I tore them up sat. morning from the bank....wading not even necessary...there was even some schooling going on at one point. I started throwing a small swimbait after that and left them while they were still biting. I will post more later when i have time.
I drove over the dam this morning around 7:30 AM. The spillway parking lot had more cars in it than I have ever seen. Every spot in area was taken and they had started a second row in the center of the parking lot. There were people lined up from the spillway area all the way through Welch park. Lots of boats stacked up in certain areas.
Haven't been able to come out since the spawn because of school, but sounds like I'm not missing too much. I can't imagine fishing in such crowded conditions. They should probably implement some sort of capacity or temporarily decrease the limits. The system wasn't designed for this kind of sustained intense harvest. How's evening/night fishing? Any areas that I can fish after dark? Full moon's coming up...
New to the forum and the area. Heard this was the place to find out about the whites at Somerville. I am looking for a little friendly guidance on making a kayak outing with my son. Suggestions on where to put in, areas to fish, and any other tips you might be willing to share. I've read back through several pages on this thread. Hate we missed the run. Thanks in advance for anyone willing to share!
You can put in at Welch and either fish in front of the dam or out on the point of the island. The area around the bouyies off the island is usually very good too.
J-Moe, thanks for the advice. I had two successful outings with my kids Saturday and Sunday morning. Dropped the kayaks in at Welch and fished just off the island inside the buoys like you suggested. We caught them on swim baits right up until about 9 AM both mornings when they shut off. My kids loved it. Thanks again.
3/8 oz Chrome blue rattle traps or other lipless cranks 2.5" and small will catch them. My go-to is a Rapala Rippin Rap #5 in chrome blue. 2", 5/16 oz. Also any shallow diving square bill in a shad pattern will catch them when they are shallow. I limited last Thurs on the west end of the lake. Traps and slab spoons chasing the schools.
New to the forum and the area. Heard this was the place to find out about the whites at Somerville. I am looking for a little friendly guidance on making a kayak outing with my son. Suggestions on where to put in, areas to fish, and any other tips you might be willing to share. I've read back through several pages on this thread. Hate we missed the run. Thanks in advance for anyone willing to share!
You can put in at Welch and either fish in front of the dam or out on the point of the island. The area around the bouyies off the island is usually very good too.
J-Moe, thanks for the advice. I had two successful outings with my kids Saturday and Sunday morning. Dropped the kayaks in at Welch and fished just off the island inside the buoys like you suggested. We caught them on swim baits right up until about 9 AM both mornings when they shut off. My kids loved it. Thanks again.
That's awesome!!! I bet the kids really enjoyed catching those hard fighters from the Kayak. I bet they caught a few 15 inch hybrids too
Today was more miss than hit for me. Got to WP at 6:30 am this morning and the good spots were basically all taken. I was able to finally find a spot and It became apparent that the typical feeding frenzies were not on. Was able though to catch my first white bass on the fly rod and handful of other small whites. Most other fish I saw caught were small as well. Later In the morning I was driving out and happened to glance down at the water and saw a massive feeding frenzy ongoing in the lake near the bank. I hurried down to the bank and waded out as well as a couple of other guys who drove by after me. I ended up catching a handful of feisty keepers. The frenzy stopped and so did my white bass catching for the day.
It was a different world when we were boys and girls....
Sounds like great fun!!! Sometimes the white bass will push the shad all the way to the back of that cove at Welch. You can wade out and even though they might not be surfacing they're usually still within a short distance from you. Out on the points they can disappear quickly.
Too bad Rocky and Yegua parks are still closed. I bet they were all around those points and coves this morning.
Hit one of my normal spots this morning. I got a late start , I haven't been since Good Friday due to crowding. I worked real hard to get 10 keepers on white/chartreuse half and half . Threw back probably 30 undersized whites ,hybrids and a 22 inch carp. Lots of boats need to relearn etiquette on how to share the water . I can already see the impact on the fish population , That and people need to pick up there jug lines and trash . I picked up 2 five gallon buckets of trash in a boat only accessible area .
Hit one of my normal spots this morning. I got a late start , I haven't been since Good Friday due to crowding. I worked real hard to get 10 keepers on white/chartreuse half and half . Threw back probably 30 undersized whites ,hybrids and a 22 inch carp. Lots of boats need to relearn etiquette on how to share the water . I can already see the impact on the fish population , That and people need to pick up there jug lines and trash . I picked up 2 five gallon buckets of trash in a boat only accessible area .
Yep, bank anglers as well. The amount of trash left behind by fishermen at WP is despicable.
It was a different world when we were boys and girls....
Last two weekends I've been I've practically limited out before 9am...but this is at my spot at big creek. It's never been easier to catch them it seems for me. I'm probably going to head there this afternoon and stay the night... This won't last much longer.
Last two weekends I've been I've practically limited out before 9am...but this is at my spot at big creek. It's never been easier to catch them it seems for me. I'm probably going to head there this afternoon and stay the night... This won't last much longer.
It's been a great shad spawn season for you Travis.