Big M area, August 12

[Quillback]

Launched at 0600, it was a little cold, felt nice.  Warmed up quickly however, by 9AM with no wind out there it was getting toasty.

Today I fished jigs all morning.  Got some good reports of some solid fish being caught on jigs, so I fished them.  Got quite a few bites, real light bites, but there were some that wanted that jig and would hit it three or four times until I hooked them.  Missed a lot more than I hooked, but at the end of the morning I had 13 in the boat with 3 keepers.  The fish bit from when I started until 9 AM or so, then it got real slow.

I caught my biggest bass of the day at about 1030 right before I left.  It was on a bluff end right across from Big M.  One of those one more cast before I go fish.  

Fish were deep and scattered, caught them on gravel in 20-30 FOW, dragging jigs on the bottom. 1/2 oz Green Pumpkin jig with a craw trailer.

Got checked by the warden.  Eagle Rock Tom was close by at the time and got checked too.  He asked the warden if he'd seen anyone catching any and the warden mentioned he'd checked a "retired guide" that had a couple of keeper walleye.  A bit later I saw a white Phoenix heading towards Shell Knob.  Might have been someone we all know.

Sure seemed to be a lot of traffic on the road between 86 and Roaring River.  Might be a busy weekend.

Full moon had the deer out, saw a lot of them on the pre-dawn drive to the lake.  Mostly does and fawns.  Saw one 6 point buck in the Big M park.

Didn't check the WT.

[Bill Babler]

Well, it might have been. I made it my mission yesterday to try and relocate the walleye. I came with CRAWLERS. Tried the spoon for over an hour and nothing but a few small K’s and 3 perch. 

Got serious with the crawlers and it was really more than I expected. I had again and I didn’t count but I’m guessing 20 plus walleye with more than 1/2 keepers.  Kept 2 small ones for dinner. One 18” and one 20 inch.  I had one that was a total monster at 26 inches I’m guessing.  

I will tell you the walleye are in schools. Multiple fish if you can find them. I now know them really well on the Live Scope as well as the 2D. They look and act way different from the bass. 

I just have not figured out how to safety photography a big walleye, first for their safety and also mine, so I get them back as quickly as I can.  

Another note here is when you bring a walleye up from 35 plus feet they seem to blow up almost immediately, way quicker than bass as I believe the bass are moving a lot more thru the water column and the walleye yesterday were really stationary on the bottom at depth.  So, really no time for anything if your not keeping, just get them back in the water as fast as you can. 

First time I’ve been checked in forever. I caught about 1/2 dozen bass while he was watching, and he saw me chunk them all back. 

He wanted to see my license but when I told him how old I was he couldn’t believe it. Had a good laugh. 

Surface temps at 85. Fished till 11:00am. Used 40 crawlers and I cut them in half. Had a total ton of keeper and short bass all 3 varieties. 

Fish were deeper for me, best walleye and bass bite on the live bait was 35’ to 40’ with 37’ being the magic number.  No perch out that deep, I don’t think I had a perch bite other than the spoon  

Fish were not suspended like earlier in the week, sucked tight to the bottom yesterday.

Good to hear about the jig bite I’ll try it on Monday. 

Goid Luck




 

[Bassin4fun]

The jig bite seemed to be what was working on Upper Bull Shoals yesterday out of Lead Hill. Granted, I still only managed 2 fish on the jig. Wasted too much time with topwater early on and crankbaits.

[Quillback]

The problem with the early morning bite this time of year is that if you have to spend time figuring it out, it doesn't leave you with much productive fishing time.  

[Bill Babler]

Agree with Quill completely. You need to hatch a plan and just hope it works and stick to it. You can waste an entire morning running thru the tackle box. 

I thought about the Cranker early but I believe that window is probably closed by 0800 and I was on a mission. I did throw a top water down some shady banks the last trip out with no love. 

Yesterday I pulled away from the ramp at 05:17 which was to early. I just don’t like ramp traffic.   

Speaking of that at take out there was a big wake boat putting in with 8 persons. They were right on the ramp and it took them 23 minutes to get launched. Yep, 23 minutes. I didn’t say anything but it was just terrible. 

There were 3 of us waiting at the end. 

Another pet peeve is the wake boats right at the SK bridge and ramp.  There was not a single boat on that big water from the King’s up the white to Emerald Beach. 

There were 4 of them in that tiny spot from the bridge to the upstream bend, rolling 4 footers right at the ramp. The curtesy dock was coming completely out of the water and pounding down. 

I barely had my trailer in the water. Just backed in wet the bunks and jumped it on at high tide. Just totally ridiculous. 

Rant over. 






 

[Quillback]

It's been strangely quiet at the Big M ramp lately as far as fishing boats.  I have been the only one there early the last couple of trips and when I come back there's usually a couple of pontoon rigs parked but that is it.  When I was getting ready to leave yesterday at 1045, wake boat came down the lake and about threw me into the bluff, another boat was sitting outside the entrance to Big M deploying a couple of those inflatable couch deals and getting ready to run - I got out of there before they got cranked up.  Couple of pontoons with a bunch of people in each were coming out of the marina also.  

Once it gets close to 11 AM things start to get crazy.  As always about this time of year I start looking forward to November.

I noticed the Big M marina has some rental pontoons now.

[Ron Burgundy]

21 hours ago, Quillback said:

Launched at 0600, it was a little cold, felt nice.  Warmed up quickly however, by 9AM with no wind out there it was getting toasty.

Today I fished jigs all morning.  Got some good reports of some solid fish being caught on jigs, so I fished them.  Got quite a few bites, real light bites, but there were some that wanted that jig and would hit it three or four times until I hooked them.  Missed a lot more than I hooked, but at the end of the morning I had 13 in the boat with 3 keepers.  The fish bit from when I started until 9 AM or so, then it got real slow.

I caught my biggest bass of the day at about 1030 right before I left.  It was on a bluff end right across from Big M.  One of those one more cast before I go fish.  

Fish were deep and scattered, caught them on gravel in 20-30 FOW, dragging jigs on the bottom. 1/2 oz Green Pumpkin jig with a craw trailer.

Got checked by the warden.  Eagle Rock Tom was close by at the time and got checked too.  He asked the warden if he'd seen anyone catching any and the warden mentioned he'd checked a "retired guide" that had a couple of keeper walleye.  A bit later I saw a white Phoenix heading towards Shell Knob.  Might have been someone we all know.

Sure seemed to be a lot of traffic on the road between 86 and Roaring River.  Might be a busy weekend.

Full moon had the deer out, saw a lot of them on the pre-dawn drive to the lake.  Mostly does and fawns.  Saw one 6 point buck in the Big M park.

Didn't check the WT.

Do the wardens drive bay boats with two motors or is that water patrol or are they the same ?

[Bill Babler]

Single motor but very similar boats. WP boats are cleaner and in better order and condition. 

[rps]

3 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

Another pet peeve is the wake boats right at the SK bridge and ramp.  There was not a single boat on that big water from the King’s up the white to Emerald Beach. 

I wonder why he was up at Emerald Beach? Could it be the inside bend flats that run out to the channel and have humps and valleys in them?

[Quillback]

4 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

There were 4 of them in that tiny spot from the bridge to the upstream bend, rolling 4 footers right at the ramp. The curtesy dock was coming completely out of the water and pounding down. 

 

I hate no wake zones, but they ought to make that channel, from bank to bank and two hundred yards in either direction, a no wake zone.   Having those wakes roll in on a boat launch is downright dangerous.