Fishing Forum

<br /> Hit Tims Ford yesterday. I have never caught a striper so the game plan was hit the smallmouth until 9 or 10 pm, stay out all night and catch a striper. Read and was told the place to be is Rock Creek as far up the elk river as you can go. I've been working the other end of the lake and had not been up there yet. <br />Left around noon and stopped by the Sportsman to get minnows and shiners - they were closed. Did a quick google and it showed a bait store right by Rock Creek dock, Emma's. Get there and they are out of business. <br />I really want some shiners to catch a striper - so I get in the boat and run to the other side of the lake to Holiday Marina. They have large tuffies, no shiners. I did manage to find 3 in the tuffy bin so was happy. <br />Guy at Holiday marina is really nice and gives me fishing info - he also says Rock Creek is the place to be. <br />Back in the boat, I shoot back towards rock creek. Not familiar with that part of the lake - need to be really careful as it is very shallow in areas you would not expect it to be. <br />Taking everyone's advice, I head up the Elk as far as I can go. Big mistake wish i had that time back. Took forever getting thru the area at Estill Spring park. Bottomed out a couple of times and had to troll some. <br />Took a long time but I get thru it - I musty be missing something. Is basically a big , really shallow creek now. 18' or so in some places, but very few. Mostly working through 4 feet or so of water. I ran over every inch of that water that i could and i never once saw a bait ball. Maybe too early to be up that far. <br />Takes me forever to get back. Seems like I have been out all day and have done little actual fishing.. <br />Working back by Estill Spring Park where the old dam is. Using a football jig with a red/white skirt. Was at walmart the day before and picked up these YUM LPT "wooly grubs" - only pack they had , never heard of them but they looked good. <br />I am drifting the shore, tossing the jig to shore and then working it down the incline. About my 3rd cast I catch a largemouth - didn't measure it, maybe 14". <br />Caught 2 more the same size before I got to the bridges. <br />Hmmm, I think I like this lure. <br />I work my way back up Rock Creek towards the main lake and don't catch anything - throwing that jig, a Rapala DT and a strike king swimbait. <br />I am not seeing anything on sonar - no fish jumping, nothing. I normally fish Little Hurricane and Hurricane Creek areas and i always see big bait balls and hear some top water action. <br />After about an hour and a half I say heck with this and head over to Hurricane Creek. Working down the left side going towards Holiday marina before the bridge. <br />Within 10 minutes I catch a nice smallmouth on the jig and Yum - 19" and weighed about 2 1/4 pounds. By the time i get to Awalt Bridge I have caught 4 smallmouth - 2 keepers, the 19" one and a 16 1/2 " one. Other 2 were around 14". <br />I also missed 4 - had them hooked and on for a good 15-20 seconds and they all just popped off. Wondering if maybe the weed guard was keeping me from getting a good hook set. <br />I also had 3 good hits but they were never hooked. <br />My new favorite lure for this time of year is the Yum Wooly Grub. After I missed the 2nd one, I switched to a stand up jig with no skirt - that is what i got the good hits on but they never took it. <br />I strongly recommend that Yum. On a football or stand up jig the bass have to think that is a crawdad with those arms waving at them. <br />Not a good day for most, but catching 5, missing those and also having some nice hits is a good day for me. <br />Getting late so i go back to Rock Creek, striper time. <br />Again, I must be missing something - I never saw the 1st bait ball on sonar, never saw anything. Could not find shad anywhere so i basically drifted all night looking for them - needless to say I never got my striper. <br />Everyone says Rock Creek is the place to be now but I am staying on the other end of the lake - Hurricane, lil Hurricane, Lost Creek etc. I may not have caught any over there, but I always see BIG bait balls and hear the fish working them. <br /> <br />Anyway, I digress. Right now seems they are loving the football or stand up jig with a nice trailer. I was having good luck so i stuck with the Yum and will be ordering more today. <br />Probably just me but I did not have any luck with the Rapala DT and a few different swimbaits. <br />ALL of the bass came in about 20' of water, close to shore. All of my strikes also came on bluffs, did not have any luck in shallow areas leading to inclines. <br /> <br />Always remember tho that I am not a good angler and your mileage will probably be much better.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />