Big M area 7/12

[Quillback]

 

Launched early again today, 0530 or so.  Went over to a nearby gravel point and caught a few early, got my biggest of the day, a 3 lb. LM.  Fishing the c-rigged Trick worm again.  Saw some bass busting top water, but couldn't get them to bite my top water offerings. 

Fished a couple of other gravel points, picked up a few here and there.  Then I fished a brush pile that sits on a gravel point in about 15-20 FOW, off a cove mouth, it's a brush pile I have fished in the past and sometimes it is good for a bass or two, but today it was loaded, caught over 20 bass off that pile, mostly 12-14" spots, but also a few keepers, 2 of the keepers were LM's,the only 2 LM's I caught off that pile, but they were both keepers.  Again on the c-rigged Trick worm.  (Old Purple and Candy Bug).

Caught a bunch of fish today, 35 or so, mostly 12-14" spots, only 5 keepers.  Not one smallmouth, but did catch a meanmouth.

Surface WT was 86.

Saw a bobcat today, pulled into a little cut in a bluff wall, made a few casts on one side of the cut, moved the boat over to the other side, saw something moving on the bank, thought it was a fox, but once I got a good look at it I realized it was a bobcat.  It just slowly walked away and disappeared into the brush.  Didn't have time to get the camera and get a shot, I needed to change lenses to get a good photo and the cat just didn't give me the time I needed. 

[Champ188]

At least it wasn't a cheetah in a briar patch. 

[MOPanfisher]

Cheetahs never prosper.

[Champ188]

For forum newcomers, a wise man once likened the effect on our smallmouth of the Corps adding huge piles of brush/rock to the gravel on the lower end of the lake to asking a cheetah to live in a briar patch. 

[bferg]

Nice report Quill...

Not to hijack but:if I can tag onto yours our report from last night at Big M:

Got on the water at 6:00 fished until 9:00. Stayed close to Big M all night.  Tried flipping some bushes and finding some shallow fish with one or two small fish to show for it.  Went to a gravel point of a cove and it was stacked with fish in the 20ish foot range.  Although we are not great off shore fisherman we stuck to that group of fish for a while and managed to teach our selves some new tricks and coax a few bites.  My bother lost what seemed like a very good fish on a deep brush pile on the point (upside was we found a good deep brush pile and continued to fish that pile for a while).  He was throwing a 10 inch worm.  I caught a few on a drop shot and one on a deep crank bait.  We kept waiting for them to come up to the top as the sun went down but it never happened.  Can't seem to buy a topwter bite on TR or Beaver this year!!  So many wopper ploppers in the box going to waste!!  At the end of the night moved back very close to Big M and again found an area stacked with fish in 15 or so feet of water.  Connected with a couple there, again on the drop shot (with an aaron's magic robo worm).  

Ended the night with 7 or 8 fish total, nothing big, mostly spots and 1 LM.  I think if we had stuck with the drop shot bite a bit more instead of trying a bunch of different stuff it would have been better catching.  But it was fun to work on our offshore game (which needs some serious work) and some techniques we don't usually try but need to learn and have some success.  I have limited experience with the drop shot, had never caught a fish on a deep crank and we never throw the huge worm.  Caught fish on all three last night and it was a lot of fun.  

[m&m]

Bferg, congratulations on having the guts to try new tactics. Increases your options. 

Mike

[cheesemaster]

Well done Quillback.  Them bobcats are pretty cool. Most people will never see one in the wild.  Thanks for the report. 

[Quillback]

11 hours ago, bferg said:

Nice report Quill...

Not to hijack but:if I can tag onto yours our report from last night at Big M:

Got on the water at 6:00 fished until 9:00. Stayed close to Big M all night.  Tried flipping some bushes and finding some shallow fish with one or two small fish to show for it.  Went to a gravel point of a cove and it was stacked with fish in the 20ish foot range.  Although we are not great off shore fisherman we stuck to that group of fish for a while and managed to teach our selves some new tricks and coax a few bites.  My bother lost what seemed like a very good fish on a deep brush pile on the point (upside was we found a good deep brush pile and continued to fish that pile for a while).  He was throwing a 10 inch worm.  I caught a few on a drop shot and one on a deep crank bait.  We kept waiting for them to come up to the top as the sun went down but it never happened.  Can't seem to buy a topwter bite on TR or Beaver this year!!  So many wopper ploppers in the box going to waste!!  At the end of the night moved back very close to Big M and again found an area stacked with fish in 15 or so feet of water.  Connected with a couple there, again on the drop shot (with an aaron's magic robo worm).  

Ended the night with 7 or 8 fish total, nothing big, mostly spots and 1 LM.  I think if we had stuck with the drop shot bite a bit more instead of trying a bunch of different stuff it would have been better catching.  But it was fun to work on our offshore game (which needs some serious work) and some techniques we don't usually try but need to learn and have some success.  I have limited experience with the drop shot, had never caught a fish on a deep crank and we never throw the huge worm.  Caught fish on all three last night and it was a lot of fun.  

I was thinking of the drop shot myself, didn't have any of that stuff with me.  I saw a few on the graph out in 15-20 FOW underneath the boat and I bet they would've bit a drop shot, or a spoon.  Had a couple spit out 3" spoon sized shad.

[Quillback]

8 hours ago, cheesemaster said:

Well done Quillback.  Them bobcats are pretty cool. Most people will never see one in the wild.  Thanks for the report. 

First one I have seen, except for a glimpse or two of one off the side of the road.

[fowlthing]

bferg.... trying to catch them on something different and learning new techniques I think is important.   Some days I commit to two things, and others just decide to try something new.  I need to get confidence in the crankbait.... it just bores me too quickly.

 

Thanks for sharing.