12/28-12/30 - Happy Ending 2016

[Yam]

All this talk of hard bait and impossible winds means it's time to go fishing! For me, the fishing really turned on after the front moved in and the winds picked up on 12/29. Interestingly enough, this was the only time I found BIG BAIT in 15 FOW or less. All other times, I had to pull them up from 40 feet or deeper. The best fishing times for me were in the afternoon and evening hours. Towards evening on all three days I found massive schools that seemed to come up out of the trees and would only eat smaller bait. Additionally, the morning and evening hours were packed with bird action.

COOL HIGHLIGHTS:

• A 15 pounder attacked a 14 inch mongo right next to the boat as I was removing the planer. My line was wrapped around my reel and I essentially had to hand line it in.
• I landed 2 fish at the same time, one being a 14 pounder.
• I got to watch MWard throw his net.

These pictures should provide you with additional useful info. 










HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[jt]

Thanks for the post Yam, entertaining as always. I'm still learning how to distinguish gizzards from ales on the Lowrance. But that is one hell of a beautiful shot you have there. Happy New Year to you as well!

[Yam]

Dec 31, 2016 11:45:24 GMT -5 jt said:

Thanks for the post Yam, entertaining as always. I'm still learning how to distinguish gizzards from ales on the Lowrance. But that is one hell of a beautiful shot you have there. Happy New Year to you as well!

For deeper water, down scan is the ticket. Ales and peanuts generally appear as clouds with little to no separation. The bigger bait shows as dots and often times is at the beginning and ends of long carpets of bait.   

In shallow water, big bait is very archy and quick streaking on your traditional sonar. The arch might take up 10 feet with a deeper color at the top of the arch and very thin lines at the ends of the arches. This tells me that the big bait is moving fast but is in the area. During these times, I just throw with the TM kicking at high speed.

Keep at it....you'll develop your own way to interpret your graphs. One things is for sure...you have to throw your net! ALOT!

[tblspoon]

Extremely impressive.

[drag4striper]

Great report as usual. 

[jt]

Thanks for the advice Yam, greatly appreciated and keep up the good work!
You think gizzard Shad are all over the Lake right now just simply in slightly deeper water? Verses being necessarily Upper River like a lot of the striper?

[Yam]

Dec 31, 2016 13:30:27 GMT -5 jt said:

Thanks for the advice Yam, greatly appreciated and keep up the good work!
You think gizzard Shad are all over the Lake right now just simply in slightly deeper water? Verses being necessarily Upper River like a lot of the striper?

All I know is that the shad are everywhere above Halesford. Not sure about below. And... I also know that the striper are everywhere. It's just a matter of figuring out what time they are eating at any given location.

[KB]

Great shots yam. Nice fish as well

[ikMOON]

Great work! Thanks for the post. Helped me understand a few things.