Cape Fair Saturday 11/8

[Donna G]

Launched around 7:15 a.m.. I'm geographically challenged on the water, as most of you have heard, so I'll let Champ188 feel in the "where" details. I know we went down to start. Wind was really blowing and I was licking my chops thinking it might be a catch-em day. It took us all day, but we finally managed a limit - mix of K's and LM. Best 5 only weighed 10lbs. Overall, we caught 20 bass. James caught a big ol' slab crappie on a jerk bait. He has the picture on his phone for posting later. Of the five keeps, three came on War Eagle 1/4 oz spinnerbaits (most on Hot Blue Heron color), one on a shad-colored crankbait and one on a War Eagle Pond Scum Perch finesse jig. It slowed down dramatically later in the day and we decided to go up to dirtier water. That didn't work out and we started our way back down chasing the wind. There wasn't much happening in the pockets for us. We fished main lake bluffs and bluff ends and channel bends. If we got too flat or the rock turned to gravel, we quit getting bit. We were sitting in 5' to 30', but the bite was still on the bank, or just out from it, regardless of the boat depth. A little more happening on wood than we've noticed in the last several weeks, but it wasn't a guarantee. Didn't see much bait today and almost zero activity on the surface. We didn't spend much time on docks. It would have been a little difficult with the wind and two of us anyway.

The bite was light and flaky, and not in a good way like biscuits. I caught very few fish where I had a distinctive bite. They were either just on or you felt a little tension in the line.

Met denjac at the ramp this morning and he had some success, too.

[5bites]

Great report!

If you don't mind my asking, what was your retrieve speed and about how deep did you try to keep the bait?

Thanks!

[Quillback]

Thanks for the report, lots of good info there!

[denjac]

Good seeing you two yesterday. Fished for about 5 hours and caught 7 with 2 keeper spots. All on a war eagle 3/8 mouse color. Like Donna said it should have been a load the boat day but wasn't. Guess they didn't like that north wind . I too fished bluff end and most of my fish came off the main channel. Did catch 2 off a boat dock in a real small cut, and thanks to the gentlemen that roared up to me in that small cut and started fishing 20 yards from me, Guess that 8 boat tournament out of cape fair had thousands of dollars up for grabs to forgo common courtesy. I threw a jig quite a bit but couldn't get a bite on it.

[Donna G]

Constant retrieve at medium to medium fast for me. I ran the spinnerbait just under the surface 2-3'. (Champ pointed out to me that "just under the surface" means like you are waking it. I wasn't counting it down to any particular depth, but with the speed I used, the bait was running 2-3' below the surface.) The crankbait caught a few. I used the same speed on it.

[Champ188]

Good seeing you two yesterday. Fished for about 5 hours and caught 7 with 2 keeper spots. All on a war eagle 3/8 mouse color. Like Donna said it should have been a load the boat day but wasn't. Guess they didn't like that north wind . I too fished bluff end and most of my fish came off the main channel. Did catch 2 off a boat dock in a real small cut, and thanks to the gentlemen that roared up to me in that small cut and started fishing 20 yards from me, Guess that 8 boat tournament out of cape fair had thousands of dollars up for grabs to forgo common courtesy. I threw a jig quite a bit but couldn't get a bite on it.

Isn't it funny how the smaller the tournament, the bigger the potential for that nonsense? I guess the lower entry fees tend to attract the uneducated wannabes who mistakenly think that's how true tournament pros behave. In fact, although they may fish close enough to each other to flip a lure in a competitors boats, the true pros that I've known over the years go out of their way to avoid crowding or aggravating local anglers.

[merc1997 Bo]

considering the elements, you had a pretty good trip. but, it still somewhat proves there are not many up shallow on the bank.

your next to nothing bite has been the same even at night. thanks for the good info, and glad you got out because it sure sounds like it will not be fit to be out for the next 10 days or so. by the time it is over we might be right straight into a winter bite.

bo

[Champ188]

Here's the aforementioned crappie caught on the jerk bait. Also caught 3-4 bass on it on main-lake areas with big rock. I'd say the jerk bait bite is coming soon to a bluff end near you.

[merc1997 Bo]

that is a dandy crappie.

bo

[fishingaddiction]

Good report Donna & James. Sounds like the blade bite was slow to pull out the jerk bait, but I like the idea. Good numbers total.

I fished today from point 7 to point 8. Caught 9 total, with 5 good keepers of SM, LM and 1 K. The LM was my best fish at 3 lbs. Two of the SM were both very nice at 18 inches. Bite was better early up shallow with the square bill. Couldn't get bit on the blade, but did get a few on a 3/8 oz FB jig. Bluff ends and steep channel banks was the key.