Weird Weekend Whites - 11/8, 9

[RogueAgent]

Fished Gravois arm Saturday 7am - Dusk and Sunday 7 - 1. 1/4oz rooster tails in either Yellow or Red or the Gene Larew Long John Minnow on 1/8thoz jig in shad colors was the trick Saturday with two boats (5 anglers) limiting out. Fished points in crazy wind beating the banks all day.

Sunday, I decided I wanted to fish for blacks while the other two in the boat wanted to continue fishing for whites. I ended up catching larger and more whites than the day before. Throwing a SPRO McStick Blue Bandit 110 on rocky banks between docks and timber they and the blacks were just hammering it. Will be back next weekend after we leave the deer woods, hoping for a crappie bite.

[fishinwrench]

Good job on Saturday! We were flyfishing for them under that high blue sky and knew exactly where some were....yet could only get an occasional single to chase and bite.

Sunday I totally had my way with them though. (same area, same fly's, ect.) I attributed that to the addition of a few clouds. I'd catch one and 5 others would follow him to the boat.

How deep, and how far off the bank were you getting the bites on Saturday ? Just curious

[conorsixtakc]

I've never been down and seen so many whites in shallow, they were everywhere. Also some nice spotted bass. Casting larger crappie jigs and small cranks. No crappie though.

[RogueAgent]

How deep, and how far off the bank were you getting the bites on Saturday ? Just curious

Most were within 10' of the bank. I'd throw as close to the bank as I could, give about 3-5 aggressive twitches of the McStick while reeling the slack and that was it, BANG!!. My cousin tried to catch them on a two hook rogue after seeing my success with the 3 hook stickbait but he couldn't get bit on it. The boat was in 10-15 fow most of the time.

[stuartsx5]

My wife and I went up to Larry Gale on Sunday. Spent about 3 hours on the water, not too far from the ramp, and came home with 21 whites and one really nice crappie. The whites were nice but I found more size over around PB 2 a couple weeks ago. It was a beautiful day on the water but we may not see that again for a few weeks.

[96 CHAMP]

Caught a bunch last Monday and Tuesday in Indian creek, they were right on the bank using 1/4 oz vibric spinner by worsen, the nastier the weather the better for em glad to here you all are catching them and having a good time

[fishinwrench]

I'm actually a tad concerned about the Whites here. We had a very, Very weak spawn this Spring and all the spots where the yearlings always hang out have been void of them this Summer/Fall. I'm almost certain that we lost a year-class of whites. We'll be able to tell for sure next year.

Has anyone seen any under 10" this Fall?

[stuartsx5]

We had some in the 12" range yesterday and one little one, probably round 6-8". That is all the small ones I have caught all fall and that was around Windermere area. While fishing around PB2 area I didn't catch any small ones at all.

[fishinwrench]

12-13 inchers are from 2012 most likely. They grow real fast the first year (usually about 10") then pick up about 1 1/2" per year afterwards. So anything 8-9" now is a 2014 fish.

Those good 16"ers are 2011 year class fish I would say.

Darn few make it to their 4th year so loosing a whole year-class in the Gravois and Glaize arms is going to be a future bummer for the whole lower end of the lake.

Pomme de Terre lost 2 consecutive year-classes and darn near decimated the white bass fishing there.

[RogueAgent]

Has anyone seen any under 10" this Fall?

No, I'd say an average 5 out of 100 Whites were smaller than 10" in our fishing party this year. That's 6 boats with 2-3 anglers in each boat fishing from late October through last weekend in the Dam and Gravois area. Everyone has been remarking about how in years past we'd catch lots more "dinks". Not the case this year.