Well, at least I didn't get skunked

[Valascus]

Went out yesterday to the spot I had outline in the "Late Fall Tactics Question" thread in the General Topics section. Got down there right at sunrise, and it couldn't have been more beautiful. Can't beat this in late November...

So...I started the morning throwing topwater just to see if there was anything doing there. Never know unless ya check. Nothing there after about 15 minutes...so I switched to a Chrome, Blue Back, Orange Bellied Smithwick Suspending Pro Rogue. Ended up catching 3 fish on it within an hour and a half, but didn't take any pics since they were all about 1 - 1.5 pounds and 15"-16" long. But these fish were all important, or so I thought. Upon examining each fish I noticed that the crushing plates in the back of there mouths were red and inflamed. They were all caught holding pretty tight to the laydowns where chunk rock ran under the laydowns. I thought, "Hmmmmm...must be feeding on craws that venture too close to the wood they are holding on." So I decided to switch to a YUM! Crawbug with an inserted tube jighead. I checked the movement of the rig in shallow water and it doesn't get more realistic looking than that. I plugged every piece of wood on northern bank with it and came up empty. Not even a tap. I thought maybe it was the size or profile, so I decided to try a 3/8 oz. Jig X with a little more slim Arkie Craw Trailer on it. Same result. After that I decided to go back to waht I caught 'em on in the first place, but didn't get anything on it either. I think the fish had moved to deeper water as the day went on...water that I couldn't reach from the bank. So after trying everything I could think of for the remaining 5 hours and not even getting a nibble, I decided to call it a day. I was a little frustrated because I thought I had 'em figured out. But hey, at least I didn't get skunked and it was a gorgeous day out.

[Catt]

The bass could have simply been on a morning bite 8-)

I always say about the time you think you have them figured out, they prove you don't!   :'(

[Valascus]

Yeah...kinda makes me wish I had snapped a few pics of the ones I did catch...instead of thinking I was gonna catch more, better fish. Oh well. Live and learn I guess.

[cart7t]

I was out yesterday as well and had about the same luck you did with both a Rogue and Husky jerk.  Very slow bite and I finally got tired of fighting the wind while trying to work a very slowly jerked Rogue.  The bite yesterday was very light.

[Valascus]

I think I got my bites more so off of a reaction strike with the Rogues. I tried many different retrieves with them, but found that a speedier retrieve in quick short jerks got their attention. The reason I thought it was a reaction strike was how they were hooked. They were all hooked with the front and middle hooks. They definately were not striking the Rogues half heartedly where I was, at least not early on. The last fish of the three I caught did not strike nearly as aggressively as the first two.