Strugglin' On Loz

[Macsimus]

Minnesota guy struggling to figure out these reservoir bass. Been down here on LOZ for the last 2 days and it's been tough. I've found a few decent fish on steeper chunk rock banks just before the back-ends of coves but that's it. My biggest fish (a 19" and two 16") have come on a biffle head with a green pumpkin baby brush hog. Can't get moving baits to work. Fish seem reluctant to say the least. Water temps in the coves have been low 60s in the morning to almost 70 yesterday afternoon. Nothing off docks and I haven't been able to locate the mystical brush piles. I thought maybe I could find some by motoring along in front of docks with my structure scan but I'm not finding them. I believe I know the right kinds of docks to look at. The multi-billion dollar homes with the 6 jet skis, giant cruiser, 300hp pontoon, and competition ski boats probably aren't too interested in brush piles. The more modest places with a fishing boat and a fish cleaning station seem more likely, but as I said, I haven't been able to spot any. Are most brush piles fairly small and not very tall off the bottom? By the way, I've been fishing the Turkey Bend area. All in all, fishin' has been great. Catching is a little slow, but I'm not complaining.

[fishinwrench]

Try this....

Go to the very backend of the bigger coves on the West side, sneak up on the very shallowest backend docks like your hunting turkeys (TM on low, depthfinders and livewell pumps ect. turned off) and pitch that brush hog (or a big tube or jig) around the inside corners and walkway supports behind the docks. Try to "quietly drop the bait into spots that "not just anyone" could pitch to.

Don't get too hung up looking for brush unless the only bites you're getting are coming from brushy spots, the bass aren't always in the brush. The biggest thing to concern yourself withon ultra shallow docks is dropping that bait into those little sweet spots on the first shot without making a ruckus. If you are spooking turtles 40 yards away you ain't doing it right....make sense?

Good luck man, stay at it.

[VIP]

Welcome to LOZ! Have you enjoyed the speed demons? With all the tourney's going on, and everybody and their brother hitting the shoreline, I have started hitting the docks. Last week was the Glaze area and this week the Shawnee Bend area, and I have caught my limit each time fishing docks with spinner bait and buzz bait when I have a short strike. All of mine come in 15-30 FOW around the first 5 docks or so entering the cove. With an early Spring, it looks like they aren't playin the way they are supposed to, lol. I find it interesting that Fishinwrench is catching them shallow; I haven't caught anything less than 10'. Guess I shouldn't be throwing rocks at them turtles. I did manage to catch a 12" Black Crappie on a spinner bait though, he looked real hungry.

[Jbrant]

We were able to squeeze a last minute trip in this weekend. We didn't get on the water till 3:30 yesterday and fished till about 6:45 Saturday afternoon. Could only fish from 6:15 to 12 today. We spent both days in the Proctor Creek and Rainey Creek areas.

Water temp was 70 degrees yesterday afternoon and started at about 65 this morning. Main lake is muddy but we did find some clearer water in the coves in the creek arms.

We caught 9 keepers total - best 5 were 14 pounds. We found them from the points about 1/2 way back in the coves. Some on wood, some behind docks. We didn't land anything over 3 pounds - my brother hooked into what I think was the biggest bass either of us have ever caught. Right behind a dock, got her up on top to the cable and saw her mouth open up and gills flare, she then made another run on him back under the dock and pulled loose before we could get to the cable.

That was the only really big fish we found. We flipped a lot of similar docks (went back to that dock this morning) and couldn't ever find another big one.

One of the nine keepers we caught had a little bit of wear on the tail. The others didn't have any. I'm assuming that the bigger fish were staged somewhere close by but we couldn't find anymore - still haven't put all of that together (anybody got any thoughts on staging pre-spawners in that part of the lake???).

Crappie were shallow too. Dad went out with us for a few hours and caught about 25 combined over two days. They were anywhere from on the bank to out about 10'. Chartruese jigs, nothing too big.

[WeekendWarrior]

Like fishinwrench said, you can go to the very back of coves or any spawning area and pitch BEHIND the docks, the bass are spawning NOW. If there is any laydowns back there make a long cast with a buzzbait, even if it is bluebird skies. Doesn't work all the time but had 4 good keeps this weekend during the day doing this, biggest about 4.5 lbs. Good fishin!

[podum]

In the back of the coves, don't be afraid to throw your jig or spinnerbait right onto a gravel bank and drag it into the water. If the water is clear(ish) and they are shallow, they will spook easy right now. Fishing will be easier in 30 days when the spawned out fish are on the secondary points and pockets (and hungry).

[tkite]

Spent today in gravois. Go there and make 3 casts with a jig. Where the dock cable hooks to the dock. To the walkway supports and then where the dock cable is stretched over about 2 feet of water. Put trolling motor on high go around to the other side of dock and repeat. Spawning on all 3 of these spots on every dock.

[fishinwrench]

For you guys still throwing the A-rig....

Find a No-Wake bouy in 12-18ft. and cast that rig to come right by (or bump off of) the cable or rope that is tethered to it. Keep in mind that the lake is low and the cable is not hanging "straight down".

A buddy of mine limited in short order doing that today and yesterday, there are keeper fish suspended around the cables.

He had to go to the backends for kickers but solid 15-17 inchers are hanging around those cables.

I'm too busy to go fishing so y'all tear 'em up.