Lets talk game plans/strategies

[nhornback]

Sounds like its a very slow presentation... with a presentation that slow, how long do you typically sit at one spot without a bite before you move on? Seems like a single cast could take several minutes at that pace...? 

[Sore Thumbs]

You might also try pockets that are on the north side. Those will warm up faster due to more sun exposure and less cold wind blowing into them.

[dtrs5kprs]

1 hour ago, nhornback said:

Sounds like its a very slow presentation... with a presentation that slow, how long do you typically sit at one spot without a bite before you move on? Seems like a single cast could take several minutes at that pace...? 

Not quite that slow, but slower than most folks will fish. Less is more with it. I will spend hours picking a single point apart. There are lots of fish available to be caught. Really have come to believe when folks are "covering water" or "eliminating water" they are often just eliminating fish that won't react to a fast or large presentation. Same fish may very well eat something small. Does not have to be the Ned, but smaller than traditional finesse baits and on lighter line. Little hair jigs, 2 & 1/2" tubes, tiny brush hogs, and similar baits. 

[Mitch f]

29 minutes ago, dtrs5kprs said:

Not quite that slow, but slower than most folks will fish. Less is more with it. I will spend hours picking a single point apart. There are lots of fish available to be caught. Really have come to believe when folks are "covering water" or "eliminating water" they are often just eliminating fish that won't react to a fast or large presentation. Same fish may very well eat something small. Does not have to be the Ned, but smaller than traditional finesse baits and on lighter line. Little hair jigs, 2 & 1/2" tubes, tiny brush hogs, and similar baits. 

Yea, I too believe people leave too many fish behind with the run and gun mentality.   Especially in a high pressure situation.

[Quillback]

12 hours ago, Sore Thumbs said:

You might also try pockets that are on the north side. Those will warm up faster due to more sun exposure and less cold wind blowing into them.

Yeah baby!  Afternoon sun with a little breeze, it can work.

[Sore Thumbs]

11 hours ago, Mitch f said:

Yea, I too believe people leave too many fish behind with the run and gun mentality.   Especially in a high pressure situation.

Guilty as charged. Ha. If they aren't biting. I move on.

[mjk86]

Hmmm.....interesting thread....I think the number one thing to do is hire a guide, that said, most people go about guides all wrong...dont worry about catching fish....think of it as a 4 or 8 hour paid 1 on 1 lecture from one of the top guys in the field.  Ask lots of questions, and for the love of god shut up when they are talking....be a sponge, listen and absorb.  Who cares about spots or fish your catching, but focus intently on techniques, and the whys and hows and whats more than there wheres.  Cherry pick as much technical information as you possible can.  Thats just my 2 cents from my time with fishing guides...they are fisherman too and will talk all day about what they know, just gotta get em rolling lol. 

Ive never fished table rock in the winter...but im curious if bass follow shad schools around the mouths of major creek arms?  Maybe look at deep vertical structure on or near a point where two large creek channels intersect?  If you have good electronics look for shad schools, or fish on ambush spots waiting for them to cruise by.   Maybe a jigging spoon with no swivel...get ur line all twisted up and just let it un-twist/spin in front of a fishes face?  I always use a swivel, but seems like it would work on cold water fish.  Thats a total guess....but finding the channels and drop offs if pretty easy.  I like to use an actual paper map though, and look for spots the night before.  Pin point areas to target, then on the water, hit those spots and with your graph looks for signs of life.  With electronics its alot easier to stay on fish even when they arent biting...although realistically i think that back fires for me most of the time.  I think there are usually active fish elsewhere.  

 

 

[Mitch f]

59 minutes ago, Sore Thumbs said:

Guilty as charged. Ha. If they aren't biting. I move on.

 Nothing wrong with run and gun, as long as the fish are cooperating! 

[Flysmallie]

10 minutes ago, Mitch f said:

 Nothing wrong with run and gun, as long as the fish are cooperating! 

It's not so much the fish cooperating as much as it is the right spots. I think what makes it a bad method for some is that they just think you run around without any kind of plan. Done correctly you know where you will be at any given time of the day before you ever leave the ramp and you stick to that plan. It's not as simple as everyone makes it out to be. You have to have the spots to make it work. Which takes a lot of practice and preparation. It worked well for me when I fished like that.

[Champ188]

12 minutes ago, Flysmallie said:

It's not so much the fish cooperating as much as it is the right spots. I think what makes it a bad method for some is that they just think you run around without any kind of plan. Done correctly you know where you will be at any given time of the day before you ever leave the ramp and you stick to that plan. It's not as simple as everyone makes it out to be. You have to have the spots to make it work. Which takes a lot of practice and preparation. It worked well for me when I fished like that.

Spot on, Flysmallie. There's an art to "fishing fast --- slow." Just watch VanDam sometime. Clunn is another who mastered it. You still have to "fish in the moment" and be flexible if things go awry, but your day should be penciled in your brain before you ever leave the ramp. For me, that goes for fun fishing as well as tournaments. Unless I have some idea of where/how/when I'm going to fish, my day can quickly get away from me.