FCL 4-19-21

Fished FCL solo yesterday...Water temp was 73-78 degrees and keeps inching up to full pool. Got to the lake around 8:15 and fished til 6:45.Ended up with around 25 bass & 35 sunfish. The big fat gils are slowly but surely making there way back to the shallows. The SUNFISH bite seems to follow the water warm-up...very slow in the morning & very good in the afternoon. The bass are in post spawn & feeding on whatever hey can find. All the fish today (except the bass at the beginning of the video) were caught on Gulp Alive 1" minnows in colors Watermelon Pearl, Smelt & Chartreuse Shad. Didn't have Doc today so no maggots/worms etc. The wind was pretty mild most of the day & with some cloud cover the lighting was conducive to making a video...so here ya go...FCL 4-19-21

Great job Steve. Thanks for sharing the video. Always fun watch.

Enjoyed the video Vogey!

Steve you are the prime example of never getting enough of a good thing. Keep living the dream and catching those SLABS!



Side Note: Looks like some ideal conditions. Overcast to clear skies, judging by the water, light to no wind, with plenty of willing fighting fish. As always GREAT video and thanks for sharing. Also how was the week day crowd?

Thanks for the reports Vogey. I really rely upon them. I wait for you to say they are moving shallow before I take the Yak out searching for them.

Cool video vogey! I really enjoyed it

Another great production from Vogey Productions! Love watching your videos. Your hook sets are something to watch. As always thanks for sharing.



Side Note: I remember seeing a post a couple of years ago about an annual Bluegill tournament that is held yearly on Fayette. Is this tournament still going on? I know they caught hundreds of fish.

Alan...Were you out this week...Saw a red boat, but not sure if it was you ?

Thanks Leo & Yesenia...

Jamie...Gettin REAL close...

Curtis...They normally have one every summer (I believe July) but it was cancelled last year due to Covid.

Chuck...The crowd was middle of the road...not real crowded, but quite a few boats out...Can't wait til it hits 105 & I am the only one out there

Yes, I got out there about noon on Monday. Caught somewhere between 20 and 25 bass and about 15 large sunfish/bluegill. I didn't fish for them long but once I found them you could pretty much catch all you wanted.

Where did you find the sunfish ? Were they at the intake ? Was that you at the buoys around 5:30-6:00 ?

Yes.

Thanks Steve. I have found out over the years I have fished that there are a lot of "Fair Weather Anglers" out there. Not to HOT or not to COLD ! Oh know it's RAINING! You are right. Once the Dog Days of Summer hit you will either be the only boat out there or one of the three boats out there.

Thanks Steve! What is your take on the tournament. Does it help or hurt the sunfish population on Fayette. I feel that it actually helps the population. Not many people target the sunfish. Fayette always seems to have a good population of top quality fish. Taking some sunfish to the frying pan never hurts especially how the sunfish produce.

Curtis...I used to think that it was detrimental, but we don't seem to notice much of a change, so you are probably right that "thinning them out" is probably a good thing...

I agree with the both of you, Curtis and Steve. No telling how many times the sunfish breed a year in Fayette. It they spawn 2 to 3 times a year there will always be plenty of nice fish to catch. As many times as Steve has fished Fayette, he has always caught plenty of "Top Quality Fish"! I personally do not think that tournament has hurt the Bluegill/Sunfish population one bit. I also think it has helped maintain a good quality of fish.

The only issue I see with the tournament thing is that they keep all the biggest fish (best breeders) . I keep fish for the freezer several times a year, but always throw back the biggest ones an keep the 8 inchers....I believe this is a best practice for whatever species we are fishing for...

I do the same thing Steve. When I keep fish they are usually in the 7 to 8 inch range . I call them the "Perfect Eating Size"! The only time I keep one bigger is if it swallows the hook. That is a one way ticket to the frying pan.

Thanks!

Another super post and a super video from "The Master of Fayette"! Great job as always Vogey and thanks for sharing.



Side Note: Watched your video twice already.

Thanks Tom...

Good rule of thumb on throwing back the big fish. They are your breeders of bigger fish. I have always thrown back the LMB( no matter what size ) and the catfish that weigh over 8 pounds. I do however keep my fare share of White Bass, saltwater trout, fresh water reds, and salt water reds. (Always within State Regulations).