lake looks like chocolate milk

[fishinwrench]

Well said. That's what I am trying to work on is fishing deep because right now I'm a bank beeter. Thanks for all the info ?

So just work on becoming the best Bank Beater you can be. There are always good fish within a short cast of the shoreline.

The shallower a fish is the more active it is likely to be IMO.

Those deep fish are flakey, I can't depend on them one bit. There is always something that makes deep water fishing miserable (wind, boat traffic, ect.). but those shallow backends are always safe. The water is always calm, never any crazy boat traffic or whitecaps, no big rollers ever, it is the closest thing to "stable conditions" you'll find anywhere on any lake.

[Omega jig bass]

Fishing is also great because it is a ever evolving puzzle that technology cannot figure out. You just have to use the old noodle.

[crittermo]

also, wrench, are you allowed to tell us the name of your shop

[fishinwrench]

i'm just now catching up with this blog and if it's not too late ask, when watching the discharge

from ameren's website what is considered little current or no current. how much discharge does

there need to be for the fish to relate to it? today the discharge is over 40,000 cfs, while i figure

that is a lot , is there a number where it does not make a difference to the fish

Nobody will ever be able to answer that I don't think. Nobody knows.

If you want to base your patterns around currents in the lake then concentrate only in the NARROWER areas of the main lake where it is more likely to make a difference.

I truly don't know, and don't know how to find out....so I ignore it. Some guys claim to have all that figured out but I think they are full of beans, because they don't catch them any more consistently than anyone else over the period of a year.

[WeekendWarrior]

In my opinion from 25 to 40 CFS would be considered heavy generation, 12 to 25 medium and below that light generation. Generating is usually always good to pull nutrients thru system. When do the fish relate to it, I am sure some do and some don't. Them darn fish don't read the books that I do.

[Manny]

If you find a reliable pattern shallow let us know.

I beat banks up until this year.

I could catch small ones on bank but nothing of any size.

Started fishing points on the current side and bluffs this year with good results.

Getting use to a bite with big fish 5 plus lbs.

seems to be a little tricky sometimes.

Yesterday morning I thought a had a loose brush pile but when it got to the boat the fish and I were both surprised.

The fight was on and he spit me second jump.

I never set the hook thinking I was going to make what I thought was a snag, worse.

Fishing deeper 15 to 40' is new to me but for me bigger fish.

And addicting.

[WeekendWarrior]

If you find a reliable pattern shallow let us know.

I beat banks up until this year.

I could catch small ones on bank but nothing of any size.

Started fishing points on the current side and bluffs this year with good results.

Getting use to a bite with big fish 5 plus lbs.

seems to be a little tricky sometimes.

Yesterday morning I thought a had a loose brush pile but when it got to the boat the fish and I were both surprised.

The fight was on and he spit me second jump.

I never set the hook thinking I was going to make what I thought was a snag, worse.

Fishing deeper 15 to 40' is new to me but for me bigger fish.

And addicting.

Fishing deeper with the jig definitely takes some concentration and when they want it boy they get it. If you miss a strike do not reel in and throw back, just let it fall back down and he usually comes back for it.

[fishinwrench]

If you find a reliable pattern shallow let us know.

I beat banks up until this year.

I could catch small ones on bank but nothing of any size.

Started fishing points on the current side and bluffs this year with good results.

Getting use to a bite with big fish 5 plus lbs.

seems to be a little tricky sometimes.

Yesterday morning I thought a had a loose brush pile but when it got to the boat the fish and I were both surprised.

The fight was on and he spit me second jump.

I never set the hook thinking I was going to make what I thought was a snag, worse.

Fishing deeper 15 to 40' is new to me but for me bigger fish.

And addicting.

Absolutely! The hardest thing about deep water worm/jig fishing is knowing when the bait is in a fishes mouth.

Some days I can't tell until it's too late, and that is with only 15-20 feet of line out. Add another 20+' of line and you are clueless to probably 80% of the bites.

[Manny]

Yes seems the bigger ones don't move much after they have it.

They suck it in and just sit there seems like.

I have lost 3 nice ones in the past 4 weeks.

Fishing only weekends.

Figured out a medium heavy is not good enough for me past 15' any deeper I go to my heavy rod as I feel I can get a better hook set with mono.

As I said I'm new to fishing deep and learning more every weekend of what not to do.

Either that or the big fish are camera shy.

[Old plug]

Weekend Warrior......I do not fish deep much with heavy weight. I find a lot of bass in deep brush over 20 ft that has slipped off of where it was it was brushed in . But rarely use anything heavier than it takes to get down to where I am going.

I love hair jigs. they tend to fall a lot slower that skirted. But you still get the benefit of the weight when its down plus I think the hair helps avoid some snags. If I had my druthers I would uae my 5/16 oz hair jigs with a baby brish hog trailer on it. Just absolutly love that setup on on 10 or 12 lb mono down to 20 ft or better. Father down slower it sinks.