Dam Area Sept. 30, 2019

[Bill Babler]

File Photo

 

Worked a Corporate deal for Buster this morning.  He had a group staying at BC, pretty much non-fishermen but very nice guys.   These were drop shot people and I don't mean soft plastics.

Dam/BC area  is more than a challenge no matter what your using.  I fished 3 hours yesterday to get a handle and only caught 3 jaws. 2 keeps and 1 short on a 1/2 oz, Pig Sticker GPO with a Smallie Beaver trailer in Goby.  30'

Surface temps 81.3 water is a little dingy.  We had 9 spotted bass, all keepers up to 17.5 inches and 2 if you can believe it crappie.  The crappie were a double out of a deep tree on crawlers.  Most bass we had on any location was 3, the other 6 were one and done on 6 different locations.  All on the bottom 35'

Every bass, all 9 had at least 1 hook hole besides ours, and one of them had at least 3 as his mouth and jaws looked like he had a serious case of acne.

The fishing pressure from point 5 to the Arkansas line up Long Creek is just insane with not hundreds but thousands of guide trips on top of normal fishing.  This is not even counting a single derby.  MY how times have changed. 

Looks like a break coming on Wednesday.   Good Luck

[Sore Thumbs]

Gravel runouts?

[Bill Babler]

Nope, brush piles deep.  These fish are really hard to come by.  We went a hour without a bite and then it was just one here and one there.  If you see one and hit the spot lock they just vanish.  Just about as hard as it gets if your not a everyday fisherman or you get really lucky.

Some of these fish just run when you stop the boat over them even prior to dropping the bait, you can see them take off.

[bobby b.]

Although not encouraged by Bill's report because if he can't do it, I don't have much of a chance, but since this was a nice morning until about 9:30, I went out anyway (dam area as well).  Looked in the type of ground that has been talked about recently.  Found a couple on the graph on the cove sides of a run out - caught one nice 3lb SM.   It popped off as I raised it into the boat.  GPO jig with similar colored trailer.  Spent the rest of the time cruising and staring at the graph.  

[fozzype]

I would like to know what you guys feel about getting on fish directly below boat.  I used to think this was the most productive way to fish deep brush and suspended fish, but the last couple of summers/winters it seems the fish are just like Bill said..spooky. 

I can't decide if this is fishing pressure or if I am just making this up in my own head.  

[Bill Babler]

Totally Pressure. Especially this time of year at the dam. Rick Lisek caught them at 30’ up the white today. Had over30 drop shot fish. 

From point 5 to LC Table Rock is a complete different fishery with constant fishing pressure, from May thru October 

[STLbassbuster]

1 hour ago, fozzype said:

I would like to know what you guys feel about getting on fish directly below boat.  I used to think this was the most productive way to fish deep brush and suspended fish, but the last couple of summers/winters it seems the fish are just like Bill said..spooky. 

I can't decide if this is fishing pressure or if I am just making this up in my own head.  

When the BPT MLF guys were here I learned something from Jacob Wheeler. He would find the schools and would back off of them a bit. he would cast to them with a small swimbait. Just food for thought and something to try.

[Sore Thumbs]

I have seen them under my boat in 12 ft and caught them on a drop shot. I guess they were in a feeding mode that day. I have noticed fish scattering more this year than in the past. Wonder if my ultrex is too loud sometimes?

[fozzype]

I agree that casting to piles and suspended fish is a great way to catch them.  However, with "normal" sonar you can keep you bait in front of them and in the strike zone better with a veritical presentation.

May have to put the wife to work so I can by livescope or lowtance live 😃😎