Hybrids at Rough River

[catchandfillet]

I'm pretty familiar with Rough River lake. I know they have a great population of hybrid bass. I have caught a couple before on random occasions. I'm looking for tips on how to catch them more consistently. (What to use?, how to locate them?) Any info or advice would be appreciated.

I plan on going Sunday and using what I learn from this post to catch some. Hopefully the rain holds off.

[Bandit1]

I don't fish for them, but like you I have caught them by accident. There is an episode of KY Afield where Tim is there and they are fishing for them. It is on You Tube. They are fishing at the mouth of Panthers creek. This may get you started in the right direction.

Jason

[catchandfillet]

I have seen that episode before. They make it look really easy. Lol Thanks for the reply.

[gfpete01]

I have seen that episode before. They make it look really easy. Lol Thanks for the reply.

First you need good electronics. When I'm looking for hybrids I'm almost always in deeper water around 15-25 sometimes 30 feet. I'm looking for large schools of shad on my graph and I want to see arches under that big ball of shad. I also want to see lines darting thru the shad ball. The way hybrids feed is that the big ones sit under the shad ball and feed on the "falling" shad while the smaller hybrids "hit/wound" the shad from the big ball. They kind of hunt like a school of piranhas....

Sometimes you'll see the school of hybrids hit shad on top, this is fairly common on Rough.. When that is happening I throw a top water bait almost exclusively.

I have also caught the fire out of them on windy days when the shad get pushed up into a cove and the hybrids surround them and keep them pinned there. The biggest thing though is finding that ball of shad.

Baits of choice when they are not busting on top would be a small swimbait, small rattlebait or bucktail jig.

Remember that a lot of times the hybrids will hit your bait just to wound it, they aren't committed yet and you'll want to set the hook... Don't! Let it fall! When you feel the second hit, that's when you want to set the hook. There are times when using a treble hooked bait that you will get them on the first hit but in my experience its the second hit where they commit to the bite!

Happy hybrid hunting!

[18RangerZ520L]

When I'm looking for hybrids I'm almost always in deeper water around 15-25 sometimes 30 feet.

You haven't "looked for hybrids" in the last few years since I've known you... Heck, you never even mentioned anything about hybrids at all the last few years. LOL

Since I've known you, you've hit the two lakes I taught you with MY baits 90% of the time you've gone fishing the last few years! LOL

Have you conquered/attempted my "fishing challenge" I gave you yet?