(Un)official Hoosiers Thread

[BigBassLoveSenkos]

Hit Geist this morning. They were shallow and annihilating topwater and jerkbaits and spinnerbaits.  My buddy on the back of the boat was killing it with a Pop-R.  I had a lot of success with a jerkbait and burning a spinnerbait, but couldn't get them to hit a spook or whopper plopper.  It was all about that Pop-R I guess.   Spoke with a few tournament guys on the ramp while loading and some had real struggles today.  One team even got shut out.  Yikes 

[IndianaFinesse]

Fished this afternoon for about four and a half hours.  Caught a total of 28 bass with the largest being a monster egg laden ~18 inch smallmouth!  I would tell you how much it weighed, but no one would believe me so you will just have to guess..  The smallie was on a rip rap point in about eight feet of water caught on a coppertruse colored trd, unfortunately in clear view of half a dozen boats who came over and watched.  I was sure I had hooked an eight pound bass it fought so hard.  I don't know why, but smallmouth always seem to fight much harder than largemouth.  

The rest of the bass are in the backs of coves, on the shorelines while raining and once the clouds cleared off they moved to the docks.  I used a skitter pop while it was raining, and later switched to this Ned rig fished with a swim glide and shake retrieve mostly skipping underneath docks.  I also landed a bonus crappie, so some of them must still be up shallow.

[BigBassLoveSenkos]

28 minutes ago, IndianaFinesse said:

I don't know why, but smallmouth always seem to fight much harder than largemouth.

Smallmouths have more heart.  A 2 pound smallie feels like a 4 pound LM in the fight.  Congrats on your catch.  Rip rap worked well today, yesterday it was working swim jigs and jerkbaits over submerged grass.  What lake were you on?  The pattern you describe is exactly what I observed too...

[IndianaFinesse]

On ‎5‎/‎8‎/‎2016 at 10:42 PM, BigBassLoveSenkos said:

Smallmouths have more heart.  A 2 pound smallie feels like a 4 pound LM in the fight.  Congrats on your catch.  Rip rap worked well today, yesterday it was working swim jigs and jerkbaits over submerged grass.  What lake were you on?  The pattern you describe is exactly what I observed too...

A reservoir west of Indianapolis. 

[BigBassLoveSenkos]

good deal, need to check it out sometime

[OddChase]

@IndianaFinesse Went out and caught some crappie this weekend. They are still full of eggs so spawning hasn't happened on my home lake yet. Should just be another warm front and they'll be up shallow for me. Managed to catch them on a double rig with a tube jig and small artificial crappie minnow (just testing it out). They were about 8 feet deep under docks in water about 15 foot. Limited out on 2 different days in less than an hour with my father. 

[IndianaFinesse]

2 hours ago, OddChase said:

@IndianaFinesse Went out and caught some crappie this weekend. They are still full of eggs so spawning hasn't happened on my home lake yet. Should just be another warm front and they'll be up shallow for me. Managed to catch them on a double rig with a tube jig and small artificial crappie minnow (just testing it out). They were about 8 feet deep under docks in water about 15 foot. Limited out on 2 different days in less than an hour with my father. 

Thanks for the update, which lake do you fish in, unless it is some secret spot.

Sorry, I won't be giving any more reports until next Sunday after the tournament just in case some of the other tourney guys are reading them.  I will say that I have been doing extremely well over the weekend.

[OddChase]

Just now, IndianaFinesse said:

Thanks for the update, which lake do you fish in, unless it is some secret spot.

Sorry, I won't be giving any more reports until next Sunday after the tournament just in case some of the other tourney guys are reading them.  I will say that I have been doing extremely well over the weekend.

A small city reservoir named Middlefork. The crappie don't get bigger than 8 inches but its close to my house and they still taste good. Good luck on your tournament dude!  

[Alan Reed]

Went out both days over the weekend.

Saturday my 15 year old step son caught his new PB LMB at 2.5 lbs. He was very excited to make this catch. Which is really good to see because I don't see him get to excited about much of anything.

Yesterday my wife wanted to go fishing for Mother's Day. With the storms that rolled in overnight and through the morning the fish were all tucked up very close to cover and the day moved on into the evening they started to move out more.

[IndianaFinesse]

So, I have figured out how and where to catch a quick limit of 15"+ bass, but I have been having problems with one area that I know is a good spot.  It has clear (3-5') visibility with abundant weeds.  most of the weeds only go to a few feet from the surface, and it is about four to seven feet deep.  I know there are some good bass in there, but I am not sure how to catch them.  I was thinking maybe a jig or senko fished in the weeds and a square-bill crank over top?  Or would something else or a different area be better for a couple kickers?

[BigBassLoveSenkos]

 

19 minutes ago, IndianaFinesse said:

So, I have figured out how and where to catch a quick limit of 15"+ bass, but I have been having problems with one area that I know is a good spot.  It has clear (3-5') visibility with abundant weeds.  most of the weeds only go to a few feet from the surface, and it is about four to seven feet deep.  I know there are some good bass in there, but I am not sure how to catch them.  I was thinking maybe a jig or senko fished in the weeds and a square-bill crank over top?  Or would something else or a different area be better for a couple kickers?

All depends on weather conditions.  Overcast, I'd try a spook or rapala floating minnow.  Sunshine I'd try dead-sticking or shakey-head rigging senko.  If those don't work, a pointer 78 in ghost minnow worked super slowly over that grass may get em.  If not, try a duo realis spybait on 6# or 8# fluorocarbon.  If all else fails, start pumping water out of the lake until you can just net them in a mud puddle   

[OddChase]

2 hours ago, IndianaFinesse said:

So, I have figured out how and where to catch a quick limit of 15"+ bass, but I have been having problems with one area that I know is a good spot.  It has clear (3-5') visibility with abundant weeds.  most of the weeds only go to a few feet from the surface, and it is about four to seven feet deep.  I know there are some good bass in there, but I am not sure how to catch them.  I was thinking maybe a jig or senko fished in the weeds and a square-bill crank over top?  Or would something else or a different area be better for a couple kickers?

Have you tried a spinnerbait? Seems simple but they are effective in clear water if you go with willow leaf blades. 

[Cole Richards]

7 hours ago, IndianaFinesse said:

So, I have figured out how and where to catch a quick limit of 15"+ bass, but I have been having problems with one area that I know is a good spot.  It has clear (3-5') visibility with abundant weeds.  most of the weeds only go to a few feet from the surface, and it is about four to seven feet deep.  I know there are some good bass in there, but I am not sure how to catch them.  I was thinking maybe a jig or senko fished in the weeds and a square-bill crank over top?  Or would something else or a different area be better for a couple kickers?

Swimbait and tick the tops of the weeds , I like a powerbait ripple shad on a darter head in this situation , yo yo it in out out of the weeds and bass will smash it .   Also try a bigger swimbait waked over the top of the weeds , that can really show you what fish hold in that area and you can adjust to what they want . If they roll on the swimbait but don't connect , flip a senko or a weightless fluke in there and usually they will drill it .

[OddChase]

Went out and fished my home reservoir last night for crappie for my grandfather. My father managed to catch a lake record crappie at 13in long. Not big, I know, but for a lake where the average size is 7 to 8, this was a big fish and full of eggs. I've noticed that smaller bass (8 to 12 inches) have been feeding on top water insects all over the lake, which makes me think the spawn is nearly over. Incoming storms so won't be able to get out until the weekend. 

[BrianMRetter]

@OddChase, I live in Winchester. My fiancé's 10 y/o brother wants me to take him fishing. Does middlefork have any decent bank fishing? He lives in Richmond so that would be ideal. I don't really care what kind of fish, I'm just trying to get him hooked into anything that swims. 

[OddChase]

9 hours ago, BrianMRetter said:

@OddChase, I live in Winchester. My fiancé's 10 y/o brother wants me to take him fishing. Does middlefork have any decent bank fishing? He lives in Richmond so that would be ideal. I don't really care what kind of fish, I'm just trying to get him hooked into anything that swims. 

Middlefork does have decent bank fishing as well as 3 docks to fish from. It is very kid friendly. There is also a bait shop if you want to buy some bee larva as well as a cleaning station if you want to eat your catch later. If you wait a week or two the crappie will be shallow and spawning. Currently they are under the bigger dock about 8 foot down. The upper (North) end is the head of the lake and has a river feeding into it. Lots of catfish and bass are caught there but I don't have much luck honestly. There is a parking lot on the North end as well as nice mowed banks, for the most part. Let me know if you have any more questions! I have been fishing Middlefork for the past 15 years, just recently moving to the Summit area. 

Not sure how familiar you are with Richmond, but there is a nice little park called Glen Miller in the middle of the city and it has a small pond in it with bass. None are very big but my dad and I had fun one day with just a weightless senko. Catch one just about every cast. Good luck. 

[BrianMRetter]

Thanks! I know where Glen Miller is. If we don't have any luck at Middlefork we'll try there. Thanks again

[Josh Smith]

Hello,

As of Wednesday the bass look to be on beds, at least a few.

I saw a bass hanging out by a boat ramp.  I tossed several lures at it, and the only one I could get it interested in was a plastic worm.  It picked that up well aft of the hook and carried it away.

It's definite spawning behavior, but I didn't see a bed.  Also, I proceeded to catch one largemouth with a jig; it definitely was not bedded, and its tail didn't look as if it had been building a nest.

So I'm going to say that early spawn has started here, the Peru/Wabash/Huntington/Ft Wayne area.

Josh

[drew4779]

They've been spawning for at least 3 weeks in the Batesville area.

[Josh Smith]

Weird how much difference 100 miles south can make.

Josh

[Alan Reed]

Fished one of the lakes at Atterbury. Very slow day.  The bass were on there beds. Was able to pull one off with a green pumpkin jig/skirt with crawfish trailer. Other fish were visible around submerged timber suspended a foot down but didn't take interest in anything I put in front of them. 

[Cole Richards]

Got out today in the cold .  Water temps were 51 on the windy side and 58 on the sheltered side . Caught 5 total flipping a havoc pit boss in cover , and throwing a shakey head worm along sea walls . Wish we could get some stable weather patterns this year. 

[IndianaFinesse]

So I fished in this morning's tournament, we caught 76 fish but only three were over fifteen inches.  We still managed to get third place out of eight boats, but kind of disappointing that second place beat us by seven pounds.  We caught tons of little 13-14 inch "cookie cutter" bass up shallow on the trd, so we moved out deeper and fish jigs and swimbaits.  The only difference is that we caught less bass, but the size didn't increase at all.  We threw everything but the kitchen sink at them, wacky rigs, Topwaters, jigs, shallow cranks, swimbaits, trd, kaharaba jigs but nothing but the trd did much good.  And the three good fish were up shallow mixed in with the rest of the dinks, so we didn't have much of a pattern to work off of.  Do you guys have any ideas of what I should have done better?

[Alan Reed]

Got out last night after work. The bass were biting good. They were out in the deeper water hiding in the Hydrilla. None of them were huge all between 1.5 and 2.5 pounds but they were aggressively feeding.

[Josh Smith]

Hey Guys,

Think there's any chance of getting slot limits for most lakes? One of those I fish really needs one...

Josh