bishoptf

Yup the bigger lake... Yeah thats the problem I have, I am not sure where the bass are for the most part. The other problem I have is there are so many things to try, like burning a fluke, I have flukes but would not have thought of trying that. I have a lot of stuff and can try different things just not sure what to try where etc...so much to learn, lol.

Yeah I'm not really a newbie, I've been around for a long time just do not post much. I'm *cough* and older guy and just trying to step up my game and try to get better. I know the seasonal patterns but this lake at least for me is an oddity. It has a good amount of good size bass but its pretty shallow for the majority, no grass, and no current for the most part. I've just never done well consistently ever in the fall and would just like to figure some things out. I actually think if I had FFS I could at least figure out what and where the bass are in the lake. I think the relate to the brush piles certain times of the year but I think the boat lifts which most are hard lifts that sit on the bottom (since the lake is so shallow) are what they relate to the most but there are a lot of them. I'm just looking for more suggestions on maybe what to try, I've not had much consistent luck with what I have been throwing. Will be back at it on Monday, maybe I will throw a chatterbait and see what else I can come up with. I do think a majority of the bass are chasing the shad, there is a lot of baitfish in the lake, fish are fat.

Tried all the above and more today, ended up being cloudy and windy. Not sure if a front was moving through but the wind was blowing. I haven't thrown a swim jig much and threw one today, man it was a struggle all day today. In addition to what you have listed today I also threw spinnerbaits, jigs and a pop-r. The only fish I caught which were right at the end of the day was on a jig along the same stretch of bank. I fished the jig in lots of places along with all the other items and nada all day long until right at the end. Just not sure where or what the fish are relating to and not sure how to figure it out, lol.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I just wish I knew more about Bass behavior along with all the other things that go into it, lake clarity, wind, on and on. Just going to try to read more and see if I can start to figure things out. My plan now that I am retired is to fish as much as I can. I have been averaging three days a week since we have not had much rain since june. I am also going to try to go out even when it gets colder through the winter maybe when we have a week or two that warms up. At least I probably will not see any other boats out there lol. Going out tomorrow afternoon and going to try maybe a jerkbait, jig and maybe a big 6" soft swimbait. I've caught fish on the squarebill but what we call dinks nothing large, the only large fish I caught have been on the large willow spinner bait but have had no luck on that this week. Small front coming through tonight so fishing may be even tougher but I'd rather be on the lake then doing other stuff since it will be nice weather otherwise.

Yeah, mostly the bottom is mud, there are some harder bottom but not a lot. I can see harder bottom on my side imaging. Most of the banks are rip rap rocks, but the rocks do not extend far under water, no real grass in the lake, on the edge there is some water willow but no real grass. I have been trying all those you have listed except for jerkbaits. Was catching a few on underspin swimbait (owner flashy etc), tried small and larger swimbaits and nothing. The only thing that I have caught a few fish on is squarebills but they all have been small. Last week caught 2 decent size fish 5.5lb and 3.5 on a big willow blade spinnerbait shallow but nothing this week. Have also tried various different deeper crankbaits, rapala dt series, 8, 10 and 14 along with lipless and nothing on those but I could be in wrong location with the wrong retrieve. If you want to look at the lake and have access to google earth on your desktop, punch in lake saint louis and then turn on your historical time and go back to 11/2013. Thats the last time I can find a good image when they have the lake drawn down. That will give you and idea on the shore lines. I have been throwing what you mentioned, Keitech on an owner flashy. Lake has already turned over about 3-4 weeks ago, temps in range from 63-65, was actually cooler but warmed up a little bit. I have some finesse tackle and lures, so I can do all the above. Tackle is not my issue, me know what and where is lacking, lol. Thanks for the information, I have been going out mid day, usually in around 11:30 and fish until 4:30-5pm. I actually saw someone come behind me later in the afternoon fishing a jig and caught a nice keeper so I think I am going to try and fish a jig more tomorrow and see if that helps. With me catching the nice ones last week on spinnerbait, I kept trying that and this week has not produced, not sure what changed from last week to this week but I thought I was on to something and this week nada with the spinnerbait.

Yes the lake has green sunfish and I have a good idea of the contours, there is not much of them, lol. Their are bouys and most of the arms are no wake areas, they have no wake areas on the sides of the lake but its not very wide so when boats are running the main lake is usually rocking. The main hours are sunrise to sunset, after sunset the lake goes to basically idle only. They only aquatic growth is water willow and not a lot of it but there is some around. There are bush piles around the lake and I know where most of the brush is located. The lake has LOTS of shad I believe they are gizzard since it gets cold in the winter and I do not think threadfin would make it. Lake has lots of them, everywhere basically, lol. I just struggle with figuring out where and on what I should be focusing. Fall tends to be more difficult at least for me, caught 2 nice ones last week on big willow spinnerbait shallow but water temps have dropped to mid 60's and do not think this week I have had any takers on the spinnerbait. I need to figure out how to eliminate water and figure out whats working quicker than I do, last couple of days nothing seems to work that I am trying. Oh and yes only LMB that I am going after.

I really not sure where to post this, kid of a big dumb question but hear goes. I've been fishing all my life, older guy and if I could fish every day I would (being older body doesn't always agree). I have recently retired and I am fishing a lot more, but still feel like I struggle to figure out what I should be doing for a given day/season. I grew up beating the banks and trying to be smarter and learn more offshore techniques but one of the lakes I fish is a private community lake (about 600 acres) and have been fishing it for almost 30 years and still feel like I am at a loss during certain times of the year. It's an odd lake imho, has no grass (that would impact the skiers etc), its not a deep lake, average depth is 10ft, closer to the dam goes to maybe 20-25ft. So it's fairly shallow and there are brushpiles scattered and I know those locations and really the only other structure in the lake are all the boat lifts and there are lots of metal boat lifts all over the lake. There really is only one creek that feeds the lake and only when we get rain consistently is there any flow and there is not much flow then unless we have had a lot of rain so no real river/creek channel that runs through the lake. There is a local anglers club but there is not much information shared since they have weekly tournaments and my thought is no one wants to say whats working because ya know they want to win the weekly tournament. I do not fish tournaments I just fish for the fun and enjoyment. I guess I am just trying to learn how to figure out for a given time what the bass are relating to and how to figure out whats working. I have pretty much everything at my disposal tackle wise, hard baits, soft baits etc but I struggling at figuring out what and where I should be. I sometimes think I spend to much time in an area or a given bait and waste time that way. Just looking for any advice that could help me figure things out, what part of the lake and what baits to help me cover water to eliminate areas etc. Kind of humbles me since there appears to be so many folks that make it look easy and I seem to struggle more than I would like to admit. I read and watch youtube and there is lots of good information out there but there are alot of just trying to sell baits etc and I am really trying to learn how to be better at breaking down the lake each time I go out. What lures can I use to do that and where do I start, 600 acres is not that big but still a good bit of water to cover. Just thought I would throw that out there and see what else I can do to learn more, thanks! Really enjoy the forum!

I think it works for some stuff and not others, wish it was easier to know what it worked for...I tried some Rapala DT16 crankbaits and it did not work. So you have to try each thing and see if it works for it or not....

Just saw this, baitwrx 25% off in cart with code save25 exclusions apply but I tried it on a shimano baitcaster and it worked, only good for rest of the day.

I feel ya...PB&J is pretty good stuff, there is also Macaroni and Cheese and Ramen and lots of other cheap food alternatives...I mean I'd rather fish then eat all fancy

I'm an electronic person and it just seems like its to much to ask that stuff just works these days. I think maybe what I will do is pull up to a buoy and mark that and then maybe go from there and see where things are in relation. The other thing I am going to do is have the bow use the GPS signal from the console, thats probably not helping and see if that changes anything. If I can get it to 10ft I am good with that but right now its more than 10ft. The garmins seem like nice units, sidevu and clearvu is really sharp images, mapping seems to be accurate for the most part this is just one of the niggles I am seeing. In my old boat I only had hbird and there networking among the units, well it leaves a lot to be desired. I also thought by getting the garmin unit I could use it for mapping and if I want to add ffs down the road I would be setup for it and use the unit for mapping and ffs. I'll play around with it and see what I can figure out, I do not see many folks complaining about it so it's probably something with my setup, its hard to be on the water and play with electronics since I would rather be fishing.

I guess I wasn't clear, Hbird and Garmin are 2 separate units. I have Helix 10 that has my m360 unit attached to it and dedicated to m360, thats all it does. I can change the m360 and do sidescan and mark way points but I have a Garmin echomap ultra2 on the console and one the bow networked. So when I am at the console and scanning I am marking objects on the Garmin at the console and since the 2 garmins are connected via networking the waypoints show up on my garmin unit on the bow, that is what I am using for maps, navigation, sidevu, clearvu, 2d etc. What I am saying is when I mark a waypoint and come up to it on my bow garmin map, its not in the 80ft range of the m360, I have to hunt around for the object. Again I need to do some more testing and maybe since I am marking the waypoint from the console and the transducer is in the back of the boat PLUS the accuracy issue that maybe what I am seeing. I need to go out and spend some time testing and see how off it really is. What I haven't tried but what I bet would be the result is I could bring up mapping and sidescan on my m360 and throw a way point down and then split screen with map and m360 and from my prior experience with Hbird I bet it shows up close. But the transducer for m360 is at the front vs the back so something I just need to play with some more and figure out what I am doing wrong, lol.

Yeah kind of like the force tm that when you hit the spot lock if your moving your going to go backwards, lol. I need to see how much its really off but i've been noticing it. Just frustrating to spend the money and it kind of works, lol.

Here's what happening, I am doing some side imaging, down imaging, 2d whatever and go over or beside some brushpiles, rock whatever. When I swing around and go back, I go up to the front of the boat, drop my tm in the water and steer towards my waypoints on the bow garmin. I have range rings on my graphs for 80ft so there is a line that comes out and has dashes for each distance. I have the m360 set to 80ft also and it has range markers. So I pull up clearly in the range on my garmin map but brush is no where to be seen on my garmin unit, I have to go left/right etc and find what I marked on the map. Now how far it's off I never really figured it out but with the range rings being the same it should be within my range and I shouldn't have to search for it. At least that is my thinking, so again I need to go do more testing and see how far its really off.

Ive never measured the distance its not 50ft but its not 10ft either. I need to take some measurements and see how far it really is but when I pull up on a waypoint its not showing up on m360 image. I have to search around, I need to play around with it some more and make some notes. The 2 Garmin units are networked and the waypoints appear to be in the same spot.

I tried searching for this but not sure what terms I should use but was wondering if anyone has seen this issue and if so is there any adjustments that I can make to minimize it. What I am having issues with is when I am using sidescan from the console using my gt36 at the back of the boat and adding waypoints for brushpiles and other objects. When I go up to the front of the boat and get on my m360 I have another echomap ultra2 at the front of the boat networked and can see my waypoints but when I find the brush with m360 they are no where close to where the are on the map. Not sure that makes sense but it can be off by a good bit, never have really measured but its enough that I have to search around with the m360 to find the brush. I know with gps they are only accurate for a certain distance but it seems to be pretty far apart. I am getting good GPS lock so thats not the issue but maybe it's how I am marking the waypoints but something is not correct. Has anyone seen this before and if so where you able to correct it and if so how. I have not called garmin support since most of the ones I talk to are just reading for the q&a guides from the website so I thought I would ask here first. Thanks

Tacklewarehouse Buy More Save more, not sure of the exclusions, attached the flyer... Baitwrx flash sale 35% of certain brands:

Old dog but I grew up throwing a spinning reel, right hand with left hand retrieve. During my teenage years I moved over to baitcasters and there were really no left hand retrieves back in the olden days so it was what it was. About 10 years ago one fishing day I did a lot of cranking and started having tennis elbow issues. I did a lot of computer work and even using the mouse with my right hand was excruciating, so I actually switched over to a left hand trackball mouse and that helped me recover along with going back to spinning rods. I had a mix of baitcasters and spinning but tended to use the spinning rods more but this past summer I semi-retired and have been doing a lot more fishing and started throwing some deep cranking baits and my stupid elbow has been bothering me again so I think if I can get used to them which I think I can, it will help my elbow until I irritate my left one, lol. I see many more pro's now throwing with left handed baitcasters and I think it makes a lot of sense. At least for me I have always thrown my spinning reels right handed and reeled on the left side. Will see how it goes, so far the reels seem really nice...should have bought more.

Had to follow up, purchased 2 shimano SLX xt 151 left hand reels from ALF when they had the sale, reels were $65ea with discount. I thought that was to good to be true but they showed up today, look brand new in the box. They are left hand retrieve and that will be new but going to put on my deep cranking rod which bothers my elbow so I may eventually just switch over to all left hand retrieve. Awesome place!

Appreciate the information, I really like Behrens ramp, really nice facilities except for the hike up to the parking lot, lol. The conservation dropped a lot of brushpiles and I have founds and marked most of them but I assume so has everyone else. I am retiring in the next couple of days and have been using my vacation days for awhile and fishing 3 days a week when the weather cooperates and one of those days up at Twain. Twain is about hour and half away and Oz is right at 2hours so trying to decide which one I want to fish more, the plan is to fish year round when the weather permits and just try to learn more about the lakes.

War Eagle! I put in at Rey Behrens ramp, and really have only had any luck hitting the conservation brushpiles with crankbaits but catch rate nothing like your catch rate. I have only fished small lakes and the larger lakes like oz and twain are a big mystery for me at the moment, not sure where to start. Usually I try to find the brush piles but its a large vody of water to side scan. I have found some interesting areas based on the contour map but still trying to figure things out, usually only getting up there once per week. When I have been up there I see shad everywhere and with the lake so deep I need to figure out how the bass relate in a highland reservoir, lake is deep and even back up in the creek channels not much shallow water before dropping off deep. Thanks for the information when you say mid to lower end of the lake, where is that in relation to Clarence Dam. Thanks

ALF has shimano slx xt with code left hand retrieve for $63, I wanted to try left hand and for $63 I think that is a good deal. https://www.americanlegacyfishing.com/shimano-slx-xt-casting-reels.html

Baitwrx flash sale, 30% off soft swimbaits - https://manage.kmail-lists.com/subscriptions/web-view?a=SCgdTw&c=01J65CF5VCDAMVBAGKHCG7A336&k=259d994898ade597ea3b8e1ced2bac9e&m=01J7C8P4BP6CKB4FDG9Q56DB6B&r=3efdWyD4

Yikes thats terrible and should never happen, hopefully it's easy to get cleared up,s igh.

Just got an email for Bait-Wrx Labor day sale: