Indian Creek - Dam area 11/1

[Quillback]

Launched at 1030, fished until 5 PM.  It was tough, fished a spinnerbait and cranks in the coves off Indian Creek, all I had to show for it was one scrawny keeper largemouth that hit the spinner bait.  Tons of shad back in the coves and in the main channel too.  Seemed like about every cast there would be shad skittering around that were spooked by the spinnerbait.  Water back in Indian is a nice stained green and with the high water, lots of brush and trees to fish around.  The bass didn't seem to be active however, maybe the bluebird sky had them sulking.

Later in the afternoon I fished the rocky banks and points out in the main basin by the dam with a Ned rig.  Caught a half dozen smallmouth in the 12-15" range.  Fish were out in about 10 FOW.  Quite a few shad around there too.  Water is a bit stained, maybe 5 feet of visibility.  Saw what looked to be a few stripers briefly come up after shad, but other than that didn't see any striper activity.  Saw only one boat fishing for them.

Lots of shad, good water color, WT was around 61.  Things should bust loose soon.

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[Champ188]

LM bite is tough on that end of the lake when it's bluebird skies. 

[Bassmeister]

Went to Table Rock today with similar results. No fish shallow. Not one hit on topwater. Only keeper was on crankbait in 10’. Had a few fish swat at a spinnerbait but not a lot there. I’ve never fished so hard out there with such poor results. 

[Randy Moore]

Thanks for report.  My wife and I went today and despite trying a variety of baits only caught 3 bass in the 10 to 12" range on ned's rigs.  All the fish hit the bait on the fall rather than picking it up off the bottom.  We were in fishing between point 9 and point 16.  We saw very few fish chasing shad and had no top water action.  I saw one big smallmouth come to the surface and grab something and return to deep water.  Like you guys we were fishing depths in the 10 foot range.  I truly thought it would be better fishing.

[Champ188]

When you're throwing a bottom-dragging lure and they are hitting it on the fall, it usually means they are on a shad feed --- or feeding up in the water column. That's when you may want to try a spinnerbait, a Keitech-style swimbait or a suspending jerk bait --- something you can keep midway in the water column where they are feeding. Just a suggestion. 

[Flysmallie]

40 minutes ago, Champ188 said:

When you're throwing a bottom-dragging lure and they are hitting it on the fall, it usually means they are on a shad feed --- or feeding up in the water column. That's when you may want to try a spinnerbait, a Keitech-style swimbait or a suspending jerk bait --- something you can keep midway in the water column where they are feeding. Just a suggestion. 

This. 100%

[fishinwrench]

Hits on the fall mean there are more than one fish there. Probably 5 or more.

[Basfis]

1 hour ago, fishinwrench said:

Hits on the fall mean there are more than one fish there. Probably 5 or more.

 

 

The Shad assertion vs crawdads is both reasonable and likely.

No way you can possibly generate any reasonable data to determine a quantity present. You should spend some time on clearer water. The inverse is all bites on the bottom are 5 or less fish. Either way it’s ludicrous. 

[Bigfishes1]

Put in at LBS at 0600 ran up to Fords then to Cedar with no action then up around to the bouy point where we caught 6 keeper sized stripers and and nice walleye. From there we headed down to the clifty that runs east and west ( not sure if it’s big or little) anyhow got on some bass in 25ish fow with the kietech on 3/16 head. Fished it low and slow and caught em from dink size to solid keeper size. Headed back in the AM for another trip before the rains. 

[fishinwrench]

39 minutes ago, Basfis said:

 

The Shad assertion vs crawdads is both reasonable and likely.

No way you can possibly generate any reasonable data to determine a quantity present. You should spend some time on clearer water. The inverse is all bites on the bottom are 5 or less fish. Either way it’s ludicrous. 

It's not ludicrous.  Immediate bites or bites on the initial drop are a very reliable clue that some competition is going on at that particular spot, at that particular time.  So are violent strikes vs. a subtle "tick", and those bites where you suddenly realize that your line is quickly running off 5-10 ft to the side.   A fish that is feeding all by itself has no reason at all to do any of those things. They do it because they are trying to keep their meal from being snatched away from them.

Just sharing some tips dude, ignore them if you want.   Peace TF out.