Just want you guys to know I'm gonna pot lick you if !!

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Don't worry! When I potlick off you, I'll turn on no splashes or other devices.
Others should potluck as nicely as I do!

Are you fishing this week? I am thinking about bringing my dad down (disabled vet) to do some pot licking and to meet you Bruce!! What do you think?

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Wednesday

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We are going to be home stuffing our face with Turkey like everyone else on Thursday. Thanks for all your help with the recon on the lake...If we target mid lake points, humps and ledges we should be good? or do you have any other good secrets to share?

The Hubbard guys fish boat to boat. What I hate is when you are casting to the bank and catching fish and someone cuts you off between the bank and your boat. That makes my blood boil. This happened recently at Tawakoni so I started casting over the bow of his boat. After I tangled his line 4-5 casts he got the idea and moved out.

Makes me wish I still had a boat.

It has happened to me there, by the dam. Another time some clown comes pulling up in a camo flat bottom and pulls 10' from us and ask "yall catching any". I told him no, were just throwing them back. He said oh, ok, and drove off, with his outboard of course.

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Bruce,
I thought the thumping thing was a cold water, and a deep water tactic only? Were you using either method these past few weeks? I thought about the fish moving up the lake, and checked all the way up to Birch creek park last Wednesday, marked very few in north half of lake. None of the fish I've cleaned had eggs/milt of any volume in them. Water temps in creeks may have dropped to pleasant range for fish where a few are filtering in already.(maybe they are headed up the creeks just to get away from you and your fish catching crews!)

For years I only thumped when fish and bait were deep. I have found recently it works year round even in shallower water. A buddy and I were fishing on his boat in 14 fow. He turned his Bobo Thumper on and explained the fish will often stay within casting distance of the thumping. Not necessarily under the boat like when they are deep. We could cast lures out and catch one on most casts. It doesn't always work and Bruce may not be thumping on his home lake at this time. He stated the fish were easily spooked if you anchored over them so I assume he is in stealth mode. I'm sure he will respond with more info after he has rested from catching all those fish.

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Good use of ur electronics and hunt tactics, mr. Bruce! I stayed glue to my graph when I fish too, to a degree sometimes I get seasick for staring at it too long lol .

yes!! MR.bo bo is correct. I did try beating the boat and fish would show up near the boat within casting distance and also taking a rod and whipping it around splashing the water and it do brings them back within casting distance. ff would go blank then after making some splashes or noise you start seeing fish again on the screen. Not 100% of the time but very many time they come back. Some time they seems to move parallel left and right a lot. Don't know why but the splashing of the water do bring them back within casting range. They move around a lot staying in the same area. You catch 30 or 40 whites then they move on you then you gotta find them and re position and start all over again. At some certain spot they don't leave the area at all. They just move around a lot. Guess they're just down there chasing shads.

I still manually do my splashing and thumping. Need to break some Benjamin Franklin and buy a bo bo and a special prop for my spare trolling motor,and another battery. lol seems like a never ending thing when it comes to fishing related items you need to buy. Always needing some thing,buying some thing.

and yes I was in stealth mode. I kept seeing hybrids fifty seventy feet out on side scan but they wouldn't come close to the boat so I stayed stealthy hoping they would come closer. Occasionally they do and that's when I catch them.

I came up with some new tactics to catch those hybrids whom thinks they are so smart staying a distance from my boat. Gonna try it soon. [/quote]


Bruce, I can help you out with a splasher prop to go on your spare trolling motor, just need some specs on shaft size, pin placement etc. I have a prototype made, but haven't tried it out fishing yet.I was waiting for 50 degree water and deadsticking time, but maybe I should have been using it already.You can field test it and give us a report,( yours will cost you nothing). I'm in Brenham and only one block off hwy 36, so pretty much on your way to Somerville. PM me for a phone number, I hate putting it out on forums.

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what lake are you guys doing all this pot licking on ?
sounds like I am missing some great action.

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Thanks
Maybe we'll see you out there.
I don't have a Thumper so that shouldn't be an issue.

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Good to see your still going at it Bruce, just joined this forum so far looks pretty cool now I wanna go to Summerville!

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Hi Bruce
First I wish to thank you for all you share with us. I check the forum several times a day to see what your are up to. Your love of the sport inspires us all to become better fisher people . My wife and I have been fishing together for over 40 years and we are never too old to learn new tricks. When I see your post I mute the TV and call my wife to share the information. Your techniques can be applied to our local lakes, like Texoma,Lewisville, and Ray Roberts.
I have experimented with planer boards to get my lure way out to the side of the boat to target shy fish keeping 50 feet or so from the boat.
I found using my trolling motor,trolling a diving lure without too much pull I can deploy my lure attached to a planer board without spooking the fish. I use a long rod with a line counter rod so I can repeat the process.
I initially tried Offshore inline boards but I could not get them out to the side of the boat far enough with a diving lure. TX-44 Super Planer boards let me pull lures 50 feet out to the side of the boat. Too heavy of a lure will decrease how far out it will go. You can run these out in skinny water while you troll a downrigger ..deep on the other side of your boat. I am always experimenting and eager to learn . Would love to fish with you some day!

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Hi Bruce
I will anxiously await your results. I find that using my 10 foot downrigger rods in rod holders pointed up keep my line from dragging and allows my lure to go out further. I also rig my leader with a swivel and large bead to stop the inline planer board from sliding down to the fish. Those boats that cut between you and the shore can also run off with your board. I use a large line capacity reel and set my drag and hang on.

Thanks Bruce you still da man!!!