merc1997 Bo

considering the elements, you had a pretty good trip. but, it still somewhat proves there are not many up shallow on the bank. your next to nothing bite has been the same even at night. thanks for the good info, and glad you got out because it sure sounds like it will not be fit to be out for the next 10 days or so. by the time it is over we might be right straight into a winter bite. bo

ouch! that hurts. 5bites, you should go around point 7, not through it unless you are idling. i have watched boaters fly across that point for many years. many make it unscathed, but a few are casualties. even being careful and just idling, it is easy to catch a stump with the prop. sometimes you just have a part failure. good time to remind those that do not, but if you fish quite a bit, it is cheap insurance to change the lower unit grease twice a year. sometimes this will allow you to catch a problem while it is a cheap fix. bo

fishing addiction the bass seem to be doing something different each time you go. last night we started out trying to find a shallow bite. started in the back of a pocket nothing. hit a couple of points both steep and shallow, hit a bluff bank, a creek channel bank, and still nothing. put up the shallow arsenal, and got out a 1/2 and a 3/8 jig. i started with a 3/8 and my buddy started with the 1/2 to see if one was better than the other. had to try several types of terrain, but found them on main lake related areas. rock and better trees were key last night. they were not on bluffs, but more on ends or inside a point with cover in the 15 to 20 ft. range, and hardwoods were better than cedar. always pay attention to exactly what type of trees the bass are associating with. the other key element is to key in on the right fall rate when fishing any type of drop bait whether it is a jig or t-rig even though i do not use a traditional t-rig anymore. one never fishes a crank, spinner, or top water at the same rate every time right?? also, try different size profiles, meaning size and types of trailers on a jig, and this would include the head size. often, i will use a 1/4 jig, but add a slip sinker on the line to increase the speed, and by doing this, you keep the same size profile. as far as depth, most certainly pay attention to that when you get a few bites, and they all seem to be in that range, they you tighten up, and fish more parallel in the strike zone. there is really not any need to throw into 6 inches of water when every bite is around 15ft. deep. maximize your cast. most of the time by now, the bass, at night will be in the back end of pocket, both shallow and steep pockets, and even further back in bigger cove and creek arms but that just is not the case yet this year. i know there are many that want to catch them shallow right now, and that might or might not happen. what i do know is that bass have to eat, and will be where the food source is. you just have to be flexible in lure useage, and type of water until you find them. bo

the thread is multiple patterns, right?? catching whites is another option!! bo

i really do not know what the proper name of those minnows are. we have just always called them needle now minnows. i have also heard them referred to as gar minnows. bo

i was pretty sure that they all came from eagle rock to begin with, so i helped them back home. would put up a smiley face, but it never seems to work. hey, i am just doing my part of sharing the wealth, lol. get enough bass back up here on the upper end, i won't have to drive so far to catch one. catching everything 15 ft. deep at night with 64 degree water, and the wind howling speaks volumes about daytime fishing. there are a few areas with some shallow bass up, but there are a whole lot more that the bite is still deeper. of course, we will usually see both deep and shallow bites going strong this time of the year. the last two time out for me, i was fully expecting to find a bunch right up on the bank, but both times, i have had to adjust, and catch them in another way. bo

i would imagine that the bite in the aunts creed area might still be a deeper bite. but, did you fish the very backs of big and little aunts?? if so, did you see any bait up shallow?? going on up the james to cape fair and above would be another option to find a more shallow bite. bo

as far as shallow bass in the dam area with the wind blowing, i just am not for sure that is going to happen yet. the reason that i say that is if the bite is still 15ft. deep at night with the wind howling, i could not think they would come up shallower during the day. i think that you might find some shallower bites up the kings or long creek. bo

decided it would be warm enough to get out and enjoy the moon. did not see or hear another boat, and the catching was great as well as the fishing. ended up with 12 keeps. several of those were 3 to 3 1/2, nothing bigger. of the 12 there were 4 lmg, 2 kentuckies, and the rest brownies. rock with trees associated with a roll off around 20ft. deep seemed to be the key. best bait was a 3/8 NuJig with a bluegill skirt and a blue sapphire trailer. again, tried 1/2 oz. but very few bites. and speaking of the bite, it was next to nothing. had one actually good tick, and nothing there when i swung at it. had the boat back on the trailer at midnight because the wind got terrible again, and i got tired of fighting it. if you pick your nights, there is some great night fishing going on right now. i know that any day the daytime bite is going to get really good though. bo

yep quill, that is a needle nose minnow that the bass have been gorging on. bo

the smile says everything! great job. bo

quill fishing deeper in this kind of wind is does take some practice. but, basically you have to be fishing and running the trolling motor at the same time. it is somewhat hard on the body because you are usually twisted around backward holding in the wind and fishing. of course, great rule of thumb dealing with any wind is to fish with it unless it gets you going too fast to fish. try to fish as straight into the wind as possible to minimize line bag. use heavier weights when allowed to. using the heaviest weight the bass will allow you to is always a good rule to go by when deep water fishing. last night we had to both fish off the nose, and make multiple passes at different depths to cover the water completely. the water temp was 64.7, sure seems like there should have been a shallow bite going on, but we could not find it. bo

well, made it down the lake for a round of night fishing. never did find a blade bite down there, and with all the wind, should have been perfect. after quite a bit of hunting and pecking, finally figured out what to be doing. it was some very hard fishing as the bites were 20ft. deep, with a 3/8 NuJig in the wind!! tried more weight because of the wind, but the bite was much slower. everything we caught was main lake related. nothing back in coves. there are 10 nice brownies now swimming in the eagle rock waters. three of them being over 3lbs. about 20 more trips like this one, and it would be a good start on getting some brownies going around eagle rock. there was also a bonus 4lb. lmg. eagle rock needs all the help it can get. if i ever get some free time during the day, i am ready for some sp fishing!! bo

hey, both you, stay out of my areas . bo

nice job! the shallow bite should just get better with the colder weather, but i would expect the deeper bite to begin to pick up also. bo

bud i keep you in my prayers all the time. you still need to consider some acupuncture for your neck. bo

family is such an important part of our lives here on earth. will keep you in our prayers. yes, you could say that i have fished table rock for a number of years. i have lived in cassville since 1963. i was 10 years old at the time. sure hope you will be able to get out and enjoy some fishing soon. bo

uh-oh, that night bite might be changing to a day bite. nice trip. great to see the numbers you caught! bo

good news. bo

nice catch considering how hard it is to catch one in the day right now. those bass are really taking advantage of eating up on those needle nose minnows that move onto the bank at night right now. that should change with this cold snap, i would thing anyway. bo

here we are at the time of year that bank beaters and the deep water wizards should both be happy. and, for some of us, that love to catch them anyway they come, we get to enjoy both on the same outing. this is the time of the year that fishing the SP's have produced very well for me. for those that have not figured out sp's yet, it would be spinners, spooks, and spoons. nothing is better than to start out the morning with a spinner or spook, and late morning get out the spoon and continue to whack them. for me, the added bonus for this time of year is that the night bite is really getting good because the better bass are up on the bank at night. i know there are many that hit the woods this time of the year, but this is a great time of the year to whack them, and you do not have to put up with all the barge traffic of summer. bo

nice pic, and you can see the bluff going to the 13 dock in the background. bo

this thread is very good reason that there needs to be a very stringent boat operators test. there are way too many boaters on the water now to have anyone that is not as skilled and knowledgeable as anyone operating a vehicle on the highway. and even then, one that can operate a boat safely is not always safe on an unfamiliar body of water. when i go to a new body of water that i know nothing about, i spend a good amount of time idling around to get to know where it is safe to be on plane. as i have stated many times, most people on table rock do not know what they are running over, and i know this will hurt the water patrol's feelings, but several of their officers do not really know the lake either. you just really need to be cautious out there now, and be driving the boat not gawking when underway on busy traffic days. bo

i have found years ago on my paper graph. really nice to see it with down imaging. thanks for posting!! bo

you just have to keep changing the retrieve up. never know what will trigger a strike. lots of them last night were striking after i speed up and then quit reeling and let the SpinJig coast. bo