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Lake Grapevine Largemouth help
#14453144
08/19/22 04:36 AM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 206
tallentja
OP
Outdoorsman
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OP
Outdoorsman
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 206 |
My 13 year old son has really gotten the bass fishing bug. He and a few of his buddies joined the Lone Star Bassmaster jr's and in July (on a rare open weekend from their select baseball) he and his best friend (with me as boat captain) fished their first real tournament on Hubbard Creek and they actually did pretty good with only one afternoon of prefishing. One of his buddies that we fish with on a few golf course ponds has been fishing these tournaments for a while and won the Hubbard Creek tournament. The August tournament was on Tawakoni and we had to skip because of their World Series. The tournament in Sept is on Grapevine and we've been putting in our time fishing and scouting. It's just been really tough out there with it being so low and I was looking for some advice. We've run into the sandies and I actually caught my first smallmouth out there on the dam and then caught 3 more that same trip. We just aren't finding the largemouth bite very well and are looking for some help. Also if anyone can recommend a good guide for Grapevine we are game for that too. We will be out there probably tomorrow and at least one of the days this weekend (if not both) and will try to do about 5-10 more trips before Sept 17. Feel free to DM or whatever. Thanks in advance.
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Re: Lake Grapevine Largemouth help
[Re: tallentja]
#14453205
08/19/22 11:47 AM
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,572
prosise
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,572 |
Brother your not alone. Been fishing GV 3 days a week for a couple years, and what your describing is right on par with the current bite. With the water at the current levels, you have to be fishing rock piles. There is not much brush in the lake, except for the planted brush. There are lots of small brush piles here, and there but they are hard to locate. Right now bait is stacked up in dove ramp/McPherson cove, Scott's landing (the marina with Big Daddy's hamburger joint), and Silver lake marina. Bait is favoring the south side, and has been there for months. With that said, I would favor these three coves and try and put together a pattern, and hope it holds. I personally have left the shallows, and sticking to 20+ after 8am for a big bite. Scott's landing has some areas between the bank and the marina itself, that have good depth and some structure. Silver lake marina big tires, are holding bait early in the morning right up next to the west side. There are some opportunities there, maybe a jumping minnow up close and personal with the tires at first light. And one simple pattern for GV which always seems to hold, is running ramps. Believe me, I spent 16 hours on the lake last Sunday, and really focused on deep water (practicing my casting). When I pulled out at meadomere I ran a dt8 in chartreuse/blue back down the sides of the ramp and landed an over. And when I hooked the fish a wake boat was trailering, with prop wash. Do not be scared of a ramp, with heavy traffic. Dove, is the same. The fish are used to it. When the sun gets high, it will get tough. Have a usual suspect fishing buddy that likes to run boat stalls in silver lake, it had a good bite for him two weeks ago. But at the moment his pattern, went belly up. Allot of buck bass , and small Sandies in small wolfpacks working the marina in the daytime. But personally I used to steer away from areas with sandbass, but I like them. However the silver lake wolf packs are working very small minnows/glass minnows. I like to favor areas with shad, and the three areas I described have shad. Go out about 3am-4am, and do some idling around and bring a bright flashlight. When you are idling and scanning, check the surface. Bait are all up on top at night, when the sun comes up they collect into larger schools and do the safety in numbers routine out in the mouth of these coves in deeper water. "Wink, wink".. with that said, due north of Dove ramp, the north side of the lake between Twin coves, and Murrell Point is holding fish as well but they are deep. Twin coves is broken, bait is AWOL, your welcome to scan it but it's empty. Graph looks like a pure black screen last three times I checked it. But I am not working the backs of the coves until we get some rain, to cool the water down. When we get a little water coming into the creeks, it's on like Donkey Kong. Shoot me an IM, if you want to chew the fat. I typically fish GV Sun, mon, Tues, and every other wed. Good luck, and hope you get the boys on some fish. Now, the best tip I can give you right now is to fish some kind of worm like a shaky head jig, with a big senko/trick worm/or craw. (((If you don't feel chunky rocks, or structure your spinning your wheels ***very important**))) my mentor told me back a couple years ago, it's not the rock piles. It's a particular rock in the rock piles... When you launch at the ramp before sunrise check the rocks at the ramp. There are small crawfish about 2 inches long, and their the color of brown/with a hint of green. So green Pumpkin on the darker side of brown is what I have been favoring. Also switched up everything two weeks ago and decided to throw new things I haven't thrown in years. Drop shot working well, and pulled out some worms that I know the fish haven't seen. One thing I can tell you for sure. I am using LiveScope to scan for brush, and to pick on the crappie. I can see good bass, and they will look at the bait and just say "nope" and swim off. They are getting allot of pressure, and picky. Fish sloooooooooow. Then fish slower. If you have two boys in the boat, have one covering water with a deep crank, slow rolling a spinnerbait, or maybe working a lipless off the bottom. Have the other one work slow on chunky rocks. That's the best your going to get out of the tight lipped pattern guys, but if it will help a young one with the passion I would love to help.
Wouldn't go up past meadomere park on either side of the lake. (Just my .02)
Take care, and shoot me an IM after you get out for a day.
Prosise
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Re: Lake Grapevine Largemouth help
[Re: tallentja]
#14453410
08/19/22 03:33 PM
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Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 106
Slacklinedime
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 106 |
What he said! I also have been throwing stuff they haven't see a lot of like Motor Oil, Chartreuse Pepper, Tequila Sunrise... using Zoom Magnum 2 9" , Shakey Head and 4" centipede. Also had good luck in the AM with Yo-Zuri 3DB, 3DB Deep 110 and 3DS in shad colors working the dam and off ramps. I found with the jerkbaits work your pops hard with a long pause up to 10-15sec.
Do something different, you will be surprised what happens. 2020 Xpress H20B 115 Yamaha SHO
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Re: Lake Grapevine Largemouth help
[Re: prosise]
#14453464
08/19/22 04:26 PM
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Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 384
NateRich5797
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 384 |
Brother your not alone. Been fishing GV 3 days a week for a couple years, and what your describing is right on par with the current bite. With the water at the current levels, you have to be fishing rock piles. There is not much brush in the lake, except for the planted brush. There are lots of small brush piles here, and there but they are hard to locate. Right now bait is stacked up in dove ramp/McPherson cove, Scott's landing (the marina with Big Daddy's hamburger joint), and Silver lake marina. Bait is favoring the south side, and has been there for months. With that said, I would favor these three coves and try and put together a pattern, and hope it holds. I personally have left the shallows, and sticking to 20+ after 8am for a big bite. Scott's landing has some areas between the bank and the marina itself, that have good depth and some structure. Silver lake marina big tires, are holding bait early in the morning right up next to the west side. There are some opportunities there, maybe a jumping minnow up close and personal with the tires at first light. And one simple pattern for GV which always seems to hold, is running ramps. Believe me, I spent 16 hours on the lake last Sunday, and really focused on deep water (practicing my casting). When I pulled out at meadomere I ran a dt8 in chartreuse/blue back down the sides of the ramp and landed an over. And when I hooked the fish a wake boat was trailering, with prop wash. Do not be scared of a ramp, with heavy traffic. Dove, is the same. The fish are used to it. When the sun gets high, it will get tough. Have a usual suspect fishing buddy that likes to run boat stalls in silver lake, it had a good bite for him two weeks ago. But at the moment his pattern, went belly up. Allot of buck bass , and small Sandies in small wolfpacks working the marina in the daytime. But personally I used to steer away from areas with sandbass, but I like them. However the silver lake wolf packs are working very small minnows/glass minnows. I like to favor areas with shad, and the three areas I described have shad. Go out about 3am-4am, and do some idling around and bring a bright flashlight. When you are idling and scanning, check the surface. Bait are all up on top at night, when the sun comes up they collect into larger schools and do the safety in numbers routine out in the mouth of these coves in deeper water. "Wink, wink".. with that said, due north of Dove ramp, the north side of the lake between Twin coves, and Murrell Point is holding fish as well but they are deep. Twin coves is broken, bait is AWOL, your welcome to scan it but it's empty. Graph looks like a pure black screen last three times I checked it. But I am not working the backs of the coves until we get some rain, to cool the water down. When we get a little water coming into the creeks, it's on like Donkey Kong. Shoot me an IM, if you want to chew the fat. I typically fish GV Sun, mon, Tues, and every other wed. Good luck, and hope you get the boys on some fish. Now, the best tip I can give you right now is to fish some kind of worm like a shaky head jig, with a big senko/trick worm/or craw. (((If you don't feel chunky rocks, or structure your spinning your wheels ***very important**))) my mentor told me back a couple years ago, it's not the rock piles. It's a particular rock in the rock piles... When you launch at the ramp before sunrise check the rocks at the ramp. There are small crawfish about 2 inches long, and their the color of brown/with a hint of green. So green Pumpkin on the darker side of brown is what I have been favoring. Also switched up everything two weeks ago and decided to throw new things I haven't thrown in years. Drop shot working well, and pulled out some worms that I know the fish haven't seen. One thing I can tell you for sure. I am using LiveScope to scan for brush, and to pick on the crappie. I can see good bass, and they will look at the bait and just say "nope" and swim off. They are getting allot of pressure, and picky. Fish sloooooooooow. Then fish slower. If you have two boys in the boat, have one covering water with a deep crank, slow rolling a spinnerbait, or maybe working a lipless off the bottom. Have the other one work slow on chunky rocks. That's the best your going to get out of the tight lipped pattern guys, but if it will help a young one with the passion I would love to help.
Wouldn't go up past meadomere park on either side of the lake. (Just my .02)
Take care, and shoot me an IM after you get out for a day.
Prosise
That was one hell of a breakdown of Grapevine! Very nice.
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Re: Lake Grapevine Largemouth help
[Re: tallentja]
#14453483
08/19/22 04:45 PM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 15,330
bloo_rainger
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 15,330 |
have the jet skies and wake boats had enough this year or are they still blowing up the lake?
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Re: Lake Grapevine Largemouth help
[Re: tallentja]
#14453525
08/19/22 05:24 PM
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,572
prosise
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,572 |
Sunday's are absolute mayhem.. like a village idiot convention. Don't be surprised to see a boat drive between you and the bank anywhere..
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Re: Lake Grapevine Largemouth help
[Re: tallentja]
#14453631
08/19/22 06:33 PM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 206
tallentja
OP
Outdoorsman
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OP
Outdoorsman
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 206 |
Thank you for the help We'll be out there this afternoon
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Re: Lake Grapevine Largemouth help
[Re: tallentja]
#14453669
08/19/22 07:03 PM
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Joined: Aug 2021
Posts: 173
Collindave
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Aug 2021
Posts: 173 |
love fishing 'the vine' but she's defintiely moody; she receives so so much pressure! fun when you find em' though !!
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Re: Lake Grapevine Largemouth help
[Re: bloo_rainger]
#14454270
08/20/22 12:41 PM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 39,922
Dan90210 ☮
Jr Deputy Dan
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Jr Deputy Dan
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 39,922 |
have the jet skies and wake boats had enough this year or are they still blowing up the lake? They are stronger than ever. I went out last Saturday to a bank spot that is usually pretty quiet to find a shade tent, blasting music, SUPs, illegal BBQs etc. every 20 yards or so... And that is not a "beach" area or picnic type area. Not even easy to get to... A lot of people out enjoying the lake this summer. More than I care for lol.
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Re: Lake Grapevine Largemouth help
[Re: tallentja]
#14456037
08/22/22 03:03 PM
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,036
danceswithbass
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,036 |
The Vine used to be a great numbers lake, especially when it was a little low or a little high. 5 / 6 years ago, could throw nothing but shaky heads, smaller square bills, and a C rig with a smaller soft plastic most times of the year and boat 20+ 13-17 inchers consistently rock fishing. Lake has changed a lot the past three years...lot more traffic during the week on a small lake and have beat those fish to death. Probably pushed them off of where they should logically be
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Re: Lake Grapevine Largemouth help
[Re: tallentja]
#14456328
08/22/22 07:19 PM
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 3,023
Txduckhunter
TFF Team Angler
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TFF Team Angler
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 3,023 |
With the rain, you can count on everything changing now....
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