Kim City - Mar 8th - underspin

[Bill Babler]

As you all know I have been on the water most all day everyday for the past two weeks.  If your not seeing dying shad in Kimberling, your not looking.  Every stop there on Saturday we had shad dying at depths of on top to 6 or 8 ft.   You could see them going thru their dying throws. 

The death total in the James is much heaver especially Aunts Creek, so i'm expanding the area from point 14 on the James to point 5 on the White.  Even though Aunts Creek is by far the worst that I have seen and I have not been above point 9 on the White but I will the next 3 days, the fish are biting in Aunts Creek in the middle of the shad kill.

There is at least a 5 banks in Aunts that I am now driving from KC to fish cause I'm going to get bit  on all of them.  When the early flurry as Dock talks about ends I have been turning the corner and heading up to Aunts for at least a couple of late morning hours of really pretty good fishing.   "A-rig."

I have also been fishing Eagle Rock to about Rock Creek and have seen several dying shad not many, but a few and in this number that's a good thing for sure.

Have not been below Rock Creek to point 9 or up the Kings but did hear there was a kill in some of the big creeks around Shell Knob and the backs of those creeks had White Bass, some hitting dying shad on the surface.  

Rain got me today, but I'll be back out the rest of the week rain or shine. Not bothering some as boats are just flying by the lodge this morning.  

Thanks all for the imput on the underspin.

[liphunter]

I was in the Cape Fair area last Thursday and seen some going through there dying dance.. Not a great amount, but some.

[Royal Blue]

1 hour ago, liphunter said:

I was in the Cape Fair area last Thursday and seen some going through there dying dance.. Not a great amount, but some.

There are dead ones everywhere now around Cape.

[Macsimus]

Fished yesterday afternoon from Aunts to Woolly. Water temps mostly 48 in the main channel, some warmer temps in the creeks. I saw dying shad at many of the main channel spots I stopped at although I didn't think it was excessive but then I'm a complete newb when it comes to shad. I did notice lots of gulls diving to the surface to feed. Fishing was very slow for me but then it has been since I got here the first of the month. I guess I'm zigging and the fish are zagging.

Question: I thought it was cold water that caused shad kills. Why is there a shad kill happening when the water is warming?

 

[Bill Babler]

I just texted Shane Bush our Biologist and will convey his response.

[fishinwrench]

2 hours ago, Macsimus said:

 

Question: I thought it was cold water that caused shad kills. Why is there a shad kill happening when the water is warming?

Here on Lake O I always notice the shad dying off during the first really windy spell after ice out (if there was ice).   It might be a week after ice out.....or it may be a month.   Something about the wind sets it off.     It's been crazy windy lately.   

It will be interesting to hear what the certified biologist says.   

[Guest]

20 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

Dock it,  I have a question for you and anyone on the board can also respond.  I"m talking about the single or underspin or what ever you want to call it.  Myself, my clients and when Bill was alive he and his clients fished it for I'm going to say 1,000's of hours.  Neither Bill nor myself ever found it caught more than the straight swim bait on the ball jig head.  We both would alternate it with our clients and a plain ball head.  It never seemed to win to the point that I could warrant paying more for it.

I at times depending on the client if they were good fishermen and repeats just out fishing for the day would fish against them using an underspin with them using a ball head.  Never made much difference.  Only difference that fishing an type of swim bait makes it getting it to the level of the fish and keeping it in the strike zone as long as possible.

Long casts and maintaining the correct depth with the SB is the key for either the ball head or the underspin.

My long winded question is do you feel the under spin out preforms a ball head or do you just like throwing the spinner on it.

Thanks I'll listen off the air.

i have not found the underspin to catch way more bass than a jig with a swimmer or grub.  but, the hay rig with blades often does better than a rig without blades.  it is kinda of like which line is better.  whatever you get along with better.

bo

[Champ188]

16 hours ago, merc1997 said:

...  but, the HAY RIG with blades often does better than a rig without blades.

I don't know if that was intentional, bo, but it's funny as the dickens. I have a new name for that contraption now. 😆

[dtrs5kprs]

On 3/9/2020 at 10:50 AM, Macsimus said:

I thought it was cold water that caused shad kills. Why is there a shad kill happening when the water is warming?

 

Always thought it was shock from sudden temp or O2 changes. Usually cold, but not necessarily.

[Bill Babler]

Yes, Shane said it is a change in pockets of water temp.  An entire school can swim thru water that is 4 degree warmer or cooler and that is what causes the kill.   He said pockets of different temperature water and its immediate.