Champ188

In my experience, low lake levels during the fall and early winter period make the fish easier to target. If the water level is normal to high, there is a lot more hard-to-reach cover for them to spread out in. Conversely, when it's low, the usable cover will be more accessible. When the water temp starts dipping into the 70s and on into the 60s, pick yourself a nice windy/overcast day, tie on your favorite spinnerbait or square bill crank bait and go have a blast.

That's some fine chewin' right thar.

They are actually discussing a pro entry fee of $375, and probably another $25 for big bass, making it an even $400.

Good stuff, Bill. I'd like to get up there and spend a day working that dock bite hard and see what happened.

I think it is possible to get a single bad bait in both the old and "new old ones" ... i.e. the Original Series. Most of mine are the new ones, which I buy and have professionally painted in a couple of pet colors. Once I get them tuned right, they work like a charm. Never underestimate the power of suggestion ... many guys who have a certain old lure want to put it in your head that they have it, you don't and therefore they can catch every fish in the lake and you will never get another bite in your miserable life. I'm exaggerating a bit for emphasis, but that's the concept. Don't buy into it. That's exactly what they want you to do.

Postal service cuts have killed the mail service out Bill's way, Chunk. Send that check to me and I'll see that he gets it.

Don't think I know Ernie but Charlie's a darn good guy and lots of fun to BS with.

Very good info, Mr. Bill. Much appreciated.

Hey Jason, keep an eye on that Charlie McCutcheon dude. He's a little suspect. Just kidding, of course. Nice guy and a darn good fisherman.

Great job, Denny. You're grooming yourself a tournament buddy there.

There are some whopper LM caught up there every year during the hot summer months. I think they go up there for the cooler water temps. A friend of mine won the first Oakley KVD Big Bass derby up there two years ago on a buzz bait.

Any of the bass keepers, rps?

BassMan, this is more general than specific, but you have a few different options. Out on the main lake, you can dropshot the big commercial docks with the finesse worm of your choosing. This time of year, and anytime the surface temp is above 85, I lean toward plum or even straight strawberry red. Of course, live crawlers will work well, too. Keep an eye on the forum here for fresh news on the thermocline and keep your bait in it or close to it. Generally, it's gonna be around 30 feet. If that doesn't trip your trigger, you can tie on a football jig or hula grub and drag them off long runout points or bluff ends. In my experience, bluff ends with timber tend to outshine those without it this time of year. You might also try dragging a tube for smallmouth in those same areas. Seems like a fellow told me he caught some that way recently, although I can't recall who or when that might have been. LOL — You can also downsize to a shaky head (plum finesse worm) and get plenty of bites in the right areas. Finally, you can go on up Long Creek/Cricket Creek and find some classic river fishing territory. Plenty of places to pull deep crank baits off channel ledges or drag a jig around. There can be a good flippin' bite up there, too, but with the low lake level, there may not be a lot of cover in the water. Speaking of which, be very careful running up above Cricket Creek Marina. You can do some damage in a hurry. Good luck and let us know how you do.

What a great report ... you can read the knowledge between the lines.

Being on the water is one thing ... yes, everyone has that right. But no one has the right to darn near run over or swamp someone else.

In my experience, a warm winter like we had this year is rarely followed by really good spring/summer fishing. Hard winters may be tough to weather but I prefer them greatly over little or no winter at all.

Good to see ya back, Techo.

Good report, Bill. Thanks for keeping us up to date.

Gotta love seeing the little guys catch em. Congrats on some quality time.

Point well made and taken, abkeenan. There are certainly some good apples out there, yourself included. Was just chuckling to myself at your mention of the "positive reinforcement" theory of child raising. Hey, I am all for positive reinforcement when appropriate but when it is taken to the point of not keeping score at ballgames because God forbid someone should fail to WIN every time, it's pretty ridiculous to me. I wonder in 20 years or less if you attend a bass derby weigh-in, will everyone get a trophy at the end of the day so that no one cries or has to go home feeling any less of a person? LOL

Welcome back, rps. You'll get back in the swing of things quickly. If your struggles continue, I might start to wonder about a few of my "friends" here and their activities while you were gone. They may have put a beatdown on your fish. I'd never use their real names, of course, but their nicknames just miiiiiight be something like Denjac or the one we affectionately know as the moderator. Ain't accusin' no one of nothin' now, just sayin .... stuff happens. Seriously, though, neither one of them has been up that far to my knowledge. Denny's boat has been in the shop. Donna and I have threatened to go launch at Holiday Island a couple of times but have yet to make it.

Might try a 3/4-ounce football jig (PBJ with a green pumpkin double-tail trailer) off some of the slower-sloping points. Just drag it on the bottom 15-40 feet. Once you get a few bites, try to concentrate more on that particular depth. Good luck.

Let me try to really say this briefly without completely losing the message. People have no concern for anyone but themselves anymore. It starts in the home. I'm 51 now, and I believe that my generation was probably the last to be introduced at an early age to the fact that life ain't always about getting exactly what you want, when you want it. My parents knew the word "no" and I heard it frequently. I always had more than fair opportunity to accept it, but if I chose not to, then my backside paid the price. Many younger adults these days were raised completely different. They were not told "no" to anything and they sure never got their backsides warmed. For gosh sakes, that's child abuse and will scar a person for life! From birth, life has been all about them getting what they want, saying what they want and doing what they want, whenever they want, and that includes running their boat between you and the bank if they so choose. You don't matter, don't you see? Sadly, it ain't a gonna get no better — ever.

Ron White nailed it: You can't fix stupid. You also can't fix don't give a rat's azz. You guys were obviously dealing with one or the other — or both.

I don't doubt it, Jason. But there's a pretty much untapped deep cranking bite out there and I intend to try and find it this year. Been sayin that ever since that guy from Texas came up here several years ago and just waylayed em way up the White in that Stren Series championship. Some guy with a fat wallet hit both of the Hook Line & Sinker tackle shops down here and stripped the shelves of the DT16s in the new Ike's Ink colors. I did look at a DT10 in that Blueback Herring color and I'm not sure I've ever seen a prettier crank bait. As Bry said, the Disco Shad looks darn good too. Same for the Smash and Caribbean Shad colors. All of them seem just subtle enough to work well in clear water.