Big M 6/3/23

[Dutch]

I met Jeff at dark thirty this morning.  It was very cool for this time of year.  My truck showed 53° when I got there.  We fished mostly top water and swim baits.  The water was around 81-82°.  It got really foggy after sunrise and stayed that way until close to nine.  Some of our fish were near the top and some maybe as deep as 40’.  I don’t know how many keepers we had but our total was 28 bass and 2 walleye.  One of the walleye got invited to my house for dinner.

[Quillback]

Thanks for the trip my friend.  It was a little tough out there today.  Man it was cold early.

[Dutch]

It was a male and we really enjoyed having him for dinner.

 

[Bill Babler]

Went last night out of Big M.  Put in at 5:30 and fished till 9:30. Very unusual hours for me, but we have been totally covered up busy.  Wasn’t this busy till I retired, we may have to go back to work to rest up. Warmest water I found was 78 degree 

There were a few chasers, but not as many as I expected at dusk. 

The deal was walleye and Bass on a 3/8th. oz. Jig, GP or PBJ.  Hung a 4” Yamamoto twin tail in GP or PBJ on its back side.

They ate it totally up. I think I had well over 30 bass, some being grade schoolers, but most very solid. I also had 6 walleye, with 3 shorts and three,  18”/19” keepers. I kept one for tonight’s dinner. 

Went through about a dozen trailers and had 4 whopper perch. I’m sure it was the perch nipping off my twin tails. You know they’re thick and nice when you catch that many perch on a 3/8 oz jig with a 4” trailer  

Deepest fish I caught was 17’. Most coming in that 13’ range including the Walter’s   Everything on flat, flat gravel. 

I hadn’t been in over 2 weeks. Had a great evening and saw a total of 3 boats. None at the ramp when I loaded out. 

Good Luck. 



 

[Bill Babler]

I totally got lucky as I had a tip from a guide buddy. Not fishing our area but the James River. He told me the fish remain fairly shallow and are starting to group up really heavy. 

Best bet is not to fish till you find a concentration and then stay put. I Started on a long run out with the Clear Vue and Side Scan on one unit and 2 D on another. Good location but really nothing there. Moved to the next run out and thought I stopped to shallow, but the screen lite up at 13’. Stayed there the entire 4 hours. 

Some of the guides are drop shotting in 13’ of water. Best drop shot depth has been 17’. 

Cant remember the year but one July Beck and I spent an entire month at 12’ to 18’ and it was really stupid on a drop shot around Point 9. 

Find a location where the boat is 2 maybe 3 casts off the bank and you’re still in under 20’. They aren’t right on the bank, but they are for sure shallow. 

Good Luck




 

[Quillback]

They were eating the Keitech yesterday and there was some top water action too.  I got a few shallow in one spot, but most of them I caught were out in 35 feet or more.  Mostly spots but every once in a while I'd get a decent LM.  They start biting at first light and keep going until 10 AM or so.  Schooled up and chasing shad for the most part, but I've caught a few of those deep fish that were spitting out craw parts.

The shad they are eating appear to be bigger this year on average.  3-4 inches long.  

The bass this year all seem to be very healthy too, they are all fat, they are eating well.

[Champ188]

On 6/8/2023 at 9:45 AM, Bill Babler said:

Some of the guides are drop shotting in 13’ of water. Best drop shot depth has been 17’. 

Cant remember the year but one July Beck and I spent an entire month at 12’ to 18’ and it was really stupid on a drop shot around Point 9. 

Find a location where the boat is 2 maybe 3 casts off the bank and you’re still in under 20’. They aren’t right on the bank, but they are for sure shallow. 

Shallow dock bite must be really good ... 5/16 jig or 3/16 shaky head and only pitch into those slips with 12-18 feet of water. Don't get lazy or distracted by slips deeper or shallower. You gotta dial in and find the right pace ... i.e., how long to soak your bait and then move on. Salvaged a bunch of Central Pro-Am checks doing this over the years.