Anna on Monday Morning

[Bill Hamilton]

Going out for a few hours on Monday morning. Winds are supposed to die down to 5 mph. Been doing gusts of to 50 mph this morning. A little cool but I can handle the temperature over the wind.



Going out around 0700 on the hot side in case anyone wants to join in. (Toxic???????). Will be back to the house around noonish (unless they are really biting).



Enjoy the rest of the weekend and the rest of the football games!

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

I'm in unless something comes up. Anybody want to back seat in my boat?



TOXIC

 

[Jim in VA]

Bill and Tox - you guys have fun and I wish you the best of luck. Sorry I can't make it down (still smiling from Friday though!) FYI - I was getting my best hits on a five-inch senko in pumpkin with green and black flake. The dark watermelon senko with purple and gold flake and a chartreuse tail worked a couple of times, but not as well as the pumpkin. I also tried the dark purple with purple glitter (can't remember the name, but I know Bill has had great success with those in the past) and a dark green tube with chartruese tail. Those were ignored this time around. Dave had tried a crank bait and spinner with tan trailer as well - he got a catfish on the latter rig, but no bass. They simply wanted the pumpkin that day!



Tight lines!



JC

 

[Ken Sabin]

Maybe Thursday, if anyone is available

 

[Kenneth Brown]

WELL....... How was the day?????

 

[Jim in VA]

Yeah!! What KB said!!!

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

I got SCHOOLED by Mr. Bill!!:lol: He had the touch today. I caught 10 bass biggest was 2lbs, mabe a little over. He caught 20 in the 1/2 day he was on the water and he had the quality to go with the quantity!! I did catch 5 catfish....does that count? I got no bass at dike 1..... all cats....maybe that's why they vamoosed. Caught a nuke bass...bright orange fins with black tips and black streaks in the tail:huh:. Looked weird, pulled it out of 40 feet of water on a dropshot. Still in all, any day on the water this time of year is a gift. You keep fishing like that Bill and you will win your own memorial tournament!!:lol::lol::lol:



Thanks



TOXIC

 

[TrepMan]

Tox, Jim and others - Senko fishing, do you only do it for visable (or known) structure or do you use it as a search bait too? I've only had sucess down here in the spring and summer on blowdowns and stumps, i'd like to try it more but need more guidance to use it. Thanks in advance!

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

I've actually c-rigged a Senko. Carlos fishes them on a slider head when the wind/current gets too strong. My son caught a nice bass in 25 feet of water on a weightless senko. I'm pretty convinced that there is really no "wrong" way to fish one. In one of the recent "Inside Line" (Yamamoto's free email newsletter), there was an article on rigging a Senko on a ball head jig. I have used them as spinnerbait trainers as well as jig trailers.



So, to answer your question, they are a pretty darn good "search" as well as "destroy" bait!!:lol::lol:



TOXIC

 

[Bruce Freeman]

So when is the next Mr Bill memorial tournament? Remember I will be in Fla from Jan 27th to the 5th of Feb?? I need some warm water to test out a new partner for the Angler's Choice team trail...

BF

 

[Jim in VA]

Hey Trep!



I just started fishing senko's last year, so I'm still on a learning curve. That said, I have had my best success T-rigging them either with a sliding weight or weightless. Generally, I've found they work best (for me) by pitching to shore and dragging them slowly in. Ideally, the shoreline is steep with a significant drop off close in. Structure always seems to help! Of course, last summer when I was out with Bill and Tox, I also did well using it as a "search" bait along some shallow shoreline.



My regular fishing partner (and neighbor), Dave, has had very good success C-rigging them as well.



Hope that helps!



JC

 

[Jim in VA]

Tox - of COURSE cats count!! Some fight harder than bass!! They're tasty to boot! Glad you and Bill had a good day out there. Hope to catch up to you guys again soon!



JC

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Now I really do like some deep fried catfish nuggets with corbread/slaw and all the other fixin's. That there is good eatin in the neighborhood!! I just didn't want to clean them at night in the cold.



TOXIC

 

[TrepMan]

OK my biggest problem (sorry Bill for highjacking your post) with soft plastics as search baits, and maybe its me, is I feel I need to work them slowly (everyone keeps telling ME to slow down more!!! LOL) and the next cast I want it to be say 1-2 feet down the bank, but that will take HOURS to work one point/shoreline. So you guys that use them in open water (meaning not targeting a specific object) how far down between casts do you go?

 

[Paul P]

Trepster,



I would call them a search bait if you are targetting a specific pattern or structure. You really can't run down a bank with them looking for fish like a spinner bait since it would take so long. The slower you fish them the better is what I have found ... basically dead sticking it. You will build a lot of confidence once they start producing and you'll find the productivity is generally better when fished slowly. Senko's are a great producer under most conditions and techniques When the bite is tough, they are still a great producer since slowing down is generally a good tactic in that circumstance anyway.



When I take the kids fishing, I'll use a senko since I'm busy dealing with baiting their hooks and such. I once tossed a senko out, put my rod on the deck, picked it up 2 minutes later, and there was a nice 3 pounder on.



Green Pumpkin/Blake Flk is my favorite as well as black and black / red flk.



Cheers



Paul

 

[Bill Hamilton]

Trep - No problem in working the post. LOL



The fishing for me on Monday was great. Contrary to Toxic saying he would leave the launch gate open for me I beat him to the launch area and was fishing with my nav lights on it was so early.



The fish on dike two were jumping so much we decided to just start on dike two. I started from the far end and Toxic from the near side. By the time we met in the middle I have boated 9 with the biggest going close to 4 pounds. All on Senkos throwing them up on the rip rap and slowly dropping them down into the 12-18 feet off the dike. Things died down so we took off through canal 2 and went to a nice channel that Toxic worked before. Didn't do me any good so after a while I wentup to the small bridge to the right of canal 2 (toward David's place). Fished the rip rap and just slaughtered them. Called to Toxic by whistling, blowing my horn and other antics but he never noticed until an hour later. Finally came up to my area. I picked up a few more and had to call it a day. Had 12 or 13 of that rip rap with the biggest going about 3 pounds. Again, all on Senko's. To be honest they were 4 inch Kinami Green Pumpkin or Baby Bass plastics and not true Senko's. No steeeenkin' catfish for me off of dike 1. Stayed off that area on Monday. Weather was great with highs about 48 with little or no wind.



Bruce - Will let you know when the next big Invitational Get Together will be. Will try and schedule it around your availability and Uncle Billy's. Weather has been really holding up so we should have a good winter fish. Next couple of weeks are pretty busy for almost everyone with fishing shows, trips and CIII on TAD (in Hawaii - tough duty).



Started to put stuff together for the yard sale and boy do I have STUFF. Didn't realize how much stuff I really need to get rid of. Haven't even started to look at rods and reels yet.



Will get together with the old (and new?) crew as soon as we can and go some more fishin'.



I really hate that long drive to the lake to fish!

 

[Bruce Freeman]

"Long drive to the lake" Yea bet you go through some trailer tires towing all that way.....lol

BF

 

[Bill Hamilton]

Bruce - Yeah! The longest tow was from the dealer in Aquia about 25 miles away. Probably don't have 200 miles on the trailer in 4 years. Probably don't need to worry about the brakes pads needing replacing any time soon. LOL