BW 8/27 + 8/28

[lund2]

WT: 83-86

AT: Hell



Started out Trying to catch bait at my dock light Friday night. I figured the light was deep enough to hold good alewives ( about 15-18 FOW). and the ales were there in the masses, only issue was they were about 1" each. My hooks were longer than they were. I threw the net around 1130 and caught 5 gizzard, 8"-12". Any other time of the year i would have been sooooo pumped.....and that was only the beginning. Every light I threw on in the BW was holding piles of 7-10" gizz. i decided to fish with what I had (started Sat. Morning). Found a large number of fish moving through a major creek in the BW and fished 4 down lines, one light line, and one float. We had nervous bait, short strikes, and pull downs for literally the next 2 days, practically torture (through Sunday at 11am) . The only thing i can think of is that these fish were not committing to the size of the bait that i had.



to top it all off, as i came off plane approaching my dock as i admitted defeat, to a school of fish feeding on a massive school of bait. i started casting/jigging/praying like a madman. After 10 min I was about to give up, until my spoon got followed home by a stripe, but the boost in confidence didnt help the stench. Long story short, big fat skunk. I think i'll wait until October to try again.

[mwardncsu]

Won't be long - if not already - and they will be keying in on the small bait........

[Deleted]

 
  I hate to back talk a moderator and seasoned pro such as yourself,  (but it is fun)  ....  don't you mean larger bait.... if not, you are going to drive lund2 crazy.  

or you could have been PUI  ......

[mwardncsu]

Nah, meant small bait. I've found there is a window in Sept when the fish seem keyed in on small ales - I guess due to the abundance of young hatch?? But we've fishes big ales and big gizzards and can't buy a bite but a 2.5" ale will get bit - or jigging with a fluke works as well.


But big bait season IS coming - just not soon enough

[Yam]

If you look closely into a Mongo's eyes, he will tell you when it's time to shove a hook in his ass! It's a distinct look of fear. This fear correlates with how easy they are to catch. If you can't catch them, they are what you need.

[Deleted]

Aug 30, 2016 18:40:48 GMT -5 mwardncsu said:

Nah, meant small bait. I've found there is a window in Sept when the fish seem keyed in on small ales - I guess due to the abundance of young hatch?? But we've fishes big ales and big gizzards and can't buy a bite but a 2.5" ale will get bit - or jigging with a fluke works as well.


But big bait season IS coming - just not soon enough

      
      Ah, I thought since lund2 caught gizzards, maybe you were telling him to hang in there, the time is coming.   ... no wonder you didn't scold me for talking back.

[mwardncsu]

oh the time IS coming........

[coheasion]

Aug 30, 2016 19:23:42 GMT -5 Yam said:

If you look closely into a Mongo's eyes, he will tell you when it's time to shove a hook in his ass! It's a distinct look of fear. This fear correlates with how easy they are to catch. If you can't catch them, they are what you need.

Good lord if that isn't the truth.  Late last fall and early spring I spent what feels like hundreds of hours and hundreds of cast net throws trying to catch the elusive North American Mongo Gizzard shad.  As soon as warm weather hit and the stripers don't seem to want to eat them they are literally everywhere and almost a nuisance.

BTW - Over the last couple of weeks I have been catching a LOT of keeper crappie with a cast net from my dock.  Can someone come catch a mess of them for me so they quit getting caught in my net?