Do you love big bluegill?

SLIP’S 2017 LOGS, STATUS AND STRATEGIES

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on September 23, 2017 at 6:17am

20170920-Earl and I set up a trip for today I day after the New Moon… im still reeling from the day before with the lunker B.Gills and the trophy Channel Cat. I was having great luck on the weedy flats on a particular reservoir so we decided to switch up a little and hit one of our trophy lakes where we tagged the most trophy B.Gills earlier this season.

Once out on the lake we were welcomed with sunny skies and calm water conditions.

Earl and I were starting out using the Long-Cast/.016oz Jig/Waxie method. Bite seemed slow even for the neutral period between the minor and major solunar. Earl switched gears to night crawler chunks on a .032oz Jig and started slowly picking up on the bite and finally tagged a trophy Master Angler P.Seed at 9.0 inches during the Major Period.

I continued with the Long-Cast/.016oz Jig/Waxie method tagging two P.Seeds in the 90-100% MAR (Master Angler Rating)

Halfway thru the Major Period I had to drop Earl off at the dock and I continued to fish for a few during an early afternoon slooow bite.

At the end of the day the Long-Cast/.032oz Jig/Nite Crawler Chunk produced more and larger fish including a trophy P.Seed. I stuck with the Long-Cast/.016oz Jig/Waxie method but felt It has failed to produce and ended up with the least productive day ever fishing this method, especially considering the productivity the past couple months.

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on September 21, 2017 at 10:18am

20170921----~~<")))))><(---*Post Summer Period*--84%/74°

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on September 21, 2017 at 10:19am

Score! 10 inch bluegill

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on September 21, 2017 at 10:43am

... so many Big Fish the past few days my head is spinning

Just dropped Earl off we had an amazing late morning early afternoon bite many 90% plus fish in a short period plus a 10in masterangler bluegill

I decided to stay and fish throughout the periods today because of the masterangler tag

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on September 21, 2017 at 11:45am

... as I continue fishing throughout this major. From 13:32 thru 16:02 I feel the bite fading away as the peak has passed

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on September 21, 2017 at 11:47am

... time to start a controlled drift through a weedy flat

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Permalink Reply by Allen Morgan on September 21, 2017 at 6:21pm

Drift sock on my anchor trolley. Facing the wind (drifting backwards) if I'm hanging bait under a bobber (lately live minnows). Back to the wind (drifting forwards) if I'm fan-casting a lure of some kind. Either works.

I've also started "double-fisting" the drifting bait scenario. UL rod in my left hand, live minnow on a drop-shot, usually 10' down in 18 FOW. Light power rod on my right, with a float, cast about 50' behind/upwind of me. As I drift, the drop-shot usually stays pretty much under my kayak, while the slipfloat rig gets dragged. I'll get bites on both rods, usually Crappie suspending in deep water, although I've also caught 'gills and LMBs doing this. Sometimes I drag the float rig, and cast a tandem jig rig or a small crankbait off to the sides with the UL rod.

I was out Sunday, and got a few fish on some Strike King Bitsy Minnows while drifting a shallow weedy flat. I wouldn't call it a "controlled drift"; I was in a sheltered spot, little breezes would kick up from any direction as the prevailing wind curled down into the wind shadow of the point I was hiding behind. Switched over to a tiny minnow crank made by Rebel, and started tagging small LMBs, 'gills, and had some follows from some decent Yellow Perch, but the only ones I caught weren't big enough to keep.

Might have to get some Yozuri Snap Beans and try the tactic with that......

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on September 22, 2017 at 6:08am

Allen I can picture you having success with this form of boat control.

I use dual setups with slip/floats usually in the spring, but find myself getting into trouble with swallowed hooks and have to fillet out the fish on the spot and have to store in my beer cooler… lol

I miss fishing out of my kayak… I haven’t physically been able due to neck, shoulder and arm pain… no better way to fish in my opinion

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Permalink Reply by Allen Morgan on September 22, 2017 at 6:09pm

I would keep one eye on the Thill TG Waggler float, one eye out for boats on an intercept course, and a hand on my drop shot rod. The first time I tried it, was during a hot bite. Multiple fish on both rods. What typically happened with the slip float is I would get a "lift bite"; the float would rise up and tip over, then rise back up ("flag") and submerge. Usually I had enough time to set my drop shot rod down, grab the other, reel down, and set. Using a size 8 Aberdeen Crappie hook. A couple times I had glanced away, and missed the strike completely, looked back, and couldn't see my float anywhere. Double-timed the hookset and connected. A few times I missed the fish.

Second time I tried it, I only got a couple bites, and only caught one fish. Then the wind really picked up and I decided to head for calmer water.

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on September 23, 2017 at 5:01am

…nowadays im clumsy enough with one rod especially on a kayak!

do you use any type of rod tether or float on your setups?

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Permalink Reply by Allen Morgan on September 23, 2017 at 5:45am

Both rods are leashed when I'm fishing this way. I have some parachord tied to padeyes just behind my seat. I have a loop at the end of the line, and a small carabiner-type clip on the loop. I just hook the clip to the base of the spinning reel and I'm good-to-go. I've nearly lost a couple rods on several ocassions, but thankfully had them leashed.

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on January 3, 2018 at 8:19pm

20170921-Earl and I setup another trip… this time it would be on the local reservoir that I have experienced the hot bite.

The schedule was the same as yesterday and earl had to be at the dock at 13:30 so he would be missing some of the peak major solunar… I would probably continue fishing if there was a good bite… I tend to fish thru the periods though.

Again we were welcomed with sunny skies warm temps and calm seas. Surface temps back into the mid 70’s!

Before I had the anchor down Earl was onto the first fish of the day… a lunker in the mid nines on the Long-Cast/.032oz Jig/Nite-Crawler-Chunk… on his second cast he tags another B.Gill in the 9-10” slot… wow. I continue casting my Long-Cast/.016oz Jig/Waxie method and being out fished 5:1 and it took awhile to tag that first fish!

As the morning continues and we shift into the Major period I started to pick up the pace equal to the Long-Cast/.032oz Jig/Nite-Crawler-Chunk method of Earl’s. Earl then tags a nice pred SMB that cause a bit of excitement with some nice acrobatics. I quickly follow suit with a mid LMB with some nice tug.

We decide to set-up a controlled drift thru some of my waypoints on the GPS map on this expansive weedy flat using the slight southwesterly breeze. The waypoints were built marking the significant B.Gills tagged throughout the past few trips. Tag a nice B.Gill make a waypoint.

Shortly in to the drift the strategy works and I hook into a hefty Lepomis. After a significant battle I grab the net and ease the trophy B.Gill into the boat. Easily a 10” I thought. The fish just stretched the tape to 10” and was quickly photoed and released. The fish quickly left with a splash in my face!

At one point the Long-Cast/.032oz Jig/Nite-Crawler-Chunk method was failing to produce for Earl while the Long-Cast/.016oz Jig/Waxie method was producing fish at a very quick pace.

I continued fishing after dropping Earl off at the docks and was rewarded with a continuing bite tagging dozens of quality and eater-slot fish.

At the end of the day… looking back… just wow.

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