-
March 31
Yesterday I went out until lunch. I started just passed Hobson Pike bridge on a rock hump(with wood on top) in 10ft-12ft to the right near the green channel buoy. The water temperature was 58 degrees with 1.5ft visibility. I marked a few fish in 12ft-18ft and decided to drag a Carolina rig with a green 7″ sinko. I placed the boat in 20ft and started casting on top of the hump. After 25 minutes without a bite I decided to pack it up.
I headed into Hamilton Creek to the Anderson boat ramp on the left and pulled out my A-rig. The water temperature was 59 degrees with 2ft visibility. I placed the boat 10ft and started casting to the bank into 4ft. I would let the bait sink for a few seconds into the lower water column before retrieving. After 100 yards without a bite I set my A-rig down and picked up a 1/2oz swing head jigs with a brown/blue Big Bite Bait swimming craw. Casting to the boulder rocks I picked up my first fish…2.5lb largemouth. I continued into the cove for another 100 yards and without another bite and made a move.
In sailboat cove across from the sail boats I started back up with my A-rig. I kept the boat in 8ft and made long cast to the bank to the point……zero bites. On the next little point there are a ton of boulder rocks that come out from the bank 30ft. I picked up my spook..BOOM…..BOOM, a good largemouth struck at it twice missing the hooks. A few cast later my friend in the back missed one on a read jig. We felt like we had moved into a productive area, but around the same time the wind REALLY picked up and we were not able to sit still and fish effectively.
I motored back up lake under Hobson Pike bridge and fished the left point of Bird Island. Casting my Carolina Rig with a red/purple sinko I kept the boat in 8ft-16ft. I would start near the bank around the boulder rocks and drag back slowly. BOOM…..POW……SMASH….the bass were chomping my sinko. In 30 minutes I had around a dozen bites landing around half of them. None of them were big, but it was a lot of fun setting the hook a bunch.
With just an hour or so to fish and clouds moving in I motored into Fall Creek to try my spook. After idling over the shallow flat across from Fall Creek boat ramp I started walking the dog around the stumps just after the left PVC pole. The water was 60 degrees with 1ft visibilty. The next 30 minutes we had 8 strikes around the stumps catching half of them. We landed a 3lb, 3.5lb, 3lb, and 2lb!!!! I also had to bigguns blow up and miss the bait! We fished to the back where we did not get many bites and packed it up for the day.
All and all, okay day. I wanted to catch more down lake, but it just didn’t happen. I know some guys catching a lot in 3ft-5ft down there, but not for me this day. Mid lake produced okay. I was happy to see Bird Island cough up some bite! However, it blows my mind how I can head up lake to a few of my favorite spots and almost guarantee bites…..that’s why it is hard for me to abandon the upper end of the lake….but it is nice not having all the fisherman and boat pressure down lake!
-
17 Replies
-
Yes, the upper end of the lake is more crowded then the lower end by the dam. It’s gotten worse over the past 3 years. I’m going down lake Saturday to get away from everyone else. Last week you basically had to take a number to fish Spring Creek. No thank you.
-
yeah this time of year its hard to even want to get out on a saturday or sunday , gotta love them mondays though 😀
-
I am going to put in this afternoon and head down lake. First time this year my C-rig and cranking rods will be on the deck and I am excited. Hopefully we can find them fat bottom girls getting ready to move up.
-
I going to show my down lake ignorance. Can you go through the Hamilton Creek cut thru in a boat this time of year?
Attachments:
-
Always a good question on Priest but I have to laugh b/c this really does show your inexperience with the lower end 😆 . Thanks for the solid laugh on a otherwise boring Friday afternoon in the office (Zzzz…). Anyways to answer your question, yes, you can get through there without any problem all year. Just stick to the deepest part according to Navionics and you’ll be good.
If I could get out, I would check out Smith Springs Creek. More specifically, the Anderson road side. Last weekend they were half way back in Hamilton Creek and Sailboat Cove. Good luck and keep us posted!
-
They were hungry for sure.
Attachments:
-
Very pretty fish. I’m not good at catching smallies but I love them. How deep are they?
-
Those were in 5-7 ft. They hit the a rig at the same time and I thought I had an 8 pound largemouth.
-
quote Krogers79:Those were in 5-7 ft. They hit the a rig at the same time and I thought I had an 8 pound largemouth.
Those are beautiful man. I’d love to have a smallie hot spot but I just cant find any (mostly cause I fish in the river). I imagine you caught those on a point or offshore hump?
-
Point
-
quote Krogers79:Those were in 5-7 ft. They hit the a rig at the same time and I thought I had an 8 pound largemouth.
Pretty fish, that’s cool, do you run your dummy (no hooks) on top or bottom?
-
I was running a dummy on top and bottom. Unless I’m rigging my a rigs wrong, it really doesn’t seem to matter. The flash mobs seem to spin some. The two they hit had the tails dipped in chart.
-
Where is “Bird Island” ?? Is this the very shallow area near Hotel/Motel Island ?
Did not see it on Brian’s maps, else I missed something. -
The island on the left just before you go under Hobson pike bridge coming from up lake.
-
quote DLFields@yahoo.com:Where is “Bird Island” ?? Is this the very shallow area near Hotel/Motel Island ?
Did not see it on Brian’s maps, else I missed something.According to Google maps, I believe it’s referred to as Pear Island. Is that correct, Brian?
Log in to reply.
