Unimog

I have not had good luck at all with the optima group 31 blue top. Bought the first one new in fall 2010 lasted until summer 2013 and bought another. That one lasted until spring of this year and O'Reiley warrantied it. So I'm on my 3rd in less than 5 years. I won't have any more.

Seems like the fish really like watermelon with red right now. I've caught a lot this year on that color.

I figured it was pretty clear, I was just surprised you were catching them that shallow in clear conditions. Thanks

What was the water clarity like in that area? Temp?

I could see a zoom ultra vibe speed craw being a good option. Something on the smaller, lighter side?

I've done well split shotting a finesse worm this time of year, will try a lizard next time thanks.

What kind of rig are you fishing the lizard on? I don't heard of using a Carolina rig on Stockton much so I didn't know if you were t-rigging it maybe.

Two weeks ago I caught plenty of fish between the dam and the mile long bridge. Practically had the lake to myself.

Yep I had to park along the road today, lot was full!

X2 on lakemaster. I have 2 navionics platinum cards and recently got a lakemaster and like it better. I'm Thinking on the navionics platinum you're paying extra for the satellite view of the land surrounding the lake which I find useless.

That should be interesting. I've caught a couple fish in the shallow bushes there but not much. Not sure if that pattern ever shows up there or not?

I'll be on stockton this Friday to Wednesday for my fall trip. Will have to try some of these patterns and report back as long as I have Internet access. Will be putting in at RB ramp every day in a yellow and black boat in case anyone is around.

I'm a big believer in the heavy drop shot, bubba shot whatever you want to call it. Been using that for a few years now in deep brush with big worms. I typically fish this with a 7'1-7'5" heavy rod and 20# line. As far as the light one goes, my local wal-mart had some of the vmc spin shot hooks on sale so I got some to try. Basically the hook is between two line ties so it's free to spin. They seem to work good although I'd like to get some of the gamakatsu ones that make it to where you don't have to tie a knot for your weight.

That's interesting, seems like Ive read other tests where the palomar was one of the worst knots to use with fluorocarbon. I remember Aaron martens saying he only ties the uniknot with fluorocarbon and he's pretty thorough!

Thanks for the amazing replies guys! A lot of good points were raised. I agree with a lot of what you said Kilroy. I can put a heavier weight on the ds and sweep the rod up, this is what Ive been doing a lot of. I guess that shouldn't hurt the action? But I also think there's hardly any way you're going to get a bait down any more efficiently than with a spinning reel. I just hate the line twist!

First off let me say I absolutely hate spinning tackle. I've got 3 medium action rods with small reels I use for shaky head, split shot and some shallow drop shotting. To try and drop shot in that 30ft range would almost require me to manually peel off that much line to get the bait down to avoid back lashing. A spinning on the other hand would let the line off and bait down easier. Do I need to just deal with a spinning reel for deeper water drop shotting? I think I know the answer but just wanted to hear some opinions.

The 6 came on the kreature and the 4 on the big drop shot. Both were in the 30' depth range. Tried to make long casts to the areas and bring the baits through and avoid getting right on top if any potential fish. I think the water being a tad stained helped too.

Looked like a perfect day so I headed down to Stockton and put in at RB ramp. I thought I'd poach some of the released fish around Orleans trail since there was a tournament the day before. The cove was so busy with people there was no way to fish it so I moved on and started fishing some of the brush piles. I had 3 rods rigged on deck using a wobble head with a Yamamoto kreature, a 3/8 oz bubba shot with a 10" Yamamoto curly tail worm, and a 1/2oz shakey head with a 10" worm. I ended up catching my two personal best Stockton fish, a 6 and a 4# largemouth fishing around brush piles all within sight of the dam. Also caught some of the typical 2# fish all largemouth.

Any buzz around the weigh in on what kind of pattern the top finishers were on? Those are absolute hogs for Stockton in the summer IMHO.

I was fishing brush today in 20-30' and caught a 6 and a 4. Those are the two biggest bass I've caught at Stockton. Heard there was a 7-2 caught in the tournament out of Orleans trail yesterday.

For cleanliness, price, and convenience I've found owl haven hard to beat but that's my opinion. You have a ramp, groceries, restaurants and gas within a mile circle.

Just get her a Stella and be done with it.

If you're dedicated to the spincast, the only ones I've even seen besides the zebco are some made by daiwa.

A good friend of mine went out with Pete a few days ago and had a ball. Top water was good until the sun got up then they were done with it.

Have some rods and a reel I don't use so before I put them on ebay I thought I'd list here. Shimano core 50 reel that is in near new condition. Comes with box, papers and cover. These sell new for $370, I'm asking $270. Daiwa 7'1" heavy action steez rod. This is the high end japan made compile x model. It's in very good condition only a couple blemishes on the handle. New retail is $600 asking $300 Daiwa 8' heavy action steez flipping rod. Also the Japanese made compile x series. Also in very good condition with a 1/2" scratch on the handle. New retail is $720 asking $375 G Loomis nrx 893c. 7'5" medium heavy action. Near new condition with no blemishes. New retail is $550 asking $400