You know it isn't going to be a great day when the train of trucks and boats splits at Callville... Yup, just my luck 2 tournaments today. One out of Callville and one out of Echo. I beat the batch out of Echo by a few minutes... That doesn't last long when your only moving at 1/2 the speed they are. By the time I was 1/2 way to the Overton area I had boats blasting by me on both sides one after another. There wasn't a spot up there that didn't have 2-3 boats per cove/good spot. That kind of blowed. I hit the east side up there to get away from them all and had a area to myself. Not productive though. A couple dinks. I messed around till most of them left and went over to the west side for a bit and got a couple dinks then started working my way down the lake on the east side. Areas where I don't typically see anyone fishing much just to hit areas that haven't been worked to death already. And to see some new water myself. Madi didn't go so I was solo and I don't mind hitting previously unproductive and new water/areas now and then just to see. In the end that unproductive water produced! Got 2 over 4 pounds and finished the day with 24 caught/released. 18 LMB and 6 SMB. I suppose my best 5 would of been 13 lbs today. Maybe a pinch less. The 2 big ones plus one ok fish then a couple just long enough to be able to weigh them in... If I was a tournament guy anyways. I worked pretty darn hard for those fish though. They certainly don't come easy on Lake Mead!
(Kinda sucks not having someone to take pics...)
4.29 lbs
![[Image: LakeMead_05-11-13_001.jpg]](http://www.outlawrc.com/stuff/fishing/LakeMead_05-11-13_001.jpg)
![[Image: LakeMead_05-11-13_002.jpg]](http://www.outlawrc.com/stuff/fishing/LakeMead_05-11-13_002.jpg)
4.1 lbs
![[Image: LakeMead_05-11-13_006.jpg]](http://www.outlawrc.com/stuff/fishing/LakeMead_05-11-13_006.jpg)
![[Image: LakeMead_05-11-13_007.jpg]](http://www.outlawrc.com/stuff/fishing/LakeMead_05-11-13_007.jpg)
The wife ordered some pink and purple for the boat... Well for Madi, but it is in the boat. I wasn't allowed to use her rods today since she wasn't going. lol
![[Image: ReelGirlRodGloves01.jpg]](http://www.outlawrc.com/stuff/fishing/ReelGirlRodGloves01.jpg)
![[Image: ReelGirlRodGloves02.jpg]](http://www.outlawrc.com/stuff/fishing/ReelGirlRodGloves02.jpg)
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Wow awesome man! Is that a watermelon plastic? Pics like this inspires me to keep trying. Good stuff man!
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Hopefully the fish pictures and not the purple and pink pictures. [cool]
Watermelon anything works great. WM red, WM seed, WM candy, WM green/red, etc. All I use. Actually never messed with anything else. WM works everywhere and works great for me on Mead so why mess with it. Nothing big though. Zero luck with big worms. Typical 4.5 - 6 inch stuff. 3/0 hook, either a worm hook or EWG, 3/16th's tungsten worm weight pegged. All I use. Madi uses a light wire EWG and I use a HD worm hook. Both Trokar. 15lb Seaguar InvizX Fluorocarbon for both of us.
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Hey wolf, you ever think about fishing some tournaments? You seem to be able to produce when no one else can. You're a hell of a fisherman, not to mention a hell of a dad.
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Naw, a fun hobby and break from town. Though it would be kinda cool to do one as a non-boater just for something different/change of pace. Also on the spendy side. Between entry fees, club fees, this and thats betting I could do 3-4 fishing trips verse one tournament. I'd need a second job...
Winter/tough fishing months I get my tail handed to me. Many trips with zero catches. I usually give up and start chasing the Stripers then...
Really it is all about having a boat and being able to cover a decent amount of water. Any boat. Shore fishing on Lake Mead is TOUGH. Been there tried that over a couple year span. My average/usual trip out there covers about 40 miles worth of water. At least what my Humminbird says at the end of each trip which I reset at the launch each outing.
There is a a ton of people that do great out there. They just don't post about it or even mess with computers. I am on a PC a ton so why not... I don't mind sharing what little I know.
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[quote AidanInSpace]Hey wolf, you ever think about fishing some tournaments
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ha ha I just asked him that the other day. [
![Wink Wink](https://bigfishtackle.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.png)
] great dad indeed!!
that's going to be me and my youngest daughter soon, she's my fishin buddy already and knows how to reel her barbie pole at 3yo, soon i'll have her casting.
but for now she's just happy being with me at the lake and playing in mud lol[sly]
nice report again. those are some nice bass, are they still on beds?[fishon]
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I didn't see squat on a bed. Matter of fact I have only found a few LMB on beds. Those suckers are SUPER hard to spot/find. A Smallie bed sticks out about as much as the sun does itself in the sky but those LMB are shy and hide well! So no bed fish for me Saturday. Everything was out and about roving for food.
The Bluegills are going on the beds now. Seen a TON of them in the coves Saturday. Betting the crank/spinnerbait bite is going to be picking up with all those Bluegills cruising around.
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Hey Wolfs,this is all pretty new to me but I think I'd be happy with half of the fish you and your daughter get.
Anyway,I've been shorefishing around #33 hole and got a couple small LMB (under 12") and missed a couple more,but don't think I saw any beds.Has the spawn not started yet?I was in a cove at Rocky Point Sun. A.M. and got a few stripers but not a sniff of LMB.I got the stripers on a white spinnerbait and a silver/blue castmaster.The LMB I got on earlier trips this week hit watermellon plastics and a shad imitating rattletrap.
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Bed fishing is wrapping up. There is the occasional late one to find but not much anymore. What is left still around the beds is the males protecting the fry. From what I have read online they typically only do this for about 2 weeks and then they are on their own. 3-4+ weeks ago I was already seeing fry in the water swimming around so the spawn has been on for a quite a bit of time. That is irt the north end of the lake. It gets warmer up north first by a pinch, at least it seems that way to me. So the south end of the lake is just behind the north time wise.
Bait wise... What I learned this year is at this stage one might be better off using a moving bait. Something that will trigger a fishes protective instincts. Traditional Jerk baits have been working for me but can be risky to cast from shore since you need to cast into the areas that risk getting hung up. A weightless texas rigged fluke, jerk shad, etc might be the ticket. Haven't tried that this year on the post spawners still protecting the fry.
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Thanx for the info Wolfs.I was at #33 hole last week and caught a couple stripers but no LMB.The sign at the entrance said water was at 59 so I thought this was spawn time---next year I'll be on it earlier.A week earlier I lost 2 LMB and caught 2 near the same spot on plastics but this time they wouldn't touch 'em.The stripers were caught on a white spinnerbait and silver/blue Kastmaster.
I've read that Mead is tough for bank tanglers so I really appreciate help from guys who know what they're doing such as yourself.
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