[mikeski]

So, As you can see from other posts I am struggling at the moment with catching. I finally understand why I am having issues. I can't remember ever fishing this time of year. Once Eastern black powder season started I was in the woods and not on a lake.

I been out on youtube and doing some searching. It appears that I am seeing what all the research says. Fish close to the bottom with some stacking and schools of bait. I just need to change my bait to get it down 20+ feet to the fish.

I picked up a couple packs of roadrunner heads and tried a couple of different plastics on them. The crappie hit that. I guess it was weighty enough to keep the bait down on the retrieve.

Today I snagged a couple of spoons and some drop shot worms. Can't wait to get back out there to try the new stuff out. Weather and family commitments might keep me off the lake till after xmas though.

Any thoughts out there on other things?? I was considering picking up some jigs of pig.

mikeski

 

[OptiMystic]

I ordered some blades for jigging after seeing how TurtleStew did the other day at Harris while I was not far away doing not nearly as well. The only fish I managed that day came jigging plastic deep.

 

[spidey]

I am assuming your targeting bass??? If so slow worked plastics or very slowly worked cranks have worked for me. I also let the crank get down near bottom, pray it didn't snag and start a very slow retrieve.

 

[mikeski]

Yes, Bass would be the target species. But I do like to eat White Perch. Crappie...... To me, they stink the whole time I am cleaning them. Some sort of steel?? smell. Ok to catch on light gear though. I like light gear.

mikeski

 

[dbeam]

I had a great day Monday, trolling some deep cranks. The more line you let out the deeper the cranks will run. I tired some vertical jigging with no luck but I am trying it again Monday with some better suited spoons.

Darrell

 

[Neilslure]

Not all the fish go deep and dormant in the winter. I catch them all winter long in water less than 10 ft and they show no signs of being lethargic, they will about swallow a fast moving crankbait and still pull like a freight train. I fish my lures pretty much the same way I would any other time of year. Some of my best days have come in December, January and Feburary.

 

[SurfRider]

I got a few at Badin last weekend, they were in 15ft or less but all came off spots *very* close to deep water. As Neil said, they may not all be deep; the 5.5lb'er hit a Pointer that suspends about 6ft or so. However, that was on a bluff bank where the water dropped almost straight down into 50ft. The others came from the up-slope of humps just off the main channel on a Carolina rig. I wasn't fishing the C-rig any different than I do during summer, just dragging it along up the slope. The feeding fish may be up in the water column but I would try to find areas that have ready access to deeper water, channel bends, stuff like that.

I would fish like it's late Spring or early Summer, but watch your electronics for fish suspended or in deeper water that you drop-shot or jig on and take those as targets of opportunity.

I'm still learning this stuff, too, so take my advice with a pinch of salt.

 

[mikeski]

In all the years of fishing I have not really had electronics. I fished some ponds and Jordan and Harris and we basically beat the bank and used the available maps to try to get close to drop offs and such.

With the electronics I can see the fish on the bottom and stacked up and stacked on the rise of humps and fast rising banks and balls of bait. I'm just not use to fishing below 20 feet. And that's where I see the fish. I never tried to worm that deep before. The drop shot rig looks promising. In Maine we used a syringe to put air in night crawlers to get them up off the bottom.

I just need to work on keeping the bait down.

mikeski

 

[riverrat1]

Go to Jordan, throw a #5 or #7 shad rap on a sunny bank near deeper water (not on a flat nowhere near a drop off), cast it right up on the bank, crank it at a medium speed and if you don't get a bite after a while reel it faster. If that fails to get a bite, pack up and leave. Then go the next day. They will for sure bite tomorrow .

 

[dbeam]

In Maine we used a syringe to put air in night crawlers to get them up off the bottom.

mikeski

Mike I used to use 3X Strike King Baits, I am convinced it is the same materiel that Z-Mann uses now. Z-Man sells a floating worm that will stand up to several fish and should float with a 2/0 hook. This is just educated guessing because I still have a supply of 3X Strike King worms bought from every bargin bin I could find when they quit making them.

Darrell

 

[jerry condrey]

Try the Pointer, by Lucky Craft. It's a jerk bait that suspends. Be sure to allow it to sit several seconds between sweeps.
CAUTION!
This bait is expensive (15-19 dollars), so stay clear of snags!

 

[OptiMystic]

They will for sure bite tomorrow .

But it will never be as good as it was the day before you got there...

One thing I have noticed is that my insistence on fishing nice days seems to put me at a disadvantage.

 

[fishdoctor]

You rite about that! some of my best days in the winter it was rainin, sleetin or snowin! or all 3. Bass an stripers seem to be more active then. and mikeski, for the crappie, we've been doin great by vertical jiggin hairjigs an plastic rite over the brush piles. its like ice fishin, ya jig it several times, then hold it still for several seconds..then PECK! they hit it settin still! and the advice on Shad Raps is hard to beat! I also use a variety of jerks, the Pointer, Husky Jerk, McStick, an X-Rap. ya need to doctor the ones that don't suspend to get them not to sink or float up. and this changes as the water temps changes. one that suspends at 50* may sink at 40*! so pay attention. I use Suspend Dots for this application. I'll also use one on a Shad Rap, plus put on heavier hooks to keep it down when ya stop it. findin bait schools in deep water an jiggin different size spoons is also a viable method. and the Blade baits will work well in the same scenario. so many fish, so little time...

 

[mikeski]

Thanks for the input fishdr. This is a new time of year to fish for me. More new things to learn.

mikeski

 

[PedalPirate]

This is a new time of year to fish for me. More new things to learn.
mikeski

Most important thing you need to improve on...is wearing a PFD!!!

Not giving yourself a fair chance if you don't.

 

[Neilslure]

Most important thing you need to improve on...is wearing a PFD!!!

Not giving yourself a fair chance if you don't.

This is really important in cold water. If you somehow end up in the water in the winter, you will most likely be fully dressed. It will be hard to stay afloat let alone get back in a kayak a long ways from shore where you cant touch the bottom. Chances of help being close by may be slim as well.

I took an unexpected swim in High Rock Lake last March. 40 degree air temp and water in the low to mid 40s. I was coming into the dock and lost my balance as I stepped onto the dock and fell back into the water. I was fully dressed with several layers, swimming was very difficult. Luckily there was another guy loading his boat and he was quick to come out and drag me to the bank. I stayed in a motel the night before and I had dry clothes in the truck from the day before. My travel partner told me "if that would have happened a long ways from the ramp, you would be screwed". He was right, a 10 or 15 mile run soaking wet on a 40 degree day would be a bad thing. Before I fished again I put together a bag with a full set of clothes and fire starting supplies to keep in the boat.

 

[mikeski]

I like the idea of an emergency cold weather bag. With or without a PFD, being soaked from taking a dip with a long paddle back to the auto would be brutal. A change of clothes, fire stuff and maybe a towel in a dry bag in the belly of my beast would be appropriate.

mikeski

 

[riverrat1]

Just talked to a buddy that went to Jordan this afternoon. He caught 6 bass and 4 white bass an the shad rap. Biggest about 3 and had a bigger one pull off at the boat.
I couldn't make it today but will be hitting it some this week.

 

[spidey]

I am a good swimmer and swam
Competitive in college and still
Swim
For workouts three times a week. If you got out please wear a PFD the
Cold water will
Put u In shock
Well before u could swim ashore


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[peanut]

Yep! Spidey and OM have it dead on. If it's bass you are targeting, bounce the bottom. Last weekend I caught 3 bouncing a speed-craw and a fluke off the bottom. Weedless with a splitshot 6" up and ssssllllooooowwwww... Painstakingly slow.