nathanhooper

Ah, if you could see me in cartoon form a lit up light bulb would be over my head. Ok, not trying to hijack your thread k, but maybe all this will be helping you make decisions? So, if k were to go fishing tomorrow morning....lol....and he was using live bait, drifting, and using more than two rods, is it hard to keep them from tangling up?

Hmmmm, guess I am missing something here then or just misunderstanding. So drifting you just put the bait out, light split shot(to keep them down?), and let them go wherever? Then I guess what I have been doing is downlining? I just assumed that at this time of the year you need to put the bait down to the 20'-30' mark. I couldn't see how I could accomplish that with just drifting, so I've been putting 1oz weight about 5' above the hook to keep them down. Well, I guess though I am targeting just stripers though. So I guess that if you were going after a variety of fish, which you sound like you want to do k, then just drifting is the ticket?

Do you all find more luck with getting them away from the boat when drift fishing live bait, like setting them back 50' or so with balloons or something? k, I am going out this evening with my neighbor. I'll give you a shout on what I find. I am going specifically for stripers though, so numbers are more than likely not going to be very high....if any at all.

Nice tanderson! I sure hope you keep on reporting your days. Gives us all hope to see your reports. I'm not chasing them like you, but like to at other times. I still have some in the freezer so I'm good for now. But it know I'll have to get some fresh one day soon and like to hear how your doing it.

Green, thanks for the kind remarks. I too have hoped more people would be chasing the striped bandits. I know there are plenty of striper in the lake, and more people chasing them would equal more info where they are at. I'm surprised to see that I'm the only one specifically chasing them. I'm in cabelas from time to time, maybe I'll see you around. Need to get me an Ozark Anglers cap (do they exist) so that I can start meeting people on the forum. I have to say that I'll be frequenting HLS more though, I like to see the small business stay in business. But sometimes those businesses just won't have what I need and I'll go to the big store.

LMAO!! I chuckled the other day when I saw them at Cabelas.

yea, I started thinking about how this thread got slammed with what seems like negativity. Really not directed at the poster, but more so at the notion of the fish being that size. Its bigger than any fish that I have ever caught in anyway, shape, or form. Hats off to the guys for being able to spear something like that I think. I might have just been a little apprehensive with something that size swimming so close to me. Hey, we have to be able to call out each other on BS things. If we were sitting at the boat dock and a guy pulls a 12oz crappie from the livewell and then tries to tell us its a 4lb fish any one of us is gonna call BS on it. Light heartedly of course.

I was trying to guess at the ice chest thing. I can see it was Colman, and I was even going to give the benefit of the doubt that it was a 150qt one. That helps a lot in the determination. I am guessing they are like me and if it was close, but not close enough, then I'd just take it on back to the house to start cleaning. No need to go any further except to brag a bit. Deer are a little different. Depending on the weather I've known people to drive around for hours showing them off. Nothing wrong with being excited to show off what ya got. I for one like to see what people get. You all got a set of scales at hls? Seems you would be in a good place to have a set.

That brings up a good question to ask here. Where around the lake would a guy take a fish to be weighed on certified scales? Not that if you caught a good fish you wouldn't drive a good ways to a set of them, but the closer the better. Wish their was a measurement on the fish. That would help a lot also. My best guess trying to see 54lbs would be the angle of the camera throws things off. Still can't get over one arming one that far out in front of you. That guy looks to have some guns on him, but that's a heck of a package in the size of fish it looks like. Lots of meat anyway you cut it! I feed my whole family today with that one I caught the other night and still had some left over.

Very interesting for sure. Like I said, you have to believe what the scales say and I don't doubt for a moment that's what people saw. Just going off of personal experience and what I have seen from others. It's always hard to judge weight in person, much less from a picture. Heck, maybe that fish just ate 15lbs of shad before being shot. Big fish nonetheless.

Not only looks, but it would take some serious strength to one arm 54lbs out in front of you. I hate to call BS on a fish, but I would on this one. Maybe the scales were just off for some reason. It's hard to guess weight so you have to trust what you see. I get it. Still would like to know the depth.

I wonder how deep they were diving. Some nice fish there. I was talking to a guy this afternoon who said that a friend of his was catching them trolling some bombers without downriggers. Which would have put them in the top 10' of water.

Foshing is when you OUT fish the other guys on the forum... And "hardness" is when you stuck with something and made it work. Good haul there. I would been grinning ear to ear with a livewell like that. I love a mixed bag. Walleye for the wife and I, and bass for the kids. The crappie would be my lunch the next day.

4 rods and set at various depths from 26-30. Went out again last night with no takers again. Saw lots of fish and baitfish. Tons of baitfish. Makes me just wonder if my little ole bait is useless when it is put up against bait without hooks in their mouths. I think I was moving too fast. But not sure. Maybe .5 mph. I'll get a gps reading next time I'm out. The lines all now have 1oz on them then the bait. They had a slight blowback to them, but just a few degrees. Hard to say what's going on under ther water. Could just be spinning around in circles? I see guys pulling what looks like live bait set ups pretty fast usually, so I'm really not sure what to think. Did have a smallish fish of some kind nail the bottom of my boat, I guess chasing bait. I was looking in the right direction to see it full boar swimming after I heard the thump. Not sure what to make of it all. I see what looks like good fish. I know there is bait in the area. Guess the next thing is to get my baits further away from the boat? We did try it last night by taking some rubber bands and putting the lines on a empty water bottle. It at least got two of them away from the boat. So it truly was a blind squirrel experience the other night.

Well, guess I should not have been so sure of myself this morning. Seems I always catch fish when I don't think I have a good chance, and the opposite of that. Couldn't get a one to bite. It is really tuff doing this slow move method. You want to go faster but you know you can't. I saw some in there, and they scared the poo out of my bait a few times, but no takers this morning. I'll get the hang of it I'm sure. Need to just look for them instead of assuming they will be in one place or another. Had a guide pull into the area I was in but he didn't stay long. He did out out some rods so I know he actually has caught fish there before. That's the kind of stuff I need to see because he fished an area I would have never thought too. Had a tuff time deciding what depth to stay at. They all seemed to be around the 30' and deeper range, but I was seeing them in 35' all the way up to 100 FOW. Something tells me that the ones in deeper water are less likely to bite versus the ones shallower? Clue me in if not. Did have something interesting happen. I went over a spot that looked like a small brush pile. As I went over it what looked like a bait ball came off the brush pile and up to my bait, then went back down. I say bait ball because by the sonar indication it was every bit of 5'+ thick and kind of a conglomerate of small signals. If that makes sense. Crappie? Bluegill? It was in 40'ish FOW at the bottom. 40 lb would be nice. I would start hunting walley or crappie if I pulled one that size up. But I'll set my goal at 20 lb, but will take a hefty 15 lb for the largest of the year.

I'll fix the photo tomorrow

Gets a nut every now and then... Rain finally let up at the lake around 5. Got the new rod holders on and the poles set up for down lines. I ran two with 1oz sinkers for smaller bait and two 2oz for the little larger ones. Bream was bait of choice since I've be trapping them for the last two days. Got me a little stockpile now. Went out after I put the ribs on the smoker just to see how this live bait thing works. Man does it take patience. I'm used to trolling 2-3mph, and drifting is a whole new ball game. But I got the bait to 30 ish feet or so and started going. Had something take one right off the bat. Probably a bass I'm thinking. Eventually the wife told me dinner was done and I started to pack it in. I was fixing to reel a line up when one started clicking away. Looked back to see the rod bent into the water. Bingo! Managed to get him in and was tickled to death. Not the biggest I caught, but my first on live bait. Not bad for a little time out...not a 40+ Lb'er.... But decent none the less. Bet you know where to find me tomorrow morning. Big thanks to fins for putting up with all my questions and letting me know that 3" crappie are not ok to fish with... Lol. Hopefully a ful report and more pictures to follow tomorrow.

I wouldn't be swimming either. You couldn't pull me away from my rod and reel.

Just a friendly reminder that the little bandit faced buggers will in fact open the lid to your cooler/bait tank and go fishing. Can't blame them, I like fishing in a barrel too. My wife heard him in time before he invited his compadre's back for the buffet. He managed at least two of my baits. Might have me a new hat come hunting season.

The walleye or spot is the size of a house?

I think you have somewhat answered this question, but if there is anything else you might think would be helpful without giving away too much I hoped you could elaborate. You say you target them specifically. So is it just spots your used to catching them, or is your method something that could be applied to the whole lake? Long points, short points, narrow or wide ones? You say deep water, but do you mean river channel deep or just 60'-70' deep? Not trying to pry out anything so feel free to not go into detail if you do not wish. I was just hoping to gain a little more insight into what your method is. When someone says "points" to me I get really confused because the whole lake is points except for coves. Then I wonder if they mean the point of the point or the side of the point. Lol.

Ah, the sweet taste of success. And what a good taste it is. Congrats. I've come close to a limit before, but it's a good deal when you do. Glad to see someone still pulling them up.

Nice haul. Makes you feel good when you done it without the use of all the tech stuff. Some good eating right there.

Yea, I saw the colors available when I looked them up. I am the worlds worst when it comes to picking a color. I am almost as bad as a...uh....we will leave blank... I'll have to get some to throw in the box for those times I see a mess of small fish on my sonar. Do you all just swim them back or do a vertical jig over their heads? It's kind if hard to picture their movement with the tail being so small and all.

I've never fished this famous jig everyone talks about. Looked it up though. Is there a particular color and head style that seems to work better than others?