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[bennersj]

You can probably remember my post about my first tourney of the year I was having some trouble finding fish. It turned out that my partner and I won the tournament 8)and I want to thank everyone on the message board because I have learned a lot from the posts. :-*

My next tournament is at Lake Norfork. I'm not the best fisherman in real clear water so I need a little info on how to fish real clear water. The lake is deep and rocky with hardly any cover (wood, lilypads, weeds, or anything only rock). Most people usually fish points, docks, or rock bluff walls. The water temp is around 48 degrees. What kind of lures and techniques should I use. ???

What state is the lake? and are there smallies in it?

[bennersj]

It is in Arkansas. There are smallmouth, largemouth, and kentuckys in this lake. The water clarity is about 10 feet.

[Rich]

Congrats on the win!

In real clear water I'd go with smaller baits and more natural colors. With water that cold I'd go with a small jig, a natural colored suspending jerkbait, and if you can find them in deeper water suspended a jigging spoon.

[wylie_cope]

Just by the water, temp, clarity and structure, sounds a lot like my home lake in march. Â*try some deep diving suspending jerkbaits, like deep down husky jerks, lucky craft staysee's, rouge spoonbills.... thats the most productive, fish the walls, points, fallen trees... also 45 degrees is usually the magic temp for craws to start coming out... maybe try some tubes and hair jigs in black/red...olives colors and other natural colors. Those conditions up here mean throwing a jerkbait all day, pull it down, pause it (sometime 30-45 sec) pull again... but usually they inhale it on the pause... vary retrieve and colors... hope this helps
ps. im brett shaffer forgot to log in ???

[bennersj]

About the suspending jerksk, I got my butt stomped on them last year on this lake so this year I got some Strike King Wild Shiner sus. jerks. in chrome/blue back, chrome/black back, clown, bone/green back. There is gizzard shad and threadfin shad in this lake, what colors are the best ???

I would also like to know how to fish docks sitting in deep water( 20-30feet).


Thanks Brett and Redbasser

[Rich]

If it is sunny I'd use the chrome/blue back and cloudy the bone/green.

For docks I use a jig-n-pig, tube, or Tiki Stick in and around the pilings.

[IL.bassin36]

I'd try a tube(t-rigged) around the docks, and on an insert jighead on the bluff walls and points. Or a grub on a jighead. Stay with natural colors(grn pumpkin, smoke).

[macgyver]

[quote author=Basspro_wannabe link=board=news;num=1108610650;start=0#5 date=02/16/05 at 22:59:12]About the suspending jerksk, I got my butt stomped on them last year on this lake so this year I got some Strike King Wild Shiner sus. jerks. in chrome/blue back, chrome/black back, clown, bone/green back. There is gizzard shad and threadfin shad in this lake, what colors are the best ???[/quote]

Any shad or bluegill colors work for me, but don't foeget about clown color either. Also just remember, that ANY suspending crank can be used as a jerk bait. I haven't fished cranks a lot, but my best success has always been on a stop and go retrieve. With quick jerks for erractic action.

I would also like to know how to fish docks sitting in deep water( 20-30feet).


Thanks Brett and Redbasser

Deadstick any decent stick bait (senko type), if it's been pressured a lot, I would try a weightless plastic worked SLOW from the shallowest to the deepest, zipper worms seem to work well for me. I also love a smaller fluke, when fish are tight to cover, many times dead sticking it has been my best method for catching fish in cold water. One last tactic, that I keep READING about, but have not tried is to c-rig a shallow running crankbait like a Mann's -1 any craw or baitfish color. I'm with most of the guys in natural colors even more in clear water. Green Pumpkin and Alewife are my choices.

Lizards

[javelinguy]

Even though the water is cold you could still try to trigger reaction strikes. Yo-yo'n a 1/2 oz. lipless off the bottom to represent a dying shad may produce a strike. Dropshot the steep drops for any feeding strikes. I like the crawfish suggestion as well. Here in WI prespawn is between 45 - 50 degrees. We look for staging areas, long points, dropoff's mouths of creeks and the various breaklines until we find a pattern. The best places have deep water close to shallow for easy up and down access with spring's changing weather. My partner and I agree that fishing slow is key but at first we cover water fast in the above mentioned areas until we find some active fish that might give us a pattern. Slow down then with a a j-n-p or suspending rogue when you find them. Good luck hope your streak continues.

[wylie_cope]

The wild shiners will work well, something that might dive a little deeper might help, like 8-10 feet... clown is an excellent color. Norman deep little N (suspend 4) would work great too>like someone said the suspend crank. The deep docks like everyone else said, tubes, hair jigs (pop a white one off the bottom), and drop shot could work ...

[bennersj]

Thanks guys, great ideas ;D

For cranking I got a jointed suspending shad rap in a shad and crawdad color that is supposed to run down to 15 feet. The guy that won the tournament last year on this lake showed me a strait tailed worm on a 1/8 oz. jighead(hook exposed) and said that was what he won with. Anyone know how to fish this rig ???

[TheBassMan]

I would definately bring some Yamamoto cut tail worms to drop shot if necessary. This is probably one of the best ways to just get a limit of fish, even if they are small. I wouldn't start out doing this but if you find it is a tough bite, you might want to give it a shot. Good Luck!

Catch em up
Brian

[fishwitch]

... cold fishermen if its 45 degrees im inside wit heater on i preffer 65-80 fer my fishin but i have fished some deep and clear stuff use ur sonar if ya got 1 to find any structure and c-rig round it with a natural color normaly a redshad is the best all round color in real clear maybe somethin reder crawfish startin to move down in South Lousianna aint seen much of em up here in Ms bout next good warm fron prolly get em movin .. back to you
them docks yum makes a awsome crawfish tube i mean AWSOME i got like 20 packs in 4 colors redshad green pumkin lookin color, a green and orange, and black and gray. ive had good luck with them with 2/0 gamamatsou with a VERY SMALL split shot bout 1-2inches from bait 3/32 or 2/32 w/e that small size is very slow fall and somma yums crawscent its a tub so i jus drip a few drops into it and refresh every 3-5 casts if the crawfish start movin up there that ought to get-r-dun but if that dont work take a green pumpkin swirltail and dip its tail in spike it or take 1 of them markers from cabelas thats floresent green/red make a green tailed 1 anda redtailed 1 and try em out also ive cuaght some on a riverside lil minner thing find um at walmart jus look round fer em they got lots of colors go with natural colors i prefer clear and the smokey color. like i said i usualy fish warmer water so donno how much these will help but if they put 1 fish in the boat fore ya itll be worth it GOOD LUCK

happy huntin ,sniper

[fishwitch]

saw bill dance usin that rig the jig head with straight tail worm he was jus tossin it out and slow twitch twitch reel like 1-2 inch rod twitch jus keepin it in the strike zone let it drop bout 10-30 sec dependin on how deep u are and were they at they usualy stay same depth off points as they sit in on points jus off of it so if you can find out how deep they catch em in warmer weather move to deeper water and start there at that depth

[profishermenkid16]

Congrats on your win. 8) If I were to guess and it is just that a wild guess.I would say suspending jerkbaits, and super flukes,Tube baits, and senkos.Here smallmouths start staging to spawn and you may even find a few on beds in the 15 ft depth range.I think someone else may have a more accurate plan, good luck and remember there is plenty of time to catch fish ,just fish like you normally would. I hope this helps. P N J