Fishing near the mouth of the Kings

[Quillback]

Got back on the Rock Tuesday morning, went looking for top water fish.  Water was flat calm for most of the morning, made it easy to spot where they were chasing shad on top.  Unfortunately they weren't schooled up but were scattered over a broad area.  Little shad are everywhere and the bass seem to want to chase them out in the channel, the fish I caught were out in 40-60 FOW.  I would move around on the trolling motor waiting for one to pop within casting distance and then try and get that top water on them as quickly as possible as they will usually hit it if you get it on them before they move.  Blind fan casting around the boat isn't as productive as targeting active fish.

Didn't catch any big fish (only 2 keepers) and only caught a dozen.  There's some good fish out there, just wasn't my day to get any in the boat.  It was fun, but I had one of those days where if a few things had gone my way, I could've had several more fish caught.  Took me a little while to find the right areas also, and the bite pretty much shut down around 10 AM.

Best fish came on a c-rigged UV Speed Craw, caught a couple on the c-rig after the top bite died off.

Picked up a couple of Kastmasters after reading Mr. Bablers report.  May try them next time out.

Surface temp had warmed up a bit to 80.

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[jeb]

Those fat spots are always a blast to catch on topwater!

[176champion]

Thanks for report Quill!!

[Champ188]

Is that a Zara Puppy in its mouth? 

[Bill Babler]

That report hit it smack dab in the nose. Just like you have to hit those chasing fish. I am having better luck catching them on the small Keitech in Rainbow Shad. I'm using it with a 3/8 head on a size 1 hook. Hard to find. I can simply throw it to Tim- Buc-To using 4 # maxi spooled on a Shimano 2500 Stella and a Falcon 7' Nestor Falls Spin

good Luck

[Royal Blue]

Bill, are you using the Keitech brand jig head?  

[Quillback]

Went back to the scene of the crime this morning, cold front and wind shut them down, very little top water activity, compared to Tuesday, shad just weren't on top.  I tried a 1/4 oz Kastmaster today, on about my fifth cast (sitting over 50 FOW), I let it fall for a 10 count, then started lifting it and letting it fall, line goes slack, so I set the hook, bring the fish toward the boat, it's not fighting very hard so I figure it's probably a 12" spotted bass, get it to about 15 feet from the boat, and a good sized 3-4 lb. largemouth jumps 2 feet out of the water and tosses the Kastmaster.  I worked that thing for another hour and never got another bite on it, except when I was ready to move, made one of those "last cast" casts, worked the Kastmaster to about 10 feet from the boat, and a nice spotted bass slams it - same thing, fish jumps, Kastmaster goes flying.  And just for the record, I had changed out the hook and split rings because the ones that come with it are lousy.

Hooked another one on a Keitech, it also got off.

Put two keeper largemouth in the boat that ate the c-rigged Speed Craw.  And that was it for the morning. 2 keepers in the boat, 2 keepers that got off, and one bite on the Keitech.

[176champion]

Them kastmaster spoons look like the old Mr champ spoon that we used for trout fishing in Florida in the flats.....lol

 

[m&m]

Quill, I got frustrated just reading your report. You must have run the emotional scale from angry to laughing by the time you quit. But thanks for the information. Good thing you changed those kastmaster hooks, eh? 

Mike

[Quillback]

Yeah Mike, should've left the stock hooks on, then I could have blamed it on the manufacturer.