Got my boat back Tuesday (Baby) & fished FCL today from daybreak until 2 pm. Split the day about 50/50 between bass & Sunfish & did well on each. The bass bite was real slow in the morning but was on fire for big fish between 11:30 & 1 pm. Ended up with 2 bass over 5 lbs. & around 10 between 4 & 5 plus quite a few 2s & 3s. Sunfish bite was good all day, and some colonies have returned to spots that we have caught them in past years. Why they are so late this year is a mystery to me. Also got 1 Tilapia (on a Ned Rig)...it actually ate the bait as opposed to the usual foul hook. The Ned rig also produced 2 Rios along the rip rap. All bass were caught on Swimbaits around 15-20 ft deep & the Sunfish were caught on Gulp Alive 1" minnows in Watermelon Pearl color. The water temp is in the mid 90s now in most areas of the lake by mid afternoon...it's a little "cooler" at sun up. One of these days I will get Doc back on the water, but I know he's not a fan of HOT weather.

Great report on an awesome day ! Those were some vicious Rios going after those Ned rigs !

You’re right about this heat. TGFAC !! Thank God For Air Conditioning !

Great report Vogey, but where are the pics of the rios 🤔?

Back!



Side Note: Solid post and and as always, solid slabs. Good job Steve.

Thanks Chuck & Doc...Yesenia...Did not take any Rio pics because they were long & skinny & had those sore things on the bodies...not big fat beauties like the ones u catch

Vogey,

You are the best and most frequent poster of any fishing wpebsite i frequent. Thanks for your contributions. Much appreciated!

I'm trying to learn FC. Having some success but a long ways to go. This time of year, what depth do you target for sunfish? Also, how do you rig the 1" Gulps? I've found them very difficult to rig on even very small jigs. Ive been using the 2.5" on a very small jig and caught some nice gills on them in deeper water. Also got a nice catfish and some bass on same in my last trip earlier this week.

Thanks ACS. The majority of the sunfish I catch this time of year are from 5-8 feet deep. You can also find them shallower around the rocks all along the on the dam. I accidentally caught a couple of Rio Grandy perch by the rocks this week as well, by accident, so there must be a lot of them there. I fish the Gulps on a VMC dropshot rig with a #6 hook. I find that this size hook is critical...accidentally bought some #4s & the hook up ratio is at least 2-1 better with the #6s. I thread the minnow on the hook, keeping it as STRAIGHT as possible. And yes...you can catch just about anything that swms on these Gulp Alives...my biggest prize was a 18 pound yellowcat from the intake area 2 years ago. Here are some photos that may help....

Very helpfu. Thank you.

Great thread Vogey! Good job Sir.


Side Note: Glad you have your boat back. At least with a kayak I void any repairs.

nice post Steve and great pictures.
My setup is a little different than yours. I made up a bunch of leaders with the hook and dropshot rig. instead of running the hook through the body, I hook it through the head.
I bought some new hooks awhile back and they may be #4's because my hook ratio is not as effective as it was last year.
Back to Academy

Love threads like these. As mentioned above, Vogey you have made some great post over the years. Keep them coming!


Side Note: Back in the day which was many years ago, when I was fishing Fayette regularly, the best months for me catching bass on Fayette were October and November. Seems you have been having some good months during the spring and summer. What have been your best months for bass fishing Fayette?

Curtis...This was mainly just an oil change & electronics upgrade...nothing major...so nothing ever breaks on a kayak ?

Zane...I always do around 10 set-ups before heading out...I keep them in a thing that's like a fly fisherman's pocketbook. Each is in its own plastic cell so they don't get tangled...I hate doing drop shot set ups on the water.

Tom...Many years ago I was the same way. My favorite months were October & May...and hoped to catch a 5 pounder 3 or 4 times a year. So then I discovered TFF & started networking with others about both sunfish & bass. I can honestly say the results have been nothing short of spectacular. I already knew the lake really well, but started keeping logs to pinpoint seasonal patterns in 2015. Keeping detailed notes really started paying off around 3 years ago plus reading everything I could find about the lake, studying the contour maps & watching the countless youtube videos all has made me a better angler.. especially on this lake.

Why I love the TFF! Awesome post!

Thanks Vogey. Seems it does not matter when you fish Fayette. You are nailing them every time.

So far nothing major has broke on my yaks. For me a yak fits my budget and style of fishing. A very good friend of mine who I fish with often has a boat and he is always trying to talk me into getting one. I personally do not have a place to keep or store a boat. Maybe one of these days I will get a boat. But for now I am very happy with a yak. They are very low maintenance.