Trip With Buster Yesterday

[rFisherk]

I leaned the value of light lines, small lures and very slow presentations back when I fished Bull often with Doc Clayman, and that was reinforced over the years by fishing with some of the famous guides on Dale Hollow. When I guided on KY Lake, my biggest challenge usually was getting clients, especially from the city, to slow down. I think most fish too fast, and they definitely troll too fast while casting.

[Roger Craig]

This year sometime I am going to hire him, got to get out in a boat one more time before I croak lol.

[duckydoty]

I put what I learned on Sunday to use today. Fished for 5 hours on Upper Bull Shoals using the technique learned from Buster and landed 9 bass with three of them being keepers, 2 walleye with one being 23 inches, the other short, and 5 crappie. It was a cold and windy morning with no one else on the water again. Will be back out there on Monday and Tuesday!

[vonreed]

That's not a huge numbers catch, but sounds like a quality catch with a technique that's surefire it seems. I bet them crappie were good sized also.

[Bill Babler]

That's not a huge numbers catch, but sounds like a quality catch with a technique that's surefire it seems. I bet them crappie were good sized also.

This is a really good point, Upper Bull, Winter and late Winter fishing is not nor has it ever been for either Buster or myself a numbers fishery. That is why it is so hard to guide on. You just do not catch many fish on a daily basis. Folks read of these fantastic catches or see the huge walleye and for some reason presume you are catching and releasing fish on a regular basis.

Most often a very good rule of thumb, and I believe I posted this last year is 2 maybe 3 walleye per day, and throw in a 1/2 dozen bass a white or two and a crappie or two. You have 2 guys fishing and it is about 1 fish to the boat per hour. May not be keeper size fish or what you want either.

You do that 5 days a week, and it looks huge, especially when you throw in several walleye over 6 pounds. Which may have been the only fish you caught in 8 hrs. one day. ( I can hear several of you saying I'd be happy with that. Would you really?) 1 fish in 6 or 8 hrs. in 30 degree weather. happens a lot over there even to Buster, and if he nabs a keeper he is happy as a lark.

Just really hard for folks to fish with those types of results with the concentration and patients you must display this time of the year.

On the presentations, when fishing the stickbait over there. We position the boat usually about 30' into the river channel, usually sitting in about 25' to 35' We throw to the top of the mudchannel roll off, usually landing our bait in perhaps 6' to 10'. The bait starts out just directly to the bank if you were fishing a shore line.

You either reel the bait or jerk it down pick up the slack and just turn or twitch its head back to the boat. You never under any circumstances move the bait with the reel, it is always moved with the rod and the slack picked up with the reel. Very slow.

Very long cast are preferred as it lets the bait get to its maximum depth and remain very still in the strike zone for as long as possible. Usually by the time for the next cast the bait is well behind the boat, even if you are just moving the boat ever so slightly.

Where DD and his brother were fishing, was on the old river channel, just off the mud roll offs, You would have had a hard time hitting a billboard on the shoreline with a rifle from there locations. You have to keep the river channel in play al all times if you are to be successful. The fish will 99% of the time be either on the edge of the channel, suspended on the edge of the channel, or on the bottom just along the edge of the channel.

Good Luck

[vonreed]

how deep is the bait when you are getting the bites?

[Bill Babler]

10' to 15' most often. It however can be deeper, as the bait will be weighted to sink slightly. Just when you think its time to reel it in and recast it, is when you get hit.

[duckydoty]

I was tickled to death with those numbers. It is a game of concentration and I found I did much better with no one else in the boat rather than being distracted with conversation.

[vonreed]

I think I may try to float some minnows or creek chubs on bobbers and see how that will work. And also try my luck at the patience game.

[mjk86]

Hell 1 fish per hour is a good haul for me anyime of year unless im perch jerkin. You guys r just too good at fishing.