Pictures From 3Rd. Week Of May 2013

[exiledguide]

Holy cow Bill, rain mist and Smallmouth, pictures kinda looked like Sunset country..........Dare ya to throw the Muskie Jitterbug around dark

[abkeenan]

Dave,

I threw an A-Rig with no molded lead head with 3 short arms that are willow blades and 3 longer arms with 3" storm wild eye swimming shad and the whites just clobbered it. 3" was the perfect size as the whites mouths aren't as big as the blacks/browns. Perfectly stuck right in the top lip each time and easy to unhook. Trebles sometimes on whites can be a nightmare as when they flop around you might get stuck with a hook in the hand or their razor sharp fins and/or gill plates will get you too. Really digging this version of the a-rig as it requires 0 dummy baits, can throw it on normal gear and is probably a third or less of the weight of the normal version. Was throwing mine on a 7'6" MH Daiwa T-Rod with LEWS Speed Spool on 20# Seaguar InvizX and it casted a mile and was easier than the big old 5 arm a-rig setup I have that is about 3oz fully loaded on a bigger, stiffer rod , 65# power pro with an Abu Garcia C3 5500.

Bill, great report and thanks for the tip about the jitterbug. Easy for kids to use....and me. lol.

-Brett

[huntest]

Bill

do you see the TW bite grind to a stop when the cloud cover clears and bright sun overhead?

If not, I am doing something wrong. Can't seem to get a TW bite in full sun....

Do I need advice or just more perseverance? thanks

[abkeenan]

Bill

do you see the TW bite grind to a stop when the cloud cover clears and bright sun overhead?

If not, I am doing something wrong. Can't seem to get a TW bite in full sun....

Do I need advice or just more perseverance? thanks

Huntest,

That is pretty much the rule of thumb that once the sun comes up or the cloud cover gives way to bright skies the topwater is pretty much done and the fish head for deeper water or shady locations in trees and docks. You can still pick up a few that will come and get the topwater throughout the day but its not nearly like the action it is early morning or when there is overcast skies. Best to start throwing something else IMO.

[Bill Babler]

Guys hit the correct answers on the topwater with one exception. If the wind continues to blow, they will continue to bite. When that sun gets into the very high mode, its best to dig a little deeper. Yesterday with the clouds and wind it never ended.

With the clouds they even bit on flat water however we had a lot of follows. When it gets flat, look about a yard or two behind your topwater bait and you can see them just trailing it. Time to change the pattern.

Also on the swimbaits anytime reguardless. If you can get rid of a triple hooked bait when dealing with White Bass your body parts will look better at the end of the day. I was leaking red fluid after the 1st. White on that JBug and it continued the rest of the morning. You just have to be so very careful. It is truly dangerious to handle them. A fish cleaning glove might help.

[huntest]

How long do you guys expect this topwater bite to hold up? A few more days or a few more weeks?

[rps]

We will have about a month of good early and late top water. Maybe 6 weeks.

Bill, after many hand hook ups, I no longer pick up fish with any thing other than my boga grip. I know it may look wimpy, but I do not care. Train yourself to only use the boga and reduce the number of sticks you receive.

[abkeenan]

We will have about a month of good early and late top water. Maybe 6 weeks.

Bill, after many hand hook ups, I no longer pick up fish with any thing other than my boga grip. I know it may look wimpy, but I do not care. Train yourself to only use the boga and reduce the number of sticks you receive.

Not a wimp at all RPS. If I am using a treble hooked bait for whites I sling them in the boat on the deck then step on them with my foot and use pliers to get the hooks out. You are just asking for it if you try to lip or handle them with your hands.

[Bill Babler]

I'm always a little skeptical about the boat swing. (See Article years past of Redfins in boat seats and clients legs.) If anyone is going to get it I want it to be me. If I sling one it is really hard to prevent the client from doing the same. Man has that caused problems for us Guides.

I do try and grab them with pliers by the hooks if possible.

On the boga grip, I do have one. Quite possibly I am using it wrong, but I have injured fish with it, by splitting out their lower lip and also by disengaging the outer ring of the fishes lip. May not hurt them, but it really bothers me. If the client is keeping them ie White Bass it is a wonderful tool. If we are releasing them, I just worry to much about the damage.

Buster just uses a brown cotton glove and says its the deal for White Bass.

I have been very lucky "Knock on Wood." Just a few cuts and bruises noting worst yet than an MMA fight.

Thanks and Good Luck

[denjac]

You guys go ahead and stuff the top stuff back in the rod box after the sun gets bright. Wink wink.