Barkley

[QUOTE=Dave Stewart;555049]I am not having any problems catching fish on North Barkley...just not getting very many over 3 lbs except we have taken a couple of nice smallies over 4lbs there this week. Best bite for us is on staging banks and points. Getting prespawn and post spawn. Jigs, lizards, creature baits and shaky heads. Getting a lot of bedding fish picking up the baits and moving them in 3-7 ft of water, bedding deep.

Dave[/QUOTE]

Dave,

Are you sure your not trying to drum up more business for your guide service? :) We fished Nothern Barkley for 11 hours Tuesday and boated 10 fish total following that exact pattern. Really didn't even have many more bites than the ones we caught.

I'll throw my .02 cents worth in as one who fishes the big lakes fairly often. Last spring and this spring have been tough for me. 2 years back I had a great spring on size and numbers. Fishing other seasons I am not sensing a decline in numbers or quality but for some reason these last 2 springs the fish have not come up in numbers like I am accustomed to. I can't say I understand why but I noticed Dave's comment that he is finding the bedding fish deeper than usual. Even the early pre-spawn bite this year was scattered and the fish were "further out" in the bays than usual. Makes me wonder about fishing pressure in general. Maybe the fish are responding to all of the attention they get while shallow. The other thought I have this spring is it was wet early but not wet enough for way high water like we can get in the spring. We had that cold dry spell late march to mid-April and the water greatly cleared as the current dropped off. I know in the past I would look forward to the water rising with the spring rains and more color in the bays but as we were approaching prime spawn time the water conditions were far from that. The crappie were weird this spring on the big lakes too. Same kind of thing - they didn't seem to come in on the banks in numbers like they normally do. Something is definitely different...

kc

[QUOTE=kylakefan;555059]Dave,

Are you sure your not trying to drum up more business for your guide service? :) We fished Nothern Barkley for 11 hours Tuesday and boated 10 fish total following that exact pattern. Really didn't even have many more bites than the ones we caught.[/QUOTE]

One post, and you're going to subtly poke one of the COOLEST cats on the board...

DUDE, really.

While I have not been down there in a few weeks, when I was down there, it was tough , but not so tough that I couldn't catch fish.

And while the Bighead and Silvers are in there, I didn't see too many of them the last trip either.

What I did notice is that the weather has been crazy, crazy jacked up this spring, and that has had more effect on the fishing than anything else.

I wish I had some more trips this year, but it simply is not in the cards.

Good Luck boys, and keep fishin....

Oh, btw...when I was down there the last time, it was 7-10ft of water, with lizards and brush hogs...in GREEN.

Later,

Geo

[QUOTE=kc;555070]I'll throw my .02 cents worth in as one who fishes the big lakes fairly often. Last spring and this spring have been tough for me. 2 years back I had a great spring on size and numbers. Fishing other seasons I am not sensing a decline in numbers or quality but for some reason these last 2 springs the fish have not come up in numbers like I am accustomed to. I can't say I understand why but I noticed Dave's comment that he is finding the bedding fish deeper than usual. Even the early pre-spawn bite this year was scattered and the fish were "further out" in the bays than usual. Makes me wonder about fishing pressure in general. Maybe the fish are responding to all of the attention they get while shallow. The other thought I have this spring is it was wet early but not wet enough for way high water like we can get in the spring. We had that cold dry spell late march to mid-April and the water greatly cleared as the current dropped off. I know in the past I would look forward to the water rising with the spring rains and more color in the bays but as we were approaching prime spawn time the water conditions were far from that. The crappie were weird this spring on the big lakes too. Same kind of thing - they didn't seem to come in on the banks in numbers like they normally do. Something is definitely different...

kc[/QUOTE]

That is wild....I also fish the lakes quite a bit, and am down there for 20-30 days in the spring and 20-30 days in the fall.

Last spring was the best spring I've had in 20 years. on 8 trips, every single day we had a bag of solid keepers, and on a few days, we were up in the 20-25lb range. There were multiple days where we had a few over 5, and a few over 6.

I'm really looking forward to this fall, since I'm missing most of the spring this year with a remodel project from hell......

Later,

Geo

[QUOTE=kylakefan;555059]Dave,

Are you sure your not trying to drum up more business for your guide service? :) We fished Nothern Barkley for 11 hours Tuesday and boated 10 fish total following that exact pattern. Really didn't even have many more bites than the ones we caught.[/QUOTE]

If you look at my the last part of my weekly report you will see that I do not need to "drum up" business. My next available date is in July. I was on N. Barkley on Tuesday also doing a tournament prep trip. We caught as many or more than you did and we were leaving fish that were biting to find more spots with fish. I certainly agree that the fishing this past couple of weeks on both lakes is not as good as we expect this time of year, but it is not so bad you can't catch fish.

[QUOTE=GeoFisher;555073]That is wild....I also fish the lakes quite a bit, and am down there for 20-30 days in the spring and 20-30 days in the fall.

Last spring was the best spring I've had in 20 years. on 8 trips, every single day we had a bag of solid keepers, and on a few days, we were up in the 20-25lb range. There were multiple days where we had a few over 5, and a few over 6.

I'm really looking forward to this fall, since I'm missing most of the spring this year with a remodel project from hell......

Later,

Geo[/QUOTE]

I heard that on projects and to come clean that had much to do with last spring for me. We were migrating to new applications starting in May and I didn't make to the lakes from early April to June so I missed the prime shallow window completely last year. But the trips I had in March and early April last year weren't as productive and to me it is just a matter of "tuning" into where the fish are and what they want to bite. Most of my trips are weekend trips and having 2 days to tune into the fish can be kind of tight especially if they aren't where you expect them to be. It just seems to me the fish have been setting up differently - especially this spring. Or maybe I am just losing my touch. I just know I always look forward to the fish setting up shallow each spring and when they don't it is kind of a let down...


kc

[QUOTE=kylakefan;555059]Dave,

Are you sure your not trying to drum up more business for your guide service? :) We fished Nothern Barkley for 11 hours Tuesday and boated 10 fish total following that exact pattern. Really didn't even have many more bites than the ones we caught.[/QUOTE]


For all the times I may have struggled to catch a lot of fish, and there have been plenty if someone else said they were having some good luck at the same time I would never think to presume that the issue couldn't be something I was or wasn't doing and that they must be embellishing.

Questioning others integrity with no evidence for doing so usually says more about the character of the accuser than those accused.

[QUOTE=kylakefan;555059]Dave,

Are you sure your not trying to drum up more business for your guide service? :) We fished Nothern Barkley for 11 hours Tuesday and boated 10 fish total following that exact pattern. Really didn't even have many more bites than the ones we caught.[/QUOTE]
Maybe you are not a good bass fisherman, dave is a professional. I follow his reports and use his advice and do very well by it.

[QUOTE=barkleyhawggitter;555087]Maybe you are not a good bass fisherman, dave is a professional. I follow his reports and use his advice and do very well by it.[/QUOTE]

Sorry for apparently offending some people, my comment was meant to be a friendly joke. It was in no way intended to be an attack. I respect Dave and his business greatly and always appreciate the information he provides to us non professionals.

[QUOTE=kc;555082]I heard that on projects and to come clean that had much to do with last spring for me. We were migrating to new applications starting in May and I didn't make to the lakes from early April to June so I missed the prime shallow window completely last year. But the trips I had in March and early April last year weren't as productive and to me it is just a matter of "tuning" into where the fish are and what they want to bite. Most of my trips are weekend trips and having 2 days to tune into the fish can be kind of tight especially if they aren't where you expect them to be. It just seems to me the fish have been setting up differently - especially this spring. Or maybe I am just losing my touch. I just know I always look forward to the fish setting up shallow each spring and when they don't it is kind of a let down...


kc[/QUOTE]

Migrating to new Applications...sounds like you're an IT guy :) .

[QUOTE=GeoFisher;555132]Migrating to new Applications...sounds like you're an IT guy :) .[/QUOTE]

Sure am. I only wish ERPs were as straight forward to pattern as the bass bite. Neither is easy to figure out but at least chasing bass is fun...


kc

Fish texas rigged soft plastics in the flowers or standing weeds. Did well today at Paris.