Fishing Behind The Dam Again

[smallmouthjoe]

Went out this morning even though it was raining some with periods of pretty heavy fall. But the combination of the rain and the high temperatures we've had these last couple of days made me think that the fish might be more active than they have been lately so I couldn't resist. I needed to go some place close because I have to work this afternoon so I settled on The James behind the dam. The last time I was there I was completely shut out which will happen in winter I suppose. I started fishing around 9:00 and had to go in earlier than I wanted to because I managed to get myself drenched and I can't afford to get sick and miss work so I finished up around 11:00. I manged to catch three LMs, two dinks around 10" and one nice fish that was around 14". Started out throwing a jerkbait, which I'm trying to get better at, with no luck. After about an hour with the jerkbait I switched to a 4" watermelon red grub rigged on a 1/4 offset roadrunner head. All the fish were caught on this by slowly reeling it along the bottom. All of the fish I caught were behind current breaks next to a deep slow pool. I went back though and fished all the slower pools I could find with a shakyhead trying to coax some inactive fish into biting but was unable to get anything to bite. It's looking like the weather is going to turn bad tonight, funny, spring one day and winter the next. Take care guys and enjoy Christmas and the New Year.

[Buzz]

I had the same thoughts. I hit a spot on Shoal Creek yesterday after work and caught two, 1 LM and 1 spot and jumped off two others, out of a long slow deep hole right in the channel. Today I hit a different spot with a little more current. I missed a couple in the current, but soon figured out the majority of the fish were staging up on a narrow flat just off the main channel. I managed 4, all keepers with 1 good kicker LM that would go about 2 lbs. and 1 goggle-eye and jumped off 3 more. All hit soft plastic craws.

Looks like we are going to have to wait a while for another warm up.LOL

Happy Holidays to all.

Buzz

[RSBreth]

If you do try jerkbaits in that stretch, try really bright colors - the water clarity never really gets "clear" in that section of the James in Winter - at least I've never seen it as clear as it is above the Lake or further downstream..

[smallmouthjoe]

Yeah I'll try it with some brighter colors, I was using a gold husky jerk. Does anyone have any suggestions on colors for jerkbaits? I'm so cheap that I can't allow myself to buy something that might not work.

[Wayne SW/MO]

My favorites are the X-Raps in Ghost and Gold. The gold has been especially good to me in the late Fall. The X-Rap gold isn't what one would expect in a gold color lure.

[RSBreth]

http://www.lurenet.c...il.aspx?id=7493

Available at "Wally World" for about 6 bucks.

You may need to add some weight to it to get it suspending just right, but still - not a bad deal.

[Wayne SW/MO]

http://www.lurenet.c...il.aspx?id=7493

Available at "Wally World" for about 6 bucks.

You may need to add some weight to it to get it suspending just right, but still - not a bad deal.

You can get an X-Rap for about $7.50 and without fooling with it everytime the water temp changes get it to suspend real well. I have about 20 Rogues, maybe more, and I've caught more fish on Raps then the Rogues in all the years i've used them. Pointers are great, cost two X-Raps and I haven't found them to be better either. I believe the color scheme is very important in a suspending jerk bait because they receive so much scrutiny by the fish. In cold water I've found the fish come up and look, clamp down on the lure, and if you're not ready, spit it out. The visual take is very similar to a trout taking a nymph.

[smallmouthjoe]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I can use all the help I can get trying to figure out how to catch bass on anything besides a jig or a tube. The next time I'm at BP I'll pick up a gold or a ghost x-rap and I'll also start toying around with some of the Rouges I already have. I believe it was Hank Parker who said "If you want to learn a new technique then leave all your tackle at home except for the tackle needed for that technique". That seems like good advice in this case.

[RSBreth]

You can get an X-Rap for about $7.50 and without fooling with it everytime the water temp changes get it to suspend real well. I have about 20 Rogues, maybe more, and I've caught more fish on Raps then the Rogues in all the years i've used them. Pointers are great, cost two X-Raps and I haven't found them to be better either. I believe the color scheme is very important in a suspending jerk bait because they receive so much scrutiny by the fish. In cold water I've found the fish come up and look, clamp down on the lure, and if you're not ready, spit it out. The visual take is very similar to a trout taking a nymph.

I'm sorry if it seems like this is a retort but even XRaps need "tuning" in cold water - none of them I've ever used (40+) have ever suspended perfectly, that is not rising at all, or sinking even a tiny bit. The best value for dollar spent I've ever used for suspenders is the XCaliber XS4, suspends beautifully with minimal tinkering. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpageXCALRIP-XCSB.html#pImage'

Has the weight transfer system for long casts, but still has the Rogue "wobble" that XRap don't have in cold, cold water. There's a lot of fine tuning in jerkbaits.

[Daveinozark]

i tried that section on Sat, for just a few hours from the shore. Once I got used to the weather, I settled in on the section just off the falls on the bluff side. Seems like a deep hole with plenty of rocks and weeds. Didn't do well with the tube this time, so I switched to a watermelon 4inch strike king worm. It floats well on a jig head. Caught 2 good sized in 2 casts! First time that ever happened. a stop and go (slow) presentation worked best.