Jason Essary

did not know that. Thanks for the info. Looked it up and ur right, guess ill start measuring my bait.

green sunfish are the "best" live bait for flatheads Ive ever found. Love them. 4" all the way to 8". just set two lines full of them with a few other bream. should have some flats by morning

Had a nice catch yesterday on trotlines. 3 channels, lost one at the boat. and one huge flathead. 25 lbs and 38" long. thought id show yall the pics. they seem to be eating great now, goin out to bait up again tonight.

where did u fish it? never used it before but cats on the rock seem pretty specialized most of the time.

They are good at the table, though strong. I like to soak mine in water and a small shot of vinegar the first night then wash them with clean water. Ive also soaked then just before the grease in buttermilk for an hour and the combo takes away most all the "fishy" flavor. Their texture is more of a spoonbill than of a flaky fish.

think u might have been right. Caught two last night. a 9 and a 15 lber. Nice.

great info, thanks. maybe color of grub???

Ud be a great role model for most of the tourney guys ive run into on TR......

Wow, nothing. that was a waste of time this weekend. should have been bass fishin. Anyone know of suggestions????

had it happen many times, esp with tourney guys. If ur on their bank, u are in the way. I respect all fisherman I find on the water, until they disrespect me. Bill I applaude u for catching the fish under his boat. The only thing we can hope is that he will learn from the confrontation and not do it again, but we all know that most of the people that do this sort of thing will just turn around and do it to someone else next time. Crappiefisherman, I understand ur thoughts but I have been in bills shoes way to many times to have much feelings for the disrespectfull angler.

Set some lines last night with 3 kids with me. We had a blast catching the bait and thought we done a wonderful job. guess the fish thought otherwise. use perch and shad, only caught two small bass and one google-eye. NO cats. going to try again tonight. Maybe it was the cold front, or maybe they arent in their regular haunts yet. Ill report the results tomorrow again.

Bill, we really appreciate the great info. Wish I could have went this week. now the cold fronts coming in and I have time Seems its the way it goes. Looking forward to getting on it instead of building on it again....

I cant pick it up. let us know whats said in general

Quillback. I set my lines out during the day and get everything placed nicely (prefferably on a light breeze, fighting a boat in a strong wind while setting lines is very frustrating. Then bout one hour before dark i start fishing perch for bait. sometimes it will suprise u how long it can take to catch 25 to 35 small perch for bait. then just before dark i run the line baiting the hooks. If i can get myself out of bed, i like to check the line at 1am, then comeback at daylight and check it again. Normally ill let run a line 2 nights in a row before moving it if it doesnt produce, leaving productive lines and keep them baited. I almost always run my lines right on bottom and run 90 degrees from the bank, so to keep snags from bass boys at a minimum. In the event i want to leave a line for a while (next weekend or so) and not be able to check it, I take all the bait off of the hooks the last time I run it. U would be suprised how many fish u can still catch on bare hooks during the week. Last year I started using the fast clips, makes taking droppers off easy, so this year I will be taking the hooks off when Im not baiting. I cant stand the idea of a fish caught and left for more than a day or so.

I normally use small perch for half my bait and alternate with frozen shad i catch in throw nets. makes a good one two punch in my mind.

This is the time of the year that I start trotlining and a few jugs out on tablerock. Love to catch cats on them. Was wondering if anyone else here does it. Baits, techniques, suggestions? Im still learning every year on them. I fish in little north indian creek, north of indian point marina. My boy loves it and going to start my little daughter on it this year. and the table fair is great. Anyone been running any lines already? Anyways, let er rip guys. Love to hear any ideas.....

My thoughts exactly. Never liked the nest fisherman. especally the tourneys at that time. how could it not hurt the fish. Ive got a theory that probably isnt 100% true but tell me what u guys think. LMouths spawn shallower than smallies and kentucs ive heard. with a lot of bed pressure over many years, could the lmouths get thinned down more than the others because of them spawning shallower and are easier to catch. Could that be a reason for the considerable fewer lmouths in the lower half of the lake with the clear water, and the taking over of the smallies and kentucs?????

seth u on the james or somewhere else

K just got back from the same area as before. started at 7 and fished till 9. caught 5 fish, 3 keepers. none the size i was on but really fat (eggs im sure). All were on a wareagle tandew willow nickel blue herring color 1/2 ounce sb. tried the grub thing, no takers. water seems perfect. lots of traffic out there. going again tonight. post results later

I agree. Ive thought for years that the bass should be c and release during spawning. no taking them miles away then releasing them 5 hours later. It could only help the population and better fishing.

Has anyone ever used swim baits on tablerock? picked up a pack of them in pearl color. talked to a guy that swears by them for quality fish. thought id send out a feeler to see where and when they might be productive. Bill, if u have any good suggestions let me know and ill send u a check

I know that I dont go near as much as some of the guys on here, so i cant help as much as id like. but when i do i post it, giving all info i think is helpful. A good fisherman can use it probably better than i did even when it was happening to me... . hope this negitivity turns into a running joke and doesnt effect the forum in a bad manner. Thanks again to all that help me catch some fish when I only get to go once a week.

SKMO, BILL, thanks for the info. we appriciate all that u do.

Bill, I was worried when I saw your post with you phone number in it that people would try and take advantage of that. I had that exact thought when I saw u post ur number. Its amazing how everything in life can be ruined by just a small percentage of A**H*LES that dont have the BRAINS to realize how STUPID they really are. I greatest hope as i read the topic and replies from the people that understand how ignorant of an idea it was that u got paid for this great service and they DESIRVED u to further it, is that they will be reading and realize now what we all think of such an idiotic idea. Some people just dont have a clue, cant buy one, cant find one. Now, I hope that it doesnt take away from the appriciation that u and all the other guides should feel as we (well most) HUMBLY try to express, for all the info that u send to us. I also hope that the info doesnt slow because of such a small percentage of people, that showed who they really are. Maybe some of them will post hear and apologize for their actions.

frenzel, love the light idea. where do u suggest doing it and what bait do u use.