Fish report, I guess...

[Quillback]

That's a great trip!  

[dtrs5kprs]

7 hours ago, SplitG2 said:

Great fish.  Thanks for sharing.  Safe travels if you’re not back up here yet.  The fishing does seem different this year.  I typically dead stick the little guy on a big slack loop with no feel based on your suggestion from the seminar in Springfield a few years ago but the majority of the ned fish I’ve caught this year have been lift and glide with feel.  Also interesting to hear about you fishing the bladed jig.  I would have never guessed.  

I have eclectic tastes. 

Didn't expect it to work. Figured in that particular situation it would be a blade and a bug. I enjoy some big line, just not into forcing it on them.

[merc1997 Bo]

yeah!  i can see pics again.  and, i did nothing to my computer.  dave's pics all were visible.  nice ones!

 

bo

[vernon]

We did the slack line dead sticking deal a bit early on in the trip but ended up with a couple deep hooked fish so we gave it up.  It just kills me to hurt those beautiful fish and it just ain't worth it.  As for Ned in general it was probably the fewest fish we've ever caught on the little dude.  Lots of trips by the second day its about all we fish from then on but not this year for some reason.  

We caught probably 80 - 90 percent of our fish just slow reeling the little Keitech on one of Bo's 1/8 oz. crappie heads.  Although we tried the deeper fish on the flat gravel and the extended points quite a bit we just never figured it out.  We ended up mostly "pond fishing" the swimmer either paralleling or just casting to the bank in pretty shallow water in the pockets and coves and they would just load up on it.  No discernible strike at all it would just get heavy.  

On the steeper banks we would let it fall and quite often a smallie would just rip the rod out of our hands before it got more than six or seven foot deep.  But only on the drop.

The fish that we did have hit it hard while slow reeling either missed or came off almost every time and I'll be danged if I know why.  A bunch of times we'd have what felt like a decent fish on for eight to ten seconds and then - poof - they were gone.

We didn't really see very many beds but what was really weird is I think we only caught three Spots the entire week and they were all little ones.  Had maybe a dozen largemouth and a half dozen really nice Googlers but everything and I mean everything else was smallmouth.

I can't remember a spring trip that we didn't catch a bunch of the big football Kentuckies but I guess I can't say that anymore.

Overall I'd say we averaged twenty or so fish a day with four to six keepers.  The first few days we had several nice three to three and a half pounders but later in the week the keepers became more marginal and not as fat.  Of course we're fat, old and lazy and seldom get out there before one or two o'clock so if they were biting in the morning the only way we'd know is if we read about it.

We didn't do as good as we had hoped and anticipated for this time of the year especially with the rising water and the color being so good but what with the up and down and in and out weather conditions I guess maybe it wasn't to be unexpected.  

And, yes, for that I blame myself!🤦‍♂️

[dtrs5kprs]

25 minutes ago, vernon said:

We did the slack line dead sticking deal a bit early on in the trip but ended up with a couple deep hooked fish so we gave it up.  It just kills me to hurt those beautiful fish and it just ain't worth it.  As for Ned in general it was probably the fewest fish we've ever caught on the little dude.  Lots of trips by the second day its about all we fish from then on but not this year for some reason.  

We caught probably 80 - 90 percent of our fish just slow reeling the little Keitech on one of Bo's 1/8 oz. crappie heads.  Although we tried the deeper fish on the flat gravel and the extended points quite a bit we just never figured it out.  We ended up mostly "pond fishing" the swimmer either paralleling or just casting to the bank in pretty shallow water in the pockets and coves and they would just load up on it.  No discernible strike at all it would just get heavy.  

On the steeper banks we would let it fall and quite often a smallie would just rip the rod out of our hands before it got more than six or seven foot deep.  But only on the drop.

The fish that we did have hit it hard while slow reeling either missed or came off almost every time and I'll be danged if I know why.  A bunch of times we'd have what felt like a decent fish on for eight to ten seconds and then - poof - they were gone.

We didn't really see very many beds but what was really weird is I think we only caught three Spots the entire week and they were all little ones.  Had maybe a dozen largemouth and a half dozen really nice Googlers but everything and I mean everything else was smallmouth.

I can't remember a spring trip that we didn't catch a bunch of the big football Kentuckies but I guess I can't say that anymore.

Overall I'd say we averaged twenty or so fish a day with four to six keepers.  The first few days we had several nice three to three and a half pounders but later in the week the keepers became more marginal and not as fat.  Of course we're fat, old and lazy and seldom get out there before one or two o'clock so if they were biting in the morning the only way we'd know is if we read about it.

We didn't do as good as we had hoped and anticipated for this time of the year especially with the rising water and the color being so good but what with the up and down and in and out weather conditions I guess maybe it wasn't to be unexpected.  

And, yes, for that I blame myself!🤦‍♂️

So... this is something Ned has written about, regarding fish getting off the regular cut stick for a week or two. Timing varies, but it usually happens around the spawn (actual rubbing and rolling) and just after. Happens up home, too. We've even run into it here on our June trips.

Same presentation, with a different weight or bait can be the key. We used to run the tiny brush hog (not the baby), or about half of a 4" zoom lizard. Now there are some better options. They just seem to want something "buggier" for a bit.

Haven't really caught them on the regular Ned since Tuesday morning. When that weather came in Tuesday, it seemed to flip a switch. Still fishing finesse, same places, same 6# FC, just a little different bait.

And I've caught a few on an 1/8 ounce black hair jig with a cut down Zman eel tail, just because I wanted to.

[dtrs5kprs]

Also...for any deep hooked fish, the little end nippers Jann's sells are literal life savers. Reach in, clip the hook (just like a doc would in the ER 😬), out it comes.

Believe they're about $15, and will cut everything from the 2x hooks in our jigs to the nasty stainless factory hooks on spooks. Used them to clip a bunch of those off for storage. They're narrower than any I've been able to find at a hardware store. Haven't checked KC Tool yet.

[vernon]

30 minutes ago, dtrs5kprs said:

Also...for any deep hooked fish, the little end nippers Jann's sells are literal life savers. Reach in, clip the hook (just like a doc would in the ER 😬), out it comes.

Believe they're about $15, and will cut everything from the 2x hooks in our jigs to the nasty stainless factory hooks on spooks. Used them to clip a bunch of those off for storage. They're narrower than any I've been able to find at a hardware store. Haven't checked KC Tool yet.

I actually bought a pair of those snippers a few years ago after you recommended them.  They work great and I'm pretty sure that the fish we hooked deep will be OK but I'd still rather just avoid the deep hooking altogether if I can.  

And you're right - those babies will cut about anything with minimal effort.

[Terrierman]

Dave it's so good to see you back down here and reporting again.  I don't know about anybody else but I missed you.  

[dtrs5kprs]

7 hours ago, Terrierman said:

Dave it's so good to see you back down here and reporting again.  I don't know about anybody else but I missed you.  

Appreciate it. Been down since the 25th, but fished past 6pm a lot of days. That, and the wind, has me worn a little smooth.

Hope you and yours are well, and the groundhogs are not.

[Dutch]

20 hours ago, dtrs5kprs said:

Also...for any deep hooked fish, the little end nippers Jann's sells are literal life savers. Reach in, clip the hook (just like a doc would in the ER 😬), out it comes.

Believe they're about $15, and will cut everything from the 2x hooks in our jigs to the nasty stainless factory hooks on spooks. Used them to clip a bunch of those off for storage. They're narrower than any I've been able to find at a hardware store. Haven't checked KC Tool yet.

Is this the product to which you were referring?

https://www.jannsnetcraft.com/wire-forming-tools/d-barb-hook-cutter-remover.aspx

One of the guys who fishes with me gets deep hooked fish and can’t remove it.  I have to do it for him.