Brad_Coovert

Any Indiana guys here that have fished this lake? I'm going to be there the 26th for our club classic and I have never had my boat on this lake. I know it is normally a very clear lake with a lot of shallow water and a lot of grass and that there is a good bass population with a lot of short fish below the 14" size limit. Also, since I have yet to find any lake map that is decent, are there any danger spots out there to avoid with the boat? The lake is idle speed only, so I figured there had to be something out there. Thanks for any help. Brad

My #1 fall crankbait is the Norman Thin N in Lavender Shad. I have yet to find a body of water it will not catch fish on. Brad

You will find a lot of different sized prey in the fall. Most of the lakes in my area will have a lot of really small shad and bluegills from the summer spawn. These baitfish are really getting hammered in late summer early fall. l always try small baits first and progress upwards in my fall fishing if there is a lot of small bait around. Brad

I've not fished conditions like that from shore, so I can only offer up info based on fishing from a boat. A few years ago, a huge storm blew through my area along with a tornado that blew across Morse revervoir where I fish now and then. All the rain raised the lake about 12" overnight and the color of the water went from stained to darn near solid mud. Still, I decided to fish it. I caught a few fish, but they were all super shallow and they were tight on the cover. My bait had to hit the cover and had to nearly hit the fish to get bit. I was using a black jig with a black trailer. In similar conditions, I have caught fish the same way and the key I have found is that the fish will nose right up onto a piece of cover in shallow water and you have to get the bait right on them or they will not bite. Make multiple casts to the same place as well. Good luck! Brad

Soft plastic toads and frogs roll, it's something you have to put up with, kinda like death and taxes. Weighted hooks help to act like a keel, but the frogs can still roll from time to time. IMO, the YUM frogs are not very good. Cane Toads, Horny Toads and Rage Toads are all good toads that I have had good results with. As for floating, toad type baits were not really designed for floating, but more for faster fishing or for falling into holes. Still, Gambler, Stanley and Sizmic make "floaters". I have not ued them, so I do not know how good they are. Brad

I have a lake close by that I fish that is similar. A wacky rigged Senko tossed to the edge of the grass and allowed to fall down along the edge of the grass is a killer. Many 50+ fish days doing this on this lake. Brad

Moving the boat or past the snag and strumming your line does not always work. A lure retriever is a cheap purchase that will pay you back every season. In fact, they should be a standard feature on all bass boats!

Don't put so much faith into what they "say" is winning tournaments. Pros can win with any bait, but they "choose" to "say" they won with the baits that pay the $. Besides, the tournament $$ is small change compared to what the elite pros get in contract $$ from sponsors.

Fish will miss baits an night, especially is some of them are smaller bass. I really fish a jitterbug slowly in the dark and pause it now and then. Also, as others have mentioned, change those worthless hooks that jitterbugs come with. Brad

You can fish any crankbait you want in the weeds, just take off the hooks. My best cranking around weeds is with crankbaits that just tick the weeds. There are a lot of choices out there for shallow crankbaits that work great over weeds. Just pick some that will run as deep as the top of the weeds and you should be set. Brad

For thick weeds, any of the floating frog baits is a must try as are weightless plastics. To stop the nose of weightless baits getting torn up in the grass, I like a Reaction Innovations Screwed-Up Bullet. It is a small plastic screw-in device, like a scrwe in weight, but without the weight part. It really helps plastics slide through weeds. Of course, a heavy weighted plastic dropped through the holes and jigged can be good too. And the Johnson spoon mentioned above is a great weed bait. Brad

For me, real fall fishing does not start until mid to late October here in Indiana. I will always start shallow and progress deeper with crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs and the Crig. Also, as the water cools, most of my crankbaits are thinner with tighter vibrations. Baits like a Little John, Norman Thin N and LC Flat CB MR all work very well for me in the fall. With spinnerbaits, its all about the speed, so for faster retrieves I will start with double willows, progress down through tandem colorado/willow or colorado/indiana and then to a single blade colorado when I want a slow rolled approach. Head size is by depth. Shallow, 1/4 and 3/8 normally, slightly deeper 1/2 and 5/8, deeper 3/4 and 1 oz.. For fishing around the bottom OR swimming through cover, the jig has been my best bait in the fall. Also, I will always have a topwater bait tied on for when schooling fish get on shad and I will also have a Crig in the boat as that is something that can catch fish year round as well and has bailed me out when all the other stuff I tried has failed. Brad

Most of my spinnerbait use is with Booyahs in 1/4 oz. up through 1 oz.. Never had a problem with a Booyah spinnerbait. I also like the River2Sea spinnerbaits. Brad

When a fish hits a bait half heartedly, then you need to make a change. Might be speed, might be color, might be size. The popper is attracting the fish, just not making them fully commit. I see this happen on crankbaits a lot. I get fish on the back hook only or miss a few, then make a color change or speed change and the fish hit harder and take the bait better. Brad

You may actually be surprised at how easily many cranks come through cover. No doubt about it, you will get hung up now and then. It's part of fishing cover with crankbaits. Another thing I would reccomend is a lure retriever. They will pay for themselves in one trip in saved baits. Brad

Yep, I'll be selling off all of my Curados and Citicas and getting all new reels this winter. Of course, I will be getting reels with the handles on the correct saide of the reel! I love when new models come out! 8-) Brad

Insane? :-? Nope, not at all. I'm looking at strength AND diameter. With a superline, I get the same diameter as 8 lb. mono, but much more strength for hooksets and moving fish from cover. I can toss a jig into open water and into very heavy cover on a spinning rod and know I will get a good hookset and get the fish out with a superline. I will also get better feel. I know a lot of people that are now putting superlines on spinning gear and doing a lot more with finesse baits and other baits than they ever could with mono of the same diameter. Brad

Another hook to try is the Gambler Double Toad hook. It has a screw in attachment for the nose of the bait and the double hook fits around the bait and rests on top. Nothing penetrates the plastic. You can skin hook the points or leave them exposed on top. I've been tryimg these hooks out with Cane Toads and Horny Toads this summer and they are decent hooks for toads. Brad

The Brush Hog is my #1 bait at Lake Barkley. The fish just kill it on a Crig on the ledges and roadbeds. My best colors are any of the watermelon or green pumpkin based colors. Brad

The ZOOM Horny Toad hooks or many of the Mustad Ultra Lock or similar hooks with springs or pins that slide in the nose of the bait. My soft toads last longer with these types of hooks. The Mustad hooks have a plastic peg and you can use a drop of superglue on it when you insert it in the toad and the bait stays on quite a while. Brad

Check out Yamamoto's color #159. Blue/Black/Chartreuse Flake. It is a very dark color and the hint of blue in the black makes many of the chartreuse flakes appear to be green. Brad

If I plan on fishing cover with jigs/tubes, I almost always have a tube and a jig tied on and use both. The fish will soon tell me what they prefer, but to be honest, the tube and jig catch about equal for me on any given day I am using them. Also, if I am fishing a jig and catching fish on it, I will go back down the same bank with a tube and usually catch a few more and vise versa. They really are interchangeable baits IMO. Brad

Don't mix super plastics like 3X with regualr plastics. You can have a real mess if you do. Otherwise, you will not have a problem mixing other plastics to make your own colors. I know a guy that takes light colored Senkos and lays dark colored Senkos across them to get stripes. Brad

I would suggest a 7' MH spinning rod if you intend to stay with spinning tackle. For line, I would use a braid such as 40 lb. Power Pro which will give you plenty of strength and a small diameter for your spinning reel. This should be a good setup for jigs as well as plastics. As for working the jig, you can work it anyway you ant. Swim it, crawl it, hop it, etc. Whatever your situation dictates. Lot of strikes on jigs come on the fall, so be sure to watch your line. Good luck! Brad

What are rods priced like in Italy compared to the USA? I know with the dollar being weak against the Euro and other currencies, I have a ton of shoppers in Italy, Spain and many other places getting tackle from the US and evben after paying for shipping, they are still getting a bargain. You might ber able to get a good deal here in the US. Brad