Fishing Forum

Hit Lincoln Beach at day light this a.m. Had to do a bit of creative driving in front of McDonalds on Payson Main St. as a two-point buck and a doe bounced out in front of me.

Headed for Bird Island first thing and couldn't do much there. Went back to the springs by the orchards and picked up a dozen or so using 3-5 inch white bass. All cats were caught in 6-7 feet of water and most were females. Best cat was a 27+ incher that I hoped would let me bump one of my 28 inch contest fish -- not so. Caught another nice sized female without hooking her. She was completely hog-tied in my line about 4 feet above the hook.

Channel water depth is still around 2 feet and boats are still launching. Vehicles are driving out to the rock shelf at the first spring now. About 8 boats out today and a few bank tanglers on the launch arm. Purty day.

BLK
[signature]

Not asking you to give away any secrets, but are you finding 6 ft of water up close to shore or are you working off shore till you find deep water ?? I just posted on my survey trips on the north end and you can't get within 50 yds of the shore before you run out of water. You could anchor and wade in, but the bottom is pretty soft !! Nice looking kitty cat fish there. Good work !!

[#0000FF]Hey Matt, I thought you knew Lincoln Point pretty well. That's about the only area I fish once the water level drops in UL. There are rock shelves along there that drop fairly abruptly into deeper water and it is possible to find 5-6 feet of water within a long cast from shore. That's what makes it so popular with the wallie whackers in spring and fall.

There are cracks and channels in those rocks as well and the openings to the three main springs are know for holding largies at times. Also some good potential just inside the L...and further back inside when the water is higher.

The attached Google pic from a few years back shows the contours at a water level lower than we have at present.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]

T-- I was out about a 100 yds or so from the exposed rock shelf in TD's pic. The cats seemed to favor the water where it slopes from 6 feet deep to 7 feet. Caught a few out farther but the water depth kinda bottomed out at 7 feet. I was draggin' a 4-5 in. wb with my electric and the bites were vicious. I had one rod in a holder while I held the other and I had a bite on the rod in the holder that was so hard it twisted the rod holder almost out of it's socket. I use a 30# braid so there is no line stretch and my rods are all med-heavy weight. Fun

Might add that the fish I caught were some of the purtiest and healthiest I have seen for a while. Those battle scared males from a few weeks ago are scarce now. The females are lime green with big white pot bellies.

And... I am personally acquainted with a nice LMB that lives right under the "F" in TD's picture of the First Spring. I've caught him twice now with no more than 4-5 feet of line out...Shadrap or Vibrax.

Enough, BLK
[signature]

I'm going to have to hit UL again soon. I hope to have a decent report tomorrow as well, but it ain't UL[].
[signature]