Night Fishing In Dam Area

[johnboy2bfishin]

WENT OUT LAST NIGHT AND FISHED FROM COW TO MOONSHINE. STARTED OUT SLOW BUT TURNED INTO A DECENT NIGHT OF FISHING. BETWEEN THE BOAT TRAFFIC WHICH SEEMED HI LAST NIGHT, AND THE GOGGLE EYE. ENDED UP WITH 8 KEEPERS, 5 AND 3 LM. DIDN'T HAVE A SPOT ALL NIGHT. EVERYTHING CAME ON EAKINS JIG IN BLK AND BLUE AND SALT CRAW OF SAME COLOR. MOST FISH HIT IT SOFT REALLY HAD TO PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR LINE OR THEY WOULD BE GONE. I HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED A BITE LIKE THAT FOR SOME TIME. HEY BUT THE ROCK FINALLY SMILED FOR ME. OH FISH WERE CAUGHT IN 20 TO 25 FT RANGE.

[Megabucks461]

Same here Thursday night fishing up around Combs Ferry. Lots of short fish with a couple of 17 inch SM no LM. Went back yesterday morning and had a nice drop shot fish and my personal best SM on a jig. Slept in this morning going back hard to night. Found a few new places to try to night. Good fishing to all.

[johnboy2bfishin]

Went back out sat. and sun night fished the same areas and what a difference. the bite was gone. fished sat night til 2 am and managed 1 keeper sm with 3 shorts. i am not sure but i think the boat traffic has something to do with those fish coming up to feed. just a theory. sunday i should have stayed home. 2 shorts and that was it. fished everything but kitchen sink. oh how the rock will humble a person.

[Jason Essary]

We have seen the same thing. Have one spot that week ago saturday the fish were swallowing the bait before you could set the hook. Had 6 out of one spot. Last Friday went back and nothing. A total strike out. just weird.

[johnboy2bfishin]

Talked to buddy of mine that fishes on norfork lake and said the bite has been off the hook at night until this weeknd and it went to nothing he fished a fri.night derby with about 30 boats and it 6lbs. to win. he didn't even get a bite that he is aware of. i just haven't been able to figure out why i can't put a steady summer pattern together. ready B. Babler and erics reports and sounds like the fish have just packed up and moved to some other lake. i have considered going out at midnight and fishing til morning and seeing what will happen. i don't see that productive. just tuff right now ready for some cooler weather and fall patterns to take over.

[T-RockJaws]

I have been having a pretty tuff time as of lately too. But from what I can figure out and others are telling me, if you find a fish or two you need to stay on them. Saturday night in our derby we fished it took 18 pounds to win. The winning boat had 8 keepers (culled 2 of them) in a 50 yard stretch of bank. That has been true for my partner and I as well. When we find 1 keeper, more will follow. The struggle is finding that first keeper!

[Stump bumper]

Went back out sat. and sun night fished the same areas and what a difference. the bite was gone. fished sat night til 2 am and managed 1 keeper sm with 3 shorts. i am not sure but i think the boat traffic has something to do with those fish coming up to feed. just a theory. sunday i should have stayed home. 2 shorts and that was it. fished everything but kitchen sink. oh how the rock will humble a person.

I was south of Eagle Rock Sunday with very few fish and all short also, after checking generation schedule for Beaver there was no generation at all Sunday. Maybe that had something to do with the bite also. The moon was full and that could have put the bite off until later since I left at 9:30pm when I saw the lightning.

[Bill Babler]

Boy's this night fishing deal, has not been any of my business, but I did speak to a couple of locals at the gas station yesterday. It was 8:30 PM and they were getting ready to head to the lake.

Very nice guys, and everything they were rigged up with was exposed and sitting on their boat deck. They pretty much told me how they were fishing and what they were doing, and from the looks of their rigs, that was that.

They told me they were catching them best from about 10:30 PM till 2:30 AM and the full moon had slowed the bite. They were catchen them much better on a dark moon.

Said on the full moon that is going on now, the lake is completely full of boats, and the competition for a point is unreal.

Dark of the moon, and they have the lake to themselves.

Deep chunk rock pole timbered points are producing best. All LM, with a very seldom caught SMJ. No K's what so ever.

One guy said, "the same places they are always on."

On the dark of the moon, they are catching 15 to 25 fish a night, with about 1/2 being quality keepers. Just about everynight, they are catching a fish over 5 pounds and up to 8 pounds.

On the full moon about 1/2 that, but also catching a big'en or two everynight. One guy said," we caught only 8 fish last night, but we had 3 over 5 pounds."

They had big black/blue 10" ribbon tail worms on, and it looked like a 3/4 oz black bullet weight. Also looked to me like a 1oz. black/blue Jig. I noticed there was not a trailer on the jig, and the guy told me he simply hated the plastic, and always used pork at night. Seeing the jig without a trailer on it, I had already figured as much.

Line looked like 30 pound blue stren, rigged on the big ambassators. This was not a high tech operation. Looked exactly like the same gear I used everyday in the 70's and 80's. I'm sure it was.

I asked depth twice in a round about way, and got no answer, so I didn't push it. They were being more than friendly.

Said the big worm was the deal, but the one dude just loved to throw a jig. He said it will get a bite or two more than the big worm, but most of the biggins over 6 Pounds are coming on the big worm.

These boys were in their early to mid 60's and had bib overalls on. And I am guessing you could have bought their old astroglass, for a grand. One said he had fished the river as he called it for 50 yrs. They only night fished. I am pretty much guessing they know their stuff, and are straight shooters. Did not seem in anyway to be slinging an BS. Quite the oppsite.

They were launching at Gage's. I will also guarantee you they are not spending a lot of gas money, they are hunkering down and fishing local. I would bet, no further than maybe Beardsley, or they would have launched at "Old 86." They may not be getting out of Long Creek. Who Knows. Really suprised how much info I got from these two good ole boys. I bet it is the real deal. REally made me want to go.

Good Luck

[Flippin]

Bill, I assume that where Texas rigging the big worm

[Bill Babler]

Yes they were and it looked like they had their weights pegged. I could be completely off base, but it would not suprise me it those boys were not throwing that big worm in the cedar trees, and climbing it thru the branches, along with fishng those steep timbered points.

I bet those boys take a good hour to fish a point and just work the devil out of it. Probably know every tree on every point they fish. Would be suprised if they didn't.

I will tell you this. There are not many of those type guys still fishing here.

I'm not quite in that catagory yet, but will be in 10 years or so. Hope I know 1/2 of what they do by then.