First trip ever to table rock fishing out of Big Cedar lodge

[snagged in outlet 3]

I get it. I am just trying to Over prepare. At this point I will probably forget to bring clothes. Hope the wife packs something for me. I am already pretty easy to spot being 6'3 a former linebacker who now looks like a lineman, with redish hair and a goatee.

Hmm??

Sounds like my ex mother in law.

Even the goatee.

Pete

[kazoobass]

Question for next week. If you only had six poles on your deck. A ned, rockcrawler, a grub and what would your other 3 be?

I like the swing jig head with a menace. Double willow spinner bait. Stick bait. Split shot rig (would need to pick up some fish doctors). A rig. A deeper running crank bait. Football jig with craw or menace. Shaky head. Drop shot with a dream shot. Swim jig. Lipless.

What do you go with considering I am down by big cedar in a rental. So Beardsley clevenger Jake's branch area most likely I would guess.

[mixermarkb]

I'll be on Bull Shoals next week. If it's windy and cloudy, I'll have two crankbait rods with a wart and a rock crawler or DT-10, a jerkbait, a spook or Redfin, and a smoke grub and a Ned. If the wind dies down, the crankbait sticks and the jerkbait rod will go in the box and a C-rig, and wobble head will come out. I plan on experimenting with a chatterbait shallow in the most muddy water I can find for a few minutes, and may throw a blade or even a swimbait a little, but I fully expect to have a spinning rod in my hand the majority of the time, unless it's windy and the bite is on. Did I mention I want some wind and some clouds? It's really going to be letting the fish tell me what they are wanting. I think it's going to be a fun week, and probably will have several options on what fish I want to catch and how I want to catch them-

[mixermarkb]

And my goal is going to be to put as many of those rods back in the box as fast as I can. If I end up with two rods with the exact same bait tied on them, plus my topwater stick out on the deck, then I'm gonna be posting some good pics because I've figured out a pattern I can run...

[Champ188]

There's nothing quite like the days when my rod box is packed and my front deck is practically barren.

[kazoobass]

At the rate I am packing not sure I can bring the family... the deck will hopefully clear up the first morning. Then start out a mess the next morning and repeat.

[kazoobass]

Mixer I resemble your plan And hope for wind but I will be in a 17 foot aluminum rental so not too much wind.

[kazoobass]

Champ that's what it is like for me at home. But new state and new water and no way to grab what I forgot at home. So over pack, over prepare and just going to enjoy being on the water. If all goes well next week they vote in Michigan to open catch and release non tournament fishing april 9 instead of April 24. So I could be back on my home lake the day I get back home with all these new toys.

[Champ188]

Kazoo, don't get your head so full of stuff (or your rental boat) that you can't fish. I have a lot of experience on clear, highland reservoirs and I can tell you that at the time you'll be here, nothing will get you more bites than the Ned rig (green pumpkin or PBJ) and a watermelon candy finesse worm on a 1/8 or 3/16 shaky head.

You might want to throw a Pop-R or Yellow Magic topwater around early in the mornings or if it's dark cloudy. If you are accomplished at walking a Spook, by all means throw a Spook.

A lot of the stuff you're hearing here is not bad advice, but there's a crapload of inside knowledge you need to know to make it work. For instance, the Redfin topwaters we throw are highly modified. First thing I do when I buy one is take off all the hooks and split rings and throw them away. Then I work on the body to finish what the factory didn't get right. This is one thing I know my stuff about ... Donna and I won nearly $5,000 on a Redfin bite in 2 months a few years ago.

My whole point here is to fish to your strengths, your skill set and your limited knowledge of the lake. You didn't try to play offensive tackle in college when your team was on offense. You rested until it was time to go back out and do what you did best ... play linebacker.

Don't try to do everything to the point that you end up doing nothing long enough or correctly.

You've named some good fishing spots. Go fish them and keep it simple. Again, that Ned and shaky head should be your bread and butter.

[dtrs5kprs]

Kazoo, don't get your head so full of stuff (or your rental boat) that you can't fish. I have a lot of experience on clear, highland reservoirs and I can tell you that at the time you'll be here, nothing will get you more bites than the Ned rig (green pumpkin or PBJ) and a watermelon candy finesse worm on a 1/8 or 3/16 shaky head.

You might want to throw a Pop-R or Yellow Magic topwater around early in the mornings or if it's dark cloudy. If you are accomplished at walking a Spook, by all means throw a Spook.

A lot of the stuff you're hearing here is not bad advice, but there's a crapload of inside knowledge you need to know to make it work. For instance, the Redfin topwaters we throw are highly modified. First thing I do when I buy one is take off all the hooks and split rings and throw them away. Then I work on the body to finish what the factory didn't get right. This is one thing I know my stuff about ... Donna and I won nearly $5,000 on a Redfin bite in 2 months a few years ago.

My whole point here is to fish to your strengths, your skill set and your limited knowledge of the lake. You didn't try to play offensive tackle in college when your team was on offense. You rested until it was time to go back out and do what you did best ... play linebacker.

Don't try to do everything to the point that you end up doing nothing long enough or correctly.

You've named some good fishing spots. Go fish them and keep it simple. Again, that Ned and shaky head should be your bread and butter.

Preach it. Live it.