Next Week

[fishinwrench]

I have seen some oil slicks lately too.   We saw 2 yesterday.   One of the Marina's must have a slacker out doing winterizes and they are just letting gear lube drain into the water.   

If you see one of the service boats out running around keep an eye on them for a bit.  I'd like to know who is doing that crap.   

[vernon]

Last day of fishing was Thursday - loaded the boat and headed home Friday morning.  Unfortunately, not much more to report.  Took Tuesday off and headed to Kinderhook for a day of golf as the great weather continued.  Fishing never really varied much even after the rain and cool down.  Looked and looked and looked for whites and hybrids but you woulda thought the electronics was malfunctioning.  Never saw such a blank screen in what should have been likely places.  Ended up taking the insanity route - doing the same thing over and over but hoping for a different result.  Didn't happen though.

Continued to catch skinny largemouths around docks and brush on spinnerbaits, jigs and Ned.  Lots of skinny crappie as well - many of them were "legal" but just not enough there to warrant keeping them.  As said before, shad were everywhere but most of the fish we caught apparently hadn't been taking advantage.  My brother had a nice keeper largemouth on a swimbait the first day that was fat as a beachball but after that they all looked like Jenny Craig fans.  

In six days on the water we never saw any surfacing fish and after the Spanish Armada cleared out, we went as far as the dam, Gravois arm and up into the Glaize.  Conditions just seemed to scream great fishing but it never happened for us.  We talked to several dock owners and a few other guys in boats and they all pretty much concurred with our report.  I know somebody somewhere was knocking em' dead (Wrench for one!) but we had to settle for enjoying the unbelievable weather.  Great time and no regrets on our part.

Thanks to all of you that tried to help us out throughout the week.  We really appreciate your generosity and taking the time to share helpful information.  Best of luck as well for the remainder of the year - I doubt we'll make it back that way before spring but are already looking forward to it.  If my math is correct, only 46 days until the days start getting longer!

[fishinwrench]

Yeah ya know, telling someone how you are catching your fish, or having someone tell you how they are catching theirs never does work out like you'd want.  The giving and receiving of "fishing reports" is possibly more harmful than helpful.

Knowing that somebody is tearing them up while you just can't seem to put their info into action is frustrating as all get-out, and probably just makes matters worse.  Heck you can be in the same boat and practically get skunked while your partner (front or back) literally loads the boat.  I took a guy out yesterday that I really wanted (and expected) to show a good time. I almost effortlessly put 11 good fish in the boat, but he only caught 2 all day.  I couldn't recognize a single thing that he was doing "wrong", he just simply was not getting the bites.  

Even though we all hear/read about how mental attitude and expecting a bite on every cast is important I don't think any of us realize the true importance of that.  And only a few (myself definitely not included) can adjust and fix it.  

 

[snagged in outlet 3]

1 hour ago, fishinwrench said:

Heck you can be in the same boat and practically get skunked while your partner (front or back) literally loads the boat.  

My son loaded the boat in the spring from the back seat on me.  I had squat.

The last two months though, the fish gods turned in my favor.  I let him hold a couple of mine though.  

[vernon]

1 hour ago, fishinwrench said:

Yeah ya know, telling someone how you are catching your fish, or having someone tell you how they are catching theirs never does work out like you'd want.  The giving and receiving of "fishing reports" is possibly more harmful than helpful.

Knowing that somebody is tearing them up while you just can't seem to put their info into action is frustrating as all get-out, and probably just makes matters worse.  Heck you can be in the same boat and practically get skunked while your partner (front or back) literally loads the boat.  I took a guy out yesterday that I really wanted (and expected) to show a good time. I almost effortlessly put 11 good fish in the boat, but he only caught 2 all day.  I couldn't recognize a single thing that he was doing "wrong", he just simply was not getting the bites.  

Even though we all hear/read about how mental attitude and expecting a bite on every cast is important I don't think any of us realize the true importance of that.  And only a few (myself definitely not included) can adjust and fix it.  

1 hour ago, fishinwrench said:

Yeah ya know, telling someone how you are catching your fish, or having someone tell you how they are catching theirs never does work out like you'd want.  The giving and receiving of "fishing reports" is possibly more harmful than helpful.

Knowing that somebody is tearing them up while you just can't seem to put their info into action is frustrating as all get-out, and probably just makes matters worse.  Heck you can be in the same boat and practically get skunked while your partner (front or back) literally loads the boat.  I took a guy out yesterday that I really wanted (and expected) to show a good time. I almost effortlessly put 11 good fish in the boat, but he only caught 2 all day.  I couldn't recognize a single thing that he was doing "wrong", he just simply was not getting the bites.  

Even though we all hear/read about how mental attitude and expecting a bite on every cast is important I don't think any of us realize the true importance of that.  And only a few (myself definitely not included) can adjust and fix it.  

 

Yeah, I think you're right.  I alluded to this very thing a couple of weeks ago when we left Table Rock.  Sometimes it's like the street fighter who decides he wants to learn karate or some other self defense deal.  He goes to a couple of weeks of classes and then ends up in a bar fight.  Trouble is, his street fighting instincts have been dulled by the weeks of instruction and he hasn't become nearly proficient at the new stuff.  Consequently, he gets his butt handed to him and can't figure out why! 

Nonetheless, I sincerely appreciate your generosity and attempts to help make our week more successful - worst case scenario it gave us new ideas and locations for next time that we might not have considered otherwise.  And, more importantly, even WE might be able to get em' to work eventually!  We're gonna keep on pluggin' regardless and will do our best to also help others whenever the opportunity arises.

Thanks again!

 

Last day of fishing was Thursday - loaded the boat and headed home Friday morning.  Not much more to report.  Took Tuesday off and headed to Kinderhook for a day of golf as the great weather continued.  Fishing never really varied much even after the rain and cool down.  Looked and looked and looked for whites and hybrids but you woulda thought the electronics was malfunctioning.  Never saw such a blank screen in what should have been likely places.  Ended up taking the insanity route - doing the same thing over and over but hoping for a different result.  Didn't happen though.

Continued to catch skinny largemouths around docks and brush on spinnerbaits, jigs and Ned.  Lots of skinny crappie as well - many of them were "legal" but just not enough there to warrant keeping them.  As said before, shad were everywhere but most of the fish we caught apparently hadn't been taking advantage.  My brother had a nice keeper largemouth on a swimbait the first day that was fat as a beachball but after that they all looked like Jenny Craig followers.  

In six days on the water we never saw any surfacing fish and after the Spanish Armada cleared out, we went as far as the dam, Gravois arm and up into the Glaize.  Conditions just seemed to scream great fishing but it never happened for us.  We talked to several dock owners and a few other guys in boats and they all pretty much concurred with our report.  I know somebody somewhere was knocking em' dead (

[Old plug]

I went out last evening for a couple hours and found hybrids and god only knows what  else packed on all sides of a small hump in the Gravois. Trouble was they were holding very deep. l lke to jig for deep fish. last evening though all I caught was one hybrid about 15-16 inches long. They just did not want to co operate. Par far the course last few times I been out there. They might be rising at night curently. I do not know other than that they are know to do it.  No way I was going to set out there on that spot in the middle of the night since it is dead center in the boat lanes. It gets hairy enough in broad daylight. I was jigging between 55&65 ft.  Very deep for me since Most of my jigging is from just above 30 to 40.  But it was worth a try. Kinda thought I might run into some rising. I figure though that hybrid I caught was down there very close to 50 ft. I have always thought when they hold that deep your just beating your head against a wall.b

t b

[Old plug]

I went out last evening for a couple hours and found hybrids and god only knows what else packed on all sides of a small hump in the Gravois. Trouble was they were holding very deep. l lke to jig for deep fish. last evening though all I caught was one hybrid about 15-16 inches long. They just did not want to co operate. Par far the course last few times I been out there. They might be rising at night curently. I do not know other than that they are known to do it.  No way I was going to set out there on that spot in the middle of the night since it is dead center in the boat lanes. It gets hairy enough in broad daylight. I was jigging between 55&65 ft.  Very deep for me since Most of my jigging is from just above 30 to 40.  But it was worth a try. Kinda thought I might run into some rising. I figure though that hybrid I caught was down there very close to 50 ft. I have always thought when they hold that deep your just beating your head against a wall. I should have known better. 

t b

[96 CHAMP]

Plug, I've been wanting to come down but have been reluctant to, I have been wanting the water temps to come down some. At Alhonna it is showing 68 still, what kind of temps were you picking up. Would I be wrong in saying that I think they will move in towards the windy banks if we can get the water temps down? I planned on coming next weekend but I am thinking of going deer hunting and waiting for the following week. Been a weird fall with the temps so high. Your thoughts!

[Old plug]

nk the temperature was 66 or 67 on the surface in that spot. I also want the temerature down more, low 60's or upper 50's is a favorite time for me and jigs. I rarely go more than 3 miles from the house anymore. I always catch my larger hibrids down deeper. in the 30 ft range. Have never seen them surface. I also am constantly think in the back of my mind about catching a big blie sneaking around down in those places. It has happened several times.  I catch them  mostly under feeding white bass. largest was 48lbs. There might be some white bass action up by Wrench way up out of gravois mills mills I am down on Cedar Point better than 3 miles from that area.  Things can be totally different. More  shallow ,good brush up there and deeper, less brush down here. 

 

[96 CHAMP]

Last year I came down a few times in the fall, one particular weekend, I believe it was just before Thanksgiving I put the boat in in the back of Indian creek at night, once I got the boat in I was using a flashlight to get organized to take it down to a friends dock when I caught a reflection in the water, I used the flashlight to see what was going on & there must have been a million shad everywhere right at the surface. I told my brother in law I don't know what to expect in the morning. when we went out that morning there were no shad anywhere and we caught whites & a few hybrids all day in Indian creek & the gravois right up near the bank.  You never know where or what the heck they are going to do one day from the next at times.