Give Them What They Want

[Bill Babler]

As you all know, there is nothing I love more than a jerkbait bite. Second, and not to distant is the topwater junk.

It ain't "WORKIN.'

Kre 11 is on the real deal, and so is Champ, if he can put down the topwater.

Dock bite, somewhat shallow bite and chunk rock bank bite are very good on a jig. So is dragging it out deep I'm saying 26 to 42 feet.

Shallow bite has either been depending on your lake location SMJ's or LM. Dam area early the Jaw's are biting, but this bite is 4:30 till usually no later than 7:30. What time is that? Of course we know that is topwater time. Negatory! Throw that Head, or better yet a 3/8th. oz jig of your chosing.

Sun up at the dam, start moving out. you will litterly see these fish running to deeper water, as the boat traffic and the sun heats up.

Best bite at the dam however has been on the dropshot, and I mean "DEEP." Even early there is a KY bite at 36 to 50 feet off the main lake points. Sometimes these fish are just out there suspended at 40 over 100, so just keep going out and looking with your electronics. Buster and Tim Paige have both been on fire with these deep water fish. Buster was catching them at close to 50 ft. at 5:30 one morning this week, those fish are just staying down there. He said they were just pigs. Up to 3.5 pounds.

These fish are not suspended over trees, and are not on the bottom, just suspended way out off the points. Trouble like Champ said is the wave makers running you off the locations. Best to fish early and just let them have it.

Up the rivers and above Shell Knob and probably around Kimberling the LM and also some very nice Jaw's have been up tight early. I am catching them a bit deeper than Kre 11. My fish have been in the 22 to 32 ft. range early and have continued to bite till way up in the morning or till I get ran off the lake.

Deep bite up the White is as poor as I have seen it. Lots of prussure from tons of fishermen fishing those deep humps and runouts.

Moral of this stoy is, don't waste that very important hour or two in the morning trying to bend fish to your will. They will eat a jig, please give it to them.

Good Luck

[rps]

As always, thank you for the information. We don't like it when the fish do what they want instead of what we want, but they are what they are.

[Champ188]

As usual, Bill is right on the money, especially about the deep bite being nonexistent up the White. Everywhere Donna and I went the other day after 8 a.m., both the bait and the bass were concentrated from 18-28 feet. Any deeper or any shallower and the graph would go blank. From daylight to 8 a.m., there were some keeper LM's up shallower. If I had a derby to fish right now, I'd leave the topwater in the rod box and start out with a 3/8 jig up shallow (10-20 ft) and gradually work my way out as the day went on.

[Bill Babler]

Guided out of the Knob this AM with what I think was very slow results for Shell Knob. Todd and I started this morning out of Rod and Reel, at 5;40.

Had to throw the Fin 10 times and Todd had 1, 13 inch LM, on a Bluffend, and that was that.

Settled in with the 3/8th. oz jewell jig and caught 6 K's and 2 Jaw's all short.

Switched to a shot and caught 3. Todd had a very good one on that was dealing the Falcon Cenderi fits, but came unbuttoned.

Went up into Big Creek and Whites were bustin, but it would last all of 10 seconds. We had 3 schools, and I mean good size pods bust and we never hooked a fish. Just two more jig fish.

Move deep on suspended fish, fishing 35 to 50 over 105 and caught 8 more with 2 squeeker keepers. That was the story of our morning. I probably left one of the jig locations to quick as we had caught 4 there, and I bolted. Seems to just be a couple on each location, so I probably screwed that up.

As for the deep or dropshot fish from Baxter to Roaring River, I have never seen it so slow. There are no or very few fish on the runouts and channel swings. A few on the deeper docks and very little suspended or over the deep trees. There is a jig bite that continues but for me the dropshot on sacrad grounds is just not there.

I will keep looking.

[Champ188]

Hard not to throw that Fin — a few times anyway, isn't it?

[Spinnaker]

Great tips. How about August? Pretty much the same thing? I might be making trips in mid or late September and mid or late October. I am thinking that September might be a little better than July and August but the water temp will still be quite warm.

[S&M]

[Megabucks461]

Headed up next week. So if you see a white 461 with TX numbers who looks lost that will be because he is in all that clear deep water. Will mainly be fishing around the JJ point and dam area. Then try to find some more water. Tight lines.

Bill thanks to all for the detailed reports.