Put on the Thinking Cap

[Sprint21fter]

Fishing your strength's is a loaded phrase, for instance if you are a shallow fisherman like me you can tell how the fishing is going to be by the first bite you get.  If you are beating the banks with say a topwater that you are reeling and the fish doesn't move on it to much or barely mouths it you need to throw a slower topwater like a frog or pop'r.  Just like deep fish will tell you if they want to eat a crankbait or just bump it and you come back with a jig or something slower and you start hooking up better.  The fish are there we as fisherman need to make the adjustment to change there mood instead of force feeding them.  Also, sometimes they just don't bite!

[Champ188]

11 minutes ago, Sprint21fter said:

Fishing your strength's is a loaded phrase, for instance if you are a shallow fisherman like me you can tell how the fishing is going to be by the first bite you get.  If you are beating the banks with say a topwater that you are reeling and the fish doesn't move on it to much or barely mouths it you need to throw a slower topwater like a frog or pop'r.  Just like deep fish will tell you if they want to eat a crankbait or just bump it and you come back with a jig or something slower and you start hooking up better.  The fish are there we as fisherman need to make the adjustment to change there mood instead of force feeding them.  Also, sometimes they just don't bite!

Well said, Sprint.

 

[Bill Babler]

37 minutes ago, Sprint21fter said:

  Also, sometimes they just don't bite!

Plus 1

[dtrs5kprs]

For me, deep fish in water with color are tough. I've caught them on Ned, shakey heads, and tubes when it got like that. Also scrubbing the 5" grub way out on gravel. 2012 comes to mind as a year when we had to deal with some of that, after that bloom or whatever it was, that turned everything brown in the spring. Caught quite a few in brushpiles out in 20+, and there were guys cranking some of that stuff. 

[Sore Thumbs]

I just figured with dirty water fish like to be around cover. Docks,rocks, lay downs etc. maybe they are and I'm not giving the right presentation. I tried jigs (black jig and brown jig), bright red vision 110,various crankbaits in different depths and colors, Ned rig and slow rolled a Cole Slaw Spinnerbait with white and red blades. Bluff ends, channel swings,points,secondary points, flats, deep pockets,shallow pockets and backs of creeks. Not a bite. Fish are always biting so I blame myself for not figuring them out but Grand is a head sratcher for me right now.

[m&m]

This information is awesome!! Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I absolutely agree with fishing your strengths and learning new things.  I proved that last year with the Ned.  Now I don't leave the ramp without it.  I hope that this year will be my year of gaining confidence to fish off shore a bit more.  And the way I will gain that confidence is to stay with it.  When I prepare for a trip this year I will study the paper map, select a number of spots based on all this valuable information and stay with that plan.  These trips will be an education for me so that when I retire next year I will have a better understanding of TR.

Mike

[David Unnerstall]

I have always been a bank-beater.  I assumed fish migrate to the banks to find something to feed upon and the fish that are suspended are not hungry and will not bite.  After being on this forum I have changed my mind on this.  It is just that I have no confidence in fishing deep.  I fish Wappappello a lot and the majority of that lake is very shallow except for the St. Francis River channel.

[Jerry Rapp]

12 minutes ago, David Unnerstall said:

I have always been a bank-beater.  I assumed fish migrate to the banks to find something to feed upon and the fish that are suspended are not hungry and will not bite.  After being on this forum I have changed my mind on this.  It is just that I have no confidence in fishing deep.  I fish Wappappello a lot and the majority of that lake is very shallow except for the St. Francis River channel.

David, if you can figure out a deep bite on Wappapello you will be my hero.  And deep is relatively shallow at Wappapello.  12 foot plus.  If you figure out how, then I will gladly show you several spots that I have tried over the years with little luck. 

[Bill Babler]

24 minutes ago, David Unnerstall said:

I have always been a bank-beater.  I assumed fish migrate to the banks to find something to feed upon and the fish that are suspended are not hungry and will not bite.  After being on this forum I have changed my mind on this. 

Dave, lots of folks feel that way.  Kind of astounds them when I pull up in a cove mouth in 190 ft. of water and tell them to grab their topwater junk.  Table Rock fish for the most part are happy weather they are in 1' or 90 feet, makes no difference to them, depending on season and conditions.  After the middle of June fish suspend all over this pond the drop shot and the flutter spoon are your friend.  Most all the guides simply ask each other, " How deep are they-- over what?"  Usually hanging around the thermocline and not just where it hits the bottom, but anyplace.  Lots of times people are so close to the fish its just scary.  they will set the boat exactly where the runout or the rolloff dumps into the channel and throw up on top.  This is very good and I do it all the time this will more than do the job.  BUT, and this is a Big Butt.  When there is a thermocline and even this time of the year, they may be just suspended 50 yrds further out.  Same depth as where the bank drops into the channel, but just are setting in nothingness.  Oh and by the way, they will bite out there.

Shad are all over the lake and crayfish don't have a depth limit, especially in Table Rock.  Driving down the lake here in May and seeing acres of fish blowing shad in 150 ft. of water will pretty much teach you that they don't care how deep it is.

Good Luck

[Donna G]

7 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

Those are nice fish. What area did you all fish Sunday?  Did not know you were out or would have yelled at ya.  Did you guys have any stick  bait fish and were you eating oranges?  I pulled on 3 different spots yesterday that had fresh orange peels floating in the water.

Either someone was trying to make orange juice or they were leaving a crumb trail to follow back to the ramp.

No oranges.  Although the peels are biodegradable, so to speak, Champ knows I'd fuss about putting them in the water.     Oranges are cool, but I'm a grapefruit girl.  With salt.  Oh, and I'm so geographically challenged on the water, you'd need a Florida orange grove to make me a trail back.