Pool 2. Better than working

Spent the last couple of days going nuts trying to keep the company busy. Decided to go fishing today. Figured there was nothing I could do about the phones ringing.
Here goes. 24.5, 25.5, 26.5, and a good number of smaller fish. This was a great day for me. Most of my fish came trolling grappler shads. The biggest fish was found pitching a wing dam with cranks.
Rip rap shorelines, sand flats, and wing dams produced fish for me today. There seems to be a good bit going on right now on this pool. I caught fish on 5 different spots today.
I did get some pictures today, but they where of fish laying in the bottom of the boat. I will see if I can get my other to help me post them.
Good luck fishing.
I also booked three days of work for the company today. Way to go for the floating office.

Good deal Mike! I was out pretty much all day Sunday, and found the same thing to be true. I was having great luck trolling the grapple shad along breaklines and sand flats. The fish were completely inhaling them.
Also had my first fish on plastic in quite some time. Man… I sure did miss that “thunk”! Pool 2 has a little bit of everything going right now, with quality fish.

No fish on plastics for me today. They have been slow for awhile. I also miss the thunk. Caught one last saturday on a ring grub. 23″ eye that left not a part of the grub exposed. Caught this just down the wingdam from jon that had a good bit going on crank baits.
The way the trolling bite was going today I might have to stick to it. I might change up what I am trolling. The sand flats just seem to be the place to troll live bait.
Looking forward to saturday morning.

Congrats on the good bite you guys are having. You guys are killing me though!

Glad to see that the Grappler shad is working well for you guys. What depths have been the best trolling the new Grappler’s.
I would like to hear all comments on the lure both good and bad if any of you would like to comment. I take these comments right to the big dogs!

I have been running them at about the 10′ range. plus or minus a foot or so. Speed has varied from 1.8 to 3.5. Right around 2.4 has been a good spot. Been dragging them over the rocks most of the time and have only lost one so far. For a newbe to river trolling this is great.
Me go to shad has pulled in at least 6 5# plus fish in the last few weeks. Has been drug over a few miles of rocks. The hooks are starting to look a little rough and the bill is not looking much better. Still runs great.
They are real simular to the bombers but dont seem to dive as well as the bombers. Close but not the same. I still throw more bombers on the wingdams. Have taken fish on both.
Price cant be beat. I picked them up on sale for $3 a piece.
Forget that other brand that is selling at double that price. I think these will be in my box for a long time.
Oh yea. Do you think they can make one that the sheepies wont go after.

Thanks for the feed back Mike! I love to hear everyone else’s experience to all their findings, good stuff. All of us anglers are the ones that impact design changes the most of these crank baits or spawn new and up and coming…..
Pssst…..speaking of which, there may be another smaller grappler on the way sometime in the future as well.

Thanks again Mike!

Steve-
I have been running them in the 10-13′ range, and love these things. They don’t seem to have as much “pull” as a comparable shad rap (but thats a GOOD thing), as I tend to keep the rod in my hand while trolling Pool 2. One starnge thing happend the other night… I hooked into a log, and when all that was said and done, the only thing that came back was an opened slit ring!

Pool 2 is better than work! Got out last night for a few hours and went exploring. Hit 7 wingdams I had not previously fished. Found fish on 4 of those dams. Had some nice fish come to the boat including two 26’ers and two 28’s. The water has dropped way down…almost running low now. Keep that boat inside the bouys!(unless you are fishing, of course!) Saw a guy take out a lower unit last night. Cut inside to pass a barge and POW!

J.

Awesome fish Jon! Cranks still working for you the best?

Yes, Cranks.

Speaking of cranks, I wish you guys would stop talking about those Grapplers!! There none to be found anywhere. Just kidding…. Funny that after I posted the Pradco bombers were the ticket, Fleet Farm sold out in a day.

J.

I hear ya Jon. The only place I found them was Gander in Woodbury. Pretty limited selection when I was there, but they did have firetiger, and a chartreuse/white color that has been working good for me. Problem is, I lost that one!!!
Are you trolling the face of the wingdams, searching to see if there are ‘eyes holding on them, or just anchoring up and pitching?

I’ll approach the dam with the bow mount T-motor and work outside to inside casting cranks. When I find fish or what looks/feels like a key spot on the dam, I’ll drop the anchor.

J.

Good fishing jon. Now I cant wait to get back out again. Hurry up saturday.

I snuck down to Pool 2 finally the other evening and decided to see what all the fuss was about?
Thanks to all of you that posted here recently on the forum, it helped eliminate alot of water right out of the shoot. I hit 9 of my very best wingies for this time of the year and bingo! I dug out about 3 cranks rods and decided to flirt with several different style bodied baits. One of them was my ol standby, the Bomber 5A and 6A. The next one was a chart. Grappler Shad and the other was a suspending Rogue! All said and done, all the cranks turned fish. After plucking the active fish off the face and tops, I took my suspending shallow Rogue and started casting about 30 yards out in front of a deeper wingdam. This produced the biggest fish for the night, a nice 27.5″ fish. With this presentation, I usually do not boat the numbers of fish but the quality has always been there for me. At times these schools of shad and bait move out in the front of the current seam and they become sitting ducks in the current and the walleyes move right underneath them to feed. I caught this fish over 19 foot of water on a shallow Rogue. Weird huh? I have had this happen many times down on 2 over the last several seasons. Give it a try. After picking off a few active fish off each dam, I moved in with big bulky plastics and a heavy jig in the 3/8-1/2 oz size and really started to move the jig in a snap and fall approach. This also produced a few fish after I seem to catch all the active fish off the face and tops, this seem to do the trick down on the deep front side! It was a great evening down there as its been a few months since I have been down. I see this fall to be another banner year down there for sure and I cannot wait!

Good fishin!