustered tightly in precisely 15-17' of water. I found them in two locations with exactly the same m.o. Remembering last years fall pattern it appears the bass are beginning the fall foraging. However with the lake level up 10'+ over last year at the same time they are NOT in the same locations. If last year turns out the same this fall it could be an exciting 2 months of fishing! Caught 1 3-4 lb catfish and 1 crappie. Both on a spoon.

The is a pic from earlier this month when I caught 24+ mostly this size. That is an 18"net. I have not been able to send pics but I may have figured it out. So here it is.

I went fishing Sunday evening for 1 hour and had no fish when I came back in. Tried the flats where the shad were obvious but I learned something. I then went out Monday for 2 hours and caught 6 with one keeper. This time I fished for suspended fish once I located them on side sonar. They were suspended in 10 - 15 ft of water. For the last several weeks the suspended fish pattern has allowed me to catch better numbers of fish than tight structure fishing. As a side note, once the sun sets the bass disappear from the side sonar as they follow the shad into shore. There they disperse and I assume can be caught using a different pattern. Monday's success was using a spoon. Letting it drop to 15ft and a quick 3 turn crank, let it fall to a count of 3 then repeat. As a footnote, my usual 5 crank, count to 3,then repeat was not as successful as the 3 crank pattern. I use a Steez reel with a 7/1 ratio.

Went out 3 times in the last 4 days. All in the cape Fair area. Approx. 2 hours each time. The first day was in the morning. Caught 4 bass 1 keeper. That evening I fished again catching 5 bass and a crappie. The 3rd time out was evening and the catch was 5 bass no keepers. No white bass. Seems evening is better fishing than mornings. Had numerous hookups all 3 times but I did not keep count. Used a kastmaster spoon various weights and colors. The fish seemed to be anywhere in the 15'- 2' range. I generally do not catch bass below the 20' depth in this part of the lake. Water temp anywhere from 78* to 84* depending on time of day and the cooler temps were in the early part of the week. Till next time, so long.

Went out again today. Fishing was not nearly as good. 5 bass, no keepers. No white bass. One major difference was I went out later. I also noticed the shad were not surfacing the same. I did not see the same schools of bass on the sonar. Oh well, I didn't expect it to last indefinitely..

The last 2 days have been speculation fishing. Monday caught 24+ white bass, and 20-30 black bass. All on a spoon. The white bass were holding below the black bass in 15 - 20 ' of water. The black bass were in 2 - 15' of water. Tuesday was much the same but not as many white bass. Caught over 50 fish Tuesday in lees than 2 hours. The whites have been big with most of them in the 15" to 17" range. The black bass have been running big also with approx. 1 in 5 a keeper. Perhaps the change in weather has turned them on? Using the side sonar has been important in locating the fish. I set it for 60' scan. Identify where the schools are and cast into them. I would not have had the success without the side sonar. All in the Cape Fair area. Water temp 84'. Still a fair amount of debris floating by. Be careful.

I had a random problem with my Merc 150 motor. Took it to a local marine repair shop in Cape Fair. Left it for 3 days and paid $200+ for repair. Two weeks later had the same problem. Then took it to Ulrich Marine. Presto, it is fixed. It was a difficult problem to isolate but found a faulty wire harness. The Ulrich team were courteous, helpful, but more importantly competent and knowledgable about the Mercury line of motors. Fred was upfront and honest in trying to resolve the problem. I rarely offer recommendations, but in this case I would recommend this group to anyone needing motor or boat service. Thanks Fred and crew for making my 3 grandchildren summer vacation here in the Ozarks an enjoyable one!

Much clearer than after the last rain. I can still see a fair amount of suspended particles on sonar...but I can also see the fish!