Colyer Lake 06/26/10 (Rage Craw was the winner!)

[NateFollmer]

Finally, after nearly 10 years, I got back to Colyer Lake near State College Pa! I don't know why I haven't been back since then, but I really regret missing all the fish I could have been ripping out of there!

Although the dam is cracked and the water is very low (it went from about 40 to 20 at it's deepest point) the fishing was great.

We made the mistake of using the east access area located off of Lake Rd. It was an old dirt launch with a small dock. You can't even get a trailer close to the water anymore, so we had to carry the boat in (it only weighs about 300 lbs, nothing we couldn't handle... ha). If you decide to go to Colyer, use the west access off of Lingle Rd.

As soon as we launched, I heard an angler in a canoe yelling "HEY.....HEEEEEEEY". As he approached he said "can you take my picture?" and he extended his arm to show me this nice pig:

He took that on a swimbait on a swimming jig. He told us the fish were holding at 6 to 8 ft. (which was the key to the entire day).

After getting all worked up over that fish, I took the boat out to the main point on the lake and saw a school of what looked like about 10 fish. Guess where they were suspended? 6 to 8ft... I tossed a Shadalicious swimbait down to them and after several passes I switched gears and dropped a jig down the steep bank. My jig was a peanut butter and jelly colored football jig with a Rage Craw as the trailer (I bite off the last two body sections. They tend to lay better on the jig and fall with more claw action this way). As soon as that jig got to the magic depth of 8 ft a nice bass picked it up! That bass ended up being about 14", nothing to brag about, but it's a fish! We caught a few more off that same bank and then I lost the school on the sonar.

I moved us just off the point to an area of heavy grass and timber. I switched the Rage Craw to a Texas rig and tossed it into the slop. I covered EVERY inch of that area with no hits. I put the craw back on the jig and on the first cast, BAM! I watched a nice largemouth fly out of the grass and nail the jig. Seemed like they wanted that larger profile over the T rig... I also tried many other baits, but where we were sitting, the Rage Craw on the jig was the only thing I could get them to commit to.

One of many Colyer Dinks!

I wish I could have hooked up with a bigger fish like Andy's (that's the guy that was yelling at us haha), but I didn't make it over to the grass flats where he was (plus I wanted to give him his space, he was there first). A fish is a fish to me though and I don't care what size they are as long as their biting!

[Big-O]

Good Show Nate Sounds like the fall speed and maintaining contact with the bottom was the key where you were bites

Big O

www.ragetail.com

[roadwarrior]

The Baby Craw rocks!

;D ;D ;D

[NateFollmer]

That it does! I was going to buy the rage craws that are specifically for jig trailers, but the old rage with a nice big bite out of its back works just as good haha. They kind of taste like pepper... I know you were wondering!

I must say, I am very impressed with these baits. I like to keep my plastics simple and not have 10000 legs and junk hanging off of the body. These have the perfect amount of detail and the perfect amount of action. I can't believe I didn't buy these sooner

[DRhodes]

Steve (Big O) needs to send you a rage tail hat for advertisement on the water. Send me one as well Steve  8-) 8-) 8-)

Great job!

[NateFollmer]

Haha, I'll take a hat, a shirt, some stickers, some lures.... ok ok, I'm getting a little out of control!

Thanks DRhodes, I'll be heading back this weekend and I'm calling the grass flat to myself and catching a pig!

[bassfisherjk]

Couple of nice fish Nate.I haven't fished Colyer Lake in a few years either.I live in Tyrone,which is about an hour south of State College.We used to get there a couple of times a year.Great fishing.

[Mrs. Matstone]

Congrats, Nice fish! ;D

[NateFollmer]

Thanks everyone. I swear every time I open any thread I see 10 more people from Pa haha.

bassfisherjk - You need to go back, it's been a great bite lately. Do you get to Raystown much? I haven't been there this year and I'm wondering how it's been so far.. Seems the Stripers have been on this season, but I haven't seen any other species reports.

[bassfisherjk]

Hello again Nate,no I don't fish Raystown much.I fish Canoe Creek and Glendale alot.We were up at Curwensville Dam this year also.Canoe Creek is a great bass lake.I will make a point to get over to Colyer though,Thanks.

[WernerBuilding]

Nate, stripers are definitely hot this year. Raystown weekly lunker tourneys have been averaging 3.25 lbs. All largemouths so far. Other than that personally I've been skunked more than I've been on the fish this year.

[buzzbait4me]

Anyone doing any good on Sayers Dam this year. I have been out a couple times and only caught 3 fish.

[NateFollmer]

Nate, stripers are definitely hot this year. Raystown weekly lunker tourneys have been averaging 3.25 lbs. All largemouths so far. Other than that personally I've been skunked more than I've been on the fish this year.

Ah that sucks. Maybe I should take up striper fishing That's what I love about Raystown though, it's either HOT or it sucks, there's not in between haha.

Buzz - I haven't been up yet this year but everyone I have talked to said it's not producing too well. I bet it has something to do with them draining it plus the increased heat (i think it started getting hot as they were re filling it, so it may have effected the fish).

[smashingsmallies]

Great job buddy-you've given me plenty of good info in our "PM's" and this is more good info--thanks again.  Fish on, John.