Spring Elite Tourney Resulting In Tough Fishing Now?

[96 CHAMP]

Mother nature always has her hand in there somewhere, some we see and some we don't

[Hunter53]

Guess I will throw my 2cents in as well; I think the big shad die off has more to do with the fish acting 'differently' this year.

I know up here when there is a big shad or alwife die off the fishing is definitely different for a year or two.

[96 CHAMP]

Hunter, did you go down to TR this spring for a week or was it someone other that i am thinking of and if so how did it turn out for ya

[Pepe]

Guess I will throw my 2cents in as well; I think the big shad die off has more to do with the fish acting 'differently' this year.

I know up here when there is a big shad or alwife die off the fishing is definitely different for a year or two.

+ 1

[Bill Babler]

The Elite was really so early it had little or no effect on what we are seeing now. Really the weights were not so much from K's, but buck LM. Yes they did catch lots of small male K's, but not nearly the number as they did buck LM.

Right now anywhere you fish on the upper White River from Baxter on up, the lake is simply crawling with threadfin and especially huge schools of Gizzard shad. They are playing and swimming around us on every stop. Yet, almost every bass we are catching weather it be a drop shot fish or a jig fish is spittle craws. Even if that fish is suspended over depth, it has a craw in it.

This morning Beck said his were spitting shad for the first time this year. He fished Kimberling.

This is July and not serious fishing time. I remember why I always guided in Alaska this time of the year. It gets really hard. However fish are not on the locations we usually catch them on and talking to Bill again this morning, there are no concentrations. IT is just loners here and there, almost like late September, and they can be at any depth.

[Feathers and Fins]

No the Elites were there pre-spawn so doubt it had any effect on the fishing. The last few weeks has been a funky time on both Beaver and Tablerock from reading the reports. Bass are slow but walleye has been fair to outstanding. Up until 2 weeks ago almost everything I was catching had craws spitting all over my deck now its shad which makes complete since as the fish has been shallow ( under 20 fow ) now they are from 20 to 30 and so is are the shad.

[Quillback]

The Elite was really so early it had little or no effect on what we are seeing now. Really the weights were not so much from K's, but buck LM. Yes they did catch lots of small male K's, but not nearly the number as they did buck LM.

Right now anywhere you fish on the upper White River from Baxter on up, the lake is simply crawling with threadfin and especially huge schools of Gizzard shad. They are playing and swimming around us on every stop. Yet, almost every bass we are catching weather it be a drop shot fish or a jig fish is spittle craws. Even if that fish is suspended over depth, it has a craw in it.

This morning Beck said his were spitting shad for the first time this year. He fished Kimberling.

This is July and not serious fishing time. I remember why I always guided in Alaska this time of the year. It gets really hard. However fish are not on the locations we usually catch them on and talking to Bill again this morning, there are no concentrations. IT is just loners here and there, almost like late September, and they can be at any depth.

I have noticed that, plenty of shad, and the bass seem to be ignoring them - maybe that will change soon.

[Hunter53]

Hunter, did you go down to TR this spring for a week or was it someone other that i am thinking of and if so how did it turn out for ya

Yes we did. We had a ton of fun and caught lots of fish thanks to Bill taking us out and showing us the ropes the first day.

Right now we are planning a 2 week trip for next spring; looks like the last 2 weeks in April.