bassdem's Blog

Versus coming to Sibley Lake

Just found out via Twitter that Versus will be filming some college fishing on Sibley Lake in Natchitoches. 

I kidded around with Jason Puris from The Fin a bit because if you're not from around here, there is a good chance you won't know that Natchitoches sounds like Nac-o-dish. We'll have to see how the final cut turns out on Versus, won't we?  

I just hope they have mobile coverage. I lost my signal somewhere on the way to Alexandria. 

New Purchase: Strike King Bottom Dwellers

I just picked up some Strike King Bottom Dweller spinnerbaits this evening on the way home. A couple of people posted tweets about these lures, including Strike King, on Twitter and curiosity got the best of me. $5.99 had better be worth it. I bought two, one in sexy shad and the other in blue shad. 

So if anyone has any experience slow rolling spinnerbaits in the fall, especially in featureless reservoirs, toss me some tips. Obviously I'm thinking about throwing these on Cross, but I want to get out on Caddo when I get a chance. 

WBT Championship

Well, the WBT Championship is over and done with. It was a great to be part of such a unique event. I look forward to seeing more ladies pushing the sport forward. 

I've got quick recaps of each day on the blog and plenty of photos in my Facebook and Myspace photo albums. 

Blog Posts
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

Even though Judy Wong was the local favorite, I couldn't help but root for Robin Babb. That woman can really get a crowd going. She's loaded with enthusiasm and on top of that, she's very well spoken. Look out fellas. The ladies are gonna getcha.

If you were part of the crowd that showed up at Academy, I'd like to thank you for showing your support. You could tell how impressed the anglers were when they spoke to us. I'm probably not going to be able to make it to any more WBT events unless they are local again, so if you ever get a chance to show your support, they need it. 

Re: A new Website for Crankbaits Only

And one can never write enough about crankbaits. I thought about writing a how-to on my blog, but soon realized it was a daunting task. A site that is all about crankbaits sounds okay to me. There's always something new to learn. 

Re: Cross Lake October 2009

And they're spraying chemicals again. Not sure why. No hydrilla is back here. Just some duckweed and a few pads. If you follow my blog, you'll know that the duckweed has been good to me. 

So the next time you're out there cranking away or dragging a lure along the bottom and no weeds are on your hooks, it's because they've sprayed enough chemicals to kill it all off. 

It makes me wonder if the black algae I've been hooking into is the end result. 

Cross Lake October 2009

Sorry for the forum being so quiet the last couple of months. Most of the good stuff takes place on the blog anyway. 

So back on the 22nd of September, I snatched a 6lber off the pier. Bit on a black Trophy Series Scumfrog. That lure is going in my top three for the year next to the finesse jig and the swimblade. 

Not sure what to expect for the month of October. The powers that be came back and sprayed chemicals on the duckweed, but it did not kill all of it. The hydrilla has taken a hit from all of the spraying as well. I'm not convinced the grass carp are doing as much as people think. The chemicals did enough.

But I don't see too many people complaining. It looks like numbers are up for anglers. Sure, they might be catching a lot of slot fish, but that's why there is a slot. Hopefully those same fish will grow out of the slot in the next year or two. I'm not sure why locals seem to expect instant results from a slot lake. The bass aren't on steroids. Be patient. Last year, a goose egg was all too common. Now people are experiencing dink and slot fests. I think next year is going to be awesome. This year alone, I've caught several 3-4lb overs and slots. Best year so far on Cross since moving here, to be honest.

Didn't post a blog entry, but I went out Wednesday evening and put some time in with my Curado E5 and some crankbaits. I was dragging bottom with a DT-6 in spots that are usually 6-7 feet deep. I didn't haul in much hydrilla either, but I found a lot of slimy black gunk. It was either a form of algae or dying weeds. I know from looking at the bank, the water level has dropped, but I think we're on the low side. Didn't catch any fish. Didn't see any activity either. I only witnessed about four splashes and those came from small shad nipping the top. On Thursday evening, we got a lot of rain, but the lake level hasn't risen from what I can tell. The gates might be open on the other side of the lake. 

I'll have to review some of my blog posts from October of '07 and '08 to see what worked. I remember catching a nice 3lber on a 1/2oz Terminator T1 spinnerbait last fall when the lake looked like this. 

Re: Posting, Access, & Getting Around

Lefora has removed the ability to import RSS feeds into a forum category. Apparently it was a feature that bogged down their servers. The "Blogosphere" category is gone now. I'll try to add a widget to the sidebar with an RSS feed at some point in the near future. Sorry about that. It's out of my control. That's the cost of free.

Re: learning how to fish

Thanks for posting. Welcome to the area. 

Let me get the easy stuff out of the way first. 

Cross Lake is tough. No doubt about it. Whether or not learning to fish on such a pressured lake is a good idea is anyone's guess. Don't get discouraged if you don't find fish. More than half of the tournament guys here can't locate fish on Cross Lake or Caddo either. 

Hiring a guide on Caddo is something I've never done, but I agree with you. I don't think spending time teaching a beginner is something they'd be into. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure they wouldn't mind, but it's not something I think they do on a regular basis. 

Now to the more difficult stuff.

From what you've said so far, I can't quite gauge your skill level. What kind of reel are you accustomed to using? Spincast reels, baitcasters, or spinning reels? Sounds like you'd be new to baitcasters. Do you have a boat or will you be fishing from the bank or pier? If you have a boat, be sure to get your Cross Lake sticker from the office on South Lakeshore Drive. I'll start out assuming you're a beginner and go from there.

To be honest, it wouldn't be a bad idea to jump right in to using a baitcaster. Two good starter baitcasters are the Shimano Callisto (see my blog post on it) and one of the H2O Xpress baitcasters available at Academy (Mettle, Manic, Maraud) which are also briefly discussed on the blog. Academy has both available as a combo with a rod. Both are great starter reels and very forgiving with regard to backlashes if the brakes are set right. 

If you want to learn how to use a baitcaster...
http://www.fishing-tackle-repair.com/education/baitcaster-setup-101.html
Learn to adjust the different kinds of braking systems on your reel. As a beginner, it would be a good idea to set the brakes high at first until you get the hang of it. Backlashes are not fun.

Then pop on over to my blog post on spooling a baitcaster.
http://bassfishingdem.blogspot.com/2008/05/back-to-basics-spooling-baitcaster.html

As for line, it's a matter of personal preference. I like Gamma Copolymer, P-Line CXX, P-Line Halo, and Vicious Fluorocarbon. 12-15lb test should do just fine for you. 15 should be strong enough to avoid disappointment over a lost lure. I wouldn't put on more than say, 100-150 feet of line at first. 

Start with a 1/4oz or 1/2oz lure or weight. Pick targets outside and make repeat casts. Start short (15-30 feet) and work your way up to good distances (80-110 feet). Pitching is easy to learn after that. I do lots of pitching around the cypress trees.

Knots are worth learning. Not sure how you are at tying knots. I'll pass a knot along that has been with me from the start. It's a loop knot. I use it to tie to snap swivels for quick lure changes. Might be useful in your situation.
http://bassfishingdem.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-3-knots.html

As for fishing on Cross Lake, most of us hang around the edges and fish cypress trees. Look for trees with low lying limbs or trees clustered close together in 6 feet of water or less. 

Good local lures
Terminator T1 or T2 spinnerbaits
Walmart spinnerbaits (my fave is the red/white skirt)
Senko-type worms (Senkos, Tiki Sticks, Trick Sticks)
Sweet Beavers
Jigs, finesse jigs
Zoom Lizards
Lake Fork Craws/Big Bite Baits craws
Zoom Baby Brush Hogs

No worries about keeping some fish to eat. Lots of videos are on youtube for cleaning fish. Lots of good sites out there have illustrations. Cross Lake does have some good catfish, crappie, and white bass.

If you're thinking about keeping a fish, here are the regulations.
http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/fishing/recreational/freshwater/regulations/
There is a slot for largemouth bass. Can't keep anything measuring 14 to 17 inches. 

Any questions? Feel free to ask and I'll try my best. This forum isn't the most active place in the world, so you're not going to get tons of info from the members. 

Some links
Shimano Callisto
http://bassfishingdem.blogspot.com/2007/08/shimano-callisto-combo-review.html
Callisto Adjustments
http://bassfishingdem.blogspot.com/2008/12/shimano-callisto-adjustments.html
H2O Xpress
http://bassfishingdem.blogspot.com/2007/10/h2o-xpress-baitcaster.html
Texas Rigging Plastics
http://bassfishingdem.blogspot.com/2008/05/back-to-basics-texas-rig.html
Local Tackle
http://bassfishingdem.blogspot.com/2008/06/local-tackle.html
(although I think Travis Marine is gone now)

Re: Writing opportunity

Thanks for the offer, but blogging keeps me busy enough on top of an already loaded schedule. 

Re: Cross Lake July 2009

Thanks for the report. Yep. It's hot hot hot out there. I've kept myself off the lakes lately to avoid the heat. I'll get out there soon. Skin cancer is not on my to do list.

Flipping a Sweet Beaver? I've been meaning to get out and start throwing the Big Bite Baits Rojas Fighting Frog. It looks very similar to a Reaction Innovations beaver. I drove by the twin bridges on Thursday and a couple of boats were pitching into the cat tails. You must be onto some kind of a short lived pattern. 

I agree about where the bass might be. With this heat and falling water levels, I bet a lot of bass are going to cooler and deeper water. Problem is, we don't have a lot of bottom structure. I've been wondering where the line of patchy hydrilla stops in one area I fish a lot. Most of it is in a flat 5' stretch, but I am willing to bet I can find a few bass near the deep end where it gradually drops into 8'. 

Do you name your reels?

I asked my Twitter followers today if they give their reels nicknames. I have yet to get any responses, but let me tell you about why I asked the question.

I now have seven baitcasters in my arsenal. I've only come up with a name for one, but I'm working on nicknames for the others. It's not easy. 

My PQL10P is more purple than it is blue most of the time and I have it spooled up with mist green P-Line Halo. It reminds me of the Green Goblin from the Spiderman comics, so I call it the Goblin. 

I still have to come up with names for my Patriarch, Summit, two Callistos, a PRL05, and a Curado 200E5. 

If I ever decide to do customizations, I'd have a good basis for a theme.

Salvage Damaged Horny Toads?

Now that frogging is in full swing for most of us, soft plastic frogs are becoming casualties in the search for Summer bass. I have a few sitting around in spare tackle boxes. I'm not sure what I'll use them for. Usually the feet go first. That completely kills the lure. Here are my thoughts on what to do with them.

I use the black plastic from my black/chartreuse toads to patch and repair other plastics. It melts well. It holds well. 

They work as good, but not great jig trailers. How would they be for spinnerbaits? Buzzbaits? Too stiff?

Cross Lake June 2009

I went out on June 5th. You can read my report.
http://bassfishingdem.blogspot.com/2009/06/cross-lake-report-6-5-2009.html

I mainly used this trip to try out my Curado E5 with crankbaits and spinnerbaits. 

Water temps were between 81 and 83 degrees out there that evening. I suspect things are warming up even more with the recent 90 degree days. What I was trying to do out there in addition to testing my new reel, was to find clumps of hydrilla. The spraying last year killed off a lot of it. I don't think the grass carp are going to hit hydrilla too bad. 

I am very familiar with the area I fished. I know where the weed lines start forming and I know that clumps of hydrilla scatter across that part of the lake. Instead of fishing trees in years past, I would motor around investigating the hydrilla. I don't think the weeds are where they were this time of year in previous years. In fact, much of the hydrilla I brought in was brown in color. It's growing, but I don't know how well. 

The water was pretty stained out there and it will continue to muddy up over the next week or so. I am learning more and more about this lake, though, so I think I can find spots fish might hold during the day. I really don't enjoy bluebird skies with 90 degree temperatures. That's what I call asking for skin cancer. I make sure I load up on sunblock this time of year. I suggest you do the same.

Good luck out there. 

Anglers & Wakes in Shreveport

One subject that is a very hot topic among anglers pertains to wakes from recreational boaters cruising too close. No matter what forum you participate in, if you went by stories told by anglers, you would get the impression that people riding jet skis were spawned by Satan himself. I've had a much different experience. Anglers are typically the ones knocking me around, not jet skis or party boats.

In this area, the Red River gets crowded. Cross Lake gets crowded. All of us have to play nice on the water with that much traffic. At some point, you are going to get hit by a wake. That's just the nature of fishing on a very active body of water. 

If you read my most recent post (and a few posts in the past), you'll know that most wakes that hit me come off of bass boats and other anglers. 

In my most recent outing, I fished the islands on the west end of Cross from about 4pm to 8pm. About a dozen boats came out of the Fleming boat launch on the west end and came zooming towards me in between the islands. Out of the dozen or so boats, only two were not anglers. Two jet skis played around behind me, but they were so far away that their wakes were barely ripples when they reached me. They kept their distance. In fact, they saw me as they came out of Fleming and turned away to avoid me. A jet ski came in off the main lake and saw me. They turned around and avoided me. All of those bass boats saw me and went on through. Not only did I get knocked around by wakes, but the school I was trying to follow scattered. The bite died. 

Towards the end of that same evening, I fished some trees on the southern edge on Cross. A flat bottom boat came through, gunned it, and made a 90 degree turn not 40 feet from my boat. I'm just glad I was able to motor behind a stand of trees before his giant wake came through. Definitely not a jet ski. Angler.

Some people toss physics into the mix and claim that going by on plane is better than slowing down. I will agree with that up to a point. The wake coming off somebody who slows down is going to knock you around more with larger waves compared to a series of smaller waves coming off a boat on plane. If you have no choice but to pass by someone out there, go by on plane. Caddo Lake is a perfect example. We have to stay on the boat rows or risk hitting a stump or an old oil well. Several anglers fish certain areas adjacent to those busy boat rows. If you're fishing the only channel boats have to go through, you're just going to have to deal with wakes. I can live with that.

Here's where I draw the line. I have a problem when someone has an obvious choice. In my case, boaters had good visibility and could see my boat even before setting their course. Open water is on the other side of the three islands. There's your choice. Go through on plane near a boat in 200 yard spot between two islands or go into open water where there aren't any boats. Seems like an obvious choice to me.

In addition, darting between these islands puts you at risk. Boats coming out of the pocket in the northwest corner won't see you. Boats coming in from open water who plan on using the same route won't see you. Two boats coming at each other moving at 45 to 70mph with an island obscuring views from either direction might end badly.

Cross Lake, Shreveport. May 2009

5/15/2009
I'm not sure how the fishing on Cross has been lately. I know there have been a few tournaments. I've been a little to busy to fish the last couple of weeks and the torrent of rain really put the screws to my plans. I did goof around off the pier this evening though.

Tossed a Strike King Rage Toad over all the duckweed I could find, but only had a gar nip at it. Tossed a weighted 7-inch Culprit worm (T-rig) out into the clear spots working it fast, slow, and even as a topwater without even so much as a swirl around it. 

The water has been high on most area bodies of water. Cross isn't tremendously elevated, but it's a few inches higher than I'd like it to be. Pads are coming in well. Hydrilla is filling in a few spots, but it's not taking over. The water has been stained after all the rain, but has started to clear out some today. 

Guess that doesn't help much.

Re: Summit or Patriarch?

If you hadn't thrown in that heavy rod, I would have said the Patriarch without blinking. Overall, the Patriarch is much smoother and more compact. It has been great for tossing all kinds of baits. But you may not need all that smooth as butter feel fishing frogs and jigs. You're going to be making a lot of short casts. Well, in my experience, that's where the two reels even out. With a heavy rod, the Summit might be a little more cumbersome to handle. 

You didn't specify whether you were talking about a Summit LP or WLP. I will assume that since you're comparing it to a Patriarch, you mean the wide spool Summit. I'll also assume that you're looking at the 7.1:1 Patriarch and not the 6.4:1.

I'll throw some more thoughts at you. 

The frame on the Summit is a little taller and larger. It's not quite as compact as the Patriarch, so comfort is going to come down to personal preference. Have you held both in your hands? Which one is more comfortable to you? Some folks like smaller reels and others need more. 

My jig rod is paired with the Summit right now. I use the Patriarch on a more limber MH rod for other lures, but have yet to really toss many frogs with it. Great buzzbait combo though. This will be my first Summer with the Patriarch. It will likely be my frog throwing rig. I can make dangerously accurate casts with that combo. 

I don't have any detailed info on the drag inside the Patriarch. The Summit is supposed to have 9lbs of drag and it's held its own against some strong fish. The drag inside the Patriarch should be superior to the Summit. I'm pretty sure I remember reading that the Patriarch has a carbon fiber drag. Because the drag inside the Patriarch is probably better, you'd likely be better suited for slop and jig bites with a Patriarch in your hand, but it depends on how big the fish you plan on catching really are. All you really need is a Summit, but the Patriarch is better.

Re: Cross Lake, Shreveport. April 2009

4/28 was a heck of a day.

You can read the full report here
(http://bassfishingdem.blogspot.com/2009/04/cross-report-4-28-2009.html)

Fished from around 5:45pm to 7:30pm. Used a post-rain confidence bait of mine, a 3/8oz pumpkin colored vibrashock swimblade with the trailer that was provided with the lure. Tied that onto a 7' MH Pro Qualifier LTD rod paired with a Pflueger Patriarch 71WLP. 

My reasoning:
1. In the past, the water became tremendously clear after a rain. I've been able to draw out some nice fish using swimblades of various colors just after a rain. 

2. The bream are up shallow, so a pumpkin color closely matches those guys in the spawn. It may not be an exact match, but pumpkin is close.

3. In 2007, about this time of year, I pulled a 5lb 11oz pig out away from a submerged log not far from here. A swimblade or swim jig might be an ideal lure for those fat bass in the early post-spawn period.

Didn't check water temps. Caught six fish. 
One slot bass, three under the slot, one over, and one small chain pickerel 

The over was a hair over 20 inches long and weighed 4lb 3oz. 

Unfortunately, this sort of pattern will fade fast as the water begins to stain from the runoff over the next 24 hours. 

Re: Cross Lake, Shreveport. April 2009

Didn't post recent outings here on the forum. You can read the blog. I've been catching some fish on the finesse jig. 
4/14 & 4/15
4/21

4/26
Went out on Sunday evening from around 5pm to 7:45. Didn't catch a thing. Windy. That was the trend. Lots of wind and lots of weeds. I dragged in anything from hydrilla to slimy green stuff and even some smelly black stuff. Spent most of my trip feeling angry. 

Pitched the finesse jig at isolated trees near open water and clusters of trees elsewhere. Also switched to a Zoom Horny Toad when I found a shallow stretch of thick pads. There were fish swimming around in there, but I think they were all gar. Nothing wanted to hit. 

Should have gone out in the morning instead. The weather was a lot more cooperative. 

Re: Cross Lake, Shreveport. April 2009

Report for 4-8

You can read more about this report at my blog.
• Cross Report 4-8-2009

Went out in the little boat from about 4:45pm to 7:40pm. Fished with the finesse jig again rigged with a V&M Baby V Chunk craw trailer. Didn't go very far. I fished over a relatively small area. A Nitro bass boat had just worked its way through this spot. Not sure if they caught anything, but they were throwing spinnerbaits. I had three bites, but was only able to get two to the boat. The first weighed 2lb 3oz. The second came off next to the boat after swimming into some weeds at the base of a cypress tree right next to me. The third weighed 3lb 4oz. 

I saw crappie hitting the surface everywhere. One even jumped out of the water a couple of times. I got that one to nip at my jig, but it didn't inhale it. Also saw a couple of gar. Small baitfish are making their way back to shallow water. Checked temps with a small portable digital gauge. It gave me a reading around 64 degrees. Water is less stained than the other day, but still pretty poor visibility out there.

It's time folks.

Re: Cross Lake, Shreveport. April 2009

Looks like the bream are up shallow already. Be responsible with your harvesting practices. Don't want to see the bream population dwindle, unless of course you want next year to be slow.

Re: Cross Lake, Shreveport. April 2009

Fished for about an hour to an hour and a half this evening. Started off the pier, but only caught weeds. Just had a boat come through, so the pressure was certainly there. Seeing as how the tournament was only yesterday, I couldn't imagine many bass felt like biting.

Quit fishing the pier and opted for the small boat. Pitched a 1/4oz finesse jig with a V&M Baby V-Chunk trailer. Caught a very nice 3lb 15oz pig off a cypress tree. Only jumped once. Photo is in my blog post. 

After the sun went down, I could feel a little bit of heat radiating off the water. Won't be long before the topwater bite starts. Then the fishing gets really exciting. 

Not sure what the water temps were. Water was calm and only had a slight stain to it. The rain we got on Thursday morning cleaned out the murky stuff, but expect all that to come back soon. The lake is actually out of its banks. I'd say it's over by a few inches judging by the puddle collecting at the steps of the pier. 

Cross Lake, Shreveport. April 2009

Going to start using a new format for posting reports. Report the lake by month. Course, it would help to have members posting reports for this to really be useful. 

Fished off the pier this evening and caught one. Had a tap from another. Caught a bass that weighed 2lb 9oz on a finesse jig rigged with rattles and a black V&M Baby V Chunk craw trailer. You can get the trailers out at Northwood. Not sure if Travis carries them. I figured with all the tourney anglers pressuring the heck out of bass on this lake, downsizing to a finesse presentation seemed like a smart move. 

Water is pretty murky again, but it looks like the bass are coming into the shallows. I saw a lot of swirls around cypress trees further out. Turtles are really coming out in full force as well. 

Re: Cross Lake, Shreveport

3-21 & 3-22

Fished Saturday evening out of the little boat. The report is on my blog. Hooked two fish. Both got away. The first was a slot bass up against a cypress tree along the outside edge of a tree line. The second was a hawg. It was in between four cypress trees situated fairly close together. It bit and I thought I had a firm hookset. It took off like a rocket and seconds later, I felt 'er start to rise getting ready to jump. I tried to prevent it, but the bass jumped anyway. Came all the way out of the water and spit out my hook. Like I said on my blog, I'll be modest about the weight estimation and say it was in the 4-5lb range, but the belly didn't look the part, so it could have been in the 5-7lb range. Picked apart the trees in the general area, but came up with nothing. Both fish bit on a Big Bite Baits Trick Stick in back/blue flake. Didn't check water temps. Wind wasn't too bad.

Sunday was much different. Much more wind today. I think I was looking into 10-15mph winds. Not fun in that little boat. I spent much of my time anchored and also getting hung up in tree limbs. Again, not fun. No fish to speak of. Gar are still cruising. A few shad did splash out there. 

The rest of the week is going to be bad for fishing. The next few days are going to have combinations of 20mph winds and chances for thunderstorms. Bummer. 

Re: Cross Lake, Shreveport

3-18

Fished from the small boat out on the west end. Didn't catch a thing. Didn't see gar. Didn't see any shad hitting the surface like last night either. Water was pretty murky. Temps were around 62 degrees. 

Tried a DT6, a bandit 100 series in the shallower parts, a walmart spinnerbait, a 1/2oz red craw trap, and a 3/4oz orange and black striped trap.

Re: Cross Lake, Shreveport

Thanks for posting. Good to hear from someone who has signed up on this thing. 

Catching bass on Cross Lake is difficult. It's one of the hardest lakes to fish in the area. Great to compete on, but not a lake to learn techniques on. It takes me forever to get information for a good product review because the bites are so infrequent. That's why I'm trying to learn Caddo this year.

I have to agree with a lot of what you said about the slot. The only reason I can come up with for getting rid of the slot has everything to do with making the tournaments more competitive, but very little to do with making Cross a good fishery. Management is not something I think people are fond of here. At least that's my impression. 

Lots of variables come into play and I haven't lived here long enough to know how Cross Lake has evolved as a fishery. The hydrilla took a hit last year when they sprayed. The grass carp are also in the mix now. They might have given a chance for the bass to get out of being locked into a gigantic mat of hydrilla. 

Then there is still the question of whether or not the slot is being observed. I am pretty sure the tournament anglers follow it during tourneys. I rarely get stopped out there and I've never had my livewells checked. Never. I have seen slot bass yanked out of the water and stuffed into a cooler. I say keep the slot and enforce it, although I wouldn't be against setting a minimum keeper length. My money is on overfishing as the source of our problem. The numbers of crappie caught are also looking poor on Cross, at least from what I've heard from the guys who fish hard for them. The crappie bite two years ago was pretty strong, but the harvesting was just as strong. It was rough last year and rough again this time around.

Topwater bite isn't quite here yet. I'm sure you might be able to sucker a few into biting a buzzbait or a frog, but I think we're still at a minimum of a few weeks away from an active topwater bite. Keep trying. You might get ahead of the game.

The rain has pushed water levels up a few inches. This week is looking good. Get out there and catch some.