Kc Area Get Together

[Doc-Drew]

Melvern has been my secrets for a long time!!

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. you only caught little fish **wink wink**

Oh trust me. We caught little ones too. If you even consider this big enough to be called "little"

[Wachati]

Awesome fish!!! I love it!! Now was that caught at the dam or the rip-rap?? Cause if it was the dam, it doesn't count. Just shows how different it can play out day to day. End of story that is a beautiful fish and I'm jealous :-).

[skunked_again]

Oh trust me. We caught little ones too. If you even consider this big enough to be called "little"

nice to know i left a few small ones.

so, who caught the biggest Drum?

[Doc-Drew]

Awesome fish!!! I love it!! Now was that caught at the dam or the rip-rap?? Cause if it was the dam, it doesn't count. Just shows how different it can play out day to day. End of story that is a beautiful fish and I'm jealous :-).

No it was actually caught in a cove near the marina. The small one was at the dam though.

[kanasbassfisher08]

nice to know i left a few small ones.

so, who caught the biggest Drum?

im not sure who caught the biggest drum i do know that bluebasser86 was my partner and he had a bigger on like 17 inchs or so and i had the biggest white i think at 15 inchs

[Bluebasser86]

Hey guys the get together was a lot of fun. I really look forward to the next one.

My fiancee wanted to go fishing today so I decided to take her to melvern since I knew if nothing else, we could catch some at the dam. All we had for a boat was my 15' john boat with 2 trolling motors so we launched from the marina and stuck to the few coves near the marina and then ventured to the dam. The way today started out, I figured it was going to be exactly like yesterday with wind and bright blue skies so the fishing may be slow. That was until the clouds rolled in. I decided to throw a spinnerbait for a while and after about ten minutes landed this beauty.

She weighed 4.98lbs and measured 20" even.

Tough to tell from the picture, but she destroyed my spinnerbait. Not only did she straighten the wire (expected), she also bent the wire where it enters the jighead so the hole enlarged and now wiggles. Oh well I would gladly trade a bait for nice fish like that. Too bad I caught her a day late

That's a beauty Drew! You were less than 100 yards from where I caught my 5 pounder at last year, it was exactly 20" too. I bet she pulled for a long time before giving up

[Bluebasser86]

I like Chris' suggestion (after everyone left the BBQ): all fish caught along the dam doesn't count OK I'm not as strict, I'd say all fish along the dam takes 50% of the length, everywhere else gets 100%. Shane (Tritonguy) and I didn't do the dam gold rush, we stayed in the north and fished the rip-rap and some points to work in some strategy. We got a 15" and 16.5" LMB out of it. We'll be going back in a couple weeks or so to try out the western half. Here's a photo to remember the 2012 Fall Classic trip by:

Awesome picture! I tried to do the same but my crappy little camera just got a bunch of white and red lights and darkness.

You can disallow our fish if you want but me and peter had a great day fishing and hanging out with everyone afterwords. And we both caught new PB smallies!!!

AND THAT YOU CAN'T TAKE AWAY!

Those were 2 great fish. I'm really glad someone got some good ones this time. Had it been a weigh in tournament it wouldn't have been close, you guys would have had the only 2 keepers

Here are our two big fish of the day. Both caught on the Ned rig. I was using 8 lb nanofil with a yo-zuri 10lb liter, outkast money jig1/16 with a zero PB&J. Our strategy was to attack the dam bc we knew that's where we would have the best opportunity to get our limit quickly and add bigger fish as the day unfolded. It paid off as we put two nice fish in the boat early. All we needed was to add 3 good 15-17". After pre fishing we realized that any other area of the lake did not offer what we were fishing for. Along the other banks while there are still good smallies, the numbers weren't there and the number of other species that you catch slow down what we wanted to accomplish. Had a blast and look forward to the next tourney.

I knew we were going to be working all day after you guys sent the pictures of those two that early in the morning. Had I gotten a better hookset on the one good smallmouth I hooked about halfway up the lake on a laydown it would have been a different outcome, but she jumped and tossed my brush hog back at me and disappeared. She would have added at least the inch and a half that we needed and probably more. You guys did a great job and put the fish you needed to catch in the boat. I think we had 4 or 5 people set new PB's for smallmouth yesterday (Hi Salenity, Wachiti, Busy, KyleK, and maybe kanasbassfisher08) and then CCCDrew went back today and caught a pig smallmouth to beat his. Everyone caught fish and most caught some nice ones so it was a really successful day IMO. Maybe we'll have to ponder the idea of a winter classic at La Cygne? If we do it will have to be during the week, that lake isn't any fun to fish during the weekend unless you like having to throw elbows to get to a fishing spot

Actually I’m glad people set PBs in a tourney (I set my PB two weeks ago on the same dam). Like in basketball, fishing the dam is like tossing up a layup – it’s a bunny shot, you’ll get something no matter what happens. With 30 mins remaining in the tourney we boated a 16” smallie at the dam’s SE corner b/c I know that area is $. I heard two gals squatted right there at the dam throwing only minnows and popped out two 16” SMB for just throwing a line out. It sure was like a Sonic drive-through: people were parked in their slots in uniform fashion!

My position on a proposed dam rule is strictly theoretical and I have a neutral opinion (if anything only to be a devil’s advocate). Like in basketball, the 4 ft. semi-circle immediately below the basket is a restricted zone where the defender cannot stand in the circle and draw an offensive charge; in fact, the defender himself is fouled. The restriction is designed to maintain movement through the semi-circle; otherwise it’s first man to get position under or near the basket wins. Like in Olympic diving, gymnastics, and ice skating, the final round is scored by two variables: execution and degree of difficulty. You can score a 9 (execution) on an easy maneuver (7) and get 63 points (9 x 7) or an 8 (execution) on a difficult maneuver (9) and get 72 points where the athlete who takes more risks gets more rewards (but the reverse is also true). Just food for thought here.

Melvern is truly a “lake for everyone” so that no one gets shut out; the only way you can get skunked is not throw a line in the water at all. Even then you can catch Clayton’s dead buffalo along the bank from his bow fishing exploits. It adds to the competitive spirit when strategies to get lunkers are employed in areas not along the dam.

Shane and I got our first largest fish, a 16.5” LMB, not at the dam but along the rip-rap near the state park, our first stopping point at launch. We didn’t get to the dam until 1.5-2 hours into the tourney.

These two fish a couple weeks ago were caught along a northern point just west of the rip-rap.

The northern cove adjacent to the boat ramp launch site looks appealing to explore and as mentioned earlier, so does the west half of Melvern. In some upcoming exploratory outings on either 10/3 or 10/10 Shane and I will boldly go where some people have already gone before Who knows, if we explore enough and have confidence in these spots, we may not even fish the dam in a future razor clam classic. Live by the sword, die by the sword - I love it!

I'm not a big basketball fan but I doubt many coaches will tell their players to kick the ball out to someone to try a 3 pointer when they have an open layup . Had the weather been different I'm sure more fish would have been caught at other places in the lake. Just because the fish are there doesn't mean they will bite either, some people caught fish doing what others weren't. I don't believe a single one of our 5 fish were caught on a Ned Rig. Our biggest 2 smallmouth, including our biggest caught off the dam the last hour after it had been pounded all day, were on a 5" watermelon/purple stick O on a home made 1/16oz shakyhead. Our only largemouth was on a KVD 1.0 crankbait. The other 2 were either on a tube or the same shakyhead. I lost what probably would have been our biggest of the day after she ate a baby brush hog in 2' of water halfway down the lake on a gravel bank. I also lost another good largemouth on a jig that probably would have helped us when I got cut off by the razor clams in a brushpile on a jig. There was fish to be caught in other places, Curt and Peter just put the right bait in front of the right fish at the right time and that's how tournaments are won.

In the end the whole point was for everyone to have fun and catch some fish. I fish Melvern a lot and will even more now that I'm half an hour closer to it. I wanted to do it there because I know enough about the lake and how to catch the fish that I feel everyone that shows up can catch fish and have a shot at a big one, maybe a few of them.

It was good meeting you guys. Sorry I couldn't stay. I started feeling sick on the lake and had to leave.

ONly had 2 worth measuring and they were both 17" caught on a topwater bait.

Thanks for putting this together Clayton

Sorry you had to leave early, sounds like you had the start of a great limit of fish. We will have others so keep your eyes open and maybe you can make the next one.

[AllDay]

If you thought the dam was such a great location the real question is why were you not fishing it?

When your emotions calm down, read my post again and you'll answer your question.

[Hi Salenity]

When your emotions calm down, read my post again and you'll answer your question.

I am not changing my opinions but my post does not help this forum so I deleted it.

[Wachati]

I am not changing my opinions but my post does not help this forum so I deleted it.

Ditto

[kylek]

Here is my biggest of the day. It was a shade over 17" and I am guessing around 3lbs. Caught it on a topwater walking bait. Can anyone guess where I caught it???

[Hi Salenity]

Here is my biggest of the day. It was a shade over 17" and I am guessing around 3lbs. Caught it on a topwater walking bait. Can anyone guess where I caught it???

Nice fish ! are you feeling any better? I threw a spook some but didn't get anything.

[Hi Salenity]

Hey guys the get together was a lot of fun. I really look forward to the next one.

My fiancee wanted to go fishing today so I decided to take her to melvern since I knew if nothing else, we could catch some at the dam. All we had for a boat was my 15' john boat with 2 trolling motors so we launched from the marina and stuck to the few coves near the marina and then ventured to the dam. The way today started out, I figured it was going to be exactly like yesterday with wind and bright blue skies so the fishing may be slow. That was until the clouds rolled in. I decided to throw a spinnerbait for a while and after about ten minutes landed this beauty.

She weighed 4.98lbs and measured 20" even.

Tough to tell from the picture, but she destroyed my spinnerbait. Not only did she straighten the wire (expected), she also bent the wire where it enters the jighead so the hole enlarged and now wiggles. Oh well I would gladly trade a bait for nice fish like that. Too bad I caught her a day late

Hey guys the get together was a lot of fun. I really look forward to the next one.

My fiancee wanted to go fishing today so I decided to take her to melvern since I knew if nothing else, we could catch some at the dam. All we had for a boat was my 15' john boat with 2 trolling motors so we launched from the marina and stuck to the few coves near the marina and then ventured to the dam. The way today started out, I figured it was going to be exactly like yesterday with wind and bright blue skies so the fishing may be slow. That was until the clouds rolled in. I decided to throw a spinnerbait for a while and after about ten minutes landed this beauty.

She weighed 4.98lbs and measured 20" even.

Tough to tell from the picture, but she destroyed my spinnerbait. Not only did she straighten the wire (expected), she also bent the wire where it enters the jighead so the hole enlarged and now wiggles. Oh well I would gladly trade a bait for nice fish like that. Too bad I caught her a day late

Great fish was that the only one you got on a spinner?

[kylek]

Ya, I am feeling better. I wish I could have stayed until the end.

So what was the winner's total?

[tritonguy]

Want to say thanks to Blue for setting this up. Sounds like everyone had a good time.

[Hi Salenity]

Want to say thanks to Blue for setting this up. Sounds like everyone had a good time.

It was nice meeting you and what a great boat!

[tritonguy]

Salenity, it was good to meet you also. Thanks about the boat, listening to you all talk about some of these small lakes makes me want to buy or build a smaller boat that I'm not scared to take on a gravel road.

[Doc-Drew]

Great fish was that the only one you got on a spinner?

I caught a dink Saturday on a spinnerbait and just that one yesterday. My fiancee caught about a 14" on a small spinnerbait after I caught the 5lber.

[Bluebasser86]

Ya, I am feeling better. I wish I could have stayed until the end.

So what was the winner's total?

Hi Salenity and Wachati had a total of 84.5 inches for an average of 16.9 inches per fish, a pretty impressive total.

Kanasbassfisher08 and I had a total of 83 inches for an average of 16.6 inches per fish. We didn't really do an overall weigh in because it was pretty obvious who had won it. I don't think anyone was disappointed with the number or size of the fish they'd caught. We caught a ton of smallmouth in the 13-15 inch range and those are just a blast to catch.

Want to say thanks to Blue for setting this up. Sounds like everyone had a good time.

No problem, glad you were able to make it and have a good time. I'm pretty sure everyone there was jealous of that beautiful boat of yours

Salenity, it was good to meet you also. Thanks about the boat, listening to you all talk about some of these small lakes makes me want to buy or build a smaller boat that I'm not scared to take on a gravel road.

If we have one on a smaller lake we have a few guys with smaller aluminum boats if you don't mind fishing as a non-boater, that way you don't have to pull yours down the dirt roads or anything.

[Bluebasser86]

I mentioned this in a post yesterday but it was probably lost in the mix. Would anyone be interested in doing a winter get together at La Cygne? I know a few of the guys have been wanting to do one at La Cygne and it's a good way to beat a bit of the cabin fever. If we do it would almost have to be during the week or we'll have to take a number to fish the good spots.

[Doc-Drew]

I mentioned this in a post yesterday but it was probably lost in the mix. Would anyone be interested in doing a winter get together at La Cygne? I know a few of the guys have been wanting to do one at La Cygne and it's a good way to beat a bit of the cabin fever. If we do it would almost have to be during the week or we'll have to take a number to fish the good spots.

I would be in but it depends on the day due to my school schedule.

[kanasbassfisher08]

I mentioned this in a post yesterday but it was probably lost in the mix. Would anyone be interested in doing a winter get together at La Cygne? I know a few of the guys have been wanting to do one at La Cygne and it's a good way to beat a bit of the cabin fever. If we do it would almost have to be during the week or we'll have to take a number to fish the good spots.

heckyeah and if the winds down ill take my jonboat so alot of people dont have to pull boats

[sizzlefry40]

I'd be in if my boatear is still here if not a I need to partner up.also which one of you is from Shawnee

[kanasbassfisher08]

I'd be in if my boatear is still here if not a I need to partner up.also which one of you is from Shawnee

me lol

[sizzlefry40]

I might hit my pond tomorrow if your in. In the afternoon