FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Weather

Friday 10 % Precip. / 0 in   A mainly sunny sky. High 84F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph.

Tides

F   15      Low   7:26 AM     0.3
15     High   5:29 PM     0.8

Solunar  Times

• Best  Times   6:32A – 8:32A  ( What bite we had was in this period)
•                         6:56P – 8:56P
• Good Time    12:20A – 2:20A

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I got a call from my buddy Chris last night wanting to know if we had an extra seat and he met us at Froggie’s at 7:00 and we were off.  Like yesterday the tide was real high on the low, if that makes sense, and it just went up from there.  And with a feisty north wind it was a little rougher and got a lot rougher as the day went on.

We headed back to Barroom Bay to wade the protected side but the wind was basically blowing right down the bay out of the east.  I dropped Chris off, then the Shoedog and I finally anchored the boat and we were fishing.  It was a lot rougher than yesterday and it reduced the number of bites, but the quality fish were there.

This fish is 23″.  Look at the one he caught yesterday it was under 23″.

Shoedog like yesterday put a 23″ incher on the stringer, this time with plastics throwing out in deeper water.  I on the other hand did not boat a good trout today.  The one below was my best, but it was not the trouts fault.

17″ was the best I could do today.

I was throwing a bigger topwater today as it was so rough.  As I was working it along in water about waste deep a really big one boiled behind it 2 or 3 times so I kept it coming.  The water being rough and somewhat off-color she followed it all the way to my feet and it was almost like doing a muskie figure 8.  My bait was almost completely to the rod tip and she was on it I swept the rod to the side and she smoked it!

Now muskies will do that, and even stripers at night or bass on certain baits, but I have never had a big trout hit it like that, and this was an easy 6.  When she did I swept the rod up and she went nuts.  Unfortunately no line stretch, to short, and no drag slippage, and it was just her and I with her jumping and thrashing on 8″ of line and then she pulled off.  Darn it!  That was the biggest trout I have had on in a while.   So while there is no picture that picture will stay with me forever, what a bite.

After that my superior fish detection skills took over and I managed to put a nice red in the boat, this time on the edge of the grass in less than a foot of water, I don’t have to tell you what kind of strike that was, way cool.   What tipped me off was a very subtle clue – There was a white shorebird feeding when the water exploded and it jumped a foot in the air.  I think both were after the same baitfish.

But I did have my moments.

I think I caught 2 that would not measure and that was it on that bank for me.  Shoedog also added another nice red and I think had a short.

The few we did catch were good ones.

Chris was feeling snake bit but he soldiered on.  He finally found some and caught a keeper and maybe one or two shorts.  I think his was on the Maniac Mullet but I am not sure.

Everybody got in on the act.

So though the action was not nearly as fast today, there are big trout to be caught right now.  We finally picked up and moved, fishing a couple more places before we quit.  The traffic was quite a bit heavier today.  Though there was only 5 trucks at the ramp Thursday morning it was Friday at POC, so they emptied the asylum.

We fished a reef on the way to Grass Island without a bite, then fished the drains coming off the island.  Chris put a keeper trout in the boat and said the one following it was the one that should have hooked up.  Shoedog and I went with out a bite.

At this point it was blowing POC style so we decided to stop back on the intial bank and see if we could raise another good trout.  Rarely can I get them going on the windward banks but we gave it a go without success.  So we called it a day early with I think about 8 keepers or so, but I left the fish cleaning to them.

We probably made a bad decision when we kept wading later and not fishing out of the boat in Big Bayou today.  That area is jammed with reds, but we were hoping to find some more of those better trout.  One observation I would make right now is wade the places with a little softer bottom with grass.  The hard bottom we waded did not have the grass up yet and the fish just were not there.  And of course this time of year you need bait, plain and simple.  But I tell you what, we boated some nice trout well over 20″ for the 2 days, and the actual keeper to throw back ration was great and you have to give speckled trout their due – When they want a topwater it is a thing of beauty.

I did forget to tell you my little screw up that happened Thursday.  I dropped Shoedog off and made a wade and when I decided to move I idled past him, watching the locator and when it hit 1.5 I dropped the anchor, let the wind turn the boat and down with the Power Pole.  What could possibly go wrong.  When the boat swung around it lined up perfect over a 3+ hole and instead of checking the depth I jumped over the side and water went in my waders.  Nice.  Remember if you are not sure you can see bottom before you jump out use the fancy depth finder, your rod tip.  Not only does it tell you how deep it is but what the bottom consistency is.

One tip I want to pass on to you is what Shoedog and I both are doing that has seemed to add some bigger trout.  We both have been adding a small feather to the rear trebles.  It seems to help, and if we think it does, it does.  It does not take much, in fact if you put to much on there it really reduces the walk the dog motion, which reduces it’s effectiveness.  So keep the bulk to minimum but a little teaser sure seems to help.

And if you get chance to hit the bay move your topwater right along.  With the water temp in the mid 70’s and plus in some places they are willing to chase it.  So be sure to vary your retrieve and do not be afraid to move it right along.  And if there is wind on the bank like there was the last couple of days make lots noise and splash, they will come for it.

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Obviously my buddy Clyde found someone to take him crappie fishing, he could not have possibly found these all by himself.

Now those are crappies!

All kidding aside, these are the slabs that Norfork is known for.  It may not be what many people consider the classic crappie lake, but it has the big ones.  Congratulations, I am sure they tasted great and keep those pictures coming.  And see you in Canada in a little over a month for two weeks of fishing till you puke!  And  try to organize all that stuff in that disaster you call a boat!

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If I had to give the last 2 days a grade I would give it a B+, only because today was a little slower than yesterday,  But with the wind I can live with it.  The next month or so will see some great topwater fishing and I sure hope to take advantage of it.  There is just nothing like finding those quality trout in the 20+ range in shallow water and having them blow up on that topwater.  Wading is such an intimate way to fish and hand to hand combat with a big trout is a thing of beauty.

Not sure what is next.  Don’t know if you have seen the weather report, but it looks like it could rain for the next 6 days.  In fact the 5 day forecast has an 80% chance of rain for Monday thru Thursday.  It could be sketchy, or if we get lucky and get a day of clouds with little rain, the perfect topwater day.   Keep those cards and letters coming, we appreciate your comments, reports, and photos.  There is no such thing as a bad question or comment.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines