A Very Interesting Day On The Rock

[troutgnat]

Had a great day on the rock. Put in at Indian Point Marina before 1st light, and motored straight across lake to main lake point. First cast of the day on a spook and had a 3lb smallie blow up on it. Landed it and went on to catch a couple shorter smalls and a kentucky. School of whites came up and of course had to have fun with them.

Had my lady friend with me so wanted make sure I got her on fish using something she could fish easily and effectively so shortly after daybreak stayed on the point and started dragging the fish doctor again. I stayed on topwater but after about 5 fish down to my partner resorted back to the fish doctor. I couldn't let her beat me! We had some wind on this point for good bit and wore out about 10 or so smallies on the fish doctor. Wind died down along with the cloud cover and so did the fishing.

Started moving around, went up the Indian and hit some docks. Caught one 14" largemouth, another real nice smallie and a number of kentuckies all on the doctor.

Motored down the the main lake Indian point and had several more smallies with one close to the 3lb mark, still fishing the doctor.

For the afternoon we went across from this point and hit the first 3 main lake points down the right hand side. Continued to pull a couple of smallies off each point.

From about 3pm on whites were coming up all over this points, sometimes at random you just had to idle around and spot em.

I ended up filling the live wells with whites on a bone-white spook Jr. , with my counter part using a chug-bug.

With daylight over the horizon we were coming up on another point still catching surfacing whites when I saw a big blow up and actually saw a big small mouth actually come out of the water. I hit the trolling motor and got within range, we both hooked up on our first casts with two decent smallies. We boated 5 smallies out of this school with my last one again being right around 3lbs again on a spook!

So, here's my question!!!......I believe I actually saw a school of smallies schooling shad on top. Not just a random smallie in the middle of a bunch of whites. Could this have been a school of surfacing smallies? If so, it was my first time witnessing this and it was so COOL!

All in all, had a great day and got another one hooked on fishing the Rock!

[eric1978]

I know smallmouth will school up in streams, I usually see them that way in the fall and winter, but I think it's more of a defensive behavior than for feeding. But if a school of baitfish move through their area, they're gonna go after them. I doubt they're following schools of shad like whites, but when they're all feeding at once it may look that way.

By the way, call me stupid, but what the heck is a "fish doctor?"

[troutgnat]

Eric,

The Fish Doctor is a plastic bait made by Zoom. It's basically what most fisherman call french-fry or do-nothing baits. Picture a french-fry in green pumpkin color and you got it. Not much action, good for finesse style fishing or splitting shottin, wacky rigging or carolina rigging. There really is no wrong way to fish french fry baits! Zoom has other simialiar styles as does every other manufacturer out there. I never go anywhere without some of these in the boat as they can catch fish in just about any style of water any time of year.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I've seen Smallies do this, I mean come up on shad. I don't know if they actually chase them or if they take advantage of a close encounter. I tend to believe its the latter.

Its getting close to the time when they will feed heavily on baitfish.

How were you rigging the Doctor?

[Tom Spence]

the fish docotor is a soft plastic made by Zoom. -ts a simple 4 inch french fry that's flat on one side. One of the best baits on the rock.f

I know smallmouth will school up in streams, I usually see them that way in the fall and winter, but I think it's more of a defensive behavior than for feeding. But if a school of baitfish move through their area, they're gonna go after them. I doubt they're following schools of shad like whites, but when they're all feeding at once it may look that way.

By the way, call me stupid, but what the heck is a "fish doctor?"

[troutgnat]

Wayne,

Had it on 8# P-Line Floroclear with a cylindrical 5/16" weight rubber-pegged 18" up from the doctor. Also using carolina crawlic juice on one and my partner was using Jacks Garlic juice on her rig. Don't know if that made a difference but we had no problem getting bit!