Thread: A Post-Bash Survey . . .

Sorry Gary and I had to scoot before the weigh-in, but I sacrificed a prop to a submerged wing dam (submerged at low tide) that we ran aground on. Had to get the boat home in daylight in order to properly survey the hull for breaches. Thankfully, there were only superficial scrapes and scratches on the hull, but the prop is pretty much trash. I might try to hammer it out and file the sharpies off and keep it for an emergency spare.

OK, now that the James Gang has settled down from this Sunday's bash, I'd like to conduct a survey. This survey is strictly for personal enlightenment, and is meant to be shared by all.

The survey is simple; please list the various terminal tackle, bait & tactics you tried during the bash. Please indicate what worked, to what extent it worked, if you'd try it again, and/or what changes you'd make.

Please be as specific as possible in describing such things as depth, color, size/weight of terminal tackle, and anything else that may be of help to others here.

I anxiously await this exchange of information.


Thanx in advance . . .
Cal

I used Thill slip bobbers on 20 pound spider wire. #6 Wally Marshal hooks. I think I caught all my fish which wasn't much about 10 feet deep on a tree in the back of the barge pits. Water back there was 64 compared to main river temp of 56. I tried jigs but had no luck at all on those. The bite pretty much shut down for me at 10:00am. It has been a while since I have caught so few fish on the river.

A few things I would like to change with my gear.

I would like to find a light wire hook larger than a #6. Something that can be bent without breaking the line.

The slip bobber stops that I use hang on the guides of my rod when casting. I use the neon colored one that come tied onto a little tube. I don't use live bait that much so I have yet to perfect this technique.

When they wont hit jigs it seems slip bobbers is the best way to go on the river.

I used two rigs.

One rod was rigged with Bobby Garland Stroll'rs on 1/8 ounce heads. I used this rod to cast out and bounce it along the bottom on drops near pilings. Also used it to shoot under structure. A variety of colors were used. Black/chartreuse got the most bites.

My second rod was rigged with a slip bobber, a gold light wire hook, and two split shot. I used it to suspend minnows near cover. Depths varied from 8' to 20'.

We had kind of a team strategy going. Dayton would work up in the cover and I would work around the edges. Most of the fish we caught were holding either tight to the cover or tight to the bottom just a little way off the cover.