Go Fishing

 Go Fishing Home | Fishing Blog | More Fishing Articles | Fishing Directory | Site Map

Translate: English German Spanish French Italian Portuguese Russian Japanese Korean Traditional Chinese Simplified Chinese Dutch Greek


Monster Hunt: Ledge Lunker Blues Part II




Originally published in Procats Online Magazine

Settin' It Up

Once Jeff has picked his area by marking the right bottom contour near the thermocline and the right space between the fish and the bottom, he is ready to deploy the drift socks. Williams will usually only use on drift sock or "sea anchor" to set his drift at the right speed and path.

Some anglers use two anchors out the side of the boat but Jeff prefers to drift with the socks either out the front or the back to get a more controlled drift. If the wind is moving at a fairly good clip, Jeff will fish from the front so the wind doesn't push his boat too fast. If the wind is fairly slow, he will fish from the back so the wind has more of a flat surface to push on, thus speeding up his drift. Jeff notes that he will catch more fish if he speeds up or slows down the drift when he needs to cover more or less water.

Also of note is that matching the speed of the boat to the activity level of the fish seems to work best on certain days. "You just have to fish and vary your drift speed till you start hookin' up with fish. I like to start with a certain drift speed and then go faster or slower from there."

If Jeff is catching fish fairly consistently he will leave the boat speed alone. If he goes very far without a hook-up and he is still marking fish on the graph, he will slow down or speed up if he thinks it is necessary. On windless days, Jeff will use his bow-mounted trolling motor to create a drift.

Fresh Bait

Jeff says that one of the most important parts of his fishing success is having fresh bait all day long. He motors to areas that hold shad such as bays, and cuts, and then moves slowly around till he locates schools of shad on his sonar unit. From the front of the boat, he throws a 16-foot diameter 1-inch mesh cast net and usually gets enough bait fairly quick. As soon as he nets the first few gizzard shad he tosses them into a top-quality aerated oval bait tank made by Grayline. After he has caught enough big shad he drains the water out of the tank then refills it.

"If I want the freshest bait possible I have to get the water changed. When shad get stressed they regurgitate and their stomach acids build up in the tank's water and burn their gills. By changing the water, you remove all that and the built-in tank filters will do the rest."

Williams uses either chunks or fillets depending on what works the best for that day. He makes sure to cut the chunks at an angle so they are streamlined enough not to spin much.

Ready to Go

We've got the right bait and figured out where to fish and set up the boat for the right drift by deploying the drift sock according to the power of the wind. Now its time to look at Jeff's drift rig set-up. Jeff has experimented with many different snagless sinker styles including bottom-bouncers, weighted welding rods, modified egg sinker rigs, pencil weights, and others but he has finally decided on one that works best for him. He ties a short piece of 20 pound monofilament onto a small snap swivel then threads on eight ˝ ounce egg sinkers onto the line and then fastens the last one to the line.

You're Ready

Well, there you have it folks. Jeff's simple yet effective summertime pattern he uses to catch blue cats on reservoirs can be used on lots of big lakes across the country. Get out there and drift, pay close attention to what's happening while you're on the water drifting and you'll be catching blues like he does in no time. Chances are if you spend the time on a lake that has some monster-sized blues, you may be surprised just how big a fish you can handle!

Copyright © 2004-2005 Jeff Williams and Procats

ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com/ledge-lunker-blue-catfish.htm

You have permission to publish this article free of charge as long as you are not selling it and that you include the author bylines immediately visible with the article and, if published in an electronic medium such as on a web site, you provide a link back to www.ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com in the author bylines, both where the web address is listed as well as well as with the text "Truman Lake Hybrid Bass and Lake of the Ozarks Catfish Fishing Guide Service":

Jeff Williams runs a Truman Lake Hybrid Bass and Lake of the Ozarks Catfish Fishing Guide Service offering lodging and guided trips in Missouri. To book a trip, learn more tips, or find out how Capt. Jeff would fish your own local waters, call 1-866-HOOKSET or visit http://www.ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com today!




MORE RESOURCES:

90 pelicans injured after becoming tangled in fishing lines near ...
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - 12 hours ago
By Jondi Gumz As many as 90 injured pelicans from the Santa Cruz coast are being treated after being tangled in fishing lines. "The majority are surviving, ...
Help needed for 150 injured pelicans abc7news.com
Pelicans getting tangled in fishing lines San Jose Mercury News
all 31 news articles


WFN: World Fishing Network HD Launches on Verizon FiOS in the New ...
MarketWatch - 19 hours ago
NEW YORK, Aug 19, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Insight Sports, a leading sports media and entertainment company announced today WFN: World Fishing ...


Telegraph.co.uk

Fishing before a storm can result in big numbers
Bradenton Herald,  United States - 3 hours ago
If this weather clears by Friday, the fishing may be back to normal. Maybe even above average. It's possible the fish may not have fed during a few days of ...
Video: Weaker Fay Brings Minor Flooding to Florida AssociatedPress
Fay likely to steer clear of SC Myrtle Beach Sun News
Fay nears hurricane strength, bears down on Florida CTV.ca
National Geographic - The Flint Journal - MLive.com
all 8,214 news articles


Basszone.com

FLW Fantasy Fishing Finalists Head to Columbia, SC, for $1 Million ...
FOXBusiness - 23 hours ago
21, 2008, fishing fans and fantasy sports players from around the world will turn their attention to Columbia, SC, where FLW Fantasy Fishing, ...
Michael Bennett earns $1 million in bass fishing event Los Angeles Times
FLW Fantasy Fishing to Award First-Ever $1 Million Grand Prize in ... MarketWatch
Fishing's Newest Millionare Net Newsledger
Atlanta Journal Constitution - The Patriot-News - PennLive.com
all 102 news articles


BRP Awards Fantasy Fishing Grand Prize
WalleyeFIRST, WI - 2 hours ago
Phillip Little of Whitesburg, Kentucky is the winner of the grand prize package in the Evinrude Ultimate Fantasy Fishing Experience Challenge. ...


ICrossing to enhance Toyota fishing team Web site
Bizjournals.com, NC - 14 hours ago
Web site for a sponsored fishing team and for the first time is using new Microsoft Inc. technology. The site, www.ToyotaFishing.com, uses the Microsoft ...


Fishing excursion ends in presumed drowning
Winnipeg Sun, Canada - 30 minutes ago
It happened just after 10 am yesterday morning, as the man was fishing with friends from a rock outcrop at the base of the hydroelectric dam. ...


Bass fishing derbies help spread milfoil infestation
Kennebec Journal, ME - 3 hours ago
Bass fishing "derbies" are held in infected lakes like Pleasant Pond in Litchfield for a fee of $50. It's apparent that IF&W simply doesn't care if 30 ...


STATE ORDERS BAN ON SHELL FISHING
WMGM, NJ - 3 hours ago
NOTICE: Video from this story was archived and is no longer available online. You may order a copy of this story from our "News Story Copies" page. ...


Divers fishing hundreds of tires out of Puget Sound
KOMO News, WA - 4 hours ago
By Robert Santos SEATTLE -- Puget Sound is in need of a major cleanup, and it's going to take an Army to get the job done. The US Army dive team is tackling ...
Divers remove tires from Puget Sound TheNewsTribune.com
all 5 news articles

Fishing - Google News

home | site map
Go Fishing © 2006 - All Rights Reserved Worldwide