5-29-18 Dam Area Got Bit But Not So Much By Fish

[Bill Babler]

Reality struck today at 5:45 at old 86 for me and my clients.  Flat water and blasting heat, even at that early hour really defined our morning.  Started out to very slow top water activity and the place I did find with some at 6:30  two wake boats ran right thru the middle of the fish with us casting at them blaring hard country rock, or some kind of cat scratch loud twangy I guess you could call it music.

Only had 5 top water fish including a monster white bass.  We did lose several and had quite a few blow up on it but missed it.  The water was as flat as Kansas and the blue sky was high as the moon.

Tried the swimbait and the ned and could catch one here and there, but just could not put it together.  Did catch 2 on a Dixie Jet and 2 on a tube and we lost about as many as we caught.  Still trying to fish the gravel.  Ended the morning with 15 with a couple of keeps.

After the trip I talked to Buster and he said the Big Cedar guides went to live bait yesterday with fish either on the bottom or suspended in the 28 ft. range.  Said this pretty much happened overnight in the dam area.  I'm guessing we now have a thermocline and I'm guessing its around 26' cause that is usually where it starts.  Was not prepared for that my mistake, I'm ready now.  To tell you the truth I did not even look for it on the graph as I had just been wacking them in that 15' range either deep or shallow, suspended or on the bottom.

Surface temps at the start 82 degree and at 11 AM  were 84 degree.  I'm sure its even warmer now.  Be interesting to see what's happening up the White is they moved out also.

[Randy Moore]

Thanks for the update Bill.  With this record heat the lake is changing rapidly.  We had been doing well in the evenings using ned's rigs catching nice keeper sized smallies that we were either inhaling the bait or slamming it really hard on both points 9 and 10.  We stayed off the lake over the weekend due to boat traffic and heat.  

[Carl W]

Bill, what tactics do you use this time of the year when the fish move deep?  I really struggle this time of the year and summer.  I know spoons is one tactic to try and I just have never been able to catch fish off of docks.  What else does a person do or try?

Carl

[m&m]

Bill, thanks for the information, I experienced the same thing. I went out of moonshine this morning at 5:45am. I found the same thing in Jakes creek. Caught one keeper SM on a plopper. Missed a couple others that blew up on it. Saw the first wake boat at 6:30 am water was a sheet of glass with not even a small ripple. I think it is turning over too. Decided to get off the water at 9:15 am. It was very August like weather out there today. 

Mike 

[Quillback]

It's like we've gone from winter right to August.  Weatherman last night was saying we might hit 100 latter part of next week.  I'll have to dig out the drop shot stuff and the jigging spoons.  

[Bill Babler]

56 minutes ago, Quillback said:

It's like we've gone from winter right to August.  Weatherman last night was saying we might hit 100 latter part of next week.  I'll have to dig out the drop shot stuff and the jigging spoons.  

There you go Carl.  Let me point out one thing however and we have discussed this here before.  Large lake sections of fish will start to congregate post spawn in very small locations.  It is again at this time that we need to experience CR as you can go a mile and not catch anything and then it seems every fish in the lake is one location.   They are, and on live bait and drop shots you can do damage, if you find them.

Lots of these hot spots in the James and the White.  Most fish on the long runout points where they break into deep channel water.  In the dam area they seem to go to the tops of the deep trees, not so much up the White or the James, as they more relate to the breaks.

You can also watch where they are surfacing and chasing and a lot of times this is where they will be only deep when the sun hits the water. They were scattered and way out even to the middle of the lake yesterday in the dam area.  Lots of singles and that should have clued me as they had been busting in droves.

I had been on Taney all weekend and the change at the dam happened on either Sunday or Monday.  If we get some cloudy or rainy weather they especially the jaws may move back, but I'm pretty sure the K's are out deep for the Summer now.

Bill Beck would have been right on top of it for me yesterday, there has never been a better fish dog than Beck, the friggin guy thought with them and he made decisions quicker than a bull rider.

I'm blaming my tough day on him.

"I miss ya Big Guy."

[Carl W]

Thanks Bill and Quill.  I suspose using your electronics is important too. So much to learn so much to learn. 

[Guest]

yes, it does seem that most of the bass have made a mass exit to more summer types of homes.  going to be summer weather all week and that will just aid them in a decision to move out.  there is nothing wrong with that.  just means we all have to switch gears and change up tactics.

linda and i had a banner evening on friday ending up with 14 keepers.  we also went sunday evening and caught half as many keepers and linda got a really nice 3 3/4 lb. chunk.  almost all of these bass we caught were more in the 15 ft. range, with a few closer to 20 ft.

bo

[Carl W]

Bo,

I know you are a really great jig fisherman. What size weight jig do you fish at that depth?  Also do you think they are deeper during the daytime hours? Curious what you think. 

I am a novice at jig fishing. Seems to me that everything feels like a bite and seems I am always setting the hook. 

Carl

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Carl W said:

Bo,

I know you are a really great jig fisherman. What size weight jig do you fish at that depth?  Also do you think they are deeper during the daytime hours? Curious what you think. 

I am a novice at jig fishing. Seems to me that everything feels like a bite and seems I am always setting the hook. 

Carl

carl

that is one of the things that you really have to the let the bass let you know what is the right weight.  we had been catching more of them on a 3/8, but the 1/2 is beginning to gather steam.  they are also biting senkos on a 1/4 Pro Series head, and also a beaver type bait on a 3/8 GrassJig head.

bo