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Just wondering...what are your best methods...strategies, for loading the boat with "keeper" largmouths at Ky. Lake / Barkley...during the Fall period, dead Oct.? I've head a few methods from friends...but thought I'd ask the board...and hear from others that maybe do it a bunch there?
Fall can sometimes be tough to find keepers. Its all about timing. However you can have a blast catching fish. Depending on the water temp/current you can catch some on creek ledges, you can catch some on the lead in banks to the bays, and you can can catch them in the back of the bays. Follow the birds, they will show you were the bait is. As a general rule the smaller fish will come to the back of the bays first to feed up for winter, then the bigger fish will come in. Kentucky is better in the fall for me than Barkley. Just because I fish Kentucky in the fall more.
mkmsports41 pretty much nailed it. Timing can be critical. I always have a small crankbait, a trap bait, a spinner bait and a spoon ready. If there is no minnow activity, you can back out toward the middle of the bays and drag a C-rig with a creature bait. At times that can be deadly.
It's basically schooling action out the wazoo. Find the shad, and you'll find the fish.
Throw anything that resembles a shad and you'll do well. Keep in mind that most times the fish are all of the same size in a school - so if you're catching dinks out of a school you will contine to catch dinks out of it and need to move on to the next one.
My favorite is getting onto some schooling smallmouth. That's a blast! They'll herd shad like a bunch of cowboys coralling cattle. They'll herd them up on a shallow flat and then explode! Just thinking about that sound is giving me chills right now! Ha ha ha! :)
If you're fishing a tournament, be sure to have a backup plan just in case something changes and the schools scatter - somedays it's a hot bite and then somedays they just disappear.
[QUOTE=artcarney_agr;422238]It's basically schooling action out the wazoo. Find the shad, and you'll find the fish.
Throw anything that resembles a shad and you'll do well. Keep in mind that most times the fish are all of the same size in a school - so if you're catching dinks out of a school you will contine to catch dinks out of it and need to move on to the next one.
My favorite is getting onto some schooling smallmouth. That's a blast! They'll herd shad like a bunch of cowboys coralling cattle. They'll herd them up on a shallow flat and then explode! Just thinking about that sound is giving me chills right now! Ha ha ha! :)
If you're fishing a tournament, be sure to have a backup plan just in case something changes and the schools scatter - somedays it's a hot bite and then somedays they just disappear.[/QUOTE]
x2
Be sure to have a scrounger tied on - that bait is awesome in the fall around the schooling, but one thing over the past few years the little ones are caught first then all of a sudden you start catching big ones - they seem to be running together! Last year and this year has been weird for this happening, used to be catch 3 or 4 little ones then back out or leave but nowadays seems like you have to weed through the little ones first.
Spot remover shaky head... Senko worm.. Need I say more?? ;)
[QUOTE=Smallie282;423592]Spot remover shaky head... Senko worm.. Need I say more?? ;)[/QUOTE]
nope!!!!