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Big Bass Splash Rayburn - Successful Patterns and Baits?? #12726633 04/23/18 02:24 AM
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BigTxBassMan Offline OP
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I wish some of the successful people would share their patterns and baits. We fished Caney Friday and only caught a few with the biggest being about 2lbs. We concentrated in 8-12 ft with swimbaits and flukes and Senkos. We didnt talk to anybody or see anybody who did any better than we did. Looking back, I wish we had dropped a big jig in some of the hydrilla that we found but I dont know if that would have helped or not. With the lake high, we knew there would be some fish shallow but we felt like our chances would be better for a big one out a little deeper. Come on guys, tell me where we went wrong?

Moritz Chevrolet - 9101 Camp Bowie W Blvd, Fort Worth, TX - Monte Coon (817) 696-2003
Re: Big Bass Splash Rayburn - Successful Patterns and Baits?? [Re: BigTxBassMan] #12726928 04/23/18 12:52 PM
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When you consider that the tournament in man hours fished over 54,000 hours ( that's over 6 years of fishing without a break ) and only caught 20 fish over 8 lbs and no 10's or 11,s and but a nice 12lber - you weren't the only one wondering what to use- compared to the past it is as bad as it gets as far as quality fish caught - it use to be that a 10 lber couldn't get in the top 5- just so many fish in a lake and with all the pressure from tournaments the quality has to go done and worse every year

Re: Big Bass Splash Rayburn - Successful Patterns and Baits?? [Re: BigTxBassMan] #12727092 04/23/18 02:40 PM
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Jarrett Latta Offline
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The number of 5,6,7lbers indicates a healthy lake imo. A very small percentage of the bass in the lake even get caught during the McDonald's. Lakes in great shape. High water and post spawn those are good weights. A lot of fish are roaming around in 5-7ft of flooded cover that nobody can get to anyways

Re: Big Bass Splash Rayburn - Successful Patterns and Baits?? [Re: BigTxBassMan] #12727179 04/23/18 03:34 PM
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We flipped bushes mid-lake (Around Caney & South of there) Friday for 5 hours and caught around 8-10 small ones, so we went deeper and caught some dropping the Hydrilla in Veach with a 1.25 oz. weight, but very few bites.

Saturday we caught some in Veach on the outside of the haygrass on TX Rig & Carolina Rig, then offshore in 17-22ft. on TX Rig, Shaky Head, Crankbaits, but the majority were Spots.

Sunday, we stayed south, put in at Powell due to the wind. Caught around 10 shallow on Chatterbaits in the morning then a few out deep on Shaky Heads, but the bite shut off around 9:00 for us and we only boated another 2-3 fish.

I was as lost as anyone. I graphed deep points, drops, ridges for probably 6-8 hours total all weekend during and after the tournament was over for the day and only found two schools of fish. They bit easy when you found them, but there was no size to them.


Re: Big Bass Splash Rayburn - Successful Patterns and Baits?? [Re: BigTxBassMan] #12727249 04/23/18 04:25 PM
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Latta hit it in the head. Lots of fish in the depth range most don't fish and is hard to fish right with all the cover in the water. Most people's boat is on top of the fish and their bait is up shallow. Just that transition time and this crazy weather isn't helping.

Re: Big Bass Splash Rayburn - Successful Patterns and Baits?? [Re: BigTxBassMan] #12727256 04/23/18 04:31 PM
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Jarrett Latta Offline
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You can graph for days and never see a true school of fish on Rayburn. They don't set up like other lakes.

Re: Big Bass Splash Rayburn - Successful Patterns and Baits?? [Re: BigTxBassMan] #12727257 04/23/18 04:32 PM
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Originally Posted By: BigTxBassMan
I wish some of the successful people would share their patterns and baits. We fished Caney Friday and only caught a few with the biggest being about 2lbs. We concentrated in 8-12 ft with swimbaits and flukes and Senkos. We didnt talk to anybody or see anybody who did any better than we did. Looking back, I wish we had dropped a big jig in some of the hydrilla that we found but I dont know if that would have helped or not. With the lake high, we knew there would be some fish shallow but we felt like our chances would be better for a big one out a little deeper. Come on guys, tell me where we went wrong?


I feel your pain and so do a lot of other guys on this Monday following the big tournament. I have fished Bob's tournament for over 20 years now and the ride home always makes for interesting conversation with either yourself or your partner. The "what if's" run rampant in an anglers mind. In my younger days, I would beat myself up with questions and thoughts of what I could have done better. The Splash is unique in the sense that people come from far and wide to fish it with abilities that range from novice to very very good. Throw in the fact that it is a "one" fish tournament and it levels the playing field somewhat. There are no real secrets. There is no magic bait. There is no magic depth, fish were caught in a foot of water, fish were caught in 30 feet of water. In my very humble opinion, it all comes down to what you believe in doing and what you believe will work.

You have to be willing to fish the entire day for ONE bite and maybe not even get bit, not 25-30 spot or dink bites. That is VERY hard for most folks to do, including me. I am not saying you cant catch a big one in those schools of little ones, but your chances are smaller in my opinion. I have been fortunate enough to make the trip to the pavilion 6 or 7 times in the past 5 years, not for anything huge, but maybe an even weight fish or a 5-7 lb fish from time to time. That is more than I did the first previous 15 years combined. Why? The answer is simple, I quit fishing it like a stringer tournament and started focusing on 2-3 spots for the ENTIRE tournament, places I have confidence in, not necessarily from past history, but where I think they should be. This year for example was 7-10 foot of water, scattered grass, a small ditch nearby leading to deeper water. Of the 24 hours of fishing time we had, we fished that spot probably 16 hours and had 5 bites the entire time, but one of them was a near 6 lb fish that got us a small check. We were fortunate because we could have just as easy caught nothing or we could have caught a 10 lb fish, it's all the same. Me personally, I think you have to slow way down and just enjoy the weekend and be thankful if you happen to get lucky enough to run into one those pigs. Age and wisdom will do that to you!!


Everything on your bass boat is broken......You just don't know it yet.
Re: Big Bass Splash Rayburn - Successful Patterns and Baits?? [Re: BigTxBassMan] #12727368 04/23/18 05:44 PM
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Jaret your right, when I did find them, only a few were set up like other lakes and most were spots with a few largemouth mixed in.. Im not all that familiar with Rayburn so I dont know exactly what to look for out deep, just need to spend more time.


Re: Big Bass Splash Rayburn - Successful Patterns and Baits?? [Re: BigTxBassMan] #12727670 04/23/18 09:13 PM
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We fished hard all 3 days and only boated in about 10 small fish all weekend. We couldn't find a good pattern, caught fish in 4 ft 13 ft and 20 ft lol. Saturday we did figure out that they was holding close to the bigger willow trees. But sunday I guess since it wasn't bright out they wasn't on the trees. Saw a guy at the Five fingers boat ramp that hit something I guess, but his engine was knocked off right at the jackplate. Somehow got the engine pulled up next to the boat ramp. I'm with you I need to learn the lake better. All in all we still had a blast.


Re: Big Bass Splash Rayburn - Successful Patterns and Baits?? [Re: Kens3313] #12728130 04/24/18 03:04 AM
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Originally Posted By: Kens3313
We fished hard all 3 days and only boated in about 10 small fish all weekend. We couldn't find a good pattern, caught fish in 4 ft 13 ft and 20 ft lol. Saturday we did figure out that they was holding close to the bigger willow trees. But sunday I guess since it wasn't bright out they wasn't on the trees. Saw a guy at the Five fingers boat ramp that hit something I guess, but his engine was knocked off right at the jackplate. Somehow got the engine pulled up next to the boat ramp. I'm with you I need to learn the lake better. All in all we still had a blast.

Ken-
I saw that guy in the Skeeter with the motor that got knocked off. There was a truck following him and the motor was in the back of the truck. That's a bad day!


Realtor-Legacy Real Estate Group-Lake Sam Rayburn lake properties
281-475-6385 Willifordrealestate@yahoo.com
www.blastandcast.org
Re: Big Bass Splash Rayburn - Successful Patterns and Baits?? [Re: Kens3313] #12728322 04/24/18 12:22 PM
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Originally Posted By: Kens3313
We fished hard all 3 days and only boated in about 10 small fish all weekend. We couldn't find a good pattern, caught fish in 4 ft 13 ft and 20 ft lol. Saturday we did figure out that they was holding close to the bigger willow trees. But sunday I guess since it wasn't bright out they wasn't on the trees. Saw a guy at the Five fingers boat ramp that hit something I guess, but his engine was knocked off right at the jackplate. Somehow got the engine pulled up next to the boat ramp. I'm with you I need to learn the lake better. All in all we still had a blast.


That was my buddy I played college ball with if your talking about this boat??? Said he came out around the corner to the main lake after he got on plane the 3rd or 4th wave it popped. He never hit anything

Last edited by ETXfisher91; 04/24/18 12:23 PM.
Re: Big Bass Splash Rayburn - Successful Patterns and Baits?? [Re: ETXfisher91] #12728325 04/24/18 12:24 PM
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Originally Posted By: ETXfisher91
Originally Posted By: Kens3313
We fished hard all 3 days and only boated in about 10 small fish all weekend. We couldn't find a good pattern, caught fish in 4 ft 13 ft and 20 ft lol. Saturday we did figure out that they was holding close to the bigger willow trees. But sunday I guess since it wasn't bright out they wasn't on the trees. Saw a guy at the Five fingers boat ramp that hit something I guess, but his engine was knocked off right at the jackplate. Somehow got the engine pulled up next to the boat ramp. I'm with you I need to learn the lake better. All in all we still had a blast.


That was my buddy I played college ball with if your talking about this boat??? Said he came out around the corner to the main lake after he got on plane the 3rd or 4th wave it popped. He never hit anything


Not a good advertisement for "Cajun Jacker" jack plate for sure.

Re: Big Bass Splash Rayburn - Successful Patterns and Baits?? [Re: BigTxBassMan] #12728396 04/24/18 01:15 PM
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He may not have hit anything the day it broke off but I bet he hit something to crack it at some point.

Re: Big Bass Splash Rayburn - Successful Patterns and Baits?? [Re: BigTxBassMan] #12728830 04/24/18 05:31 PM
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Just traded my 2005 zx 250 And had like a 2 crack think it was fatigue and torque welded it twice was fixing to get new jack plate but got new fx instead.

Re: Big Bass Splash Rayburn - Successful Patterns and Baits?? [Re: BigTxBassMan] #12728852 04/24/18 05:45 PM
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Underwater trees in various depths

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