Are they still biting on Grapevine?

Yep. Try humps in 25' to 30' of water with slabs. The birds are starting to show up in force. Look for them to start feeding on the southern bank of Murrell Park around 2:00 to 2:30 in the afternoon. The topwater action is sporadic at best, but the big fish are down below and can be caught on slabs under the birds.

Hope this helps,
-Jeff

Testing your theory Sat. I'll be camping out in front of Murrell Park, no major weather changes so patern shouldn't be off too much.

Kneal,
I don't know about the weather changing, but this same pattern has been producing for two weekends in a row now.
Two weekends ago we started around noon or noon:30 on a hump that we marked fish on. Started catching some good quality fish on slabs. Looked out towards the middle and the birds were going crazy. We zipped over and caught a bunch on top. Looked back and the birds were going nuts at Murrell Park. We zipped over there and caught a few on top, but most of the bigger ones were caught slabbing after the fish had gone down for good and after the birds had left. The bite slowed down a little bit. I looked around and saw the birds hitting out in deeper water again. We zipped over there and caught a few more.

Last Sunday, we started on the same hump that was producing the weekend before. Picked up some good quality keepers on slabs. About 2:00, the fish just moved. Couldn't find them anywhere in the area. Keeping one eye on the locator and one eye on the GPS, I happened to glance up and see the birds going nuts off the south bank of Murrell Park. We zipped over. Birds diving all over the place, little to no surface action. Started slabbing and caught some of the biggest fish of the year. Birds left, we kept slabbin' 'em up. We finished off around 4:00 and headed for the house. On the way back to the ramp, there was a huge flock of birds that looked like they were just coming off of a feeding frenzy out just East of the island. They were hitting a little bit, but were more intent to head back to the Murrell Park area. I don't know if they ever made it back, but I would think that they did.

I don't see why the pattern would change unless the weather changes drastically.
If you head out there and nothing is going on out by Murrell Park, I would start looking around the island. Last year we spent a lot of time chasing the birds by the island in October.

Good Luck and let us know how you do.
-Jeff

JB,
What kind and color of boat do you fish out of. Grapevine is my home lake and I was curious to know if I had run into you at the lake. No, I don't want to follow you around, although if you catch that many fish I might. Just kidding, I try to give all others catching fish a wide berth.
Cliff T.

I limited last Thursday and Friday both. Here's the way I did it:

Trolled Hellpet until I got a catch. Using GPS went back over the exact same area 2 or 3 times watching the fishfinder. If a second one hit, and I could see them on the fishfinder, I marked the spot on the GPS and threw a marker bouy. Then I switched to a Pearl/Black Tailhummer and fished all around the bouy until they slacked off or other boats showed up. Then I moved on and repeated the process. (If the other boats would have asked I really wouldn't have cared. But to just pull in and start fishing around my bouy, after all the work I did to find them, without asking first, well, I'll just leave it at that. I will say I don't think they were regulars, I had never seen them on the lake before.)

Surprisingly (at least to me) the spots that produced Thursday, except for one by the dam, were dead Friday. Had to find new places. But I never did get to Murrell Park. I had limited before I got to that area.

There were lots of birds but all they were doing was sitting around looking stupid. No help at all!

Most of the fish I kept were 12-16 inches but I caught many more ranging from 6-12 inches.

I'll be back out there this Thursday and Friday but I'll probably be after LMB. I've got enough fish in the freezer for awhile.

Kevin

(Black/Gold/Red Procraft V180 F&S with a 115HP Merc.)

fishing with Ernest Friday on Cedar Creek, will fish the vine Saturday and Sunday, calling for showers Sunday so we'll see. I've got a blue single console Nitro. If you see me catching instead of fishing come on up.
kerry

Cliff,
We're in a white Cobra with a 200 Johnson. We usually fish on Sundays. We've been hitting crappie early and heading for sandies in the afternoon.

By all means say Hi if you see us. We're usually slabbing. I hate to troll LOL No offense to those that troll. I used to troll a lot too as a search tool. Once the fish were found, we would stop and slab (although I don't think I used slabs back then.) But, anymore I have my trusty GPS with a few humps marked on it. We just go through them and we mark fish, we start slabbing. It's worked for us this year. At least one of those humps will have fish on it.

We're also still using the Bomber 7/8 slabs in chrome with black back.

Anywho, say hi if you see us. If we're on fish and you happen to not be, move in. We don't mind as long as you're on your trolling motor.

-Jeff

Thanks for the responses. I have been spending most of my time on Lewisville, but I think I might go tie one on at the vine.

Scott

The only reason I asked about the color of the boat was because of the trip I made Monday. Was trolling when I heard the birds behind me and turned around and trolled that way. Before I could get to them a couple of guys, I'm not going to describe the boat, fired up and ran around me and into the school. It bothered me but hey what do you do. I turned around and trolled in the opposite direction only to find another bunch of gulls working. Shut down and started catching fish on slabs. I'll be darned if the same guy that cut me off, ran back and cut me off again. To keep from getting the blood pressure up I decided it was time to quit. Are people just ignorant with what they are doing or do they just not care?
Sorry,
Cliff T.
Thanks for the onfo.

In a way, I wish it was me because that would have meant that I wasn't at work. Alas, I must work to feed my fishing habit.

Nope, not me. I make every attempt and sometimes go out of my way to exit quietly. Usually I just stand on the trolling motor for 30 or 40 yards and then fire it up. Or at least, I'll idle way out and then gun it.

I know what you mean though. Last Sunday we pulled up on a hump, marked fish and got on the TM and started slabbing some up. A guy in a well, nevermind what kind of boat he had with his 10 kids and wife/girlfriend came by, circled us once and then asked if we were catching sandies. I said yep. Then he pulled about 20 yards away and put his kids on the fish. No problem there, but he still had his outboard running even though he had a trolling motor. He would drift close in (with the motor running) then put it in reverse and back up. If he would have just gotten on his TM, he could have gotten closer and caught some of the bigger fish that we were on.

Contrastly, there was another guy in an express boat that pulled up behind us and anchored and was casting in. I wish he would have just come on in.

-Jeff

Do you guys/gals mind if someone pulls up close and ask to fish there? Me and my wife will be taking our first trip to Grapevine saturday and don't want to offend anyone. I promise not to run the big motor! I work with Omar Cotter and he suggested that I make the trip.

[This message has been edited by tritoon (edited 10-01-2003).]

I don't mind. I don't really mind if you don't even ask. As long as you're not close enough to tap me on the head with your rod.
Get on the trolling motor and snuggle up. LOL

-jeff

PS. The only thing wrong with running the big motor IMHO is that it will tend to move the fish off. As that particular person would drift off, it was fish on. Drift a little closer and fish gone...until they finally just left all together.

No, I wouldn't mind a bit but if I have gone through the trouble of trolling for an hour to find the fish, then verify they are there, get my marker out so I know where to cast, I do appreciate being asked.

There have been times in the past when things have slowed down more then my liking I have even left the marker behind so other people could continue fishing. I don't do that very often any more but I would for a fellow TFF'er.

Thanks, were new to this and never been on the lake, we'll be in a red and white Triton f/s, I've only had the boat a few months so I'd just like to know what not to do first.