"Fish the highways and catch the fish as they are coming or going."

BINGO!

The last cat, the white one, caught in fall?

I think that's one of the pictures in his signature, it's a nice fish though that looks like it was caught in the cold!

Spent about 4 hours banking at the lake yesterday, didn't catch anything but like they say nothing can teach a fisherman more than time spent on the water.

And I might add that a bank fisherman can learn a lot by wading in the water. I waded down to chest deep, there are silt cover the bottom, not good for banking, so I tried to cast out as far as I could to get to the clear water which has either sand or gravel bottom or just deeper water that make better spot for your bait... Did managed only one legal keeper blue catfish which I threw it back in the water. The water condition was good, with steady wind, low water pressure, was easy to walk in the water ideal for fish to swim around, but still warm at 5 feet deep.... as I sit there having the lake almost to myself, nice, did saw some birds working on a couple of white bass schools right after sunset, they were around the submerged point and sandbar area that I have fished a million times... This made me think... SHAD... but it's just too far away... 500 yards or more just beyond reach...

Cont'd,

Surface WB school = SHAD, wherever there shad and WB usually there are blue cats.

I might spool my reel that I have not used for years, Daiwa Giant 10000 reel with 50lbs braid and used a fishing tube to drop live palm sized bluegills on the sandbar point...

What y'all think, will it catch a big summer blue cat?

Thanks for the report BF50. Hate to say this, but this makes me feel a little better knowing that it's not all me doing something wrong. Maybe fishing is tough this time of the year for bankers.

You're welcome DD, I'm glad you read it because I had you in mind when I added the details. Yeah it's tough to fish from bank this summer because of the new water, especially if you bent on targeting big cats.. But on the bright side, things looking good for Fall.

I'm looking forward to fall. I have a favorite spot on grapevine that I have caught lots of double digits from in the fall. Need the water to go down a little more because I like to bank fish there. It's more relaxing than on the kayak. But if the water isn't down enough I'll be on the yak. Fishing>relaxing

I'm looking forward as well... meanwhile i am fishing with keyboard.
found a pretty interesting stuffs.. this guy is really good. His chicken liver chum....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-eV7b1pGFQ

On my last trip out a week ago,we put out some juglines in 15 to 18 ft.water,and placed baits at various depths on the lines,and found that the best fish ( 16 & 18 lbs) came on the upper hooks,about 5 ft or so below the surface,and the deeper hooks got nothing much.This was at night,by the way.That tells me that they are coming up for oxygen in that hot water,and spending a lot of time suspended up away from the bottom. Time to start using bobbers on my rods again now,or at least on some of them.

Drift at night...cover water.

We saw blues cruising around just inches under the surface in 5' of water at night on Hubbard this July. Pretty cool really, they look kind of like sharks doing that. I'm liking the oxygen theory.

Yep you'll find 10+lber at 5' depth in 15 FOW, sounds like a good distance from shore and enough tb away from hot shallow water this time of the year.

The sardine oil sounds interesting... I won't mess with chicken though... if you have access to Asian fish market buy fresh buffalo fish whole, keep them on ice until you get to the lake then after you scale it, filet the meat out and save them on ice in a zip lock back for bait. Tie a small piece of rock on the carcass and toss it in the water as chum, this chum works for hybrids and stripers too. Watch your poles...

Personally, I like to fish with fresh caught shad or minnows, when bait fish are plenty I use only fresh baits and throw old baits in the water as chum, I never leave any of my baits on ground.

That is just some old pics that use to be real small in my signature. I have no idea why they are so big now. Shoot I don't even remember how to get into my photo bucket to change them lol. I think the fish you are referring to was caught in the dead cold winter.