J-Doc

The entire lake is a community hole

If this is what I had to do to catch a striper, I'd starve. I'd rather bank beat bass with the rest of the herd than drop a jig down 60ft and deadstick it while fighting wind, boat traffic, etc. That sounds terrible. I agree it could work but oh my......my ADHD would hurt me so badly.

Man that last part had me laughing. Good story! Good for you. Yep. Sometimes they are around and you just don't know it. Had that same thing happen to me over a month ago with some big crappie.

Had I gone, I would have! Lol!!

Yeah when he finally catches one, he has to show everyone..... Diva. Lol!! ;-)

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10153967431398570&id=277157308569 A little sonar humor...

Ya ha ha ha ha ha...... Funny guy.

Lol!!!!!

We all understand skunk. Me especially lately. Since I don't get out as often as I used to, I spend a lot of time moving, covering old water and looking for where I think they should be. Which is my mistake. This lake is a conditions lake. Which change daily. Sometimes having a "spot" or area is the difference between skunk and success. Which is where networking with other anglers can help, like having a buddy work one area while you work another. In general, if you see a group of guide boats, you're in a good area. Don't crowd the guide boats and give them some space. Plenty of space, but you can fish the same general area. As a rule of thumb, I give at least a few hundred yards between me and a guide. Plenty of water for all of us. Unless you're one particular guide who thinks he owns the entire lake. Not saying who but, some here know who I'm referring to. He typically likes to stay by himslef and not around other guide boats. I have my suspicions about that too. Point is, you need to learn how the lake functions around conditions. I've been here for years and still do not know that. But I'm learning. And do NOT troll in behind someone after they just caught a fish. Had a member here do that to me one day. That's just wrong. He knows who he is and so do I.

Rants? On this forum? Never happened. Lol!!

Good luck to you! It takes that kind of weight just to get in the money. Sounds like you've got him figured out.

Agreed. "Post it and they will come". And if someone is living here and calling this area home, it's "their lake" just as much as it is my lake. This area is a terrific area to live in and call "home". Besides, Scott posted enough threads, articles, how to use baits, what baits to use, where to fish, how to fish, how to hold your lip right, and when to spit on a lure that NO ONE should say no information is already given on THIS forum. I actually wish some of that information was taken down. I've seen it impact the lake A LOT since it was posted. What was a functioning system and bait selection is now what every Tom, Dick, &Harry uses and now that system does not work like it used too. Over-exposure. His heart was in the right place, but now even Scott struggles to catch fish these days. He over shared. I'm not intentionally trying to be rude. I'm simply disappointed by the amount of lurking and not sharing of information within recent year. I'm not advocating spots or lure selections. Just stating only the frequent posters share anything on this forum. Not many actually post a report or for that matter, ask questions wanting to learn how to do better. I've not posted information for a long time. And will not because like Dan, I don't get out often and when I do, I struggle and when I find success, I'm not going to tell "the fleet" where to go. Besides, I've gone back the next day and all the fish were completely gone. Left the entire cove. So in the end, it may or matter anyway because they move so quickly at times.

You have posted here 4 times on this forum. And yet you've been around for over a year or more as I remember almost all of your posts. Have you shared any information or contributed to any discussions on the lake in trying to learn more? Shared anything? The guys on this forum that frequent it and post information have been around a long time and post information frequently. Sharing in discussions, learning from each other, and sometimes even privately giving away fish spots and tips. It's a network. It works. Sharing that network openly to where 500-800 views (people) quietly lurk and soak up info freely without contributing is in my mind.....well it's not sporting. And if you're only new to the area and not new to fishing, you probably know more than we do about stripers. I'm still a novice myself.

That looks bigger than 26. Nice fish! I wouldn't tell anyone where. People like to spot hop these days and next thing you know, you'll have five guide boats and one inflatable their. There is so much pressure on this lake I don't even tell close friends much anymore. Lol!

Quite welcome. Keep them coming. This thread stays too quiet. I was going to say those catfish marks looked like striper marks but I knew someone would say there are no stripers in Table Rock. (Haha) Seriously though, they do look like striper marks. I do believe in this case theyou are catfish.

Lol!!!!!! Phil that's just wrong!!

781 views on this thread. Dan, your a popular fella!

I find it amazing that this thread has been "viewed" 225 times but only a few replies. LURKERS...

Go back to bottom of page 13 to see how cone angles work as a refresher if needed. THIS IS KEY. Once you understand how the cone angle works.....it will all "click" and you will get it. Here is the link to the Zona show I referenced where he used a viewing cone to watch/spot the fish. Zona's Cone of Injustice

Ketchup. Here is my comments on the screenshots. Hope this helps. These comments are based on what I have learned by watching Dr. Sonar DVD's (HIGHLY recommend btw) and my own experience using sonar. Before getting my HDS Gen2 graphs, had I known more about what I was looking at I could have easily used a $100 graph and benefited from it greatly vs. just using to read "depth" and occasionally seeing fish arches on it. Because I have learned to read "arches", I NEVER use "fish symbols". Fish symbols are just a different view or way to communicate a signal. Think of it like a text "font". You can change the look of the word by changing "fonts" but it's still the same word or letters. In the markups, I commented on what I saw. There were few "active" fish present in the images but that does not mean you were not finding active fish. If you find a bait ball as shown in these images, you can bet there will be predatory fish nearby eating at will randomly.

Lots to discuss here. I need access to a computer to mark up the images. I'll try that tomorrow. First thing to do is some homework. I know, this isn't a class...lol! No quizzes either! ;-) You need to understand how basic sonar works. Ever see Zona use the Cone of Injustice? How he used the big orange cone to look down underwater? Sonar is like that. It sends a signal in the shape of a cone. The signal is returned (much like your eyes function) so the image is reflected like an arc because of how a fish is shaped and the signals always weaker on the ends of the object it detects, thus the slope or tapering of the arc. Now... Think cone shape and viewing or registering signals. If it (fish) is on the edge of the cone or the view angle of the cone, the signal is weaker and will not show up as strong. If it's on the very edge, it may show extremely weak. The deeper you are, the larger the diameter of the cone. In 20ft dropshotting, your cone is only a couple feet in diameter. Thus why it's harder to dropshot in the wind when the boat is moving frequently. (If you're using the graph for dropshotting). Streaks are signals reflected by active feeding fish. They swim up to take a peak at your transducer often. Then swim back down. You get long lines or long arches when that happens. Fish was curious. You can also see streaks busting through bait balls. Those are definitely actively feeding fish. Fish the outside edge of the bait, never in it. They get target locked on that particular bait. Don't match the hatch, make it a bit different. Try bigger or smaller baits of different variation in color. Matching never works for me on bait balls.

If it rains heavy the gates will most definitely open, but only when they wait until the last minute.

"approach our differences with effective and respectful communication to work toward the best solutions." Totally Agree

Was the gator out during winter months? If yes... No thank you. Lol

Yep. Went to the last one on Grand. No way would I miss this. Too much fun.