Fishing guys (need help)

[XChris1632X]

I have been fishing alum creek a lot lately with little luck. Other than going to the dam and catching two little small mouth ever trip I haven't caught shit until trolling last night. I hook into two saugeyes. I hate trolling and have no use for saugeyes. I don't eat fish and just catch and release. Usually target bass. I have a bass boat but no knowledge of alum. I just got a lowrance HDS 7 touch. I am trying to locate structure and eventually get on the bass. Anyone have any tips? I'll be more than happy to take someone out who knows the lake and would be willing to help train me.

[TurboRust]

Do you fish day or night normally? Bass have been busy up shallow during the evenings, no tips for the daytime im usually targeting saugeye and catch my bass on accident

[acklac7]

Alum only holds Dink Fish :gabe:

[XChris1632X]

Usually get out at 6 and fish until dark. Last night I stayed until 11 hoping the top water would light up but it didn't. Alum is so crazy on the weekends I feel like the boat traffic keeps them down deeper until late. I haven't had any luck shallow.

[XChris1632X]

Alum only

 

No, I would love to learn oshay as well since it is closer to me than alum but the mud is always a discouragement. Alum has just been a challenge to me lately. I can fish alright in southern and northern states but have no luck in any Ohio waters.

 

I know you are on OGF, do you have a better idea?

[acklac7]

Honestly i think Alum is considered to be a rough Bass lake by most Bass Anglers. Griggs (Reservior) and Oshay(Res) hold excellent populations of both Largemouth and Smallmouth, although Alum does have some huge Smallies. With those River Reserviours try throwing the biggest brightest spinnerbait you can (firetiger works well) while slowly working structure along the bank.

[acklac7]

Also Griggs is running much clearer then Oshay ATM.

[TurboRust]

dont listen to aj he's biased to river fishing because he's lived on it his whole life and thats what he knows best. The river has been fucked all year and therefore aj has got lucky hitting a few spots he knows produce fish.

 

 

That being said, here's how I've grown to love alum creek. When I started out it intimidated the fuck out of my because it was so big. i fished the north middle and south pools and decided which one had the features that I was most comfortable fishing and catching fish. I've got 4/5 key areas I will hit all night long now on alum becuas eI know they are holding spots for fish. The thing you can always rely on is bass will follow bait, right now there is tons of bait near any lights(boat ramps and marina) throwing baits like big joshy swimbaits, 3" chartreuse twisters, and xrap 8(twitch and pause) have all produced bass that are under the lights.

 

The small mouth love rocky areas, some of the points, boat ramps, bridges, and the damn all have big chuck rock. The small mouth are there attacking minnows and craws, so crawdad cranks beat into the rocks work well, swim baits do too.

 

when I'm talking shallow I'm saying casting your lure so close to shore that it damn near snags if you wait too long.. try to make casts parallel or 45* to the bank so you are concentrating on that shallow water which holds a majority of the actively feeding fish. deep fish are much harder to catch and that hds is a great unit but for now use the contour charts and mark the areas time after time that you catch fish.. as you do that you can look at the maps and find like areas that will hold fish during that season.

[TurboRust]

Honestly i think Alum is considered to be a rough Bass lake by most Bass Anglers. .

i've heard alot of the weigh ins on saturdays and they range from 9-12lbs.. no ones killing it, but alot of times out there when the saugeye arent cooperating the small mouth save the night for me.

[acklac7]

dont listen to aj he's biased to river fishing because he's lived on it his whole life and thats what he knows best. The river has been fucked all year and therefore aj has got lucky hitting a few spots he knows produce fish

 

LOL, actually nearly every spot ive nailed them at this year ive found this year but anyway. Yes i am partially biased to the river, but honestly Griggs is rated (or was rated) by B.A.S.S as the best Res. in Central Ohio for Bass, not sure if this is still the case, but ask other serious Bass anglers on OGF and they'll almost surely tell you the same: Griggs and Oshay are excellent Bass fisheries.

[TurboRust]

check out this... http://www.ohiobassblog.com/

 

tons of info here, and if you check the tourny weigh ins, alum so far has done better than buckeye or indian for most results posted.

[acklac7]

check out this... http://www.ohiobassblog.com/

 

tons of info here, and if you check the tourny weigh ins, alum so far has done better than buckeye or indian for most results posted.

 

Ask Mike (the guy who Started that site) what he thinks of Griggs, see what he has to say

[TurboRust]

aj and i will bicker all day about fishing but heres the facts.

griggs and oshay can turn to mud and stay muddy, these conditions are what allowed aj to track 3/4 of a mile to fish a spot on the scioto while myself and another guy caught fish and got broken off by bigger fish.. sit around on the rocks because the (water is too muddy and I dont have any confidence) sure oshay and griggs are great fisheries but not may people have confidence in the mud, even people that have been fishing all their lives, and the large lakes take rain better.

[acklac7]

Le sigh, I have confidence fishing muddy water, just not after dark. I took a few breaks because I have disfigured toes and it's painful to stand on jagged rocks and fish, and it's not really worth killing my feet when the bite was off. And last but not least you each caught one fish a piece.

[Sturg1647545502]

Slip bobbers with wax worms for blue gill & minnows for crappie. Fish the shore line, look for structure overhead or in the water that could be used as a spawning hole.

[XChris1632X]

Thanks guys. What is the trick to the really muddy water? I pass Griggs all the time and I have been thinking about fishing it. I have never been on the water there.

[TurboRust]

Dirty water go bright or dark.. orange and chartreuse work well but so does black... and loud/vibration never hurts a rattle trap or spinnerbait would be my pick

[Putty]

After using my fish finder all year, I've realized they are useless for finding fish. The best thing about them if you have a unit with down imaging is you get to see what the bottom looks like. Also, getting the depth and water temp. By time they locate fish, they are gone.

[TurboRust]

I trust my dual hds5s to find structure and baitfish but not big fish that im trying to catch... find the bait find the fish

[XChris1632X]

Might try to head to oshay this weekend. I may take a little break from alum for a bit. Oshay is just to close. Especially since I pass over it to get to alum.

 

When I fished oshay this year while a tournament was going on it seemed as though every single person was flipping the bank. I assume it was due to the high water. As the water level continues to fall am I looking to go deep? How much structure is there deep at oshay? The only thing that came to my mind was the somewhat deeper point at twin lakes. Should I still look to flip the bank as well?

[acklac7]

Might try to head to oshay this weekend. I may take a little break from alum for a bit. Oshay is just to close. Especially since I pass over it to get to alum.

 

When I fished oshay this year while a tournament was going on it seemed as though every single person was flipping the bank. I assume it was due to the high water. As the water level continues to fall am I looking to go deep? How much structure is there deep at oshay? The only thing that came to my mind was the somewhat deeper point at twin lakes. Should I still look to flip the bank as well?

 

Not as familiar with Oshay, but for Griggs keep flipping the bank with a Jig N' Pig or Spinnerbait (literally stick to those two), regardless of water level. Don't spend to much time on each individual piece of structure, just keep a steady pace down the bank pitching any available structure you see. This is all coming from the big-time Bass guys, none of whom have ever mentioned targeting fish deep.

 

Also keep your eye open for Wipers blowing up bait balls and/or gulls diving on bait. There's some beasty Wipers in Oshay now (up to 10lbs) if you can find a school busting topwater you'll just about forget about targeting Black Bass, them Wipers are Pshyco http://static.outdoorhub.com/static.images/ogf/images/smilies/bigfish.gif

[XChris1632X]

Not as familiar with Oshay, but for Griggs keep flipping the bank with a Jig N' Pig or Spinnerbait (literally stick to those two), regardless of water level. Don't spend to much time on each individual piece of structure, just keep a steady pace down the bank pitching any available structure you see. This is all coming from the big-time Bass guys, none of whom have ever mentioned targeting fish deep.

 

Also keep your eye open for Wipers blowing up bait balls and/or gulls diving on bait. There's some beasty Wipers in Oshay now (up to 10lbs) if you can find a school busting topwater you'll just about forget about targeting Black Bass, them Wipers are Pshyco http://static.outdoorhub.com/static.images/ogf/images/smilies/bigfish.gif

 

I never saw this reply until now. I have been confined to ponds and Darby since posting this and never made it back out on the boat. Tomorrow I will be hitting oshay in the evening. Any chance for the top water to light up?

 

I will be beating the banks with that jig and pig like you said. What do you think about doing the same with a senko shallow? As well as spinners should I throw in a chatter bait?

[TurboRust]

we've landed a couple nice bass over 2lbs up there lately fishing cranks up near the bank, flicker shad, shad raps, and hotntots, tons of bait in the coves getting blown up, we threw joshy swimbaits through them and caught some bass as well... all natural colors silver/blk and silver/bue

[acklac7]

we've landed a couple nice bass over 2lbs up there lately fishing cranks up near the bank, flicker shad, shad raps, and hotntots, tons of bait in the coves getting blown up, we threw joshy swimbaits through them and caught some bass as well... all natural colors silver/blk and silver/bue

 

A much different tone then a month ago

 

I never saw this reply until now. I have been confined to ponds and Darby since posting this and never made it back out on the boat. Tomorrow I will be hitting oshay in the evening. Any chance for the top water to light up?

 

I will be beating the banks with that jig and pig like you said. What do you think about doing the same with a senko shallow? As well as spinners should I throw in a chatter bait?

 

The guys I know that do well on Griggs/Oshay (For Bass) all stick to finessing a Jig n' Pig and/or Spinnerbait. Not saying other lures don't produce, but for the hardcore Bass guys this is what they stick to 85% of the time.

 

As for topwater, things are going to really heat up here in the next couple months. As Derek said the Bass are already starting-in on Schools of shad, look for that bite to literally explode come late September/Early October. As I said in the other thread don't treat fishing as a Summer-only deal, the late September/October/Early November bite can be (and often is) nothing short of phenomenal.

[verse]

Anyone know where some decent sized cats are biting?

 

I love fishing, go often with my son, but it's typically just soaking minnows/live worms or chicken liver on the big pole on the shore. I've just never had any luck with fake bait. Any basic tips?