Saturday, Started fishing at 6:30AM, near right side of dam...Nada.....Freelined trolled towards Tallmans or the big boat show at 10AM..I counted over 30 boats, some trolling, some fishing with live bait...Caught one 23inch striper on Hell/Pet, in 25 feet of water..
At Noontime, went back to the dam, and located a hump, about 500 yards out from the dam. The hump top, was 25 feet, with 50 feet on both sides. Marked a ton of shad, with striper below.Started freeline trolling with white hellbender and #13 Gold Pet Spoon. Between Noontime and 3PM, caught 21 stripers from 28" to 32", 6 hybrids from 18" to 25", 5 highfin Blue catfish from 14" to 25"....Stopped, before running out of gas, both the boat and us...

Sunday, Went to the same spot, per GPS, and only charted bait fish. Started at 6AM...At 9:30AM, caught 3 stripers, all released, from 18" to 23"..Also caught 4 bluecat fish, from 15" to 23", and some white bass at 15"..Stopped and had to return to Austin by 4PM....


All striper and hybrids, we attempted to release...However, 5 striper, would not come back, so kept for food..Those were all about 30"-32"....

Best five striper, 65lbs.....

Noticed that my uncle caught more than I. We used the same baits, but he used a longer leader between, hellbender and pet spoon. Also, he caught some of the bigger striper on the Hellbender with hooks..I took mine off... It was my first time to witness, a 31" striper on the hellbender, and a 33" on the pet spoon. That was neat, off one lure.....Two bigfish being pulled in, at the same time!

Had three fish break off, mostly big hybrids.

Funnest time came, when my uncle yelled "Fish on", then his line broke. I said "Fish on" and my pole was bending! On a Shimano bass rod and reel, 14lb trilene XT line, I managed to reel this solid fish in.....but, when I looked down in the water, I had caught the hellbender that broke off on my uncles pole, and reeled in his hellbender and pet spoon with a 25" Hybrid!!!!

That is a TRUE FISH STORY!!!!!!!!!!!

Best day yet for me and my uncle on Lake Tawakoni!

He will be e-mailing pics for me to post...More to follow!

Ranger,

Great report! I hope to get out there this week and I'll give your pattern a try. Were you using downriggers? If not, how far down were you getting the hell-pet?

Thanks.

I was using 14lb, Trilene XT Green line...with a White hellbender. Tied a 6 foot line to a Gold/Yellow feather Pet Spoon. I did NOT have a 3/4oz egg weight on the front....I would count to 40 in 30 feet of water...I trolled at 800-1000 rpm's, in a 20 foot Pontoon boat, with a Mercury 70HP motor, or about 2MPH.....

Sometimes they would hit on a turn, as the bait started upward...

Ranger R said Would you ming e-mailing me those coordinates? elkbow2003@yahoo.com
Thanks

Good catch........thanks for the report.

Was that you trying to release the striper that wouldnt make it?? I was in the blue Bluewave.

By the way I caught a 10lb blue cat that hit the hellbender. I like to never got the hooks out of that fish!!LOL

Picture of one of the 21 stripers caught and released on Saturday afternoon...30.75"

nice catch, Ranger.

Bluwave Mike

Probably me...I was half the time, hanging off the front of the pontoon boat, trying to release the fish...I saw one fisherman in a bluewave, when I was releasing a fish...

Wish I was fishing this weekend Tourney, but I have to work...