For various reasons (lake 5 ft low and a dry boat dock being #1) I haven't been out since Oct 10th. I decided to let the latest front settle for a couple days and it looked like Tuesday was going to be one of the better days.

Summary: Air temps 60 to 72, Water temp 64 - 67 degrees, 25 keepers, 4 unders in 5 hrs 15 min (9am - 2pm). Lure: ghost minnow thump chubbie on 1/8 oz pink jig head. Depth 12 - 17 FOW.

Since I haven't been out recently, I really wasn't sure where to start so I just picked some spots that were decent last fall. I fished brush on under water points/humps, main lake points, mouths of creeks in 8 - 20 FOW etc... I can't really say I identified a pattern which is one of the things I don't like about this time of year. Fish just seem to be scattered. I had to brute force a limit by hitting as many spots as possible. I only fished spots that had nearby access to both shallow and deep water. It was a feast or famine day ... a lot of spots I hit had no fish. The first two spots I hit were completely dry. These were underwater humps with many piles which have ridges nearby and brush at various depths. One of my favorite summer/fall/winter spots has a long 30 degree slope from 8 ft to 25 ft and bush at both the top and bottom. Fish usually like to hang out on that slope but there was nothing there. I next moved to brush at the mouth of a creek and caught a couple dinks and one keeper in 17 FOW. Moved to another creek mouth and caught 8 nice keepers in 15 - 18 FOW on a slope. Unfortunately I just don't have a lot of spots marked like this so I couldn't try to repeat that pattern. This is a cove that has deep water way back in the cove where there are two forks. Maybe that was the pattern for the day but without a similar spot I wasn't able to replicate it.

Anyway, it was a beautiful fall day with light winds. I took my lunch and had planned to do some sandbass/hybrid fishing if I got my limit early but that didn't happen.

Very Nice Report & Fish RD! Thanks for Sounding Have you considered Dock shooting yet or do you think the lake is too low for a dock shot presentation?

There are still docks that can present good dock shooting spots at ~5 ft low but certainly different docks than last year. There are a LOT of docks like mine that are bone dry. My patience is a challenge for dock shooting I tried it a couple of times this spring without any success but probably for only 10 minutes. It's hard for me to stick with it when I know I can just run out in open water and find fish on brush piles. Dock shooting does look like a lot of fun though, I will eventually give it a try. Cedar Creek is an obvious choice for dock shooting. I'll probably have to leave my 12 ft rods out of the boat to keep me from losing interest and reverting to what I know.

Nice report and catch as always Ron. I don't believe I've ever seen a pontoon boat dock shooting.

Boat control is one of my frustrations with the limited times I've tried dock shooting. A lot of docks worth shooting are in locations where the wind is blocked. For me, some wind and wind blown current is a key component in boat control with spot lock. The size of my boat (24' pontoon), like you said, makes this even more difficult. Having a large front section instead of a point at the front of the boat makes it even more difficult -- I think. Even the height of my fishing platform probably makes this more difficult.

Having said all that, I'm still going to give it a try. I'll probably book a guide trip when the water is back up and the time of year is right and just focus on dock shooting to learn. Once I learn the technique and location patterns then I can see if my pontoon is viable.

Ron are you using Garmin livescope?

Definitely. I use a portable unit and have two batteries that I either alternate or take both so I can switch out on long outings.

Solid post and fish. Good job.

Nice report Ron. Sounds like a great day on the water.

Can anyone give some input on the ramp condition at the log cabin city ramp? I launched (barely) at the Caney Cove county ramp last week, and I won’t do it again. Had to use the trolling motor to load and unload.

I've switched to log cabin. I've heard it's supposed to be good as low as 7 or 8 ft. My 24ft boat is still on the ramp when I launch. The downside is it is a $10 entry fee.

Hi Have you ever looked into Star Harbor ramp? It has been many years since i launched there .They redid parking lot and maybe ramp a few years ago And when I was there they had a $50 yearly pass A little ride but its near some good fishing. If I remember right the office is across from the golf course. Keep up the good catches

Star Harbor ramp is closed until further notice. They discovered that there is concrete damage to the ramp and it has damaged some boat trailers. Something about a big hole with rebar sticking out. The annual pass is now around $70. I got one this past April because I knew our POA ramp would not make it all year but never got to use it due to the closure. I now use Lone Star. It also has a $10 launch fee.