Put on the Thinking Cap

[Fish24/7]

1 hour ago, Champ188 said:

Understanding their seasonal movements and locations can go a long way toward simplifying that process.

agree 100%

 

[Fish24/7]

11 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

Right now, is the very best time to use that high dollar TV that is sitting getting dusty on the bow and console of your boat.

agree 100% 

[m&m]

11 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

Don't make it harder than it is. Someone mentioned Rock Creek in a post today.  Those fish are biting.  The runnout from the Rock Creek Bluffend goes out within 200 yards of the bluffend on the up lake side.  That cut falls off into 90' of water that is the main channel and also the main channel that goes into Rock Creek and the big cove that is just upstream.  RPS, don't kill me for this.  How many of you all are stopping out there with the boat in 90' and throwing up on the end of that pole timbered bluffend?  How many of you are sitting your boat in the channel in over 100' and throwing up on that bluffend from the bouy out to the end of the runnout ?  Those are major staging locations, as the  fish move from the main lake to the big Rock Creek and its big Spawing coves. 

Places like this hold late Winter and staging fish, 

Bill, since I have not fished any water up that way I studied the map during the week and circled 6 spots I wanted to see. All of them fit the description you mentioned as I too thought it is the beginning of a transition time. Of the 6 spots I circled, Quillback was sitting on one of them. And boats were sitting on 2 others. 2 boats were sitting on that spot at the entrance to rock creek. But I only had a couple of hours and wanted to check out the workings of the boat and motor. So when we found one of the transition spots I circled without any boats we dropped the trolling motor and threw an a-rig at the fish sitting in 15' - 20' feet on the edge of a drop. Caught my first a-rig fish and felt like I actually learned something with the pre-planning. 

I truly appreciate everyone's posts because it is helping me as I learn to fish TR. Bill, thank you for the insight and words of wisdom. 

Mike

[Bill Babler]

Now that is a good plan. Nice pre-lake work.  And yes. There are variables. If you can keep Jeff off your junk it really helps?  James told it way better than I could. You can tell who has the edumacation. My point is. Set some new boundaries this year and fish with purpose. Find something new. Try something different. 

Good Luck

[Bill Babler]

I also wanted to point out, that I'm not picking or fussing at anyone for the way they chose to fish, not at all.  I just wanted to point out that we are so lucky here to have fish in a wide range of locations, especially this time of the year.   Someone mentioned seasonal patterns and that really set the hook, these fish are creatures of that to a huge extent.  I have folks fish with me in Spring and say, " well you showed me where to catch them I'm going to have a great year."  Sometimes I'll see these folks 2 months later fishing the same locations and they will tell me they just don't do as well on their own.  Main reason, is the fish are not there.  As James pointed out, most often if you can get around them you can figure it out.   Trouble is getting around them, especially Table Rock fish that are constantly on the move.

We are currently setting up with this lake level and if it will fall a bit more for a fantastic March and April.  Devils Backbone is just one of a thousand deep to shallow transition locations on this lake.  As Randy said, it is a huge location and sometimes fish are only in a single spot on it and as M&M pointed out, it will see some activity.

What a great plan M&M put together for yesterday.  You fish like that and you will be successful regardless of how many other Stinkweeds are out there. 

Good Luck and lets see some pic's of Biggins.

[Quillback]

2 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

Now that is a good plan. Nice pre-lake work.  And yes. There are variables. If you can keep Jeff off your junk it really helps?  James told it way better than I could. You can tell who has the edumacation. My point is. Set some new boundaries this year and fish with purpose. Find something new. Try something different.

Good Luck

Haha, yes that is a good winter spot that Mike saw me on.  Didn't fish very well yesterday, had one bite and that was it.  I think they were there, saw some on the bottom, but I just wasn't throwing what they wanted.

Man there were a lot of boats out there yesterday. 

[Bill Babler]

Jeff, I believe Taney was as busy as I have seen it in years.  It was almost to the point that you could not move from location to location.  Kind of funny however as the fish were just tearing it up.  I was guiding a party with and for Rick Lisek  I had 3 clients and so did Rick.  We had a combination of rainbows and browns to the boat catching a total of 63 fish.  Rick had 44 to his boat.  We were fishing the open regulation area as our clients wanted to keep trout.

A fellow guide was in the restricted zone and said it was just silly up there.  Rick guided the catch and release zone in the afternoon on his second trip and caught and released 73 trout.  To say they were biting might be a bit anticlimactic.

Just unreal fishing over there right now.  I know this is the TR forum, but if you ever wanted to just go catch them one after the other and have a great time on lite line, get over to Phil's right now.

[Macsimus]

As someone that is addicted to learning anything I can about the beloved finned critters and their habits, I am astounded with the info in this thread and the willingness of those that have shared it.  I am a complete neophyte when it comes to fishing highland reservoirs, but, I think I have arrived at that early point on the learning curve where I can at least recognize quality information. Over a vast, dreary wasteland of interweb "info", this stuff stands out like a blinking red stop light at night in a one intersection town. FWIW, my thanks to Bill, Champ, and others that have so freely contributed. 

[dtrs5kprs]

7 minutes ago, Macsimus said:

As someone that is addicted to learning anything I can about the beloved finned critters and their habits, I am astounded with the info in this thread and the willingness of those that have shared it.  I am a complete neophyte when it comes to fishing highland reservoirs, but, I think I have arrived at that early point on the learning curve where I can at least recognize quality information. Over a vast, dreary wasteland of interweb "info", this stuff stands out like a blinking red stop light at night in a one intersection town. FWIW, my thanks to Bill, Champ, and others that have so freely contributed. 

Are you stuck in tundra country this winter?

[Macsimus]

16 minutes ago, dtrs5kprs said:

Are you stuck in tundra country this winter?

We'll be in Blue Eye on the 1st. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve.