Frost1920

Ok, after some thought, I came up with a theory on my lack of fish catching. Trolling motor. The blade on my trolling motor had been damaged and a chuck was taken out of one of the blades. I was too cheap to buy a new one because, after all, it still pushed me around just fine. But it vibrated funny and when I was running on 5, it was pretty noticeable. I decided that the motor I was running was alerting the fish to my presence before I could even cast to em. I broke out the $17 for a new one and it is whisper quiet now. What a difference a little chunk in a blade can make. We went right after that last front came though and each caught about 10 fish. Nothing neat, only 2 keeper sized fish but it gives me hope. I always heard that the fish don't pay any attention to a trolling motor, but maybe since mine was vibrating crazy they were a little skiddish. I don't know, but that is my theory. We'll see what happens

I am fairly new to the fishing world. I bought my first bass boat in Feb. but have been 2-3 times a week, every week, since then. I've only fished a drop shot a few times, but I was just wanting some more info. How do you decide how far up to tie your bait? Do you judge it by what you see on the sonar or do you guys have a certain height it gets tied at always? Last time I fished one, i went with 24" and wasn't real sucessful. I just wanted some better ideas of when and where and what height to be lookin for. Thanks alot

I've come to the conclusion that everyone that posts they are catching fish is full of crap. (just kidding..........sort of). I've thrown cranks in dirty water till my arm was sore. I've cranked in clear water. I've spooked 'em and pop'd em and thrown spinnerbaits at em. How can you screw up a plug or a spinner? I just don't get it. I caught 7 fish yesterday and 3 today. I threw some flukes, jig'n'craws, spinners, cranks, senkos, pointer 100's, bandit 200's, deep divers, t-rigged worms of all colors, and grubs. I've been thought the tacklebox and fished out to about 20ft. Today we worked shoreline of all kinds and I basically threw cranks and jigs all day. I tried to cover the first 8 ft and also get to the fish holding tight to the bottom or standing timber. NADA. All the guys I talked to at the ramp....same thing. 10%/90% maybe. You think this has discouraged me? No way. If anything, these tough days just make me want to come back and redeem myself and encourage my addiction. I just thought I'd share my fishing trips with everyone and vent some frustrations too. I'll be back a few times this week and fully expect to post pics of some huge fish...........

I've only been once since I started this thread, and that was on Tuesday. We had about the same results as always but this time Ill blame the post front conditions. We caught maybe 7 fish in 3 hours with 1 keeper LM. My brother was skunked for all of the 3 hours until the last 10 mins when he pulled in a 16 or so inch Smallie. Also in the same spot, about 30 seconds later, I hooked into a monster. I never felt a bite, just a lightness or a little pressure. Anyone that fishes soft plastic knows what it feels like. Its the best feeling in the world. I reel down and give her a good one and it felt like a log!! What a feeling! My rod was about doubled over and that fish took off! As soon as I set the hook, I said "Get the net". This felt like the biggest fish I'd ever had on. My line went flying to the left, down the lake and just like that she was gone. I sat down (after some choice words)but still with a big smile and we called it a day. Ill never know what it was. My mind keeps showing me pictures of a 8lb SM but maybe it was just a catfish or something. Anyway, Ill hook up with her someday. I just wanted to say thank you to the people that sent me private messages with some really awesome pointers and areas to focus on with what baits. It didn't pay off this week, but it definitely added some ammo to my arsenal.

We fished long tapering points and fished basically drop off points. I tried throwing to some timber. We tried burning spinnerbaits through them. Ive definitely heard both of the rules about the bank and the fishermen. I ran some shoreline while casting to it and we ran some shorline dragging in about 20ft of water.And every depth inbetween. We didn't fish any bridge pilings and that was about all we didnt get to. Again, I would agree time on the water is the #1 thing a guy can do. That's why I continue to go. How much fun would it really be if anyone could just go and catch without the fishing part? But i put in time alone and with experienced fishermen. I wouldve been thrilled to have touched 40 short fish today. Instead I touched 1. the other 2 fell off my line as I was reaching for em. So ill continue fishing and enjoying the water and hopefully more people will post their experiences (without neccessarily giving up secret spots or locations)

Well we went today and didnt catch anything. I think we each caught about 3 fish. No keepers. Fished from 7am till 1pm. A good 3 hour stretch without a single bite. We fished main lake points, secondary points from 1ft to about 20 was the deepest my lure got. Nothing. Crankbaits produced nothing, spinnerbaits nothing. no topwater bite at all. The wind picked up and we fished windblown points and shoreline with no bites. We fished shallow water, backs of coves and everything in between. Nothing. I don't know what advice anyone could possibly give that I didnt give the old college try. I finally just settled for a 6" worm (tried all different colors), and worked all depths with nothing. I would say 95% of my trips to stockton are exactly the same as this. And its not just me. Same results when I fish with my dad, brother, step-brother, step-father, friends, and neighbors. So I would credit my lack of catching to inexperience, except when I take experienced people with me, its the exact same. Its worth going because every 10 trips or so, I will have a good one and it will almost make the bad ones worth it. I just can't figure how 2 guys in one boat cant buy a bite for 3 hours and the next guy posts that he caught 50. I just dont get it.

I've been having a terrible time on Stockton lately. I caught a limit a month ago, and a 20 1/2 inch bass but since then we cannot get on a pattern. Ive been going 2-3 times a week with no results. I try something different everytime. Ive even had a few trips where we didn't catch A fish. not 1. We love the weather and no loud rap music coming from the next boat (why do they put radios in boats anyway?) I can appreciate the lords glorious creation but would also like some of those creations to end up on the end of some 12lb test! I'm not looking for any secrets in this post by the way. And we release everything we catch. I was just wondering if any of the average joe fisherman are having it rough too. Id gladly take Marty or Bob up on a fishing trip, but I can barely afford the gas up and back each time!! (which would probably be better to hire a guide once, than make 10 trips. you think they'd take a payment plan? anyway, i was just hoping for some other feedback and what depth people were finding some fish. (and if you read this post, and fish stockton lake, we would really appreciate some feedback. Its nice when 400 people read a post and only 3 people respond!)

Thanks for posting such a great picture and story. That is a kick butt fish and makes me a little jealous. OK....alot jealous!! Ive never come CLOSE to that. Pictures like this are what keep me motivated and on the lake every week. Thanks guys

Well you guys sound like you know alot more about it than I do. I went up on Sunday, put in at the old state park and fished north to the dam. We fish all kinds of different rock, bluffs, shallow water, deep water, top water, cranks, worms, spinners, and we couldn't come up with anything. I had 2 LM about 12 inchs, 1 smallie about 10 inchs, and that was about it. Same for my buddy. We fished 5 or 6 hours and couldn't catch anything. So reading that it took 20.5lbs to win the bass tourney on Sunday, and all your reports of catching fish really hacks me off. What am I doing wrong?! I can enjoy the time on the water without catching fish, but there comes a point when it starts wearing on a guy. Last weekend I caught a limit, with the big bass going about 6lbs and probably 20 little fish. Went back the next day and got skunked. 0 fish. So I know I have the ability to catch fish, but definitely not consistently. I either hammer 'em or come up with nothing. I was secretly hoping all the reports from this weekend were that it sucked so maybe I would feel better. No such luck. On the other hand, it makes me feel better knowing that really no matter what the weather, you can trick some fish into eating. Im just venting now, as Im sure all fishermen go through from time to time!

Well, I just wanted to post something about our recent trip to Ruark. We arrived right in the middle of the brief showers on Saturday afternoon. Apparently no one on the lake knew it would be brief because Ive never seen so many boats on the ramp and in the water waiting to take out! The people were going crazy! We saw some of the funniest, scariest stuff Ive ever seen. People backing trailers in circles. Jackknifes everwhere. Yelling. Empty Beercans. Trash. A kid wrecked his trailer into a parked trailer and pushed it a couple feet. (the owner of the wrecked trailer was in the cab) Jetskis and pontoons, bikinis, and moo-moo's. What a mess! We didnt dare put in until it cleared out, so we just pulled up a seat and watched the maddness. We finally got to fish for a couple hours and had one of my best days on the lake. They were loving the texas rigged worm after the rain. There wasnt a 5 or 10min stretch when we werent catching something. Found most fish between 5 and 15ft deep. Rock bluffs and transitions for the most part. The biggest was 19 1/2 in but it seemed really fat and heavy. It really looked like a nice fish! They were definately hungry after the rain. We heard the Water Patrol was conducting Sobriety checkpoints and we saw their boats but we never went through any. We took out at 11pm. As we are leaving, a Man and 4 teenagers were putting in. Something "fishy" was going on. As I talked with them, It was apparent they were not there to fish. And they werent there to swim or ski or do what people do during the daytime. They were scared to put the boat in because they thought the boat was going to pull their truck into the lake. One of the teen girls was in her underwear in the water as the guys were messin with the boat. and one of the young men fell off the dock and got soaked. They parked sideways on the ramp and got ready to leave but after some discussion they decided the ramp was not part of the parking lot, so they went and moved it. I dont know but water patrol was right under the bridge and thats where they were headed as we left for the day. I dont know if posts like this are really relevent in a fishing forum, but the stuff that goes on at Stockton on the weekends in nuts. The stories could go on and on! Every trip is a story in the making and you never know what adventure awaits. Ill be glad when fall gets here and the go fast and pleasure yourself boats are gone until next summer.

I went with the eagle 480. It only took a hour or so and its hooked up ready to go. I cant wait to get to the lake and try it out. Thanks alot for all the imput. Its a big help having a forum like this because everything i pointed to at Bass Pro the associates told me was good. I couldnt get an opinion about anything really it was just this ones good that ones good just pick one and leave me alone. So i really appreciate this forum. Thanks alot!

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Thanks for the info guys and the sonar tutorial was pretty good too. I am not an impulse buyer so Im having a hard time deciding what to get but most likely im going to go with the Eagle 480. Its between that and a bird 565 and a lowrance x96 and in a color model maybe the x67c. I just have to pick one and go for it I guess but the 480 is probably going to win.

Well the unit I have up front is an Eagle and I think its 160 x 130. Went shopping today and am almost sold on a Humminbird 565. I dont think it has any GPS on it but the screen resolution is 640x320 which the guy told me was excellent. He said you could even see your lure in the water. Its not color but its only $199 so its right in my price range. Its probably not the greatest but it will beat what ive got by a mile. He said even if I know exactly whats in the water, you would be hard pressed to decypher it on my old Eagle and that made me feel better because I was so frustrated with it. Anyway, im still shopping but thats my top prospect so far.

Thanks for the detailed report. I really need to seek some relationship counseling with my sonar. The only thing I can tell on mine is water depth and temp. Sometimes I can see fish arches but I cant even find the brush piles the core puts in. Ill troll back and forth from 20yds on both sides of the signs and from the shore out 40 yds or so. I cant find em. Sometimes ill happen across something that i can tell is a brush pile or a tree but not enough to make a day of it. I cant see foundations or brush or structure or anything. And that is my GOOD sonar. The one by the console finally took its last breath, so Im going to move the one up front to the back and shop for a new one up front. I cant afford a pro set up, but I was wondering if you or anyone that reads this has any advice on sonars. Something low to mid price range that would be a really decent one. What would some of the bare minimums be that you need in an lcr for finding structure and fish and have some sucess during these summer months? Anything anyone could add to Buying and analyzing whats on your screen would be a great help.

I didnt realize how tender this subject is. Everyone i know who have fished for years said that black bass go back. That back in the day people used to keep them to eat, but now if you are hungry you fish for crappie or walleye or whites. I just thought those really were the "rules" . anyway... whatever floats your boat and to each his own.

well i always thought the unwritten rule was that you throw back the largemouth. maybe thats just me. I keep crappie and whites and some catfish now and then. but smallies and largemouth go back for the next guys to catch. i think the tournament guys and lake guide services probably appreciate it. i just thought that was proper fishing code of conduct on the lake. are there lots of guys keeping LM? i wouldnt think so but maybe im wrong

Well we ended up going. We went up Sunday and were on the water by 0530 and we were about the 6th truck on the ramp. But we put in and fish our way from the where the lake starts all the way up to the main lake. When we got near the main lake we could hear boats rippin and roarin but only saw one or two boats pulling tubes and one bikini girl on a jet ski. other than that we just saw fishermen. more than usual but that was about it. We didnt catch ANY decent fish until about 1pm. Right after we said we would fish this last cove real quick and head in. Ended up staying until 6pm but we caught 8 crappie and a good catfish. But I lost count how many less than legal crappie we caught. 40 or more? Tons of em. and a couple walleye and a catfish. Couldnt really get any Bass to bite. Tried lots of different things but nothing really paid off except the crappie fishing. We had a really fun day and it just seemed like any other weekend at the lake. Until we decided to take out and had to wait for a skiboat and some guys who obviously have either JUST bought the boat or never had it on a trailor before. Jackknife left. jackknife right. back and forth. up and down the ramp. 3 or 4 boats in the water waiting on one guy to move. Really entertaining to watch. Thanks alot guys.

My wife and I both got out of the army recently and started our family here where I was born and raised. But ive never been to the lake during the summer to fish. Now its all I want to do and I dont want a million partiers to spoil the fishing! Is it worth going to fish this weekend or will all the yea whos with skis and seadoos take over? I was there Thurs and it was really laid back and we caught some good fish but i have been warned to stay away during the Memorial Day weekend. I know all the campsites around the lake are reserved, so people are moving in, but would i be the only one fishing? I just wanted the opinion of some guys who know the lake all seasons. Will anyone else do battle this weekend or will people that regularly fish stockton just lay low until this passes or will every weekend from now on in be a warzone? Im not scared...Im gonna try anyway...but we were going to try to head up late afternoon and stick around till midnight and avoid the crowds. Just wondering what other people were planning this weekend. thanks alot guys!

by the way...we were about 25 ft off the bank sitting in about 10 ft of water triyng to fish what was the shoreline on out. Maybe i shouldve been doing that all day instead of the last 45 mins

Me and a buddy fished on Saturday. We put in about 300 pm. Couldnt keep those 7" LM off the line. About 815pm we were going to head back to the ramp, but It got really fun for about 45 mins. EVERY single cast I had a fish on. 10, 15, 20 in a row? I was just going to run down this bank real fast and head home a little discouraged, but it turned out to be an ok day. The last 45 mins made the day. We only had 4 keeper crappie but we caught a ton of em and all kinds of fish. A 4lb catfish, some whites, a perch , a small walleye. Even after I called it a day and loaded the boat up, I thought id cast a few times on the ramp and we ended up staying for a while catching 3 or 4 15" bass and some bluegill. No fish to brag about, but it was really hot for about an hour and we had a great time catching em.

I was using a 5 1/2 ft ultra light spinning rod with 8lb Stren Florocarbon line. After that 2nd fish in 2 mins broke off my line on my rod, I picked up my brothers rod so I could immediately get back in the water and I never did go back to my rod. I thought he had 6lb on it (being an ultralight) but he had heavier line on his for some reason. You think all those fish took it, felt the line and spit it out before I could react? Whats the best set up for crappie fishing? (Lesson learned...never take to battle untested equipment.) thanks for the help

I went out today to crappie fish. I threw a couple road runners until 2 good sized bass broke me off. Then I lost one to a swimmin minnow. So i switched to the cheap 10 pack 1/8 oz crappie jigs and caught 4 or 5 little bass. I ended up scoring 3 crappie for the day, but I guess my question is : Is there any advice for a hook set on crappie? I bet I missed 20 fish today! It was windy but I dont think thats an excuse. I could feel the fish take it and then BAM no fish. Very Frustrating day. Missing fish after fish after fish. Was the bite really light on Friday? Or am i doing something wrong? One fish in particular, I felt the tick on my line, set the hook, and got him in the boat. Only thing was the jig wasnt in his mouth, it was in his side! I snagged a crappie. Any advice or similar stories would make me feel better or confirm that I do indeed suck.