BFL at Patoka

[Frenzy]

Does anybody know what took the BFL at Patoka? What was big bass? Water clarity and temp? I'm thinking about going up there this weekend or early next week. Anybody been there recently?

[nlberr01]

I have caught several small mouths on the rocky ledges and flats. I actually caught several on a little crank bait that looks like a crawdad. Its a floating bait. I would throw it against rock wall and let it sit. The smallies would come up and devour it. I also caught a three pounder on a chartruese spinner bait. That's a story. I just bought my first bait caster and didn't tighten it to the pole. The smallie hit and pulled the reel right off. Luckily the darn fish was hooked good. I absolutely freaked when I got it in the boat. I'm not to emotional but the guys I fished with pulled an Iconelli, screaming and hollering. I don't fish with them anymore.

[Biggofish]

I fished Patoka in the BFL last weekend. Water was stained where I was at. Temps in the 47-49 range. My boater had 4 keepers on crankbaits and I had 1 keeper on a crank bait. Yes, there are small mouth in Patoka, there were several weighed in on Saturday.In the BFL there was 177 boats. 92 boaters weighed fish and 63 co anglers weighed fish. It was very tough fishing.

[Frenzy]

Just read on the BFL website that it took 15 lbs. to win. Nobody caught a 5 fish limit. Big bass was a little over 7 lbs. and they were catching them on jigs in shallow bays. Anyone been there this past weekend of this week?

[lov2fish]

The BFL was this past weekend. For a change they are staying on top of updating their site.



Ray Rigby

[Chigger_Brumbalow]

Lov2,

You fish Patoka much? I heard there are smallmouth in there, but I can't catchem. Let me know the spots if you can.

Chigger

[Frenzy]

I have always wondered if there are smallmouth in Patoka. The main marina's website doesn't list them as one of the fish stocked there. Maybe a few have made it in from the river but I'm not so sure about the abundance. Anyone have any light to shed on the subject?

[lov2fish]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Apr-05-06 AT 09:52PM (EST)[/font][p]Patoka has quite an abundance of Smallmouth. I won't however tell anyone on a public message board where or how to find them. I will tell ya this, they ain't Largemouth and you ain't gonna find em pitchin a jig to wood.



Ray Rigby

[JRB]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Apr-06-06 AT 09:55AM (EST)[/font][p]AND WE DON'T TARGET THEM CAUSE YOU AIN'T GOING TO WIN ANY TOURNAMENTS DOWN there RELYING SMALLMOUTH EVEN IF THERE IS AN ABUNDANCE OF THEM. I JUST SEEN PICTURES of a 5lb smallmouth at Monroe, it was a pig!

[indylux]

Can you share the smallmouth pic?

[Topwater2004]

I found it on a club tournament weigh in's picks.

http://members.evansville.net/eddier/patoka_er.jpg

I believe there are more.

[lov2fish]

My personal best smallie from Patoka is 4 lbs. 3 oz. I never target them during a tournament, as pointed out, they just don't weigh out the same as a Largemouth. I will admit though that I did target em once to try and fill out a limit and managed to do so. I still only finished 5th.

When I am just down there fun fishing I target nothing but smallies and the occasional crappie :)


Ray Rigby