Eaters Are Biting !

[Martin]

If you want to have some fun, grab an light or ultra-light rod and go catch some giant bluegills. These dudes are big, and are biting really good right now. Sorry I don't have a photo in the computer yet. I've been using either 4 or 6 lb test, no. 4 (no. 2 will work), long shank hook, a number 5 or so split shot. We've had our best luck nose hooking a whole nightcrawler, throw it out in 11 to 14 feet of water, let er sink. Then reel intermittently, very slow. When it gets heavy, set the hook ! My granddaughter hooked and landed a 17 inch smallmouth last evening while bluegill fishing. What a fight ! Oh yeah, points or better yet, gravel points have been best.

Have fun !

[Hunter91]

Thanks Martin. Thats some of my favorite fishing and eating

[Sam]

Marty, thanks for the tip. My partner and I fished your area yesterday (Tuesday, June 8) and used your bluegill technique. Things may have slowed down a bit from when you got into them, but we caught 7 BIG bluegills. Mostly though, we were catching bass on a swimming minnow and 1/8 oz. jighead around the same gravel points. 3/4 of them were smallmouths 13" or 14" long, a ball to catch and release on light tackle - bass fishermen have a great class of smallmouths coming up in lower Tablerock. I don't know just how many bass we caught and released, 25 or 30 maybe.

Then to add to the entertainment, we each kept a rod rigged up with a 1/4 oz. white roostertail and we'd chase white bass boils when they erupted. Between chasing the boils and trolling the roostertails in the same areas where the white bass were coming up, we added our limits of white bass to the livewell. We were catching some 13"-14" bass that way too, while fishing for white bass. That was a good trip - counting the 30 white bass and 7 big bluegills we brought home, plus the bass we released, we must have caught close to 70 good-size fish. That kind of day keeps a feller entertained!

[Martin]

Well I'm glad you guys had a good day ! Sometimes it seems if I report on a good bite, it is the kiss of death for that "good bite". lol. It is fun to catch a bunch of fish, even if they are not giants, on light or ultra light tackle. Were the whites about the right size for eating ?

[Sam]

Were the whites about the right size for eating ?

Yep, they were all about 13"-14", and we iced the fish down and cleaned them this morning. I gave these filets to my partner as I've got a bunch of them in the freezer already. I told him about my new trick with white bass filets that I've already mentioned in a couple of threads here. Soak the filets in Club Soda (Seltzer Water) for 2 hours before breading and frying. That pretty much turns white bass filets into crappie filets and I can't tell them apart when I'm eating them side-by-side on a plate! GOOD eating.