Some days these fish just wont bite. Then 4 hours later all heck breaks loose and you have 20-30 mins of crazy fun.



Then some days your catching fish all day.



Please remember: This is not a numbers game. Its Trophy Fishing. We are catching fish big enough to put up on your wall if you want. Quality fish.



15 lb fish and bigger, we eager you to release for the spawn. 12 lb fish and smaller are enough meat for dinner usually.



We fish a lot of structure. We are going to loose gear throughout the day, so don't get discouraged. The fish hang out near underwater stumps, as an example, and we have to swim a swim bait, and hit the stump with the lure sometimes, to get them to bite.



Make sure you over dress for the water. Just because you walk out in your back yard a couple hours before the trip and its nice out, well its colder at the lake almost all the time. You can always peel off cloths while in the boat.



Kids are def welcome anytime, but just make sure they understand right now, they have to make a lot of casts and it requires patients. We don't bait a hook and wait for the fish to come to us, and just watch the boat catch the fish for you. We want you to cast out and feel the first thump, of the fish inhaling your lure, then seeing you pull back hard. Then watching you smile as a fish of a life time peels line off the reel!



We want you to cast out and feel the first thump, of the fish inhaling your lure, then seeing you pull back hard. Then watching you smile as a fish of a life time peels line off the reel!



Tip: Don't pump the fish to the boat like tuna fisherman do. Keep the rod tip bent and just reel as the fish gives you line. By pumping, you end up just slacking the line out and you bend forward and dip the rod. Don't do that, that just helps the fish shake the hook out. Keep constant pressure and let the drag do its thing.



Right now we are throwing 20 pound Berkley Big Game fishing line.



Just bring snacks and drinks. We have everything else



We are not catching many box fish right now, just monsters. So expect to leave with 2 fish over 20 inches per person- if the fish are cooperating.

Always good to read your report.

Way to go Carey Thorne. You are whacking some good fish up there even though fishing is tough.

I love this thread. A bit of useful advice and good pointers sandwiched in between each picture.

Very nice fish!

Lots of vids coming when I have time to edit. Working 20 days straight. And, I'm loving every min. -when the fish r biting

Plano to dock is 1 hours drive for me. Took 2 hours in the heavy snow and slushy highway. Got to the dock and it was glass calm out. All day it was calm. Birds flying everywhere but not much on the feeding birds. Just looking mainly.

Today was a wow day. Started the day off scanning a point and I saw 5-6 monsters lurking the incline. Stopped the boat and turned the ipilot on auto to drag me along the ridge. 5 mins into the drift I see a swirl 10 ft from the boat. I blew it off thinking it was the ipilot. Then a couple seconds later I see a 12 inch gizzard swim up to the surface and turn on it's side. Immediately, a huge fish just misses it. ( wish I had a topwater on for the next few moments ). We land a Road Runner on a swirl 15 ft from the boat. 10 ft from the boat we see a huge white hole swallow the RR right in front of us and the rod doubles over and lines starts to peel off.

18+. Beautiful fishy.



Saw three more fish swirl and they vanished. Drove around for a bit and Jimmy texted and said he was on a school. Got to the spot and saw a few fish on the graph.



I saw a group of birds near the shore line as we pulled up. Three mins later the flock triple in size. I see 2-4 big fish on the graph the whole 5 mins we were there.



Even missed a fish. But I could stand it. I had to leave biting fish to see what the birds were doing. Best right hand turn of the day.



The graph was solid with fish 10-50 ft deep in 60 ft of water.



For 30-45 mins it was doubles and triples coming over the rail. Someone always had one on.



Ended up boating 32 Striper from 7 lbs to 18 lbs. All caught on road runners. That's over 350 lbs of pure Striper.



I have the same group of guys tomorrow, with 25-30 mph north wind. Should be interesting.



Instead of saying " you should have been here yesterday!", I might be saying " good thing you were here yesterday.




But again, you never know what the fish are doing. Just cause it windy doesn't mean they r not feeding. It's all about our comfort level.



Just need to be able, to safely fish the areas with out a wave knocking anyone out of the boat.



Found a 15 pounder in a stump field. Got snagged every 5 mins, but that fish made it worth it.



Pics are in random order.



Water was 10-15 ft vis. .

Wow nice work Carey. You boys are hammering the big fish.

Catching Monster fish and sometimes, like in the video, you really get into a school of monsters. The video is 10 mins of bent rods and big striper. Couple tips and tricks within the video too. The main reason its a longer vid, is, I made the video for my clients. But, its pure action and a couple of the fights lasted 15 mins almost, edited way down. Enjoy.

nice work man!

WOW those are some hogs. Nice video Carey

"15 lb fish and bigger, we eager you to release for the spawn. 12 lb fish and smaller are enough meat for dinner usually." as you stated why dont you release the bigger one for the spawn? i see in the video you are throwing back the smaller ones and keeping the bigger ones. . anywho cool video

Super.

I can tell you that, we would like you to release the big girls, but it's the clients call on what two fish they want to keep, it's their fish. A couple of the big fish in my photos are being skin mounted, too.

True to that. It's clients' decision.

I left the lake once again scratching my head. I marked fish all day. Missed some thing giant when I thought I was snagged, then the snag just peeled line off the reel and pulled free. Then 5 mins later we land the huge black bass. Five mins later we break off a fish. 15 mins of somewhat action. Visibility was 20 ft at times. Foggy as heck. I heard about a few boats getting turned around and going the wrong way till we either saw rocks all of the sudden, or just cruising for to long in the wrong direction realizing it's taking to long to get there. If not for gps, there is no way I could have gone out there. All day you would hear a group of birds going nuts but u couldn't see them! 20-30 ft vis maybe. Most of the day was foggy like that. Off tomorrow with ice storm coming. Bass was Cpr'ed. One guy wanted to keep it and one guy said "'no -we release bass in Texas". Lucky bass.

Hearing other boats close by was nerve racking, too.