5/7 bass report

[Skeeter ZX190]

Put in at Orleans Trail about 10:00 am.  Saw JMontgo1246 there at the marina so I stopped and introduced myself and said hi. I should have given him some advice on how to catch more fish, GUARANTEED.  He needs to trade in the Jayhawk gear for the purple Powercat!!!!

 

Water was around 62 to start the day and 65 when I got off the water at 5:30 pm.  I didn't venture very far south and between Orleans Trail and the mouth of Price Branch, the water was fairly clear.  3 foot clarity maybe.  Is it the first of May or the middle of July.  The fishing reminds me of summertime fishing with the depth that I had to fish to get bit.  Seemed like I had to be sitting in 16 to 20 feet of water casting to 12 to 16 feet.  I caught 25 with all of them coming on the ned.  I tried some different baits but nothing was working.  I did have a bite on a carolina rigged lizard but he spit the hook.  I caught 24 brownies and 1 spot.  4 of the brownies were keepers.  Biggest was 16 inches and is the one in the picture.  The best locations seemed to be in the backs of some of the big bays with a lot of pea gravel in that 12 to 16 foot range.  I guess there was some high school tournament going on and most of the boats must have been down fishing the cleaner water.  There were boats EVERYWHERE.  I think the high water has the fish confused.  Not sure where the green ones are.  

[wiggle wart]

I fished in the same general area today with the Ned and caught lots of little smallmouth at the same depths Skeeter ZX190 mentioned. Also caught whites and one little walleye. Heavy on the sunscreen today. I tried a fluke around 6pm and caught a spot and a largemouth a little bigger than the smallies, but no keepers. Caught lots of fish though. I think the bass fishing should really get good in the next few days or so once they get acclimated to the high water. I look forward to catching decent fish in the flooded brush. 

[Jmontgo1246]

Hey Skeeter, thanks for stopping by and saying hi...it was nice to meet you.  

I got on the water at 6am to try and beat the 200 boats in the high school tournament.  Water was 59 by the darn...threw a frog and sbait in the flooded brush/trees with no luck.  Was marking fish in 15 fow over the old shoreline so i pick up a jerkbait and started paralleling the bank and quickly caught a smallie, 2 whites and a crappie.  Ran down by state park marina and fished a rock pile that was now in 15-18 fow and caught a couple small spots.  Went back to OT to pick up the family as it was finally warming up.  Headed towards the mile long bridge and started fishing points...we fished the old shoreline in 15-20 fow...my 10 year olds first cast with the ned rig produced a fat smallie close to 3 lbs (she thought she was snagged) .  She caught another one over 2lbs...both were fat prespawn fish.  I finally caught a keeper largemouth on a 3/4 oz wobblehead.  Beautiful day on the water!!

 

[Dutch]

That is similar to the way I am finding it except I rarely find anything shallower than 20'.