Weekend report 4/5-4/6

[BentRod]

Water: 46-61
Weather: Sunny, cloudy, windy, calm, cold, hot...who really cares, it didn't matter
Techniques: big shad on free lines

Fished Sat and Sun with Mward and a couple other people. We did decent number wise and ok size wise too. Several fish 15+lbs and quite a few in the 10-12lb range also. I think only 3 of 19 were under 10lbs. We tried to stay with the dingy hot creeks versus the clear cold creeks for our shallow pattern. Probably need to fish deeper water in the cold creeks as the bait isn't moving up yet.

Sunday was cool, we got stopped by the wardens (guess they stopped every boat) and one got on the boat with us. After they checked our licenses, I look over and Mward says "you don't mind if I catch this fish, do you?!" As he sets in the hook on what turned out to be a citation (the good kind) with the warden on the boat. They posed in the picture with Mward too (said it was biggest they had seen in awhile).

I'm too tired to write any more but big shad on free lines is working well.

Pics...

[mwardncsu]

Thanks again for having me on this weekend. Glad we could break the ice for the first 2014 citation on the Early Riser - hopefully many more to come. Maybe the wardens are good luck and we should have then on board to fish with us all the time

That one fish I caught with the red bottom fins must be a little ahead of schedule - the spawn should not be for about a month...,,,

[CorneliaGale]

Nice report, like the boat name

[smlmike]

Great report, think I passed you guys coming out of the left creek at WC on Sunday. I noticed the name on the glass as you went by. Were you fishing or catching bait back there?

[Live Bait JunkEE]

Awesome as usual!!!!!!!

[smlmike]

NVM! A little closer inspection of the pics answered my question. I didn't run across anything back there. You guys must be the Fish Whisperers?

[striperseeker]

Great report. I love having the warden show up just as Mike catches the citation. A once in a lifetime event.

[mwardncsu]

Apr 7, 2014 9:47:27 GMT -5 striperseeker said:

Great report. I love having the warden show up just as Mike catches the citation. A once in a lifetime event.

If I can catch a citation every time they stop for a check, then I say come on!

[2013skiff]

you guys happen to be fishing the midlake area?...no reports like that from anyone in the hardy area I don't think....nice going you guys always make it look easy...thanks lee

[Brian]

Please try to get channel markers in the background next time. Thanks.

[BentRod]

If I wanted to tell everyone where I was fishing, I would have, so there's no point in asking me on a public forum. Sorry to be an ass, but it's for this very reason that I can't fish where I want to anymore bc theres too many boats and I have to find new places to fish and guess what?! The fish are everywhere right now.

No good reports out of Hardy?! I know of three citations in that area recently!

If you're looking for a location, you've got it all wrong. It's the pattern that catches the fish and that's why you see the best fisherman have success no matter where they're fishing..even on different lakes, etc. because they understand the patterns of the fish. If you'd have asked me where the fish were in Feb..I'd have had no clue..I had no pattern at all..well I had my March pattern and it didn't work at all. We skunked 4 trips in a row. Right now, I'm on a good freelined shad pattern and the location is irrelevant..the pattern translates to most any area I fish. I've fished 8 creeks in the past couple weeks and we've caught fish in every single one of them. I've also fished the same pattern on the main channel in certain areas that are holding forage and have had success.

I don't know how to pull urigs. That pattern is different and you likely won't catch the same fish I'm catching. Casting flukes, etc should translate to the shallow bait bite as well.

[Brian]

I was trying to make a funny at the expense of all the lurkers who I am sure are scrutinizing the background in your great pics. Sorry my sense of humor was so offensive :/

I think it's funny because conditions change so fast that if you always fish where someone else caught fish a week ago you'll rarely do really well and will never learn anything new.

[Deleted]

No doubt..the food chain is bait, stripers, fishermen, popo. If you can find the first two without the last two, its only a matter of time before your next thrill will come.

[Deleted]

Apr 7, 2014 11:56:00 GMT -5 Brian said:

I was trying to make a funny at the expense of all the lurkers who I am sure are scrutinizing the background in your great pics. Sorry my sense of humor was so offensive :/

I think it's funny because conditions change so fast that if you always fish where someone else caught fish a week ago you'll rarely do really well and will never learn anything new.

This is why I openly share my spots. At least I will know where not to look next time I am here.

[2013skiff]

I really appreciate you guys post and others...I just try to figure out what im doing wrong because I am doing the same technique everyone else is and cant seem to have much luck...people like me just cant expect to cathem like you guys do without spending the TIME on the water like you...does the water clearity have anything to do with the stripers?...ive been in stained water the past few times and was wondering if they don't like stained water....thanks for everyones post....lee