July 28th. Viney Creek to Shell Knob Report

[Bill Babler]

Surface temps at Viney this morn were 89.5 degree at the back ramp at 5:45

Jim Fritz and I started out on flat gravel where I have been really wacking them, up until about the middle of last week.

Today was one of the strangest days I have ever had on the Rock. 22 total fish today with not a single Kentucky. Nada K's. Zero Spotted bass. Not a single one.

Cannot remember a day when my boat did not have a K. We had 16 smallmouth and 6 largemouth, with 8 really solid keepers.

Within an hour we were the junk fishing masters, as I could not put the slightest of a pattern together. Caught the fish from 5' to 35' on a Fishhead Spin, 1/2 oz. jig, 3/4 oz. jig, drop shot, Carolina rig and a flutter spoon.

Man did I have it figured out. NOT!!! Gosh I hate to scramble like that.

Good thing was we were catching enough to keep us occupodotoed. Fished 13 locations and caught as least 1 off 12 of them. Had 3 for a high off one location. Had to move and move.

Not very often I don't catch Mister K with 22 fish coming on board, but today was that day.

Good Luck

[Quillback]

No K's is kind of strange, but you all had a good day in spite of it.

[JacobW]

That's weird to me because the bass I have been catching have not been out on the points for me, maybe I need to look at some gravel that dumps into a channel...

[Bill Babler]

Its weird that I did not catch a Spotted bass but not weird where I was fishing. We are now getting a pretty hard thermocline for the second time.

It's always a good thing this time of the year to fish near it. Our 3 biggest fish today were LM all at that 3 pound mark and all of them came in the 26 to 35 ft. depth range.

[JacobW]

I've only fished twice since the lake came up the second time and both times it's been bream fishing. Since then all my big congregations of Kentucky's have either scattered or moved, but either way I haven't been able to find them in large groups. I can pick up one or two off of points and bluff ends but it's hit and miss for me, and for once I've put in a little work to try and find them again but with no luck. Next time I'm out Im going to check some gravel roll offs in that thermocline range and see if I can have better luck. Once again thanks for some input Bill B. it helps us peons out a whole bunch!

[NuB2TR]

Thanks for the report, Bill. Always good to read them.

On a similar note, a large school of K's (I would guess in the 12-15 inch range) was working the surface around my dock in Green Shores, Monday morning. I threw everything I had in, around, under, and through them. With the exception of what I would call accidental bumps, they would not have anything to do with it. I figured it was just me.... good to know they're a bit picky right now.

[merc1997 Bo]

well, bill that is the exact pattern that i have experienced at night what few times i have been out, the trolling motor pattern. the bass seem to be scattered everywhere.

since you mentioned the thermocline, at night, what i call the crap line, bottoms out at 15 feet, the last couple of times out. most of my bites have been in that range.

i do not know about daytime, but at night time, the bites are most definitely more consistent on steeper terrain. with falling water levels most often suspend worse, and those that do move in on something will tend to do so on a steeper structure.

i always figured that with falling water levels bass will suspend most of the time because of their natural survival instinct, and that being to not get trapped somewhere. that is why they tend to keep water underneath and above them. no scientific proof of that, but just from what i have observed over the years and adding some country boy logic.

the great thing about fishing is that you can fish a lifetime and still not have them figured out. if it was easy, we would all get bored and take up something else, right?

bo

[Codywskeeter1521]

Dang good day really. That's flat catching the smallies. Thanks for the report. Do u think the k's were around and just not biting or do u think they did some moving?

[m&m]

Within an hour we were the junk fishing masters, as I could not put the slightest of a pattern together. Caught the fish from 5' to 35' on a Fishhead Spin, 1/2 oz. jig, 3/4 oz. jig, drop shot, Carolina rig and a flutter spoon.

Sounds like my trips since the water rise, can't establish a pattern so i just went fishing. Thanks for the report.

[Sore Thumbs]

Bill. Have you guys used a blade bait at all? Tried one briefly Sunday. Is that a winter time bait or is it good in summer as well?