CJ WATER TEMPS AND FISHING THREAD!

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Originally Posted by Lundy

Actually that is a change that the membership had been requesting for many years. The members grew tired of those that never contributed anything and only came to take. Much like the guys wanting your GPS brushpile numbers. The new topic and post counts in the fishing forums have increased since the change

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The only thing it really helped, was to build numbers for advertisement and sponsor procurement!lol

Unless you were an idiot and told people exactly were you fished or took pictures that showed the area for everyone to see, there was very little info given out that would help most people! Guys waited on word for when the WB were spawning or other spawns, but with lakes like CJ that has completely changed due to the cover, this was too general of info to be any good. Water temp patterns are different for many lakes, spawn cycles happen in different areas...and if you don't know a lake, you could be fishing a "Secret Area" with 300 or more people.
On lakes like CC, CJ, etc, people are hiding the fact that the WB were running and most missed out! Like I said, unless you were blatent, no one would know any decent info.

My posts are so vague, that only the "Pack" knows what is going on...I know all of these guys, I know what each is looking for and what info helps them. I also know that these guys put their heart and soul into this lake and they would do nothing to harm her!
Then we have the New Guys...they are just like the rest...they want to help, want to learn. We take them out and give them info to build on....next thing you know, CJ has even more caretakers!
This is what fishing is about, helping others to help the lake...Not Plundering and destroying a fishery, or making a "name" for yourself!

IMHO the River and Stream guys caused their own problems...you had a group that took vivd pictures, gave super detailed reports of their exploits, and even wrote books on where to fish, what to look for, etc....Self Promotion was their downfall and they have no one to blame but theirselves.
When I fish Buck Creek and the Mad River, no one knows, I don't even report....same with most of the CJ guys....Others complain about having so much pressure on their areas, but continue to write detailed accounts of trips, "So Everyone Can Enjoy River Fishing"!
That's why I like CJ...she is a Tough _itch...Her patterns are continually changing and adapting...Most fishermen become frustrated (like my soon to be 13 year old), and stop fishing her after the spawns...just because they can't catch fish! Those that hang in there and learn her secrets, are rewarded with enough fish to keep them coming back and wanting more!
CJ will continue to change....the new cover, and cover that continues to get added, along with the vegetation growth, will continue to challenge fishermen for many years!
If you are a good fisherman at CJ, it is not because of lurking....the info is too vague to assist anyone without the knowledge....If you are a good fisherman at CJ, it is because you have taken the time, and done what is needed, to make yourself a good fisherman....and the learning continues!

Agreed Brent,,,, if you learn this lake you can catch fish ANY day of the week and in any pattern.

Will readily admit, SOMETHING has changed the fishing patterns of some species. And realistically, understand weather plays a HUGE role, runoff, drawdown, fishing pressure, even moon phases to some degree...as far as the cover ? WHAT `cover` ?

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Originally Posted by Lowellhturner

Will readily admit, SOMETHING has changed the fishing patterns of some species. And realistically, understand weather plays a HUGE role, runoff, drawdown, fishing pressure, even moon phases to some degree...as far as the cover ? WHAT `cover` ?

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Honestly...if we all look back when CJ was first built, she wasn't really that good of a lake!
What everyone remembers was the huge amount of "Easy" Walleye....the Channel Cat populations was huge but stunted....the Bass populations were So So, since the Gators ate anything that moved....the perch population was OK but size was small....Crappie were mostly stunted...heck, I much rather fished the Streams for Bass, and Clark Lake for Crappie, Bass, Perch, and Pike!
CJ was called "Lake Erie Of the South" for one reason!
Now we have the HEALTHY Beginnings of a Nice Overall Fishery....I'm sure the Lily Pads will be back soon and add the underwater grasses and other vegetation that are back, she will be even healthier.
I may not be looking at this like those that are now complaining, but IMHO, I can't understand how they could complain about a HEALTHY Fishery, that will remain stable year after year, and provide the chances for years of enjoyment and good eating....compared to an unhealthy one that may provide EASY FISH for a year or two and then have extremes of fluctuation and poor fishing for the next 10!
Like I said before...the fish at CJ have evolved and adapted...many of the fishermen haven't! So who's Smarter??:)

Another one of the "Friends" caught a Huge Gator last week while shallow Bass Fishing...and it was also released to Grow (gotta like these Bass guys C&R-ing Huge Gators)...maybe these Bass Guys are on to something....Just sayin!:)

Believe the best description ever heard of CJ at that time was a " barren bath tub"...at least as cover.

I was able to make it out on CJ this past Saturday and the fishing was slow but I will tell you that I learned a lot and took lots of pictures for reference.

For some odd reason my brain finally had the light bulb screwed in all the way and that dull dim and flickering finally turned into a nice bright glow when I started thinking about the winter draw down. I am a large mouth, small mouth bass bleeding fishing maniac and just love fishing for them. I enjoy as Brent stated using all my soft plastics to mimic a life like piece of meat for these bad boys. I have now been fishing CJ going on 16 years and I admit in the beginning it just made me hotter than boiling water that I was not catching any. I did my research and started to just log some hours just motoring around the lake looking at what all she offered. Well after all these years this past Saturday as I stated the light bulb turned on I was able to take advantage of Mother CJ's draw down I took well over 100 pictures of the shore line where I am constantly catching my bass.

There was one thing missing from all the hours I have put in just learning CJ and that was knowing what was under the water that was producing the awesome bass I was catching. The draw down really shed some light on where the bass were hanging and why. I now have a great picture album of most of all my spots. I was able to put the pictures into corel photo paint and highlight areas where I have fished and why I think they were nestled all snug in the great cover the PACK has placed.

I tell ya every time I fish CJ I enjoy it more and more. I enjoy fishing because its not just catching. CJ is a great place to really test your skills and to challenge you. I love when guys go out and catch huge numbers of bass and then I invite them out to CJ and tell them have at it. They come back to the dock all fired up and redder than a stop sign because they got skunked. Fishing to me should always be a challenge. Enjoy it!!

I will always say Thank you to all the guys I see on the forums and in person for the time you put into CJ making it and turning it into a challenging fishery.

I tell ya seeing all these pictures of the crappie and walleye I see being caught you guys are starting to give me a bad itch. Maybe I can convince the wifey I need more gear for each species. I could only imagine how spending the day on the water with Brent could make anyone turn into a crappie fisherman the way he catches them.

Jesse

Brent I was wondering if you could share with me there you get your jigs from. I think based on the pictures it looks like they are sickle hooks and I was wanting to try some for my jig fishing. Do they come painted?

Thanks for your help man.
Jesse

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Originally Posted by phantombassboater

Brent I was wondering if you could share with me there you get your jigs from. I think based on the pictures it looks like they are sickle hooks and I was wanting to try some for my jig fishing. Do they come painted?

Thanks for your help man.
Jesse

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Jesse
Alot of us have been getting the jigs from Tommy Crenshaw in FLA...you can contact him at [email protected]. He also has an EBay store if you prefer...if you contact him, he can make anything you want, custom or painted!
Tommy's prices are right and he is another Great guy.
I use the Round, Double Collar heads, for the swimbaits because they don't get wedged in the rocks as bad as swim jigs, and the double collars don't tear up the soft Keitechs as Bad. The sickle hooks are Deadly and I have #1 and 1/0 for Crappie and Walleye, and up to 3/0 for Bass....with braid you normally can pull snags free and re-bend the hook several times before it breaks!
I never have lost a fish to a broken sickle hook....yet!

VERY NICE POST JESSE...that is exactly what I was talking about....ALWAYS REMEMBER the words of Great Fishermen, "There are NO Bass in CJ"!:) Pics of fish without locations would be nice...I love to see nice CJ Bass!

Dude, once that lightbulb goes off, you are in for some fun times...you will be able to see subtle changes. You will start noticing hatches, when the craws come out, surface minnows, and the Fishes different movements, etc...you just opened yourself up to the continual learning and trying to understand How the fish and CJ react! If you don't catch fish at CJ, it is because YOU did something wrong. You did not follow your keys or you out-thought yourself...fish are basic, they have basic patterns, and basic needs...it's actually pretty simple, until we get in our own way!:)lol

I'm not a typical "fisherman", but several of us use the same equipment for all species...just bigger Baits!
I use a 6'6" MH rod, "Coffee Grinder" reel, and Braid, for all species...I love the strength for BIG BASS and GATORS, and the feel and sensitivity for Crappie...and I use the same size Keitechs for Crappie and Walleye! Keitech was originally a BASS ONLY bait, but I started using them to catch Walleye and Crappie instead of using small baits! THIS SAVES ALOT OF MONEY WHEN FISHING DIFFERENT SPECIES!

Building "mini CCs" might be of interest to you...BTW has anyone afloat checked either of them out recently ?

Jesse, you sure opened a can of worms this time. After a "Documentury" like that, his feet wont touch the ground until spring thaw. Glad things are working out.
CJP

PS We are still looking for walleyejigger, Tin Guppy, and pictures from Willy's trip to Scandenavia.(Girls). Any help would be appreciated..
Again, all spelling is in phonics, and I had lots of help from a cat on a keyboard.