Big M area 10/27

[Quillback]

 

Got off to late start yesterday, waited for the fog to burn off here in NW AR so I did not get to the lake until 0930.  Probably hurt my deep water fishing that I did yesterday.  I started deep, looking at places off the gravel banks in 30-50 FOW.  Never found any of those big schools, found a few, but they were moving, and when I found them I could drop the spoon on them and get a bite or tow and they would be gone.  Found some surface activity at one location, could not get them to hit the plopper, but I found that if I threw a Ned on them right when they were on top, they would eat it.  Unfortunately for me, about 15 minutes after I found those top water fish, the sun came out and they just shut right down.

Spent the late afternoon throwing the Ned on the banks, found a pattern of some fish (including the smallie pictured above) holding tight to rocks on steep banks, rocky points, and bluff ends.  Encouraging to see them there and eating the Ned.  Lots of fun on the light tackle. 

Put 20 fish in the boat, mostly spots, caught 2 LM's on the deep spoon, and the one smallie.  Lost a bunch of fish, probably more than I got in the boat.  Had a couple of good pullers on the Ned get off, and lost a few spoon fish. 

Lots of guys on the deep spots, I think the word is out.

At the end of the day I was fishing a gravel point, all of a sudden here comes a pontoon boat heading towards me, he was moving too, had a big Yammie out board on that thing.  Anyway, "Supertoon" passes me on the right, does a turn about 50 feet behind me and heads into a small pocket on the other side of the point.  I had the pleasure of getting waked on three sides!  They go into that shallow pocket head first, come to a stop, and then proceed to shift back and forth between neutral and reverse gradually backing out - I have no idea what the heck they were up to, but took it as a sign it was time to go home.

 

 

 

[176champion]

Nice Quill!! Thanks for report!!  I saw your truck in Big M parking lot....i got on the water about 1pm and left around 4:30

[Champ188]

Really nice job on what had to be a challenging day with the high skies and no wind.

[abkeenan]

Nice report Quill. Nice healthy looking fish. 

As far as the pontoon....just about every time I go out now I see a boating maneuver I've never seen before...and not in a good way.

Speaking of pontoons, I saw a Harris Crowne model filling up on gas at State Park Marina last time I was down. I've always thought of pontoons as nothing more than floating barges that can accommodate a large group of people. Very basic, very boring and not much in terms of performance but do the job their were intended to do. Our family has a Bennington tri-toon and it does a fine job for what it is. Then I saw that Harris Crown. I must admit they are sharp. I don't think I could justify spending that kind of $ on a pontoon but they are neat in their design. I will give them that much. The one I saw had a 350 Verado off the back of it and I see on their website they have models that can carry twin outboards. Not sure how long they have been on the market but that was the first one that I had seen or noticed on the water.

So you don't have to google them:

[Champ188]

I wish they would do like Alex and redact my house out of the background.

[Quillback]

The toon I saw was nothing like one of those beasts, it was your standard dual metal tube toon, but it did have a big motor on it.  And I am not knocking toons, that was just what those guys that did the U-turn around me were riding in.  If it was a bass boat I would have been just as annoyed.  And I was only mildly annoyed, I am pretty sure those folks were oblivious to what they were doing. 

[merc1997 Bo]

darn good day quill considering the fog issue and the rain the day before.  some days of sunshine will help to gather them up better.  we actually need the water to cool for it to really get good.

that was a dandy brownie!

bo

[abkeenan]

1 hour ago, Champ188 said:

I wish they would do like Alex and redact my house out of the background.

I never knew you were my neighbor! Should have known it was you with all the paint chips in my motor cowling and lower unit from flippin' my friggin' dock stalls.

[Champ188]

5 minutes ago, abkeenan said:

I never knew you were my neighbor! Should have known it was you with all the paint chips in my motor cowling and lower unit from flippin' my friggin' dock stalls.

Hey now, I am a well-oiled precision machine. My only transgression would be letting my spinnerbait or buzz bait blades tick down the side of your toon cylinders.

[Sprint21fter]

I put a TING in all that I come across, ringing the dinner bell to the fish