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I am going on the annual camping trip to Quachita in a month. I thought I might pull some cranks over the grass to see what happens. It is going to be 15' to 25' I am sure. What do you think about the Cabela "Fishermen Series Grave Diggers". They are a couple of bucks cheaper than Bandits. The reveiws aint' too bad.
Give me two or three days in a row, I might just figure it out and be able to show Arkie John sumtin.
DP
DP,Quote:
Originally Posted by DRPEPPER
I spent 14 (count 'em) hours on the lake on Monday. Of those 14, I trolled about 5-6 hours (up in the day).
I caught 24 huge bream early morn, which I threw back (I have bream from last year I need to eat). I had crickets left over from Saturday from takin' the grandbaby bream fishin'. Also caught were four or five short lm, one 5-6 lb drum, two three-pound pike, two 12" crappie and a partridge in a pear tree...all trollin' except for one crappie caught on No.6 minnow over a pile.
It was slim pickin's in the sw end of the lake. I have tried trollin' the grass around Mountain Harbor but it is "hang-up city" with all the submerged stick-ups. Maybe I need to venture up toward Navy. :D
Let me know how you and Slick do. I need some inspiration. lol
aj
DP I have not used them but they sure have some good colors and the price is right. I like the Pearl, Tennessee Shad, Chrome/Silver/Blue colors. If you are needing to get down to 15' I would go with the deep series. Start out with about 80' of line out and keep letting out more until you start catching fish or hanging grass.To get down to 25' you will have to add weight probably 3 ozs with about 65-75 feet of line. If the fish are at the top of the grass you need to be about 2-3 feet above it. I don't fish grass I fish submerged timber. By mid July there should be a thermocline so try to fish right above it.
Thanks for the info Slick. You must either be rich or have nerves of steel swimming that kind of investment in the timber. I tried to spider rig the edge of the creek channel in Conway a couple of weeks ago. I was using 5 poles and never did I have all 5 in the water at the same time. I couldn't get them retied quick enough before another one was hung.
John
Have you ever fried up one of them pike? Pretty tasty. Lot's of bones though. When I am doing a fry at my house, I like to do a pike for the tasters. It keeps them busy and insures enough crappie filets for those with more patience. I saw a video on You Tube one time that showed how to de-bone them. I never have tried it though. I pull the hide off of them and cut across the backbone and make chips 1/2" to 3/4". They make good appateasers.
DP
DP not rich. I get hung alot but I use 30/8 Power Pro braid because I hate to lose a crank bait. I also have 2 lure retrievers.Quote:
Originally Posted by DRPEPPER
DP, I have eaten pike when I was a kid. Daddy would prepare the fish and pressure cook them before making fish stix or fish patties with the meat.
The pressure cooker melted the bones completely away. I don't know any more of the particulars though. When I was 12, I didn't pay NEAR enough attention to him and his techniques of catching and cooking fish. So, I am constantly reinventing the wheel...so to speak.
But, yes! Pike taste great. I just don't bother with 'em. I can tell when I'm trollin' too fast because they will always jump on a 300 if arond 1.5 mph.
aj
Quote:
Originally Posted by DRPEPPER
You must be talking about the Chain Pickeral?
Do you really think 1.5 is to fast with bandits. most of the articles i have read say 1.5 to 2.0.
I try to stay under 2.0 mph. I have read where some pull up to 3 mph but I don't.Quote:
Originally Posted by crappie boy
YupQuote:
Originally Posted by NIMROD
When I was a boy, my paw pa would take me to Caddo lake just out of Marshall Tx during the Christmas holidays. The colder and nastier the weather was, the better they liked it. They could sure tear your business up too.
DP
I've seen guides in Canada filet a pike so quick it would make your head spin, and there were no bones left. They would cut a strip out which had the Y bones. Those filets were really tasty. I would guess the same technique would work on a chain pickeral.Quote:
Originally Posted by NIMROD
I was stationed in Alaska for 4 years... We used to boil the fish to get the meat. Spread some cream cheese over a platter, next layer was cocktail sauce with the meat over that. A few crackers and a cold one...
Oh, Don...I can't quit laughin'!:D I can just picture that...you know the only thing to cure that frustration is to slow down and have a dip...;)Quote:
Originally Posted by DRPEPPER
I have found out with a tube jig and this might work with a crank bait is take a 1/2 ounce to bigger lead/bell lead sinker and run a swivel through the eye of the weight and then on the line and the weight sometimes will knock off the jig and if it doesnt do it the first time keep bouncing it and most of the time it works good for me
It was really getting to me losing brand new bandit crankbaits trolling at Greers. I started taking the ring that connects the hooks to the crankbaits off and would tie them back on with a lesser lb line like 6lb and pull with 12 lb. This realy worked out for me if I got hung I would just loose the treble hook and tie another back on. Most of the time I would get all of it back. Saved alot of baits.
I was thinking about what a smart a** you are because I have never seen you hung up once!!!. I was also worried about Crappie Pro watching me from his porch or something.Quote:
Originally Posted by ceb
I still ain't dipping. I told my Doc that I was going to start dipping and smoking again when I make it to 92. He said he will try to get me there which got me to thinking.....so, now my new goal is 75.
Good hearing from you. Are you about settled in?? Are you catching any of those talapia out of Houge yet??
DP
I usually settle on .8 (using the GPS) and 75 feet of line out. If that does not draw a strike I change sompin'...either the speed or the length of line. The more line, at the same speed, the deeper the 300 will go (look at the chart on the stickies)Quote:
Originally Posted by crappie boy
In the summer, I troll a couple feet above the general themocline because that's what produces for me...it's the fish's preference. It seems that if I speed up too much, that other species tend to jump on the 300...like drum, pike (chain pickerel), striper or lm and kentucky bass.
The precision trolling page on the stickie is a god-send buddy and gives a man a starting place.
aj
That sounds good. Keep that up and I might have to get something out of the freezer!Quote:
Originally Posted by Stubby
aj
Don I orders a few of these after I saw your post. I tried them yesterday afternoon after work. They ran true right out of the box. Also caught some fish on them also.;)Quote:
Originally Posted by DRPEPPER