J-Doc

I myself would call it a great day to catch that many smallmouth. Small or not......they sure are some mean little rascals per pound. I myself do not fish the dam end very often at all. I find the fish to be much deeper than I'm comfortable with and extra long casts are needed. Unless.........they are just flat out feeding and then you have to find the right bait and retreive. Just a bit too much work for me but sounds like you had a great time! Yes......there is a very healthy population of smallmouth in the lake. I had Steve Parks (Rage Tail) tell me he filmed a TV show with Hook N Look a few years back on Beaver Lake and he said there were some giant smallmouth in that lake. All caught on Rage Craws. :-)

I don't have one........don't plan on buying one. I also don't own a Megabass jerkbait either. (maybe I should but with those prices, I'll pass)

Yep, some are in the 4-5" class too. But there are far more 2" to 2.5" than anything. It's almost every spot I go to check for fish. You will at least find a few small bait balls. Some places it seems there are hords of bait. That is usually where I find the fish too. Only way I can get a bite is extreme something. Conventional goes out the window. You have to think odd-ball to get a reaction strike. Makes it a alot of work too. But that's fishing.....

Man....I'm using 6-8lb floroucarbon on spinning gear! Turn your drag down! lol Unless your dock fishing or near structure, then I could see the need for braid and a floro leader to resist line breaking. I can't use anything over 10lb anymore. I hate the dia. of bigger line.

Anyone else notice the extreme amount of bait this year? So much so that I think it's contributing to harder fishing. I've jigges spoons, spider rigged crappie baits tipped with live minnows, trolled, and I've even night fished for bass where a VERY healthy population of bait was gathered. My results have shown that fish seem harder to catch when there is a very strong amount of bait present. Below are some screenshots from my HDS. Yes.....I grayed out the locations and on one, I even had to clip out only the bait itself as the location was a dead giveaway. Screenshots like this is becoming common place and every trip. The thing is, when you find the bait, you find the fish. Most of the fish have been in the 20-30ft range and suspended feeding at random picking off bait here and there. No major schooling activity. Case and point from my HDS7. Here I'm jigging a spoon. Fish near the bottom and the diagonal streaks are the fish swimming up, taking a bait and then going back down. ONLY the most active fish would bite the spoon. I could bounce it on their heads and not get a reaction. I've even snagged a few in the tail they've been so thick. Here are the remaining images. Lots of bait this year. Odd thing is....I'm not seeing any fat fish as a result. Just healthy fish. No gluttons! lol

Only because the casters have closed-lip syndrome.

I think you own Table Rock. As the crazy Irishman from Braveheart said "It's my island". Except in this case.....it's a lake. Lol

Hey, over 12 is good. With some up to 15 that's really good. I NEVER will let Fins forget that 15 I caught with him the one day I out fished him. Lol!!! My glory day. Ha! I want another one of those 15's on a limber crappie rod. That was a blast. Like catching smallmouth.

That's a nice bag to weigh in. I didn't even know there was a tournament. Not surprised really. This lake sees more tournaments than an Elite Bassmaster.... Man, that's some good weight. Glad to hear that. I know they are out there. Just hard to catch the bigger ones.

My problem is setting the hook. I feel weight or a bite, and I run out of rod setting the hook! Lol. I have had a few come unbottoned due to hooks but not many.

With crappie bigger than 30", I need to get tips from YOU!!

Fast forward to around 4:40. And get ready to laugh. :-) 12 pound buck bass hooked up for UNBELIEVABLE bat:

Fat Cat Newton has already claimed that technique except he uses buck antlers to rattle them up. Lol!!!

I've heard that before but never remember to do that on the water. I think Bohannon mentioned it in a FLW article a few years back.

You got a little something on your photo there. Sunspot maybe? Lol

They are in open water and some are in creeks currently. They are everywhere. Crazy thick. Yes, eventually they will be in the backs or at the mouths of creeks. I've seen both in 60 degree water. I'd post a screenshot but my phone can't post photos. I'll dig up one later.

This matches what the pros found earlier this year at the Bassmaster event. That's a lot of 14" class fish. Can't be for lack of forage either. Beaver has the same problem. Tons of fish all about the same size and currently there are millions of minnows roaming open water. Interesting data. Thanks for sharing!

Geez. What was the winning weight? I heard about the smallmouth on a buzzbait. Jigs. I love them. But I can't catch a fish on one for anything. And I still can't put the darn thing down. I've tried all kinds of colors, trailers, etc. I must not be feeling the subtle bites on the fall or watching my line close enough. Sorry.....rant off.

Who me??? Yep, I do that. :-) PUDDIN'!!! lol

Cool report. Thanks for posting!! I myself have been in a slump on bass. I've been so busy chasing crappie and other species that I couldn't catch a green fish to save my life. I managed to snag a few Sunday. It was fun. Just chunking and winding trying to figure out how to trigger a bite. I will say that learning to fish for other species has definately helped my bass fishing. Getting one on and in the boat felt good. Even losing a few spots at the boat felt good. I myself found spinnerbaits and crankbaits to be working. I need to get at least 2-3 topwater rods rigged up for the upcoming topwater weather. It's near. I almost fished the tournament Saturday because it's for a good cause but plans prevented that.

I too have found it tougher in the fall. And in the winter, an impoundment becomes super small. The fish go so deep and hide that your graph stays blank for most of the trip in dead winter. I have yet to figure out winter fishing with great success for bass.

Fatties. I had the opposite yesterday. No interest in drop shot and luck with cranks and spinnerbaits. If I had any sense, I would have downsized and thrown rooster tails.

I had a nice keeper follow my War Eagle spinnerbait all the way to the boat. I was burning it back to the boat to cast again and he played with it right in front of the trolling motor. I couldn't get him to bite it. He just wanted to follow and watch. This was on Beaver Lake and not Table Rock no d you but the pattern is similar. Beavers bait population is insane and making it a tough bite. I watched fish snack on my graph for hours. Come up, grab a minnow, go back down. They are following the bait and eating when they want. Spinnerbait and crankbaits worked very erratically and quickly are what's getting the bite as of yesterday. Darn fish only support local business too and only want a War Eagle. Lol. It's all I fish now.

Every day? Now you're just showing off. Lol

That goes right along with what I found today. Erratic action and reaction strikes. I saw about 4 boats trolling in Monte Ne as I launched. Seems a lot of people are joining in on the trolling wagon. F&F's is willing to share so much info that now everyone is catching fish and trolling. Which means more pressure which means you will have to get creative to catch fish. As you have done. Good job.