BW 6/27 + 6/28

[lund1]

another weak showing of bait at my dock light....really strange since the cove is loaded with bait during the day. I sure wish I understood Alewive patterns better. Headed up Gills Friday around 11:30pm to throw at a few deep water lights. Once again I caught tons of huge gizzard and a few ales...and a bunch of white bass.

On the water at 6am Sat.. Cloudy, cool, lake was deserted. So were all my favorite spots...I couldn't mark anything. Finally put out a spread at the mouth of a good creek and caught an 8lb stripe immediately...within 30 seconds. I was fishing with one of my 17 year old son's good friends...known him since he was in kindergarten. We both said we were gonna kill 'em today. That was the last fish we caught. I kept expecting to see some type of busting fish based on the calm, cloudy conditions....but we never did.

I did have one of the BW guides blow by me within 30-40 feet...almost swamped the boat. He could've cleared me by 100 yards if he was so inclined, but he wasn't....That was fun.

I went out solo Sunday AM...you can only get a 17 year old to get up at dawn once when you caught one fish the day before....I mixed it up a little on Sunday...mostly running planers and flatlines on S curve banks....caught 2 small fish. Didn't bother to weigh or measure them. I actually marked a small school a few times but they just weren't biting. Wind was blowing pretty hard all morning which makes for a tough solo outing.

I really thought I had summer patterns and locations at least a little figured out. I scouted all the spots that I thought would show fish and they just weren't there. These 1 and 2 fish days are starting to feel like a skunk...I know, thats why they call it fishing...not catching.

Expecting to get back up the lake this weekend...determined to not even lower the boat. Crazy time.

[Gator]

Geesh, I was thinking all day Saturday that it would be a awesome day for fishing. At least that's how it always seems. Sorry to hear about the lack of courtesy that was given to you. Heck at least you are out fishing. Better than a sharp stick in the eye. You'll get on them this weekend. Keep that wake boat in the lift!!!!

[Deleted]

Lund1...a great mind like yours knows that it takes bad days to appreciate good days.

Perhaps you should try a totally new spot? From the tone of your last post, it seems you have nothing to lose.

[lund1]

Yam- as I was reading the line "Perhaps you should try a totally new spot?"..... I swear I thought it said " a totally new sport"
Now that would've been funny....and probably true.

I am recalling a post of yours a few months back where you intentionally fished new water....That's good advice and I will follow it. You don't learn anything new doing the same thing over and over.....and yes...I know that's the definition of insanity when a new outcome is expected.

My frustration isn't so much not catching fish...I'm totally happy to be on the water....it's the fact that I haven't really gained much pattern knowledge. I do get the general seasonal movements of fish....but haven't translated that into a confidence of finding them...never mind catching them.

I'm going Yam next weekend....fishing places I've never fished before.

[mwardncsu]

Lund - don't feel bad..... my two trips (well, 1.5 as one was only about 2.5 hours), left me carrying a striper skunk for all of June...... fished spots that have typically produced in June. I should have gotten another trip or two in, but had a hard time getting motivated to go after it for some reason....

From some of the pics I have been seeing, it seems the fish held down the lake further and longer than "normal" - or maybe they are always there in mid/late June but I've always been able to find a group on up the lake my way in past years and thus did not need to burn the gas to go look for ones down-lake...... there certainly are "patterns", but nuances and changes year to year. This year it seems all the fish went to chase Gator's bait on the Blackwater

and yes - fishing places you've never fished before can be rewarding - if it does not pay off, you learned something - if it does, well, you learned even more

[Deleted]

Jun 30, 2015 8:02:14 GMT -5 lund1 said:

Yam- as I was reading the line "Perhaps you should try a totally new spot?"..... I swear I thought it said " a totally new sport"
Now that would've been funny....and probably true.

I am recalling a post of yours a few months back where you intentionally fished new water....That's good advice and I will follow it. You don't learn anything new doing the same thing over and over.....and yes...I know that's the definition of insanity when a new outcome is expected.

My frustration isn't so much not catching fish...I'm totally happy to be on the water....it's the fact that I haven't really gained much pattern knowledge. I do get the general seasonal movements of fish....but haven't translated that into a confidence of finding them...never mind catching them.

I'm going Yam next weekend....fishing places I've never fished before.

Sounds fun. If you have a contour map, use it. This lets you fish from home and the water. I love humps, shoals and flats, especially when they are packed together in one area. If one of them are holding fish, you then might have found the pattern for that day or week.

[lund1]

Hey Yam - do you have a paper contour map? If so, where did you get it? There used to be a really good book map of the lake but I haven't seen it in a few years and mine got soaked through on an old bilge pump malfunction.
.... or are you doing the Navionics map on your PC? I have it on my phone but it's too darn small to really work with. I will try downloading to my laptop but there's something to be said about laying a map on the table with a marker and a bourbon. That's good home fishing.

[Deleted]

I used to have the app, but it started to suck. Now I just go sit in my boat and look at it. I suppose the Navionics card can be read on a laptop but I like to sit in my boat. Just sit there and look at a map...maybe day dream a bit...maybe change a leader that doesn't need changing....or scrape off some scales or something like that.

[Red Bear]

Jun 30, 2015 15:46:34 GMT -5 lund1 said:

Hey Yam - do you have a paper contour map? If so, where did you get it? There used to be a really good book map of the lake but I haven't seen it in a few years and mine got soaked through on an old bilge pump malfunction.
.... or are you doing the Navionics map on your PC? I have it on my phone but it's too darn small to really work with. I will try downloading to my laptop but there's something to be said about laying a map on the table with a marker and a bourbon. That's good home fishing.

i got a decent map of the lake at walmart...