ljd1971

Thanks-- I was beginning to question everything. I'll be at Melvern tomorrow.

So tell me again why I am driving an hour to Melvern once or twice a week when smallies like that are probably 25 minutes away?

Nice!! Today? Where?

The smallie bite was slow but steady at the 'Vern today, for me anyway. They seemed to be scattered, as I didn't catch more than 2 in any one spot. So I did a lot of running and gunning. Most of my fish came on the main lake or the first secondary point off the main lake. With one exception, all my spots further up the creeks did not produce, which was kind of the opposite of last Sunday when the few smallies I caught were up the creeks. No dinks this morning; all fat, solid fish. Here's the biggest: Midmorning, I got into a bunch of stout whites off the Turkey Point campground. It was 20 minutes of chaos in the middle of an otherwise serene morning. The tube was the bait of choice today, with a couple coming on a squarebill and one on my jake-leg version of the Ned. Nothing on topwater, nothing on a spinnerbait, nothing on a paddletail, not even anything on the 4" Chompers grub that has been one of my most consistent baits this fall. My old BPS Extreme baitcaster started grinding bad today. Is there a reel repair shop in Kansas City anymore? Or would I be better off sending it off to that outfit affiliated with Bass Pro in Springfield?

I'll have to work at least part of one day, so I can't fish it both days. Sunday looks like the better weather, but do you think the fishing will be worse then because it's classic post front-- bluebird skies, north winds?

Earlier this week I said I was going to stay away from Melvern altogether this weekend but I what can I say? I have a problem. But my resolve was strong Saturday and I only went to Shawnee SFL for a few hours in the evening. I caught a couple dinks and one going about 4#. Other than a few half-hearted blow ups on a frog in the pads, it was a slow day. I relapsed and went to Melvern Sunday morning, barely beating Brian to the ramp. i agree; Sunday was a grind. The daybreak bite is getting so short and I spent most of that precious time catching whites. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to catch anything. When the bite started back up at 10:30 or so, I caught a few decent smallies on a tube and a 4" grub. Unlike Brian, the squarebill wasn't working for me at all Sunday, except for white bass. Right before I left at 12:30, I had a little 15 minute run where I caught 6 very aggressive but small spotted bass in two little areas about 50 yards apart. I thought every one was twice the size it turned out being. Got back home to catch the end of the Chiefs game and the wife thought it was a nice day to go to Perry and take some bird pictures. Cool, the boat's still hooked up, let's go. I was able to fish for maybe an hour between motoring around looking for eagles, osprey, pelicans, egrets, herons and the like. I caught a few smaller smallies on the tube and one that went around 14" that absolutely destroyed one of those Storm pre-rigged 3" paddle tails at dusk. This fish had been blowing up shad every couple of minutes but I couldn't get her to hit a spook, pop-R, or torpedo. I put down the topwater rod and threw the tube-- nothing. I got frustrated and grabbed a spinning rod and started burning the paddle tail back to the boat. Good thing I had a good grip on the rod.

I think I may take the weekend off from the Vern as I'm getting discouraged. My Wednesday trip down there was underwhelming. Of course, by the time I started to figure out the bite, I had to leave to make it back to work for a meeting. It sucks when you have to leave right after catching your best two fish. What fish I caught came on a square bill, 3.5" tube, and a 4" Chompers grub. I may try Nebo; I haven't been there in awhile. Maybe Jeffrey Energy Center, too. Anybody ever been there? I haven't tried either lake out there yet.

Good job!

I'd like to be able to meet you guys at the 'Vern this fall. I've seen Brian and the Alumacraft around a time or two, but he was working. I'm taking the morning off tomorrow and am going down there to try the weekday bite. No tournaments to deal with! I kid, I kid.

You guys found it tough Sunday at Melvern, too? I guess that makes me feel a little better. I only caught one nice smallie and a handful of shorts until I finally got tired of fighting the wind and left at noon. I did catch some nice whites and two of the biggest drum I have ever seen though. That counts for something, right? Yeah, I'm not buying it, either.

I haven't been out there (concentrating on Melvern this fall) but a buddy of mine said he has had a pretty consistent bite (for numbers anyway) using squarebills and traps on windy points. He wasn't any more specific than that, though. Good luck and let us know how you do.

I remember when I was only eight years into my marriage: fresh-faced, overly-trusting and naive. At about ten years I learned: Bonus. Points. Do. Not. Exist. They are a fiction, a sham, a long con used by wives and girlfriends throughout history to get us to do things without the explicit promise of reciprocity. Sorry guys, I gotta go hang out the laundry and get dinner on.

How did Melvern treat everyone this weekend? Other than white bass and drum, I struggled. Having said that, I hooked what may have been my pb smallmouth at noon yesterday on a squarebill. I cast over my son's line and had to wait for him to reel in. As the squarebill floated there, she hit and the fight was on. I finally got her to the boat and realized I forgot my net. She broke off right at the boat as I reached to lip her. I hadn't retied in awhile and the zebra mussels and/or rocks had probably nicked the line. Lesson learned.

Brian, I think I was fishing near you when you were (unsuccessfully) trying the start the boat. I was going to go over and check on you when I finished fishing the point I was on, but when I idled out, it looked like you were back fishing and I didn't want to roll up on you. Sorry I didn't follow up; I would have given you a tow.

I've owned Evinrudes, Motorguides and older Minn Kota trolling motors over the years. The Fortrex is in a different league-- I love it. I've only owned mine (which I bought used) for a month, so I can't speak to long-term reliability.

I need to learn the Tao of the Ned. Brian, were you guys mainly swimming, hopping, or dead-sticking the Ned?

Went to Melvern Saturday morning and Sunday evening. I did okay Saturday, catching 25 or so smallies, spots and largemouths. Not much size, though-- the biggest smallmouth was 14", the biggest largemouth was 15". I caught a couple on topwater at daybreak, and a few others on a fluke. Most fish, however, were caught on either a tube or a 4" grub. Talked to some guys at the ramp who said they caught several on the ned, two of which were over 18". I got back and went to Dick's to replace my 20 year old Bionic Blade spinning rod. It's time had come. While shopping, I remembered Blue's report from his Friday Melvern trip and picked up some generic 5" or 6" paddletail swimbaits on the clearance rack. Fast forward to today. I got there at 3:00 when everybody was leaving. Caught a largemouth and a spot on my first two casts with the swimbait. I probably ended up catching 50-60 fish with the two biggest smallmouth measuring 16.5" and 15". I need to get some jigheads with bigger hooks for the swimbaits or maybe texspose a 4/0 or 5/0 offset worm hook, as my hookup percentage was horrible. There were a few times where I would have 4 or 5 casts in a row where they would nail it but not hook up. Even so, all but 6 of my fish came on the swimbait. Three came on a trap, two on a tube and one on a spook at dusk. I mainly worked windblown points. The best ones were by the campground to the west of the marina. Fighting the wind was tough but worth it. I caught a handful of nice whites along there, too. Nice bonus. Thanks for the report, Blue. I wouldn't have bought those swimbaits without it. Made for my best Melvern trip of the year.

My dad used to always say that you don't take time to go fishing, you make time to go fishing. I never really understood what he meant when I was young, but now that I have a family, career, mortgage, etc. I totally get it. I got away from fishing for 7-8 years due to so-called "time restraints," but now I'm back and mad at myself for getting away from it. My advice to you (not that you asked) is to make time and keep at it.

That explains my hundreds of empty casts since I caught the one. I feel better now. Thanks BassResource.com!

Nope, Shawnee State Fishing Lake north of Topeka. I think I must have caught the only smallmouth in the lake!

Thanks for all the replies. This is a great forum-- I've been lurking here for a month or so before finally setting up an account and posting. I'll probably be out at Melvern Sunday morning trying to figure things out. I've never fished for SM in Kansas before this year. If I don't pick up on things quick, Brian I may be contacting you. Good luck all.

Speaking of smallies, I'm heading back to Melvern this weekend to try and figure them out. I haven't done nearly as well as many of you have done the past two weekends. Does anyone know if there are any tournaments going this weekend? I want to try and avoid tournament day.

Thanks for the information on the schooling bass bite-- I'll have to check that out. Other than that, I've been catching them similarly to you, although I have yet to boat one on a frog. They seem to be more halfheartedly rolling or slapping at them than eating them. I will mention that while I don't catch quite the numbers, I have caught most of my larger fish on a dark bladed jig in the shallow cover you describe. My first time out there this year (early August), I caught a 17" smallie off the first rock jetty northwest of the dam on a crankbait. I got real excited and have thrown cranks, tubes and Neds every time I've been out there since then but have failed to hook another smallmouth. The lake seems to be nice habitat for them, though. Maybe they need some time to establish.

I went out there Monday evening after work and didn't do quite as well as you. But I caught one around four and one about three in addition to a few short ones. Do you ever catch any off the dam? I don't, which is weird as the dam of most state fishing lakes is usually worth a few fish.