A-Jay

That third period and the entire over time was B R U T A L ~ ! As a Boston fan - just sayin' A-Jay

A good majority of the bass I do catch here, cough up crayfish on the way to the net. Definitely not looking to spark the dreaded live bait debate. This all started after reading (and thoroughly enjoying) Bill Murphy's book. My decision to take this journey In Pursuit of Giant Bass was not entered into lightly and will hopefully continue well past the post of any initial success. My path is largely uncharted. By taking full advantage of the hard work and experience of a man who was willing to do so leaves me no choice but to utilize all the tools he found useful. I am not in a position to randomly discard any technique that could point me in the right direction. If it will make you feel any better shimmy I would be happy to include any courageous crawdad with moves like Jagger in the photo. A-Jay

You're right and I apologize for the somewhat negative presentation. That's not what this is about nor should it be placed in that light. Thank you for your post. I needed that. I did some supplemental reading in the chapter that covers the stitching technique. It appears as though I have been using this in areas that it is not at it's best. Mr. Murphy indicated that smooth bottoms are not places where stitching routinely excels. The bait does best in spots that have a bit of cover on the structure that allow for the bait to hang and drop and bump along. I'm feeling a little bit like a knucklehead for not picking up on this detail initially as at least half of the deep area's I'd plan to fish on this lake have a smoother bottom. A major oversight on my part and I'm glad I went back and looked. I'll blame it on the long winter here numbing what's left of my brain. The author goes on to say that his experience showed that big bass do use these spots quite often but he was unable to get bit stitching a worm. His solution, stitching a live crayfish. Something about the bait struggling along that open bottom turned these fish into biters. He passed on that it could be "devastating at times". I like the sound of that. Of course there is an entire chapter on the subject and like most of this reading, something I'm entering into right at the bottom floor. I don't believe I have access to a local commercial supply of crayfish so I'd have to learn to catch and keep them myself. Still haven't totally decided if this is something I want to get into. I have nothing against fishing live bait and a good majority of the bass I do catch here, cough up crayfish on the way to the net. Perhaps this is the technique that could unlock some of the mystery that this journey has been so full of thus far. Before I say that I am going to commit to it, some ground work and investigation will need to be conducted to see it it's even possible. Immediate thoughts that come to mind are, where, when and how to I catch, and keep them. If I can make this happen with in reason, I might actually entertain the idea. The information in the book is fairly explicit and appears to cover what one would need to know to get started. But like most everything we venture into, there always a bit more to it . . . . . . . . A-Jay

CP - I really do appreciate your support. I have to say that your set as listed above doesn't really fit into the stitching category. As you mentioned, it's a little on the heavy side; more like a light Carolina rig. It will certainly get bit though - and I expect pictures for sure . . . A-Jay

First off ~ Welcome to BR ~ ! Perhaps it was your line size. Did you consider using a lighter / thinner, less visible line for the fluke ? A-Jay

**** Trip Log **** Tuesday 11 June / Fished 6:30am – 3pm / Air temp low 70's / Water Temp 64 / Winds NW Light and Variable / Barometer 1013 & steady. A typically gorgeous morning on the water in the north woods. Sunrise was obscured by an Eden-like foggy mist without much wind to speak of. I anchored up in the same area I left off with last trip. After thinking about a couple of the recent discussions a few posts back regarding depth and still looking for the magic, I switched it up by anchoring shallow and fishing deep to shallow. Additionally, I change my stitching weight from a 1/8 tungsten which I'd used most every trip so far, to a 1/16 lead weight. Though it was very calm, it still took a good while for the rig to initially settle on the bottom. To have any contact at all with the bait, I really had to just barely inch it along very slowly. I went with a 6.5 inch Zoom trick worm and then a Berkley Powerbait 7" Power Shaky Worm in black and green pumpkin. No bites by 10am, so I moved to the other side of the drop off and reversed the whole deal to set up deep and worked shallow to deep. No Biters again. By noon the sun was beaming and it was time to make a move, A move to what, I didn't exactly know. With the water temp now squarely in the "hey lets spawn" zone, I took a spin through areas that you'd expect to see beds. Oh, there were beds all right and small bass every where I looked. It was encouraging to see. Most were little guys, a few were in the 2.5 - 3.5 lb class and I spied 2 or 3 little fat girls that could have gone 5lb. It's hard to tell and so often those 5lb free swimmers end up shrinking down to 4's once they're hanging on a scale. Either way, there was plenty of life in 10ft of water and most of it was around wood or weed cover. Forecast is calling for some stability this week so we'll see how that plays out. On a final note regarding the repeated lowering and hauling up of the double anchors over and over, Ron Burgundy has got nothing on me; for I am The Anchor Man ~ Stay Classy BR ~ A-Jay

Good Stuff right there guys Thanks you for your thoughts. I do believe that I'm fishing for the smallest potion of the bass population. And where ever they are spending the majority of their time, it's not someplace I have visited routinely in the past. The super clear water and lack of shallow shoreline structure puts these fish deeper than some of the other lakes in this area. I can see the bottom here in 20 ft almost every trip. Except for low light conditions and when there is a wind, when fishing in 10 feet here you can see you bait throughout the entire cast. So there is rarely a big fish bite there. The depths I'm mining are just a product of this environment and we may all be thinking and saying the same thing. There are a few docks, log jams and laydowns scatter around the lake and they hold fish when you'd expext them to but the big girls are like ghosts. Also this is a multi-species habitat and lmb are not the biggest or baddest kids on the block which may play a role in who gets the prime habitat. It looks like a killer morning - I'm heading out . . . . . . . .

I think you may be right - I know my heart won't be able to take it but it might be Seven games all with a 1-0 score ~ A-Jay

A very valid point and one that I do not dispute. In fact my largest MI bass came shallow and was right before the spawn. In the book, Mr. Murphy details how he believed that the largest bass only remained shallow for the briefest of times during spawn. So by fishing the deeper holding area / spots, he got his bait in front of more large fish. His results speak for themselves. It was also his contention that by fishing the area right through all 3 stages of the spawn, (pre, spawn and post) you could catch them coming and going. Your assertion may very well be right on and I hope you are. But for now, since I've caught a few decent fish shallow this time of year in the past, I'm going to keep poking around out deep and try a few different approaches and see if I can bump into something close to the kind of results Old Bill managed to get into. A-Jay

As a Long Time Bruins Fan, I am a happy man. Following the team this brief by action pack season has been quite a ride. The playoffs have been one heart attack after another. This Original Six match up is cool and the Blackhawks have been very good all season. But then again, so were the Penguins . . . . . . . . . . . A-Jay

Nice Job ~ That bass certainly choked that one down. Must have been quite a battle - you lost a shoe ! A-Jay

He did. His answer - High Speed Trolling with deep diving crank baits. By all accounts, quite a devastating and rarely utilized tactic; often accounting for the largest bass in the system. Also, looking back at it, that was probably not the target species. A-Jay

I am not using split shot. The very detailed procedure Mr. Murphy provides, though compelling, is not something I am willing to do, for a few reasons. I do not want anything crimped on my line. I am fishing 10lb braid/leader not straight mono. And finally, I'm a tungsten fan. I am using the smallest tungsten bullet weights I could find. Instead of the crimping deal, I just use a stopper in front and behind the little weight. 1/16 to 1/8 depending on the water depth and wind strength. I have found the double anchor set up really is a must when fishing such a light weight in deep water. I could never maintain contact with the bottom or have any real sense what was going on with the bait otherwise. And despite their rather minuscule size, these little guys still provide quite a bit of bottom contour feedback. Of course the braid plays a big part in the increased feel as well. A-Jay

Trying to keep it simple and use baits/colors that I have confidence in. Mann's Jelly worm 9 inch and after the spawn I'll use 12 inch also. Zoom Magnum Trick worm only come in 7 inch Berkley Power worms 7 & 10 inch Assorted stick baits 6 & 7 inch mostly Senkos Colors are few - Black, Green Pumpkin, Watermelon, Red Shad, And Black Grape. A-Jay

Ok, so here's my last trip. On the retrieve back in I had a visitor. It was one of those follows that you don't usually tell anyone about but you never forget it. These are the ones that make you keep going back to a spot over and over again even if you never catch anything. One thing that I'll mention here is about how this technique has required me to modify my mind set during the actual fishing. This method is so slow and requires such focus that I've had to make a conscious effort to reduce the speed at which I do everything while I'm out on the water. Those that know me would tell you that this is a bit of a departure from my normal presentation. But slowing it all down has helped me get accustomed to the technique. A-Jay

Thanks Dwight. The early mornings were calm but my 9:30 or so the winds came on pretty go - it's just the way it is. This lake's topographic orientation (Higher on the east & west and lower north & south) I get no break from anything north or south. East or west winds are more fisherman friendly. A-Jay

**** Trip Log **** Friday 07 June Fished 6am – 2pm / Air temp mid 60’s / Water Temp 62 / Winds NE 7 – 14 / Barometer 1015 & falling. The early morning set up is very exciting. There is always such a sense of anticipation and an expectation that any cast could be The One. This morning found me on one of my favorite spots on the most southern lake. It’s a spot in front of a big drop near a big beaver made brush pile that ends in 25 ft. of water. I set up in 38 ft. and fished the structure in front of the cover. I’ve taken nice bass here before but I was fishing the deeper section today. I’ll not be on the water again until after the weekend. According to my fishing logs, the next 2 or 3 weeks are traditionally very good. I’m really looking forward to sticking something epic. A-Jay

**** Trip Log **** Thursday 06 June / Fished 10:30am – 7pm / Air temp mid 60’s / Water Temp 61 / Winds NE 10– 15 / Barometer 1020 & falling. The sun was high and the wind was a factor; in a good way. I fished two spots on the middle lake that had the wind blowing in onto them. Mr. Murphy mentioned a couple of times that he found that the best big fish spots were open water areas that were routinely abused by the prevailing wind. Both the spots I fished today were in this category. These drop offs went from 20 ft. on the top and bottomed out at 35 ft. These type of areas are tough to fish. I tried to stay optimistic and fished hard today. Even though it was a mid-day outing I gave it it’s just due. Jambalaya was served. A-Jay

I'm out the door early this morning. I'll post up the report from yesterday as well as one for this morning when I get home later today. There is always something magical about a foggy morning. It brings the expectations up just a little higher. A-Jay

The sky is overcast and air temps are cool Barometer is falling and the new moon is on Saturday. I'm heading out - and I've got a plan. A-Jay

Thank Kent. I certainly appreciate the input. Besides have something close to 1300 miles between our "home Lakes", Steve and I are approaching this pursuit in 2 different manners. Clearly he has honed his craft and I'm just getting started. A-Jay

Very Nice ~ Some Good Looking Sweet Meat right there - Just waiting for a Sharp Thin Blade and a Hot Fat Bath . . . . . So you never did say, how did your Dad like that fine new ride of yours ? A-Jay

Congrats ~ ! Great Bass. A-Jay

Congrats shimmy What a great trip with so many fantastic Bass Pre spawn & jiggly piggly wiggly go together so well. A-Jay

Can't answer that one. Mr. Murphy promotes the method as a successful tactic for large pressured bass on structured lakes. I'm not fishing pressured fish per se and the structure on the waters I fish is quite a bit different than that described in the book. Also. large is a relative term. There are other methods presented by the author that could be called more traditional. As for my patience, you and I are both fishing. It's the catching that's different. Smaller bass are not my target, so my measure of success must be learning. A-Jay