About time to start fishing again...

Post by **Grayson_Stewart** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 7:52 am

It's about time to start fishing around here again. Any of you folks sink structure to fish around? Any tips or hints on making the stuff in these pics better??

PVC pipe in cinder blocks filled with concrete

Bamboo in buckets of concrete

More PVC structures involving alot more work

junkyard dawg · Post by **junkyard dawg** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:47 am

Grayson you take your fishing seriously.

I remember when I was young, my grandpa wired together stacks of 5 or 6 old tires and towed them out into the lake. He sank a bunch of them in this one spot and we often fished there in later years. Always caught fish in that spot.

Ricky · Post by **Ricky** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 2:49 pm

alright grayson i beleive i know when i see a perch jerker!! if you are putting this structure in a private lake i hope it is not in ms. if it is we are going to have to get together and sip shine and jerk perch. i have been looking for an excuse to meet you anyway. turkey season is right around the corner and i know you will be in the area then.

possum · Post by **possum** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 6:20 pm

I don't sink structures, but I have been known to put roadkill in an onion bag, and sink it in a deep hole for catfish.

Rebel_Yell · Post by **Rebel_Yell** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 7:21 pm

I don't sink structure...

It's location, location, location.

Time is getting short. Let's get ready for some fishing!

Post by **Grayson_Stewart** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 7:35 pm

Ricky,
Not in a private lake in MS. These are going into Logan Martin, Neely Henry, and Weiss Lakes here in Alabama. I have fished Marathon and Ross Barnett over there in MS and never had alot of luck at either one. Guess you have to know the spots in those lakes as well.
I've never been much of a crappie fisherman, but looking to get into it. Seems like it would be the type of fishing more conducive to sipping than tournament bass fishing.

Possum,
I've fished set lines, trot lines, jugs, etc. for catfish, but cans of dogfood with holes punched in them is as far as I've gone to chum for them. I don't think I would want road kill in the back of my truck at anytime.

I have heard of folks stringing up road kill in a tree limb over the water and coming back several days later after the flies had blown up the roadkill. They would cut down the roadkill having it fall into the water along with all the maggots and start fishing.

possum · Post by **possum** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:57 pm

I understand your reluctance...I find that baiting my hooks absolutly requires a good hand washing. I usually use ripe chicken livers, or minnows.
I'm afraid to eat too many wild catfish, 'cause they are bottom feeding, bio-acumulators. I eat lots of those farm raised from the store though.

BW Redneck · Post by **BW Redneck** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 1:58 pm

I've sunk old Christmas trees for structure in a small pond before.

It looks a little bit over elaborate, going to the trouble of sticking PVC in concrete.

Try it and see how it turns out. If you're stocking a pond, sinking structure is necessary or else you will just keep on restocking baitfish for the predatory fish in your pond (assuming it is a stand-alone pond, not connected to any creeks or anything.) Throwing the ol' Christmas tree in the pond will save you a lot of time and trouble buying baitfish.

BW Redneck · Post by **BW Redneck** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 1:59 pm

I've sunk old Christmas trees for structure in a small pond before.

It looks a little bit over elaborate, going to the trouble of sticking PVC in concrete.

Try it and see how it turns out. If you're stocking a pond, sinking structure is necessary or else you will just keep on restocking baitfish for the predatory fish in your pond (assuming it is a stand-alone pond, not connected to any creeks or anything.) Throwing the ol' Christmas tree in the pond will save you a lot of time and trouble buying baitfish.

Ricky · Post by **Ricky** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 2:22 pm

Grayson,best i can figure the best place for perch in barnett must be right of the pearl river bed next to hwy 43. i have caught some nice slabs at what we call the 4o'clock hole on the north end. you have to go up pipeline road unless you want a long boatride. i havent tried marathon for perch but it sure is a peaceful place to camp. been thinking about camping there during squirrel season with my son. should be alot of fun. if you are coming this way during turkey season drop me a line.

Ricky · Post by **Ricky** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 2:30 pm

i almost forgot. possum i used to work in a sporting goods store and we used to sell a 5gal bucket of stinking cheese. i would but it in cheese clothe and it works pretty good. i enjoy bream and perch fishing mostly but it is hard to beat some sethooks on the river with the right company.

Post by **Grayson_Stewart** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 2:32 pm

I think my buddy told me Marathon is closed during the winter months. Don't know when it might be open again. He told me I just had to come over to fish Marothon this past summer...had all kinds of stories about the size and number of fish he was catching. I drive out there the folowing weekend and the only thing we caught was a sunburn. The water had a nice color to it but there was alot of grass and moss in the shallows.

I can see where Ross Barnet would be a good spot. I didn't know the lake and was running about 70 mph, next thing I knew the graph said I was in 3 feet of water and it was nothing but a stump field. As I was running along I wondered why I had to dodge trot lines marked with milk jugs in the middle of the lake.

Ricky · Post by **Ricky** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 2:46 pm

i know what you mean about the 3ft of water. thats why i usely stay on the north end in the river bed. also a lot less people up on that end. i dont have much trouble with the high speed either. my 14ft johnboat with a 25 horse doesnt get to fast. the 4ft bottom sure helps it draft in shallow water though. real good for getting up in there to them bream beds. my boss has a cabin up at bee lake near yazoo city. looking forward to trying the perch and bream up there this year. a work colleauge has a cabin also; should be a heck of a time.

Rebel_Yell · Post by **Rebel_Yell** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:25 pm

The line sides were under the gulls last Sat on Logan Martin.

Post by **Grayson_Stewart** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 4:38 pm

Rebel...I'm guessing you mean those birds feeding on the shad that come out in the tailwaters of the dam. Was this on Logan Martin below the Neely Henry dam or on Lay below the Logan Martin dam?

Rebel_Yell · Post by **Rebel_Yell** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 5:55 pm

Yes on the gulls and shad... In this case, the main lake below I-20 on Lake Logan Martin. I do not know of any stripes moving up the river yet.

mtnwalker2 · Post by **mtnwalker2** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 6:09 pm

You guys are giveing me fishing fever. And reminding of my duties.

I have 2 ponds, about an acre each and 14 and 21 foot deep. On is about 3900' elevation, and I used to stock 3000 rainbow trout each year, but got tired of buying ammo and the time to harvest poachers. So 20 years ago, I stocked with large mouth bass, hybrid bream (4 types) and 8 years ago with blue cats. All fingerlings. Seems to be in perfect balance. I only use a fly rod for bream and an occasional bass, my family goes after the bass usually 1.5 to 4 pounds, and we toss 8 milk jugs out with ripe chicken livers, or fish guts, or head for the catfish. The kids have more fun chaseing those jugs in a canoe than fishing with a pole. Last time we averaged 8 an hour for 3 hours, avg. 8 pds.

The other pond is special, and at my farm, at 1100'. Its in the middle of a hay field, sometimes pasture, and gets a 500 pound dose of broadcast fertilizer a year, plus wash runoff slowly, and whatever animal droppings. Only large mouth bass and hybrid bream. My fathers first visit in 1984, his first cast with a split minnow, and he brought out an 11. 4 pound bass. He only uses barbless hooks, and after weighing, you should have heard my wife scream from across the lake when he tossed it back in- "that was our dinner", but it was a female and full of rowe and he wanted it to breed more just like her. That was the start, and it never let up that day. We caught about 12 or so avg. size bass and exactly 48 2 to 3 pound bream. I can't forget the number, as I am occasionally reminded by the little lady, who filleted every one of those bream, sauted them in butter, garlic and a bit of peanut oil, with home ground grits, corn bread also home ground, and fresh collards with smoked hog jowls. Finally, a fresh apple pie from our June apple tree. My dad talked about that meal till he died a year ago, and my wife still talks about it- She will fish, and cook, but someone else is doing the filleteing.

Interesting thing about this last pond, I had a cow we had de-horned, and she got an infection, so I penned her near the lake, and got a white 5 gal. bucket of water for her. The water was not murkey, but couldn't see 5 inches deep due to the amount of bugs swimming around in there. I moved her to our back yard and well water, though cattle drank there all the time no problem. Anyhow fertilizing a pond gives fantastic results in summer.

Now back to my immediate responsibility, I need to go and cut some new brush growth and let it fall into the first pond- 12 to 15 foot trees, about 30 or 40 and let them just drop into the pond with their ends still on shore, so later can lasso them out if need be. Real branchy, perfect shelter for babies. Add lime. Instruct my kids how to fillet fish.

2nd pond has many cattails and other things growing around the edge, I don't need barriers. This pond is elevated slightly above my fields, so I can sit and fish, and watch the deer and turkey come out into the fields., But it is no longer they that I hunt, but the damn coyotes, the forestry service brought in, feral cats and poachers

The only thing that beats a fly rod, is a long limber cane pole, like when I was a kid.

This is worse than the flue epidemic, doctor said ain't no cure, but to satisfy the itch, scratch, and bring him a bait.

I most particularly like someones post about camping out, fishing, a little hunting, and the still and coffee pot snugged up to the fire.

God is prepareing us for heaven!

Rebel_Yell · Post by **Rebel_Yell** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 6:17 pm

Ricky · Post by **Ricky** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 6:55 pm

mtnwalker you had better be careful talking about those monster bream. i have definantly driven farther for a hole lot less. i could be tempted to drive up there and track you down just to watch my 8yr old catch a dozen of them on his little 9ft jig pole. now thats a lot of fun!!

Post by **Grayson_Stewart** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 7:05 pm

3 pound bream !?!

junkyard dawg · Post by **junkyard dawg** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:15 pm

mtnwalker, sounds like heaven on earth. can I come camping?

goose eye · Post by **goose eye** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 4:45 am

mntwalker try a chunk of oxtagon soap on a hook

mtnwalker2 · Post by **mtnwalker2** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:32 am

Goose eye, I will try the octogon- I have used Ivory before and it works good, and floats above a sinker.

And if any of yall are in this neck of the woods, bring a pole and just holler. I have more fun watching kids fish, then fishing myself.

BTW these are hybrid bream, mostly bluegill. In '83 I cought the grandaddy of them all, it was over 4 pounds and I kept it in a block of ice to show off for over a year. I later learned it exceeded the NC state record by almost 2 oz. Somewhere in the family archive piles are some pictures of some of the harvested.

Ricky · Post by **Ricky** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:45 pm

get ready mtnwalker. i havent been to the smokies in several years and it is getting about time. hybrid bream would beat the heck out of them little trout. that 9ft pole of my sons is telescopic so i wouldnt look like a redneck with a bunch of cane poles tied to the gutters of the car. i would hate to embarrase you like that. lol

Virginia Gentleman · Post by **Virginia Gentleman** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 2:46 am

Ya'll had to go start talking about fishing in February. It'll be a month or so here, but I am ready soon as it warms. I fish small mouth, large mouth, sunfish, crappie, trout and rockfish locally mostly. Shad when they run up the rivers in April. Salt water when I get down that way.

Not that good with a fly rod, but it's a blast catching a 3 lb. largemouth or smallie on a popper. But yeah, the best is going with my 2 boys and letting them do most of the fishing.

Bring on the Spring. I'm ready.

mtnwalker2 · Post by **mtnwalker2** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 7:06 am

You can put the poles tied to the top, and knock a hole in the muffler- You'd go completely unnoticed around here and fit right in~

Almost like a blizzard outside right now, but this would be a good time for me to organize my tackle, and re-string a few reels, and treat my fly lines.

May try for Pike for the first time, in the French Broad River this year.

Ricky · Post by **Ricky** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 8:46 am

mtnwalker it amazes me how with just a little work rednecks and hillbillies can blend right in.

Post by **Grayson_Stewart** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 10:16 am

Virginia Gentleman,

You fish for shad? Post a pick of what you are calling shad please...shad is what we use for bait around here.

Rebel_Yell · Post by **Rebel_Yell** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 11:05 am

Folks eat them thangs Grayson!!! There are many varieties of "shad". The ones along the Eastern US are persued with hook and line.

Have a read...

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/ed ... shad.shtml

Here is the view that many of us redneck types hold for shad...
http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/f ... fish/shad/

mtnwalker2 · Post by **mtnwalker2** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 12:17 pm

I have eaten many a gallon of shad rowe- excellent.