Posted By: Bud B
Cedar Creek - 11/13/15 - 11/14/15 06:08 PM
I haven't posted any reports lately. I've been getting out regularly this fall, but the fishing has been a lot tougher for me this fall than it was last year. I got 10 keepers on one trip, but 6 to 8 keepers has been more the norm, and other folks were posting better reports for Cedar Creek, so I settled for reading theirs. But I've seen fewer reports lately, and I had a pretty good day yesterday on the lake, so here's a report.
Cedar Creek's water level is exactly at normal level. The lake has cleared a bit, but the upper half (which is where I usually fish) still has more color than usual. Water temp yesterday was 64 degrees. It was a chilly morning, especially when the east northeast wind kicked up a bit, but the wind never got too bad, and it was a great day to be on the water. I ended up catching 23 keepers. I wanted to stay and get a limit, but the bite got tough later, and I was running late for a trip out to dinner, so 23 keepers it was. A dozen or so were really nice fish. I kept 8 and released the rest.
I caught the fish on both brush and concrete. All were caught on plastic, on my new dark purple/chartreuse color. They were in 8 to 15 feet of water. Most were near the bottom. I've been fishing a two jig rig most of the time this fall, and the fish bit both the 1/24 oz jig on the bottom, and the 1/32 oz jig a foot or so above it. I was mostly vertical fishing, but I did catch a few by pitching out the jigs and slowly swimming them along the bottom.
One of the things that's been different this fall on Cedar Creek (at least for me), is that the fish only want a small bait. Last year, I had a bunch of great fall trips using 1/16, 3/32, and 1/8 oz jigs with my bigger homemade plastic shad on them, but this fall, I can't seem to get many bites at all unless I'm using a 1/24 oz or 1/32 oz jig with the smaller plastic shad I started making this summer. Yesterday was no exception. Every fish was caught on the smaller jigs. I've caught a few fish on tied jigs this fall, but plastic has been better, and that purple/chartreuse has been the best color for me.
This will be my last fishing trip for a bit. I'm having back surgery on Monday (wish me luck). It ended up being a very nice last trip before my surgery.
All the crappie were black crappie yesterday.
The smaller version of my new purple/chartreuse shad was the bait of choice. The baits came out more blue than I intended (though not as blue as this cloudy day photo makes them look), but they get bit so well, I don't think I'm going to change them.
Cedar Creek's water level is exactly at normal level. The lake has cleared a bit, but the upper half (which is where I usually fish) still has more color than usual. Water temp yesterday was 64 degrees. It was a chilly morning, especially when the east northeast wind kicked up a bit, but the wind never got too bad, and it was a great day to be on the water. I ended up catching 23 keepers. I wanted to stay and get a limit, but the bite got tough later, and I was running late for a trip out to dinner, so 23 keepers it was. A dozen or so were really nice fish. I kept 8 and released the rest.
I caught the fish on both brush and concrete. All were caught on plastic, on my new dark purple/chartreuse color. They were in 8 to 15 feet of water. Most were near the bottom. I've been fishing a two jig rig most of the time this fall, and the fish bit both the 1/24 oz jig on the bottom, and the 1/32 oz jig a foot or so above it. I was mostly vertical fishing, but I did catch a few by pitching out the jigs and slowly swimming them along the bottom.
One of the things that's been different this fall on Cedar Creek (at least for me), is that the fish only want a small bait. Last year, I had a bunch of great fall trips using 1/16, 3/32, and 1/8 oz jigs with my bigger homemade plastic shad on them, but this fall, I can't seem to get many bites at all unless I'm using a 1/24 oz or 1/32 oz jig with the smaller plastic shad I started making this summer. Yesterday was no exception. Every fish was caught on the smaller jigs. I've caught a few fish on tied jigs this fall, but plastic has been better, and that purple/chartreuse has been the best color for me.
This will be my last fishing trip for a bit. I'm having back surgery on Monday (wish me luck). It ended up being a very nice last trip before my surgery.
All the crappie were black crappie yesterday.
The smaller version of my new purple/chartreuse shad was the bait of choice. The baits came out more blue than I intended (though not as blue as this cloudy day photo makes them look), but they get bit so well, I don't think I'm going to change them.