CJ WATER TEMPS AND FISHING THREAD FOR FALL 2015 & 2016

[INTIMIDATOR]

I always said that the Big hole in the Keitech lineup was the lack of a curly tail....and if they came out with one I wouldn't have to use any other plastic manufacturers plastics.
Well, they must have wanted me to be a full line Keitech fisherman....cause now they have one.
Straight off the plane from Japan...the 2.5 inch Mad Wag mini.
These have an amazing swim action at any speed...they managed to entice 35 Crappie to bite last night.😁😁😁

[INTIMIDATOR]

Deep water, slow bottom bounce....they were smacking them hard.
Water is Perfect...no Gators though, they are shallow.

[INTIMIDATOR]

My new reels...My review of them is from using baitcasters, spinning, and high end spincast reels.
I took my 2 favorite reels off and put them in basement storage. I can't speak to the long-term reliability yet, but paying 100 bucks each for these Zebcos were well worth the money.
This is a baitcaster in a "coffee grinder" body....the smoothness, power, and ease of use is enough...add 29 inches of line retrieve per handle turn and you have a Monster.
Of course it came spooled with the New fireline Superline, but being a braid guy, I put on my Chartreuse Seaguar Smackdown....and it is perfect! My casts are even longer than before!😂
Poor Pat has experienced the wrath of the new combo, and was impressed with the baitcast spinner.

[Lowellhturner]

Leave a few for the rest of us....

[CrappieDreamer]

Well, since Brent is showing off his new arsenal, here are a few pics of what I did yesterday and today.

Any feedback from the experts as to which, if any, would be good for gators and which for slabs?

[downtime]

Deep water, slow bottom bounce....they were smacking them hard.
Water is Perfect...no Gators though, they are shallow.

What was the water temp Brent ?

[INTIMIDATOR]

What was the water temp Brent ?

The surface hit 50 before the Front!

[INTIMIDATOR]

Jeff
Can't help with the jigs...I fish a lot different!

CJ is a Shad dominated lake for Many Species...Crappie are different, during Winter they lose their ability to swim and subsist on zooplankton and smaller organisms. After the Water begins to warm they still look for Smaller minnows and baitfish to get them ready for the spawn..So at this time you need Natural color and scent. Just before the Spawn they get irritated, this is when weird colors come in to play, heck they will hit anything...same as when they are protecting nests etc. After the spawn is when they go big and try to find big Shad meals, craws, etc., to ready them for summer heat...this is when I have even caught them on 5 inch swimbaits. The rest of the year they eat 1, 2, and 3 inch sushi, and supplement with mayflies, worms, craws, etc...until the water temps cool again to 39.
Walleye start out at 40 degrees and start grubbing large prey for their spawn...they are looking for easy shad or long prey like their cousin Mr Perch. They'll continue to take large prey if the O2 is available to them.
Surface temp is not a factor, except with Walleye in Spring...for the others, you have to understand what the temp is at depth for the specific pattern...surface temp will only be a guideline to help find it. In Summer O2 levels come into play more...if the water heats out of the fishes comfort zone, they will head for water that holds higher levels of oxygen
All fish Pattern to temps...some outside things may add influence but knowing temps that fish pattern in is 95% of the key.
A feeding Predator fish is trying to cut out ONE prey species from a school....baitfish are trying to stay packed in the school to disorient the predator. A fisherman has an advantage by using his lure as that ONE baitfish that is out of the school and acting different. You control that bait and making it look different, wounded, injured, sick, or dying!
A lure must be an attractor and a trigger...if you just attract the fish and cannot trigger it to bite, then you become Pepe Le Pew. A trigger bait that does not attract does the same.
The bait you use is key...you must also understand it and how you can vary the action as an attractor and vary it even more so it triggers a feeding bite.
Remember that a Crappie has a keen sense of smell and taste...there are many videos out there where Crappie will be attracted to a lure, but smell or taste it and move away. A faster moving bait makes them make a quicker decision to feed on it or not, that is why I am not a fan of slow techniques or lures. I'm looking for action at any speed for the attraction, and size, color, and scent for triggers to feed. Each lure I use has a time in the Pattern...Big, Small, heavy thump, minnow swim, natural color, bright, and plenty of smell!

[INTIMIDATOR]

Almost tomatoe time....these are my New 3/4 wine barrels from California.
The plastic ones were a failure due to the light weight. The 13 foot tomatoes kept blowing over in high wind....these won't!😁
Each barrel weighs 70 lbs of solid Oak....I Fully sealed and waterproofed them over this last week.
Each barrel with get 80lbs of river rocks, and MANY bags of moisture potting mix, along with all the fertilizer I can pack in.
I'll be making 10 foot metal ladders that will fit in the barrel and be permanently held by the rocks etc....I figure this setup will be hurricane proof and last till Dale is old!
More pics later.

[Cozz]

Nice idea! Was curious if anyone has fished in buck creek off Catawba road? According to the DNR map, there is parking but wondering what it is like once you get to the creek. I'm assuming waders would be required.

Finally made it out last night. Picked up a few short fish and 1 close to 23".