North Indian Creek

[Jason Essary]

Got a ?, for anyone who can help. Looking to bass fish in the Indian Point Area, putting in Little north indian creek and would like to hear everyones best ideas for hitting it at this time of year. I do well in spring but seem to always strike out here on winter patterns. I have quality electronics and im ok using them if needed. love to drop-shot and tube/grub fish under it. thanks

[Bill Babler]

I have really been struggling in the dam area right now and Indian Point is classified as the afformentioned area.

You really have two shots, one to find shad most are in the 40 ft. depth range right now over gosh only knows how deep and vertical fish a spoon or grub in the shad ball, or throw a suspending rogue on the bluff ends, cuts or transition banks in that area. You can go to the back of either of the Indians till they narrow down and then start out the guts and look for the shad balls. If the weather is in the 50's and warming, the fish will start in that area, if it remains cold and the water drops in temp while your here, good luck.

Have been doing extremely well up the White river with the rogue, but had a poor day today. Sunshine and wind will help at Indian Point.

Fishin Freak, may be able to help, as he did have a med-depth jig bite in that area, don't know if it's still on or not.

[Fishin' Freak]

Coyote,

I have not fished that area for three weeks now but there was a decent shaky head bite going on in the Indian Pt. area. We were finding fish in the 15 to 25 foot range holding to the bottom. Structure did not seem to be to big an issue as we caught fish on pea gravel and chunck rock banks both.

[Jason Essary]

Thanks for the info FFreak, do have a ? thou...what exactly is a shaky head?

[Bill Babler]

Shaky Head is a standup jig head with no skirt. They come in various sizes, colors and configurations, some with a flat spot on the bottom of the head that makes them standup, some weighted and balanced to achieve the same position, more of a cannon ball shape. Usual presentation is to attach a finess worm, fish dr. or most any french fry and let the bait free fall to the bottom. When it hits, the soft plastic will be in an up-right position and you just bounce or shake the bait in that location. You can also drag or hop the bait. Works great here at times.

Some guys are real masters and have lots of confidense in it, as it too has alot of tecnique involved. FF, I would say has got it figured out real good.

This is a farily new method, just started to catch on here in the last couple of years, but nothing is really new. Ralph Lambert, the owner of Kings Harbor Resort at Shell Knob, has been using it for as long as I have know him. At least 15 years. He has been pinching the barb down that long also, as he believes he gets better hook penetration.

Probably way more info than you needed. All the local bait shops carry the heads.

[Fishin' Freak]

Coyote,

Bill described it perfectly. Go to any local tackle store and ask them to show you their shakey heads, they all should have them. I prefer a 3/16th ounce head personally and I fish mine on 8 pound test florocarbon line and spinning tackle. Any finesse worm will work but like anything else you will find a certain bait and color you start to prefer. I really like the 5 inch slim senko. Just take your bait and twist it on the bait holder, rig it weedless and start fishing with any of the methods Bill mentioned above. It does take some getting used to but with time you will pick it up no problem.

[Sam]

I haven't been winter bass fishing this year - gettin' too old for the cold, I guess. But I've got a tip from a whole bunch of previous years.

Around the dam area, including Indian Creek, I've always done well in mid-winter fishing on a 50 ft. bottom with grubs. A 1/4 oz. lead-head weedless jig on about a 2/0 hook and a 3" grub, clear with silver flakes or light green with metallic flakes does the trick.

Off gravel banks in the coves in depths of 45 to 55 feet, you'll usually scope big fish on the bottom in winter - just here and there, and only one or two fish on the scope at a time. In my experience, those are big largemouths and smallmouths.

You need a day that's not too windy, and a cloudy day is best. Stay on about that 50 ft. depth, watch the scope, and fish straight down. Move the boat very slowly with the trolling motor or just let the wind move it very, very slow. Constantly bump the bottom with that grub, bringing it up a couple inches then dropping back to the bottom.

A bass bite will just be a sharp "tap", like a crappie might bite. Give it about one second, then cross their eyes. Bottom bass are sluggish this time of year, but we've caught big bass on many a trip this way in the winter - and the end of the lake near the dam is the place to do it.