6-11-19 downstream

[merc1997 Bo]

leonard and i ventured back downstream last night.  seemed like we were dealing with post frontal conditions.  shad were pretty scattered and it was a one here and a couple there kind of bite.  the one thing that was a constant was everything we caught was further back in, and that is where we also saw the most bait.

we ended up with 10 keeps and a really nice walleye (4 lb. range) feel to a 3/4 GrassJig.  of the 10 keeps, 7 were lmg's and 3 brownies.  we did have 4 in the 3 lb. zone.  nothing that would weigh 4.  caught them about equally on a 3/4 GrassJig with rattles, a 1 oz. Elite Mega blade, and a 1 oz. Elite Black Widow.  seemed as though the bite scooted out a tad with several pushing 25 ft.  i just believe the depth was more to do with the frontal conditions.  all the bait was from surface to 10 ft.

i sent one of my emerald beach buddies looking more on the flats up our way.  and he did pretty good.  6 keeps and lots of shorts.  he caught them on a 1/2 GrassJig.  he had been fishing bluffs and not doing too much.  i suggested that it seemed the bait was related more to flats.  so, when bluffs are not getting it done, you might need to change lanes.

you just have to begin each trip with an open mind and go do some looking before putting the trolling motor down.  you just might be surprised at how that can improve your catching.

bo

[Dutch]

Bo does it again.  Nice trip there bud.  Tell Leonard his old cousin Dayne  says howdy.

[Jadesjigs]

I was in the Aunt's creek area during the day of 06/11 and also noticed the post-front conditions early.  I was able to catch a few with a swimbait off the points at daylight where there was a lot of shad activity.  I didn't have luck with any topwater baits.  I was about to call it a day around 11:30 and I was fishing in the back of a cove with a breeze blowing into it.  I found a large school of shad in the back of the cove.  They were in the middle of the channel that was 12 ft. deep - and it was game on!  I spent the next hour catching them on a 1/2 oz. skirted green pumpkin football jig paired with an Okeechobee  colored beaver style craw.  There was so much activity on my graph that I thought I was drifting over brush piles, but after the bite ended all I could see was the bottom.  

I've learned so much from your reports Bo.  You often report that the key is to spend more time searching for the productive water where both the bait and fish can be viewed together.  That got me thinking about how much time I fish unproductive water.  I can often find bait with no fish, or fish with no bait.  The story above is one of the first times that I have been able to put both together and had great success.  I would have never expected those fish to be in the back of a cove on a blue-bird sky during the middle of the day.  That would also go along with you saying to keep an open mind and use your electronics!

Do you have a certain method that you use to graph an area before you start fishing it?  Are there any specific patterns or areas that you start to graph.  I've got a small boat so I don't like to run and gun across the lake.  I would really like to learn how to break the water down in specific areas and fish the most productive areas.  Thank you very much for all of your informative posts Bo!!

Sorry, the screen on my graph is so dirty.  There was a lot of dew that morning.  I wanted to get more pics of my graph so I could show both the bait and the fish, but I was getting too many bites to take the time lol.  

 

  

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, Jadesjigs said:

I was in the Aunt's creek area during the day of 06/11 and also noticed the post-front conditions early.  I was able to catch a few with a swimbait off the points at daylight where there was a lot of shad activity.  I didn't have luck with any topwater baits.  I was about to call it a day around 11:30 and I was fishing in the back of a cove with a breeze blowing into it.  I found a large school of shad in the back of the cove.  They were in the middle of the channel that was 12 ft. deep - and it was game on!  I spent the next hour catching them on a 1/2 oz. skirted green pumpkin football jig paired with an Okeechobee  colored beaver style craw.  There was so much activity on my graph that I thought I was drifting over brush piles, but after the bite ended all I could see was the bottom.  

I've learned so much from your reports Bo.  You often report that the key is to spend more time searching for the productive water where both the bait and fish can be viewed together.  That got me thinking about how much time I fish unproductive water.  I can often find bait with no fish, or fish with no bait.  The story above is one of the first times that I have been able to put both together and had great success.  I would have never expected those fish to be in the back of a cove on a blue-bird sky during the middle of the day.  That would also go along with you saying to keep an open mind and use your electronics!

Do you have a certain method that you use to graph an area before you start fishing it?  Are there any specific patterns or areas that you start to graph.  I've got a small boat so I don't like to run and gun across the lake.  I would really like to learn how to break the water down in specific areas and fish the most productive areas.  Thank you very much for all of your informative posts Bo!!

Sorry, the screen on my graph is so dirty.  There was a lot of dew that morning.  I wanted to get more pics of my graph so I could show both the bait and the fish, but I was getting too many bites to take the time lol.  

 

  

we put in close to where we plan to fish.  i might idle around right from the ramp to get some ideas of fish activity depth.  when specifically looking for shad, i drive around on a slow plane and watch the graph.  when i begin to see some, i then idle around to see how they are set up and if i also see any fish hanging around in the area.

most often, the bass you will catch are not actively feeding in the shad, but are just laying around resting near the kitchen (the shad).  you found the mother load, shad with bass actively feeding.  you have to remember that bass are not always eating.  they actually eat in small windows and then go rest.  but, they will be near the food source.  those inactive bass are the ones that we are most often slinging at.  make them bite.  fish the right depth at the right speed and trigger reflex bites.  even dead stop is a speed.  this is why to try different retrieve speeds, different weights of sinkers, different weights of jigs, size of your lure, swimmy tail or straight tail, ect.  these all factor into the perception of speed to a bass.  jerk baits working them at a kvd pace is a prime example of making the fish bite.  total reaction because of correct depth and speed.

bo

[Jadesjigs]

Thank you very much!!  That is all great information.  I would really like to figure out the drop-shot bite this summer using my electronics.  Sometimes I have to really force myself to get away from the bank.  Please keep the great posts coming Sir!

[Seth Clarkson]

5 hours ago, Jadesjigs said:

 

 

  

 

 

Have you made any setting adjustments to your Striker? My Dad just got a Striker 9 from the BPS outlet and we haven't messed with it much yet. The imaging on the left looks a little different than what i have seen with the little time we have had it. I really like the downview but if the sun comes up at all it can be really hard to see with that black background, especially in deeper water. 

[Jadesjigs]

I've only had my Garmin for about 1 yr so I'm still learning. There are multiple color schemes to choose from that seem to help in different light conditions.

The original default settings seemed a little sensitive to me. It was picking up everything in the water so I turned most of the sensitivity settings down to auto low. 

I would really like to figure out the side scan, but I usually just stick with the sonar and down view split side by side on the screen.  I feel like I can pick out the bait balls and fish arches better on the sonar and then I use the down view to confirm what I'm seeing. 

[Guest]

17 hours ago, Jadesjigs said:

I've only had my Garmin for about 1 yr so I'm still learning. There are multiple color schemes to choose from that seem to help in different light conditions.

The original default settings seemed a little sensitive to me. It was picking up everything in the water so I turned most of the sensitivity settings down to auto low. 

I would really like to figure out the side scan, but I usually just stick with the sonar and down view split side by side on the screen.  I feel like I can pick out the bait balls and fish arches better on the sonar and then I use the down view to confirm what I'm seeing. 

i do not believe you will ever get all the best of any electronic unit on automatic.  i just have never seen it happen.  george at marine repair always told me to use the manual settings to get the most out of the units, and my buddy don iovino who does clinics for lowrance also says to use everything in manual mode to get the best out of your unit.  i bet bill babbler does not run his electronics on automatic.  could be wrong, but you might want to try the manual settings and see if you don't get a better picture.

bo