A-Rig Frustrations

[FishinCricket]

I'll tell you one thing, it is alot easier to wind in a 7 Pounder on 65 Pound braid and a Mike McCulland Signature 7'6 Falcon Flippin Stick,than it is on 4 pound F. Carbon on a 9 Ft. Buggy Whip. Lots of ways out there to scale a fish.

That sums it up nicely.. I feel the same when I catch a good sized trout on the Niangua on an x-rap... Loved the experience, but wish I'd have had him on the UL..

Sorry, my rambling interrupted you folks.. Carry one.

[Bill Babler]

TrophyFisherR, My friend Buster runs 5 totally different baits and sizes so I don't think that matters. He just cleans out his box, and just flat catches the snot out of em.

On our side of the boader, you can only use 3 hooked baits so what I have been doing is using 3, 3in. swimbaits and 2 swimming miniows in pearl, with the hooks cut off cheap 1/16 oz. jig heads. I usually put a drop of S. Glue on the minnows to hold them tighter to the small jig head. Those smaller baits can be configured to run on top. That puts the 3 hooked baits on the bottom. I am also running sometimes a willow leaf size 2 instead of the minnows.

For a rod, there is a million out there. Some folks are throwing 8 or 9 footers. If you are a derby fisherman, check the regs. Most will only let you participate in the events on rods of 8' or less.

If you want the Cream of the crop, without a doubt, look at the Falcon Mike McCulland Signature 7'6" collapsable heavy cover rod. The rod is light as a feather, with an extended split-grip. It will throw that heavy rig a mile and will have a perfect tip bend on retrieval. Even the softest strike is detected on the heavy gang bait and it will handle any fish or tree that eats it with no problem. Fantastic Rod.

It is a mite pricy, but duel purpose if you throw 1 oz. jigs sometimes or big single swimbaits

There was also a question back in the blog about fish eating the entire bait. Have not had a problem here from Point 9 to LongCreek of fish eating the bigger baits. I have had from Point 9 up the White River. Lots more K's. I have downsized up there and that has helped. While I'm fishing baits up to 6" here on the lowerend, 3 to 3 1/2 will do better above point 9. They will get the bait in the roof of the mouth usually right between the crushers.

Also when hooking these fish, don't jerk or hook set them. Like fishing a grub, let them ride the bait and for the most part just wind them in. Works great is you have the stuff to do it, rather than jerk off their heads.

Headed out the door to try it now.

[dtrs5kprs]

Have at them, and thanks Bill.

[Bill Babler]

Hit the water this morning out of Viney Creek at 9 AM and the wind was just terrible. Did manage 16 fish with 6 nice keeps, 1 LM and all the rest K's.

Got blown off the water at 2 PM.

Pretty hard to fish the locations I wanted with the wind and the A-Rig, so I threw a sticker about 3/4th. of the time. Caught 11 on it bite was very soft. Water temps as far up as Rock Creek at 47.8.

Did manage a double of Keeper K's on the A-Rig. They were both chocked full of crayfish and the front deck of my boat got plastered.

[Jason Essary]

Bill, if they are full of craws, why not try some craw lures? Just wondering?

[Bill Babler]

J. you would think that would be the logical move, but me being a fisherman am very illogic. I might throw a wart some today or tomorrow. I just want to catch them the way I want to catch them. If I don't catch them, I don't catch them. "I think." Does that make sense? Now I'm confused.

Yes indeed, I'm going to throw a jig and a wart the next couple of days. I'll let you know.

Good Luck

[dtrs5kprs]

Sometimes it is just fun playing with them the way you want to, even if you know it is not "the" ticket to size or numbers.

[Jason Essary]

_{Was just wondering. Im the same way on the water, I tend to way overthink things which sometimes makes me leave fish when I shouldn't.}

_{Second question. I have had to buddies tell me that late in the afternoons they have been doing good on sunny flat pea gravel points, real shallow. They said the bite doesnt start till around 2pm. Would this be possibly the fish are following the shad up shallow as the rocks warm till they lose the sunlight? Might be part of the reason your fish are slowing down out deep around noon. ??? Just my mind trying to think like a fish.}

_{By the way, wonderful report as always.}

[dtrs5kprs]

_{Was just wondering. Im the same way on the water, I tend to way overthink things which sometimes makes me leave fish when I shouldn't.}

That is one of the reasons I stopped fishing tmts...like to spend the occasional day just trying to make something work that shouldn't. Or stopping along the way to catch gogs or whites.

You would think the craw bite should get going. Will be interesting to see the A-Rig in a year when we have a shad kill.

[Bill Babler]

One of the many great things about us being locals is really if we are just out there, it could matter less how many fish we catch.

NO prussure at all. If we want to try things or fish water or depths of water that we normally don't fish, so be it. If I don't catch any today, I can always go tomorrow, and trick a few, on tried and ture locations with the presentations I know will work.

I do my best learning when I am in a don't care mode and fishing goofy. Cannot tell you the number of locations I have put onto the GPS when I was just messing around.