Walcrabass

Bassmaster 21, Your point is very well taken. I have used Long Bows, Recurves, and Compounds. I have made my own arrows from scratch and assisted in the making of the long bows. I have hunted with sights and without, made my own tree stands, ground blinds, rattled Deer, Still hunted Deer, Muzzle Loader Hunted Deer, and literally crept up and shot them in their beds. In short, I have Deer hunted a LOT!!!.As I said I compete at the level of others around me. But here is my point,...... we are in the age of exponential learning and technological advancements. We have to draw the line somewhere on this stuff or we might as well be fishing with Trammel Nets and Dynamite. If we look to our neighbors to the North we see Barbless hooks, no live bait, and no motor powered boats in some areas. There is a reason for all this....... the purity of the sport and the fact that the fish cannot sustain their populations under the pressure. I guess I am just wondering out loud at what point will we be happy????? We have underwater cameras, Temperature indicators, oxygen meters, sonar that shows the fish and the jig you are using, frequency emmiters( hydrowave), ability to tell soft bottom or hard bottom, "pictures" of the brush from the top AND the side, GPS, Topographical maps, Multi-Lure Tackle (Alabama Rig),and in some cases Scuba Divers to go down to take a fish count and measure their size. Doesn't it seem like we have lost the "Magic" of fishing????? Like I said, we are driven by money. If it weren't for the tournament pay-outs, income generated, and profitability of these items they would not be "Pushed" on us to this extent. there is one silver lining in all this.... they still have to bite the hook. At least until we come up with the "Fish Hyptonizer" that makes them swim up to the boat so you can just net them.... with an automatic net of course

Stoneroller, Glad to see your thoughts on the A-Rig. I was at Bass Pro the other night and they are selling them for 15 to 25 dollars. We must remember that this is the driving force for all things in our world..... Money. When fish locators first began to be popular the Northern States talked about making them illegal for fear that in their lakes the Lake Trout and the Walleye would suffer too much. I believe they were made legal largely because of the money they generated. The same is true for the compound bows. Anyone that tells themselves that they are "Bow Hunting" with one of them is kidding themselves..... not at 350 feet per second!!!! The fish finders have literally gotten to the point that you can watch the fish come up and hit the Bait. Are we fishing or are we doing inner body exploratory surgery with a camera??? And now we have the Hydrowave!!!!!I think you made a good comment about KVD. How much of a Fisherman do you need to be when you can "See the Fish", "Call the Fish", and have unlimited sponsor money and time to burn gas to look for them??!???!!??Am I saying that he is not the greatest fisherman in the world??? Nope!!! Just very, very well provided for and accommodated. I have always said that if they invented a machine that you could aim out the window of your truck and it would pinpoint where the Big Whitetail Bucks were located it would not be legal. Yet today we have those very things in Fishing. Now the question is do I use these things myself???? You Bet!Competition mandates me to be at the level of others around me. Do I think we are getting out of line?? You Bet!!!! I would truly like to see a Big Time Bass tournament with the Big Names fishing it with NO ELECTRONICS, NO PRE-FISH, AND NO CONTACT ALLOWED BETWEEN THE LOCAL GUIDES OR FISHERMAN FOR 2 WEEKS BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT. The "Sacks of Fish" would be very interesting.... agreed?

Zarraspook, Straw Hat and Dutch are right on target!!! Let me add a couple of items. The thing about the BIG ROCKS by Bluff Ends and close to pea gravel is Smallmouth paradise. With deep water close by they are very likely to be there. I think staying around the dam and island area is a great idea!!Smallmouth are HUGE CRAWDAD EATERS. A tube is quite the ticket but so is a Stand Up Jig. Use one heavy enough to stay down there with them. Green Pumpkin, Green Pumpkin /Browns, Brown and Orange are true Smallmouth colors in a Soft Plastic Crawdad. Early in the year the Jig may not even need a skirt. Use a drop of Crawdad oil too. The other thing to remember is that they like Gold and Copper colors. I personally like to fish for them with a Brown and Orange Jig with with Copper Glitter in it. I will add a Pumpkin and Orange Claw Crawdad or a Green Pumpkin and Blue Claw Crawdad to it. If things have warmed up enough for a Spinnerbait bite remember the Gold and Copper Blades in Brown and Orange skirt patterns. Again I would advise to keep it down there with them so a single spin might be better. Same goes for the Gold/Brown/Copper suspending Rogues. If the water is still 45 degrees or less when you go I would use a Finesse Jig over a Full Skirt Jig. They just seem to pick it up better when the water is not real warm. Please post after your fishing trip.......we'll all enjoy hearing about it.

Skeeter, I fished the Hawkers point area about two Saturdays ago. Went to the Islands etc. Used watermelon, green pumpkin, and different browns but did no good. I had to move to various coves and creek arms. Except for the State Park area I haven't done too well on the big part of the lake this winter. If you discover a pattern please post. Just as you said we have had a lot of "Hits" with no fish being hooked. Wish I had a camera on them when they were messing with it!!!!!!!

I guess I forgot to post. Sorry. Last Thursday I fished about 8 miles of the lake. Right in the middle. Used Stand Up Jigs in Green Pumpkin, Dirty Pumpkin, Okeechobee, Creek Sniper, Bluegill Bandit, and Shad Patterns. Finesse Style Jigs worked better than full skirted Jigs. Used Zoom Craws and short trailers like Paca Chunks. As always added Crawdad Oil. Bite was great for about 1.5 hours in the morning. Clouds rolled in and bite went light. Found fish on gravel points with chunk rock in 6 to 15 foot of water. Ended up catching 28 fish. Biggest about 5 pounds, one 3.5 to 4 pounder, about five 2 to 2.5 pounders. Temps were in the fifties and fishing was comfortable. One thing I have noticed is that some of the points that are facing the exact same direction as others have fish on one trip and not on the next trip. They are not on my line or on my graph. They must be moving around pretty freely as the water temperature has never gotten very low. Actually found some 44.4 degree water on this trip.

Aldrich should be O.K. right now as far as water clarity. All of the creek arms with 40+ degree water should be good. I have been catching them on Gravel Points with scattered rock. No Jerk baits for me but I have heard of a few. I have been using stand Up Jigs and short trailers like Paca Chunk, Zoom Junior Chunk, etc. Best colors have been Green Pumpkin, Dirty Pumpkin, Creek Sniper, Okeechobee, and Mud Bug Orange Sparkle. Try some Crawdad Oil on the plastic trailer. Don't lift the Jig, just barely twitch and scoot it. Bites have been really light or maybe just the Jig stopping. Greatest number of fish caught after 1:00 P. M. to about 4:30 P.M. Knock 'em Dead!!!!!

I went to Stockton today with a new fishing buddy. He is a great guy and we had a great day. Always fun to fish with another die hard. Fished from Hawkers point all the way up Son's Creek. No fish until after 12 noon and started pretty early. Stand Up jigs in Full Skirt and Finesse style too with Zoom Craws or Zoom Chunks for trailers. Green Pumpkin and Creek Sniper patterns. Crawdad oil on the plastics.Bite was very light to just plain not a bite,only a stop of the jig on the bottom. Little scoots and flips got the only bites. 3/8 0z. and 1/2 oz sizes showed no differences in the fish. Found fish on the points but not many biting around wood, brush piles or otherwise. Finally started using Stand Up Heads, no skirt, Zoom Big Critter Craws, and Crawdad Oil. Green Pumpkin Heads, Green Pumpkin Craws, and dipped some claws in Chartreuse dye. Fish were picking them up better. Fished until dark and caught 15 Bass total. Biggest was around three pounds, a couple 2.5 pounders, and a couple of 2 pounders. Most fish were around 14" but had one small one. Temps were cold in the morning but weather was great in the afternoon. Great day on the water. I need to put the boat in for some repairs. Probably skip fishing for a few weeks. You guys keep me posted on the Bass, O.K?????

I agree, it is like extortion. If my memory serves me correctly it used to be the same price for an In-State License as an Out-of-State license. I have tried to explain to more than one Conservation Commision that it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE FOR A WORKING PERSON TO TAKE HIS WIFE, KIDS, AND HIMSELF TO THE LAKE OR RIVER WITH THESE KIND OF FEES AND GAS PRICES. I am really surprised that they have not caught on as to why the number of hunters etc. is shrinking. It is purely economics. In the case of the State of Missouri they have even considered charging the LANDOWNERS FOR DEER TAGS TO USE ON THEIR OWN PROPERTY. Let me see now, release animals on their property that eats their crops and then charge them for hunting on their property. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, and at the same time take in millions of dollars in license fees for the Deer that the farmers raise that other hunters kill. Quite a deal huh? Wouldn't it be great if farmers could release Cattle on other peoples property, let them shoot them, (in season of course) and then those people pay them for each one by the pound and according to whether or not it is a Cow or a Bull? Especially after those same Cattle Hunters had already provided a place for them to live and fed them? Sorry to be so sarcastic but enough is enough. Some of the states have even stopped the "Lifetime Hunting and Fishing Permits" I have been told. I am going to stop now as my blood pressure is rising. See ya and Good fishing.......if you can afford it.

I like this guy!!!!!!!!! He is as on target as he can be!!!!! Many times I hold my rod tip down to the top of the water and just twitch, twitch-twitch. And those big Bass bite so often just like you said, just inhale it and sit there. I do the same thing in waiting to see if the other end of the line is breathing. One of those "No Bite Hits" is what produced my big fish on Saturday. A lot of guys probably scoff at just catching 14 or 15 fish in a day but when you are moving a bait that slowly you don't cover a lot of ground. If however that is the only to get a bite then you are miles ahead. Besides, it takes skill and patience. It is so much more rewarding than just cranking a lure through the water. Many more people need to "learn to fish" instead of letting the lure do the fishing for them. Jigs are the most "Year Round" and "Always Catch'em" Lures that I have ever seen. They are truly high level skilled fishing. Besides all this praise and Tech talk........They just plain CATCH FISH!!!!!

Your brain and mine are on the same wavelength. Use the lightest Jig you can for a given day. Also use a Jig profile that is acceptable to the fish. As far as the scents go I couldn't agree more. The problem with my favorite lake, Stockton, is that it should be used for wind tunnel testing. When the fish get really slow I just scoot the Jig or barely twitch it to get a bite. If you pull it up off the bottom much the wind will sail your line for about 15 feet with a light Jig and you have just passed over the fish. Unfortunately I end up fishing with 1/2 oz. and heavier even when I am FINESSE fishing with a smaller profile Jig. Today was a prime example. The wind was terrible and no matter which bank, cove, or main lake point I went to it was waiting for me. I ended up fishing with 1/2 oz. and really could've used 3/4 oz. in a lot of places. I also had to go to a smaller profile Finesse style Jig to get bites. As it turned out my 6 biggest Bass for the day would've weighed about 22 pounds with the largest being between 6 and 7 pounds. Only caught about 15 fish. Missed many because of wind sail and "Light Bites". Those hair Jigs you mentioned are truly works of art. I tied many of them in my youth as Deer hair/Tails were free and the fish liked them. They are a knockout in the Creeks and Rivers in the Winter. I will have to say you have brought back many memories.

Sounds like you are fishing some of my most favoritist parts of the lake. Isn't it great to be able to catch them on a Crankbait this time of year?? Just thinking from reading your report that a Tube or a Jig might have caused more bites/fish in the boat. I also believe you might have had 50% or so larger than 15". Not trying to be a know it all but that has been my experience in the colder months. Glad you had a good day fishing. Thanks for fighting the wind...maybe it will be a little worn down for me on my next trip.

csfishinfool, You are definitely right about the wind. It helps the bite. Sure is a pain to deal with though. Straw Hat, Isn't it amazing how much knowledge we can obtain from those who have been around awhile? I had heard of the "drop shot" method of Jig Fishing years ago but it was in the back of my mind until you re-minded me. I have only done it a couple of times and did not do very well. I probably had the Jig too high above the split shots. Now that it has been brought back to me I will re-try it but probably in the spring/summer. I think that sedentary retrieve is better in the winter and so probably don't need that "extra action" with slow fish. Thanks for the reminder.

csfishnfool, I can see I have met an accomplished Jig Fisherman. I was just telling a guy that very same thing last night. What really ticks me off is when the wind is blowing and you are using those heavier Jigs. Then it gets drug sideways AND drops into the rocks. A guy can spend a lot of time using the trolling motor getting them back. On another note I see where Netbait has a Mad Paca plastic Bait that closely resembles the Bass Pro Crack Craw. Since Bass Pro does not have theirs in Black with Blue Flake anymore I will be purchasing some of these. They are cheaper anyway. I have also heard that Chomper has one like it but I cannot find it.

WOW!!!! I am kind of stumped!!!!! I'm wondering why you would waste your time reading our comments since you can't reply because of not fishing "THIS LAKE". Must be a part of our culture that has a WHOLE LOT of time on your hands.

That "No Tap Bite" in the winter is so common. And you are right when you say the wind keeps you from feeling it. Sometimes I just reel up line as tight as I dare to keep them from spitting it out and set the Hook. That is one of the instances where I believe the Crawdad Oil helps them to hang on. That barely moving on the bottom retrieve is the only way to get them to take sometimes unfortunately but it gets difficult 25 feet deep. Do you ever increase your Jig size when fishing deep or trying to keep contact with the bottom??? I personally like the heaviest Jig they will bite on a given day.

Herb, You fished at the right time of day for winter. High Noon until 3:00 is usually pretty productive. Launching in the cove you are wanting to fish is a great idea and saves a lot of boat gas. As far as fishing the Jigs goes try just scooting it on the bottom. Not really lifting and hopping it. And make those little flips erratic. Give it a rest after each set of flips for a few seconds. When you start again that is usually when they hit. The great thing about the Jig Fishing is that no matter how cold and how slow the BASS get you can keep it right there in front of them. One other thing....head for the bank when it starts white capping and stay away from the big open parts of the lake.

Ham, Thanks for the input. That is how we all get to be better fishermen. I do fish with the Super chunks and smaller ones too. Also use Paca Craws and Bass Pro Crack Craws. I modify all of these with scissors for more /less flap. I am also a huge believer in Crawdad Oil. I have seen it make a difference in the bite and also holding on to the bait. Believe me if the water is too rough I am getting out of there. I already had one relative drown at Stockton in the winter. I keep my Life Jacket on the entire day. Good Luck.

Straw Hat, I appreciate your reply. I know that you are one of the "Older" Fishermen like myself and therefore remember the days of Bucktail Jigs, Pork Trailers, and Jig fishing because we didn't have the "Perfect" crankbait for all situations. Some of the greatest Bass Fishermen that have ever lived were Big Time Jig Fishermen like Denny Brauer and Hank Parker. I have noticed that there over 260 viewings of the post I made on Winter Jig Fishing. There is only one reply and that is yours. I truly hope that our fishermen are not going the same way as the rest of our society in that they just need to "Push a Button" to get what they want. In other words "The Crankbaits, Jerkbaits, Spinnerbaits, etc." I think the marketing theme behind them is " If you have the right Crankbait you can just use your electronics to find the fish and throw it in to catch a boat load." I hope that we are still practicing the "Art of Fishing" in that we rely on our ability to "Make a lure come to life" instead of relying on the factory that produced it to do it for us. Jig Fishermen??????.......Please reply.

OKay here is the fishing report from the crazy guy. Launched at about 9:15. 22 degrees and wind howling. Fished by myself. Jerkbaits both shallow and Deep for 2 1/2 hours with nothing. Found fish on secondary points in ten foot of water. Ice on rod. Ice in reels. Line shaving and breaking. Stand up Jigs in 3/8 oz. were not enough for the wind. Went to 1/2 oz. Caught fish on gravel points with scattered chunk rock. Normally caught one fish per point.Gave two guys that were Jerkbait fishing a couple of Jigs and I hope they used them and caught them like I did. Bluegill Bandit and Dirty Pumpkin were the fishes favorites today. Bluegill Bandit was top dog. Used Big Zoom Craws and Paca CHunks with Crawdad Oil. Fish would not bite a Stand Up Head with a craw and no skirt. Line sail was terrible and lost several fish because my arms are not 16 feet long so I could take out the slack and set the hook. Caught 14 -15 fish and had 7 that were keeper length.Only one "Keeper" fish was 15". All others were 16 to 18". No fish under 14" all day.Quit at 4:30. I would like to see some comments from other Jig fishermen about Winter Jig Fishing. As you all know it is one of my favorite ways to catch them. ALso I would like to say that I believe I have enough experience and thus proof that Jigs consistently take bigger Bass. Agree/Disagree??? See ya, WALCRABASS

That is funny about the Rosey minnows. I 'll bet that the Garlic Dye and the other Spike-It colors would mark the minnows and fish too. That stuff will just about dye "Air". Don't spill it!!!!!! Just think you could take a Model car paint brush with you to stripe your minnows. If another fisherman came up beside you and ask what you were using you could say, "Minnows, would you like for me to paint you a few? Would you like racing stripes or just a hood emblem?" I have heard of a lot of different types of art but Minnow Painting has got to be really tough.