FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Tip of the Day

When using a swim jig there are 3 basic types of trailers you need.  A 3 – 4″ paddle tail swim bait, usually fished with the white jig when duplicating a shad, a big craw with aggressive claws like the Rage Craw, and a more subtle craw like the Zoom Super Salt Craw Jr.  They cover most situations including cold, warm, and off colored water along with the preferred prey.

Tomorrow I continue the swim jig fishing on the lake.  I got just enough taste Tuesday to think it should be better tomorrow, and the weather sure looks like it will cooperate.  Possibly the topwater fishing should pick up also.  And added to the mix will be the white swim jig as there is a good chance with the warming weather that the shad will spawn some mornings.  Hopefully I can round out the pattern some so when I fish with some new folks on Saturday we can cut to the chase.

Weather

71/55 Partly cloudy becoming cloudy.  0% chance of rain.  Wind ESE 10 -15.  (It was definitely 15+ all day.)

Solunar Times

Good  9:53 to 11:53 am.  Best  4:04 to 6:04 pm.  (The morning bite has been better.)

Lake Level

Today  96.73 msl   Tuesday   96.74 msl  (The slow decline continues, we need some rain.)

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This is the reason I do not swim in the lake.  I saw 3 this size today.

I made it out at about 8:30 and fished until 3:30.  The wind was a steady 15+ mostly out of the east, and the water temp was down as much as 4 – 6 degrees in some places and the air temp was 48.  To go along with that there are beds everywhere, though only a couple had fish on it that I could see.  I am not a bed fisherman but if you are pick a cove, almost any cover and there are beds every where, not to mention the tilapia, which if you are a bow fisherman, time to load up.

Starting up lake the plan was to fish the white swim jig primarily, and though I did finally start catching some on it later, including some down lake, most were small.  Of the 10 or so maybe 2 measured, maybe.  They definitely wanted it reeled fairly fast and jerked and hopped erratically and like the other day most came close to the bank.

This is what the white swim jig fish looked like today.  Got the bites but no size.

But I have learned one thing for sure, they will bite it, but the swim jig is not the go to bait right now.  What is?  Plastics and Bang O Lure for how little I threw them, definitely produced the better fish.

This one thumped the snot out of it.  To bad I broke another on the next cast.

My day started off with a couple of hiccups.  Before I switched to the white for the bluegill swim jig I reeled it by some brush and I could feel the line hanging, so pulled back trying to get it over the wood and one just smoked it and broke the line when I set the hook.  So I went to the white but when I went by deep brush it would be the stick worm in watermelon red.  The first place I caught the one above, and then promptly broke one off in the same pile.  So now with my superior skill I have broke off 2 good ones.  (I finally checked my drags and a couple of them were still set on Falcon time!  Stupid.)

Love that Bang O Lure in the spring.

But I soldiered on with the swim jig, but occasionally throwing the Bang O Lure, which added a couple to the pot and a couple of misses.  The wind was making it a little tough but it was clear, the senko and Bang O Lure was by far a better choice.  There was a little slow period but I did have a little run in 2 places on the white swim jig in the afternoon.  They were on shallow banks with scattered cover and most hit it on after a jerk or a hop, though a couple hit on a straight retrieve.

The little cold front we had last night really did affect the shallow fish.  If we could just get a couple of days of really stable weather and water temperature, along with warm nights the fishing would improve dramatically.  I think I caught an easy dozen, but would have been hard pressed to squeak out a limit.  And cover is still the key, there were shallow fish today, and I think the jerk shad may be the way to go.  If the wind is right that will be the next project.  I give the day a B and they were biting a little better when I quit.

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It was good to hear from POC Elaine.

I always scan my inbox for Fish Catchin’ Travel when I open . Always interesting and I pick up good tips! Thank you!

Thanks for your kind words, it is always nice to know you all are out there.  Hopefully you got a little something you can use down there at POC.

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Next it will be fishing with a reader and his tournament partner on Saturday.  Taking the weather forecast with a grain of salt it is supposed to be around 90 degree Saturday, it could be interesting.  Whether or not the swim jig plays much of a role is to be determined.  If I had to catch fish the stick worm would probably  be my choice, unless it was cloudy and drizzling with a light wind, then it would be the Bang O Lure all day.  Then my buddy Jeffish and his son will be fishing with me a couple days as Korbin is on spring break, where is yet to be determined.  I think I will try to keep this fishing 4 days a week thing going, get it while the getting is good.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines