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Met up with SenkoNate, Fishboy2 and Castmaster for some float tubing at the Rockcliff arm. We kicked around the area using Senkos and dropshotting various baits. Caught about 6 or 7 Smallies between us, nothing special as far as size. Nate hooked into a nice fat little Dink. Nate will post the pics when ready. Water temp was in the low 70's.
Smallies have definatley changed thier pattern. They are getting harder to find and it looks like the time for 30+ smallie days are over. Were oh Were did the big smallies go [unsure].
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I also went to Jordanelle on tuesday with my two cousins. We fished from a small aluminum boat around the entrance to the rock cliff arm. Fishing for the smallies was Ok, we caught about 14 fish in 3 1/2 hours with three going over 17 inches. Stick baits were the ticket for us too, wave worms, senkos, gulps all produced.
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At the entrance huh? Well... thats kind of far to hike in a float tube, lol. Thanks for the info scartinez. Where they along the shoreline or out in the deeper water? Seems like you had a good feww hours fishing. Sure beats catching 2 dinks in 5 hours of floating!!!
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Ya, sounds like you guys definetely did better than us! Were your fish deep, or holding to any structure, scartinez?
Still, we had fun, and it was good to meet hustler898, kastmaster, and fishboy2, all great guys.
Here's some pics of our monsters....
Senkonate
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In reply to "[size 1]They are getting harder to find and it looks like the time for 30+ smallie days are over. Were oh Were did the big smallies go"[/size]
[size 1]Start fishing the junk. Beef up your line, get real weedless, and fish the real garbage stuff. At least thats what I have been told. [/size]
[size 1]I have the fortune of talking with tons and tons of fishermen on a regular basis, and the general attitude is that when the spawn is over, the water temps are rising, and the fishing pressure is high, fish the junk for the big ones. [/size]
[size 1]Also, there is a group of "regulars" on jordanelle, they fish it three or four times a week, and can always be found there. [/size]
[size 1]They are the same guys who are coming in to the tackle shops time and time again quietly getting thier lures, and quietly stomping on the fish up there. [/size]
[size 1]These guys are guys to watch. Watch where they fish, watch what they use, and how it changes through the season. Watch how they position themselves in relation to the bank at different tims of year. [/size]
[size 1]I find that most guys are real nice people. Willing to help you out, and talk fishing. [/size]
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Thanks for the info Predator. Is it practical to fish in this way using a float tube on Jordenelle do to lack of mobility or is a boat necessary? I don't know much about Smallies but I would guess they would hold up in heavy structure like weed beds and submerged trees and stuff. I would also think they are moving further from the shore to new structure since the water is dropping so fast.
I read somewhere that as the water level drops they will move out towards deeper water and hold on the first structure they encounter that has access to even deeper water in case the lake continues to drop. I would imagine that they would be similiar to large mouth in thier feeding patterns as far as moving up to the shallows to feed in early mornings and late evening. Then again, the deeper water also holds plenty of perch so they might not need too.
I predict a slow catching day for the tube party this Saturday and mostly smaller fish. With that many floaters out there I'm sure we should catch a few. The pressure is definately on! Tuesday evening and there were lots of fisherman in the Rockliff arm. Besides us I saw 3 other float tubers, 2 or 3 pontooners, a couple of aluminums and a Bass boat. There were also 5 or 6 shore fishemen. If this is the average weekday the weekend should be a zoo, LOL. Especially with all the BFT'ers out on the water.
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I too fished the Rock Cliff arm in the morning from about 6:30 till about 12:30 and I had the same luck as the rest of them I only caught about 8 small smallies and a little perch, I thought I recognized hustler898, I was the guy coming back as you were getting to one of the "honey holes" anyway tight lines Gibson
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We caught most fish within 5-20 feet from the bank. We fished points with small softball sized rocks, some sage brush and not to steep of a bank. We got mostly smaller ones near the bank, the larger ones seemed to be a bit deeper.
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Was great to meet you Gibson. I usually ask those I encounter if they heard of BFT. I hiked in there about a mile and a half to a spot I had great success in. I dropped even more since last tuesday, LOL. It was a nice little flat with plenty of fish holding structure and easy access to deep water. Now it's all high and dry. Still plenty of structure out there that is submerged so maybe it will still be good at the right time of day. The perch are large there, may be why the larger smallies feed in that area. Anyway... I'll have to try again in the early morning or late evening with a flashlight.
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I share your sentiments, Nate. My son and I had a great time even though the fishing was a little slow. The weather turned out to be great, even though it was a little threatening when we got there around 4 pm. Took home some perch for use as bait. The smallie that I caught was around 10 inches, nothing to brag about, but she sure fought like a 17 incher.
Are you guys going up on Saturday? I'm thinking of crashing Doug Miller's Outdoor Show get together at Hailstone happening on the 16th-17th. May do an overnighter on Friday and fish on Saturday. Maybe a good chance to be on TV, if only for 5 seconds.
kastmaster
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Did you find a easy route to get to the hole? Did you pull any lures out of that spot??[cool][cool][cool] You heading up there on the 17th??
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Hey Jeremy,
Not an easy route but manageable. Basicaly have to follow that hilly and winding perimeter trail till you find a spot to head down. The climb back up is tough. If I didn't use my GPS I would have taken the tough route up and missed the road since it can't be seen during the climb.
I won't be able to get my tube in there but I may use aquamans spare tube and pack it in a backpack. I'm planning on heading out there on the 17th but it would have to be in the late afternoon/evening. I won't be there in the early AM. That also depends on how long this party will last.
I searched for lures but couldn't find any! I lost many Senkos in the area that is dry but none are there. It also looks like that area has been visited recently. Probably a boater pulling up on the beach. I'm sure thier are a few guys who search the banks when the water drops[cool]. They beat me too it!
What time are you getting there? If you want to hike it with me your more than welcome.
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hustler,
How much help was your fish finder. I'm planning on trying out my new Cuda 168 there in the next few days. Normally walk in about 1 mi. from the North end and start at the bay the road dissappears into. Yhat way I avoid $9. Enjoy your posts.
[crazy]Leaky
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I guess it's helpfull. Tells you the bottom depth and water temp.[laugh]. Other than that it's good for locating perch. The bottom out there is flat and as you kick along you'll see scattered schools of perch in the deeper water. Might be a good idea to fish around them with the hopes of some smallies moving in to feed. Some of the fish that we caught yesterday were spitting out perch at the surface. If you float in shallower water your screen will be covered in fishmarks from about half way down to the bottom. They are really thick in places and cover a radius of many yards, it's not false readings, they are just that thick!!!
Are you going to the float tube party?
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[#804000][size 2]Al, if you ain't highly mobile you are sol. At this time the bass don't have a need to come up shallow, there is plenty of perchies and now the fry of all speicies is exploding. [/size][/#804000]
[#804000][size 2] The morning/evening bites may get you a few roamers, but don't count on the big bass to to be up. Try shallow and move out to 20-25ft. Smaller baits are gonna have to be heavy. The feed will be about an 1" to 3" length. Look for irregular features and perch, the smallies will be nearby feeding. [/size][/#804000]
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