Monday, May 4, 2009

Mark Twain, Salt River & J Lake

This past weekend we got together for the annual bowling team fishing trip up at Mark Twain. Some took off on Friday, while the rest of us got up there after work. On Friday, the forecast was for rain and cooler temperatures all weekend. Luckily the rain didn't make it to us, but the cooler temperatures did. Jeff and I hit the lake at 7:00 Friday evening where we were greeted with high, muddy water and lots of trash floating in the Lake. The other guys had been up in Little Indian Creek all day and only had 3 fish, so we figured we would try somewhere else. We got the boat in the water and ran to Dry Fork. Dry Fork was really, really muddy and only 55#&176;. Not knowing where they were yet, we dabbled the edges of the shorline about 3-feet out with a jig and minnow combo, but caught nothing. We ran out of there about 8:30 and pulled out. The following day we ran north to Little Indian Creek and started with the same pattern we were using in Dry Fork. We dabbled the shorline edges about 3' out with a jig head and minnow (no skirt) and again, nothing so we moved to working the trees. This produced a few fish, but they were scattered and hard to find. The combo seemed to be 18-feet of water at about 3 to 6-foot down right against the tree. The water temperature was about 64#&176; in Little Indian Creek, while the air temperature started in the 50s and got up to the upper 60s. We worked several coves in Little Indian and then ended up working bobbers along the shorline, 12 to 18-inches below the surface at 1 to 3-feet off the edge. Between the two boats, this produced 6 or 7 fish, but only 2 keepers. For the first full day of fishing we ended up with 11 fish between 3 boats. Not a stellar day. Which is why we decided to try below the dam on Sunday. Being in fiberglass boats, we didn't pull up on the rocks right below the dam, so we tied up to some trees down below the rocks and worked the small eddies along the bank. We caught several fish, but only 3 that were close to keepers, and they weren't even that big. Water temp was only 55#&176;, with the air temp reaching the lower 70s for the day. After fighting the current for half the day, we decided to give J Lake a try. By 2:00 we were on J Lake. The water temp in J was 65#&176;, high and muddy. Similar to the rest of the waters we fished over the weekend. The lake edges are really shallow. We targeted bass, while some of the other targeted crappie. No one produced anything. We threw worms, spinners, jigs, buzz baits, you name it, we threw it. Oh well, maybe when the water coditions are a little better.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey cameron this is kim, you dont' know me but i have been sharing secrets with your buddy adam, we share the interest of fishing the J lake all the time. sounds like you needed him as your guide there this weekend. well anyway i was up there this weekend sounded, like we had better luck than you. we slaughtered them on bright blue spinnerbait w/ orange and white blades. with the water being so muddy figured bright is right. caught a few other nice ones on a black flukes with tail died orange and rattles inserted in the middle, give credit to my brother for that idea. well with all the success this weekend we are going to try to give it another go on the 9th maybe see you up there. 17 ft bass tracker give us a look.

Adam Davis said...

NO fish at the J lake? I'm disappointed... Kim... Who are you did you just randomly find the website or do you know us? Just wondering. I will be up there this weekend fishing, prob Saturday and Sunday morning.

How was the vegetation along the banks looking? All I am going to throw this weekend is black and blue jigs, wacky rigged senko (duhhh) and swim baits. Go big or go home is what I say. I plan on catching at least a 8lb bass out of there this year. Don't worry, I will take a few pics and put it right back. :)

Adam Davis said...

Edit.. Kim.. what was your biggest bass? Last time I was there they were hitting SUPER light, and ran straight at the boat. Thank goodness for fluorocarbon line or I would have never felt them.

Cameron Denison said...

Kim, Adam - I know I'm new to the lake, but we talked with several "regulars" that were having the same luck we were. I was throwing a chartruse spinner with gold and chrome blades as well as a black and blue jig with a dark blue craw trailer. Worked them slow and worked them fast. Got nothing. Not even a hit. We also worked worms, senkos and a watermellon fluke (one of my favs)), nothing. Seemed like I would be in 5' of water and then wham, I'm in 1' of water. I was surprised to find that J Lake is on my Nav Chip in the Humminbird. 2' topo lines of the whole thing. Not that it helped me Sunday, but nonetheless, it's there.

I don't know when I'll make it back up there, but I'll post before making the run. I'll be in the black and white Skeeter, just yell at me. You may also notice me since I'll be the one cusing as I'm trying to get my lure out of the tree branches!