Drifting below fall creek

[97procraft]

I took several friends down over the weekend for some good times and good fishing.  We started Friday drifting below fall creek.  We threw just about everything to start with, power worms, jigs, jerk baits and worms.  It took us until about 11 to realize that drifting the crawlers was going to be the best bet for numbers.  We were using a #6 circle hook and #5 round split shot on 4 lb mono and a 4lb floro leader.  The circle hook helps with very few of them getting hooked deep.  I have started adding a bobber stop below the weight to help prevent the weight from slipping down to the hook.  This way I don't have to crimp the split shot down so hard it kinks the line.  We ended up with about 20-25 fish on Friday, mostly on worms.  Went back out Saturday and only used worms.  We found out late on Friday that pinching the worm into 1/3 instead of 1/2 got us more bites.  I think that the smaller worm would make them get it all the way in the mouth.  When using 1/2 worm, we got a ton of tugs but not as many commits.  We went through 3 boxes of 18 worms in 2 days, pinching them in 1/2 and 1/3.  We had about 45-50 fish on Saturday.  With the rain on Sunday, we didn't go back out.  We had a great weekend and loved spending time with good friends.  

[JestersHK]

Great report, and sounds like you guys had a very successful trip.  Thanks for sharing. 

[Seth]

That bobber stop idea is smart! I can't believe that never dawned on me since I have always had issues with the split shot slipping on the light line. I use them all the time for pegging my bullet weights when flipping and pitching for bass. Instead of messing with a swivel, just slide a small egg sinker in place, a couple bobber stops and tie on the hook and fish.

[97procraft]

They work really well and are cheap.  I get them off of ebay  

[trythisonemv]

Nice report glad you all had fun! 

[MickinMO]

How far down do you drift before going back up to start again?

[97procraft]

I may not be the best to answer this question due to the amount of times I get to fish the lake, but here goes.  I would assume it would change often due to water flow, time of year, time of day, and how you like to fish. 

For us we started at fall creek and on our first drift we went all the way to Cooper Creek boat ramp.  We had a few flurries of action along the way and as the current felt like it was getting slower, we decided to motor back up.  On the second drift we stopped at Lilleys, third trip we stopped just below Trout Hollow.  After that we decided to run down towards that landing and fish around there and get lunch.  After lunch we drifted from the island through the bridges and to the Fish House.  

We caught some fish at every stop, but we liked the first drift from fall creek to just above Lilleys the best for us.  This was the fastest moving water and we liked that.  The drift from the Island to the Fish House was the slowest drift, but we still caught fish there too.  I normally fish for bass and I like to use crank baits, so I am usually moving when I fish.  That may be why I liked the upper drift the best.  If you normally fished for catfish or crappie, you may like the slower drifts.  

As far as why we stopped where we did, we would stop when the bites were slowing up drastically.  If there was a long time between bites, it was time to move to where the bites were.  It is kind of crazy that most of the bites were in the same general areas every time.  

[Gatorjet]

Thanks for the post. Sounds like you had a great trip. 

The bobber stop thing sounds like it would also work on my own modification of the drift rigs. Rather than a bell sinker toed to the dropper of the rig, I have been using small bullet weights. Pinched slightly at the point, and secured by a tiny split shot below. Most often the weight is what gets hung up while bouncing the bottom in a drift. The pointed bullet weight seems to slide through a lot of snaggs better than the blunt bell weight. But when it does get wedged in something, the split shot can slip,freeing the rest of the rig, and saving the hook. More importantly, saving the time to tie on another hook. Just snap on another rig, bait the hook, and go.

[Blackjeepjk]

On 10/9/2019 at 7:26 AM, 97procraft said:

I may not be the best to answer this question due to the amount of times I get to fish the lake, but here goes.  I would assume it would change often due to water flow, time of year, time of day, and how you like to fish. 

For us we started at fall creek and on our first drift we went all the way to Cooper Creek boat ramp.  We had a few flurries of action along the way and as the current felt like it was getting slower, we decided to motor back up.  On the second drift we stopped at Lilleys, third trip we stopped just below Trout Hollow.  After that we decided to run down towards that landing and fish around there and get lunch.  After lunch we drifted from the island through the bridges and to the Fish House.  

We caught some fish at every stop, but we liked the first drift from fall creek to just above Lilleys the best for us.  This was the fastest moving water and we liked that.  The drift from the Island to the Fish House was the slowest drift, but we still caught fish there too.  I normally fish for bass and I like to use crank baits, so I am usually moving when I fish.  That may be why I liked the upper drift the best.  If you normally fished for catfish or crappie, you may like the slower drifts.  

As far as why we stopped where we did, we would stop when the bites were slowing up drastically.  If there was a long time between bites, it was time to move to where the bites were.  It is kind of crazy that most of the bites were in the same general areas every time.  

Thank you and great summary. Was this a recent trip? I have a 19' tin bass boat, would I be safe from grounding from fall creek to the landing @705'? Planning to spend the next 4 or 5 days trying here.

Thanks in advance

[JestersHK]

2 hours ago, Blackjeepjk said:

Thank you and great summary. Was this a recent trip? I have a 19' tin bass boat, would I be safe from grounding from fall creek to the landing @705'? Planning to spend the next 4 or 5 days trying here.

Thanks in advance

Should have enough water for that.  Stop in at Lilleys and they can show ya where you need to stay at in terms of channels and skinny water.  Good luck fishing, you picked a great time to be down there.