Ignored For Too Long

[Goggle-Eyed]

I guess the LOZ Bass got there feelings hurt over the winter when I spent so much time fishing in Florida and Texas. I have been out the past two evenings with very little to show for it. Last night I had a few bites and and Dink or two... Tonight I had a couple of bites but didn't catch ANY fish, not even a dink. I even went small and threw up near the seawalls trying to pick up a bank runner just so I could have a little fishy smell on and hands...

I am fishing my "local area" which is the Big Niangua arm from Double A up to Ha Ha Tonka. This is where I live so it is typically drop the boat off the lift and start fishing. I can't remember EVER struggling this hard for more than a trip or maybe two but I could usually always pick up at least 1 keeper.

I have tried every depth and every type of lure that I have confidence in... I even picked up some trick worms on Shakey heads tonight (first timer), and that is what I did the best on. In the words of Old Plug, I even hit my old tournament "Milk Run" of Docks and Brush that ALWAYS produced something.

I am seriously frustrated at this point. Last 5 minutes of fishing... I was throwing a Black/Blue spinnerbait got a bite and broke off, get my line in and it was the Knot (that always ticks me off), picked up my other Rod with a new this year Diawa Bait caster made two casts and the Side cover goes flying off and into the water.... I fired up the boat and came to the house... I actually thought about idling back just because I could only imagine what was next... LOL

Fished past two nights from 7pm to around 10pm.

Types of water I fished - Chunk rock points, bluffs, Stair step bluffs, Coves with BIG rock and secondary points.

Baits - Green Pumpkin Trick Worm, Biffle Bug, 10" Power Worm (June Bug and Blue Fleck), Watermelon Red Senko, Black/Blue 1/2oz Spinner Bait, DD22 CrankBait.

Guess I will back up and regroup tomorrow and hit it again. Actually thinking about breaking out the Jet Boat and heading up a river to go after some Smallies but after my luck this week I am afraid I would get blanked on my home river that could almost cause suicidal thoughts.

[nomolites]

The fish are deep on the lower end(dam/northshore), 25-30 ft and are scattered with the light current. Trolling for walleye tonite I caught everything but, including a 4# bass, all in 25+ feet of water. Couldn't buy a bite shallower- I tried. Caught a couple bigger bass last time out, same depth-they seem to be chasing fry down there. Some whites caught tonite spit up shad less than 2".

[fishinwrench]

My better fish (bass) are coming from super shallow water, usually under the shallowest dock in the cove. It's a little bit of a grind having to idle all the way back there just to fish 1 or 2 docks....then idling back out and doing it again on the next cove, but if I had to catch a limit of above average bass right now that's what I'd do all day long. Ya just gotta sneak around back there and make the first shot count. Nothing pisses me off worse than idling 100-200 yards, easing into position slowly and quietly....and then blowing it with a sloppy pitch.

I can only pull a consistent limit of keepers from deeper brush or structure maybe 1 in 7 trips out, and those odds don't suit me. Although far fewer in numbers (and willingness to bite) those shallow backend fish almost always are sporting an extra pound or three, and after 20+ years of pitching shallow docks I am finally able to look over the backend of a cove and pick out the 3-4 most likely pitches to get bit.

I still struggle with the discipline aspect because once I get back there I just wanna FISH AWHILE. I don't want to idle back there, ease the TM down, sneak into position, make a 1/2 dozen pitches, and then LEAVE. But piddling around back there any more than that seriously wastes too much time. It's not a lot of fun, especially for whoever is riding with me, but for myself that's the best way I know of to consistently put 5 or more fat bass in the livewell on Lake O from mid-April to late-November.

Trying to find bigger than average bass around deep structure or brushpiles is a total crapshoot for me, on average I suck at it.

[conorsixtakc]

Guess I will back up and regroup tomorrow and hit it again. Actually thinking about breaking out the Jet Boat and heading up a river to go after some Smallies but after my luck this week I am afraid I would get blanked on my home river that could almost cause suicidal thoughts.

Thanks for the detailed report goggle eyed, especially after tough fishing. I know you only hear from a lot of guys after the good days, not the bad, but sometimes the bad days tell us even more.

It's not a lot of fun, especially for whoever is riding with me, but for myself that's the best way I know of to consistently put 5 or more fat bass in the livewell on Lake O from mid-April to late-November.

Trying to find bigger than average bass around deep structure or brushpiles is a total crapshoot for me, on average I suck at it.

Thanks for sharing wrench (sounds like fun to me

[WHARFRAT]

I've been messing around with a Pop-r around our docks. Getting a few to keep me interested. Nothing of any size.

Last year, late Aug, one of the guys said he throws a Pop R with a jig trailer about 12" behind. I think he was targeting white bass.

Two weekends ago, another guy was throwing a white buzz bait from Dock1 to Dock3 and said he caught some pretty nice ones in the morning and early evening. I didn't see any of his catches, just going by what he said.

Just keep after them.

[Old plug]

I did Ok last evening between pink up time and we were off the water by 9:30 pm. We had 7 fish and 4 keepers. One was over 3 lbs. I got a notion that the feeding slot is from Pink up till about 11 pm. I was using a 11" plastic worm on 12 lb test line and a 3/16 oz. slip sinker. Got to fish that real slow. But it is real good getting though brush etc. It kind of forces you to fish slowly.

[countryred]

Wrench, that shallow pattern sounds like what Dave Lefebre did in the FLW event a few years ago in the fall. I think it was the one Dion Hibdon won.

[Goggle-Eyed]

Been fishing this arm of the lake for over 30 years and I have never sucked this bad! Talking to an old high school buddy today and we were laughing about some of our past conversations about how easy it is to catch a Keeper on this end. Up until this week, I couldn't imagine going out two trips without putting at least a keeper in the boat. He is really giving me a hard time about two trips without a keeper, so I remind him that his moving to Texas is 1/2 the why the Girls here all mad at me (he lives near Lake Austin and I fished it over Easter this year)!!!

Wrench, I think I will focus more on the shallow pattern... The only Wed. night tournament I ever one was fishing the exact same pattern, but I am talking the old Wed. night tournament that was out of AA, not the knew one out of PB2! Pretty much the same long timers fished it that fish the current one.

I guess living in China and not really fishing for two years and then working 80 hours a week for a year has taken it's toll on my fishing... Dang, now I am gonna have to really focus!!!

Joe

[Goggle-Eyed]

Wharfrat, Kinda funny I watched two boats pull up and start fishing the row of bouys in front of your dock (which have been known to produce Whites/Hybrids) they fished about 10 minutes and had 2 more boats pull in on top of them, never saw anyone set the hook... LOL sheep following the herd...

[Old plug]

Joe tou will have a msg shortly