pool 4 baits

I was at pool 4 on sunday for a few hours. I was useing a 5/8 oz white furry jig with a trailer hook and a fat head minnow. I hooked up with an 18in sauger instantly, however only caught a few small ones the rest of the day. I saw other people pulling up fish all around us, but i couldnt see what they were useing for bait. I fished downstream from the dam in 20-30 feet of water. the white hair jigs seemed to be the ticket last year for me, but didnt seem to do the trick yesterday. I was just curious what everyone else is using if its not top secret. I heard alot of people are useing plastics. How long of a worm should be used…4in? what color? Scented? Has anyone been useing rapalas trolling. and if so how do you keep from hooking your 3-way weights in the rocks?

Erik,

All I’ve used the past two weekends are berkley power grubs, 3″ with a stinger hook. Jig weight depends on the drift that day. The neonz has produced best for me, but I watched another guy catch a lot of fish the last two weekends on what appears to be electric blue. I’ve got some in the box but didn’t try them since my neonz were working just fine.

Up shallow, I’m casting 4″ ringworms with 1/4 oz or less weight. I’ve tried everything from chartreuse to motor oil. Shad bodies, blue/white.

You’ve got to experiment til you find the color they are looking for that day. Another suggestion, try using a lighter jig. Boat control is the real ticket when using the lighter jigs vertically. Just my two pennies though….

Erik..

I have fish pool 4 a bunch….. and I tell ya the only live baite I use is for Flatheads….. In the fall Winter and spring I due well on plastic’s…. doesn’t really matter the kind…. ringworms. power grubs. shad bodies…. twisters…. sometimes one color seems to work better than others…… I think the key to platics is the way you work them….. I have fished side by side with guys using the same jigs and there is a difference in how you work them……

good luck…..MAVZER

The sonar workedgreat for us yesterday. Fish really smashed them.

~~~~~~alkfish

Hey Mavzer, I agree with you that the key to plastics is presentation, but I think the reason you catch so many fish, is in the boat!!! The fish think your boat is a floating bog or something. They’re just trying to get in the shade under your beast!!!LOL

Has anybody seen that thing float? I’m not sure how much shade there would be under it! Set a house in it and fish through the holes without using an auger!

Seen it! I’ve actually had to fish in it. I love the washing machine he uses for a livewell. Next year he says he’s going to put real holders in it and a new floor. I’ll believe it when I see it.

You dont keep from snagging, but what you can do is use 8# on the sinker and 10# on your rig that way you break off the sinker and save your raps. we most of the time motor back till were vertical and pull!!!!!!!!!!! P.S. an old man once said if you aint snagging up and losing some tackle you aint in the right place.

The reason I get the fish I get, (go ahead and laugh) but it is because I am in stealth mode!!!! that’s correct My boat is like a stealth bommber……. I sneak up on them fish and wack …… There like it’s Mavzer…. he got me agian….. I disguise my boat as a floating bog so they don’t recognize me coming……..

hmmmm geeeeee Mavz….. I thought it was because you know these fish like low light conditions…. and its like a solar eclipse when you show up…….

Erik a general rule of thumb for shallow running bait is 1 foot vertical drop for every 5 feet horizontal.That being said using a 4 .1/2 feet off leader to your lure and 1 foot dropper to your sinker should put you near the bottom without too many snags.You can also make the dropper line to your sinker adjustable if you do encounter any problems.

hi Mavzer, I saw your boat last week, saw it launch from Evert’s, but it was not you, there was so much water in the boat, that I was sure the guy was kidding when he said he was going out in it. I’ll be dipped, if he didn’t get it going up river. when I got back in, It was on the beach and full of water, Steve and I tried to move it more up the sand, but could not budge it. so we tied it off in case the water level came up more, keep fishin’. Jack.

I know a buddy took the boat out….. but didn’t bring it back up on shore far enough…. I have pulled the boat out since and me and steve went thru the whole boat cleaned it up and rewired a bunch of stuff and replaced the bilger pump…. so it won’t fill up agian….. He also has a chocolate lab…. so it was kinda funny….. a bunch of the local fellas were yelling ” hey mavzer and my buddy kept trying to convince them he wasn’t me……. (not as good looking)…… see ya on the river…….

yeah I was one that yelled “Hey Mavz”…. heck one guy in a rain suit looks like the next!! lol….. though I think his lab was a bit less stocky… maybe younget?