Big M area 10/14

[Quillback]

20 hours ago, Neil said:

I was wondering if you ever fished the cove in the boat  launching area.  Many years ago I lived at Cassville and fished Big M lots and caught many large bass in the cove back end. 

I  have fished it, haven't got the bigguns out of it however.  In the summer, before I launch the boat early in the morning, I'll throw a top water from the bank, I've picked up a few doing that.  I'm sure there's a bunch that live under the commercial dock in the no fishing zone and some of them are going to wander out from time to time. 

[Neil]

There is a rock ledge section on the south side in the back that did hold some good bass.  I haven't been to Big M in a long time and the ledge might be covered by docks now

 

[Quillback]

Yeah Neil, I think I know where you are talking about.  I have caught bass there, just not any big ones.  Doesn't mean they aren't there, I just can't catch any there.

[Neil]

That ledge goes out quite a ways out and I always did well with a jig and large pork frog.  I'm too old to fish now and love reading about fishing around Big M  Thanks for your reports

 

[Champ188]

Neil, I caught them in there real good one of the flood years but they were way up in the green bushes and grass. When they started pulling the lake down, it sucked a lot of the mud out of there and pulled the fish out to the edges of the bushes and I worked on them pretty good a couple of days with a topwater and big Keitech swim bait.

[Quillback]

2 hours ago, Neil said:

That ledge goes out quite a ways out and I always did well with a jig and large pork frog.  I'm too old to fish now and love reading about fishing around Big M  Thanks for your reports

 

Well If you have time or the inclination, I'd be curious to hear some details on that pork frog - I haven't fished them much at all, but I know it can be a great bait.  I have heard that people take a knife and scrape the fat off of them before fishing them. 

[Neil]

Bo James in Cassville sells a great Jig.  I would use 1/2 oz Black  or Brown Jig with the size that is larger the the 11 frog or even spring lizard pup  I don't even know if Uncle Josh still makes pork frogs.  Put the pork on the jig hook and either work stop and go or swim slow just above bottohttp://www.basspro.com/Uncle-Josh-Original-Pork-Frog/product/12082905323095/m. I fished Big M in the 70's and 80,s.  When I started fishing there the lake was at the lowest and really just a river bed.  There is a lot of structure 25 to 30 feet in the Big M cove.  Old road bed stumps and such.

[Quillback]

Thanks Neil.  Must have been interesting to see what it was like when the water was down.