Decent Day

[denjac]

I hit the water at 5am and headed to the dam area. First spot was a slow top bite to say the least , had 1 keeper smallie on the fin and 2 on a jig. Water temp around 78. Ran back to Big Indian and popped a couple more off a point with a jig. Fired up and ran across the lake and low and behold pulled in on Bill with his clients, looked like they were still catching on a fin so I went on down the bank and caught one on a fin. Told Bill I was going to find some whites but didnt find any. Around point 5 caught nice 3 pond black on a fin in the bushes and went back to throwing the jig with just 1 here and there. Phone rang and Bill told me to switch jig colors that they were just flat eating it. . I went ahead and switched colors although didnt think it would make a differance. Boy I was wrong ! Firstt point I pulled up too after changing I caught 6 spots one right after the other. Started running and gunning points catching fish almost each spot. its a soft bite though and you have to stay on your toes, missed quite a few. They were either running off with it toward the boat or just a heavy feel on the line like your going through the weeds. You know the bite, I think thats a fish, WHAM it was. No giants just that 3 pond black and a 18 in smallie, but good numbers. Best 5 around maybe 14 pounds. Dont wear your arm out on top in the mornings, theres a better bite ! Heard Bill had big numbers today too.

[Bill Babler]

Could not for the life of me keep that topwater in the box yesterday on such a prefect morning. Should have. First trip with Monte and Russ out of the Village At Indian Point. Fished from the Showboat to Cow Creek on main lake flat gravel points, where I have been all season. 35 fish to the boat with 17 keeps. Fish were in 15 ft. boat 20ish. Best bite by far is on a 3/8th. or 1/2oz. PigSticker with a Greenpumpkin/Purple skirt. Trim the skirt close and attach your favorite trailer in Green Pumpkin/pepper, and then for gosh sakes just hold on. As Denny said the bite is light and they will swim at you about 80% of the time as they will have friends trying to steal their goodie.

Second trip with Jim started at the Knob at 12:30. First location on the Jig, we had 9 fish, then it went totally dead. At 2 Pm Jim said he saw a chaser up on the bank and I pulled in and he heaved a shot right up on the bank. He simply got plowed. Nice 3 pound blackie in 1 ft. of water on flat gravel at 2 PM with the sun beating down.

I am to lucky for words, and as I have always said it is better to be lucky than good. Roughly 25 fish and 15 keeps later, before we knew it it was 4:30. How the day went that fast I will never know. RPS, we found your keeper Eyes. Two nice 3.5 pounders, with their noses right on the bank. They thought the PigSticker was a Crawdaddy. Jim is not a fish eater, so I did dress out the Eyes. That will be my only fish for the year, two is enough. One of the WAlleye had 8 crawfish in its gut and the other had 6 and one in his throat when he ate the Pig Sticker.

These crafish are as green as green and that was at Shell Knob. Am assuming they are also a light/dark green mix at the dam, and I will bet there is a huge hatch of them, to put these bass on such a seafood feed.

For numbers on a Jig, maybe one of my top days. Size was not great but who gives a flip with that many bites. Best fish were the Eye's. Fish were a combination of Jaw's, Eye's, LM, K's and Meanmouth. More Jaw's at the dam on the morning trip and more LM at the Knob.

Get out and throw that jig. Woo'ee Pig.

[rps]

Today I didn't find walleyes but I did Thursday and they were shallow - 10 to 12 feet. What I found today were bass, bluegills and more bass. I couldn't keep them off my walleye crawler. Highlight of the morning was the smallmouth I caught right next to the flooded Big M swim area. Only about 18 inches, but it was in the air 5 or 6 times before I could bring it in. I tried on top early, but it was slow - only six bites and the only good fish jumped off. Unlike Thursday, they were slapping at the bait and not crushing it. Many of the bass I unhooked today had crawdad feelers sticking out into their mouths.

[Bill Babler]

RP, you are kind of expanding your territory a mite. Might have an infringment charge or at least a trespass fee for you to come below Rock Creek.

From and including the area you just mentioned to Campbell Point, the fish are on those kind of flat runnouts just about as good as you are ever going to see them. Two weeks ago, it was all topwater. Now even though they are shallow, it is a jig or rig for me. I bet with some wind and cloud cover, they would just hammer a spinner.

The lake gets a little wider and bigger the further down stream you come, and it might be just a little to choppy and a little to dangerious for you to venture further. Probably best for you to stay on the upstream side of the 86 bridge. Only for safety reasons you understand.

As always, thanks for the report. If you see that White Champion up in your neck of the woods, you had best come by and give us a Big Howdy.

Catch us early as we are giving it up to the Jet Set usually by 10 AM

Good Luck out there.

[snakem]

RP, you are kind of expanding your territory a mite. Might have an infringment charge or at least a trespass fee for you to come below Rock Creek.

From and including the area you just mentioned to Campbell Point, the fish are on those kind of flat runnouts just about as good as you are ever going to see them. Two weeks ago, it was all topwater. Now even though they are shallow, it is a jig or rig for me. I bet with some wind and cloud cover, they would just hammer a spinner.

The lake gets a little wider and bigger the further down stream you come, and it might be just a little to choppy and a little to dangerious for you to venture further. Probably best for you to stay on the upstream side of the 86 bridge. Only for safety reasons you understand.

As always, thanks for the report. If you see that White Champion up in your neck of the woods, you had best come by and give us a Big Howdy.

Catch us early as we are giving it up to the Jet Set usually by 10 AM

Good Luck out there.

Bill,what was up with that north west wind that hit us around 7 or 7.30 ish this am. It was supposed to be out of the south ha ha. Had a decent top bite going until that wind changed.It was white capping. Had 3 keepers, after that wind change it was done. Went to the jig 1 short and all the jet- ski by 9 am had enough. Guess i'll have to follow you around to learn something. LoL

Snakem Out.

[rps]

Today I thought I would see "new" territory. I used the first 30 minutes of top water time to run downstream to Rock Creek. Just after I arrived, the strange wind Snakem referred to came through. Big M is as far as I went and as it turns out, the hope I had was not fulfilled.

The flat run outs from Viney to Campbell Point are better than any thing up here. My best TR bass came from down in that area - the tree tops on the bluff end next to the flat point where Kings meets White.

One day we will meet face to face and I look forward to it.

[Bill Babler]

Boys, I don't know where that wind came from. But I know for one thing that Denny liked it. He was fishing the Big End and from the calls I received today, he was a catchin and a catchin. I believe he had one of those days like I had the day before.

Good to see we locals catchin a few. Folks really cannot see the ammount of time it takes and the ammount we spend on the water for those type of days. Not that I am complaining mind you. It is for sure a priledge for us to get to fish everyday. We just don't haul them in most of the time.

I'll leave the rest to Denny, he was probably to exhausted to tell his story yesterday. If he catches them like that again today, he may have to go to work to rest up.

[vacation]

I already told Phil Lilley on the phone yesterday, but my brother and I caught so many whites Friday night from 6-730pm my wrist literally ached the next day. They started bustin shad over 70fow near indian point and did so for over 1 hour..average size was between 15-18inches...redfin, spook and rattletrap did the trick. I expect them to be doing this all summer as this is the 3rd time I have gotten into them between those hours, only miles apart.

Good luck and good eating