Stillwater 3/11/12

[Crankb8]

I had a darn good day today. I left the kayak at the house and drove to a favorite wading area on the Stillwater. The flow was a little more elevated than what I usually wade this area at, but not dangerous. Water temp was 43 at noon.
I started out with 2 goals. I wanted to catch a bass, and retrieve a Lucky Craft Pointer that I'd left hanging in an overhanging branch last Fall. I spied the Pointer hanging from the branch as soon as I got to the target area, but it was hanging over an area I expected to catch a smallie from......so....first things first. It took a little longer than I anticipated, but I managed to catch the 17"er pictured below about 15-20 minutes in. This pool is fed by a minor riffle that turns into a 4-5' deep run along a rocky bank. The bass hit a jerkbait fished towards the back of the pool where the current slacks off a bit. Another dozen casts yielded nothing so I went after the Pointer in the tree. It really turned out to be a lot easier than I feared. I used my spinning rod to reach the branch and just shook it until the Pointer dropped off. Then I used the rod tip to guide the bait close enough that I could grab it.
Since that hole was pretty much trashed, I waded upstream a ways to see if the bass had moved up that far yet. In a word.....no. A 1.5 mile round trip upstream and back didn't yield a single bite. I returned to the first pool and managed 2 more smallies...a 14 on a jig and a 13 on a jerkbait....and called it a day.

[SConner]

A few nice fish and a retrieved lure from last fall, sounds like a good day!

[Fishing Flyer]

Nice! Those are solid smallies. What a day it was today!

[Crankb8]

Originally Posted by SConner

A few nice fish and a retrieved lure from last fall, sounds like a good day!

Yessiree! Them Pointers go for about $15 each!

[SMBHooker]

I'd say you hit your goal on "Pointer" hee hee!

Nice fish 17" will make any trip a success! I've not had much luck yet on the jerkbait bite!!


Sent from . . . off and over there.

[QueticoMike]

A 17 incher is always a good day!

[Ted Dressel]

Drove by Stillwater on the way to the dentist the water looked real good.Wished I could have stoped and fished.

[young-gun-fisher]

how well do those pointers work? I thought about buying one but I saw the price and decided to wait and grab a few rapalas which were 20% off at Dick's last week.

and nice fish btw!!!

[Crankb8]

I do way better with the Pointers (especially the Slender Pointer) than any of the Rapalas. I threw an X-Rap for about 10-15 minutes Sunday just to see if it'd work. It didn't. It seems to me that the X-Raps and Husky Jerks are made to be fished in a jerking, slash-style retrieve and they tend to tilt either nose up or down if you just let them suspend and drift with the current. The Pointers suspend pretty much horizontal and I like to let them suspend and drift with just an occasional twitch. I tell people its like fishing a tube, except you're in the middle of the water column. And they are expensive, but I've had some of mine for 3-4 years. How long would $15 worth of soft plastics last?

Just my experiences and opinion..........

[SMBHooker]

I would second Crankb8s preference with the pointers. I've fished x-raps, flat raps and so on, they work I've caught fish with them. I only just started fishing pointers end of last year with two trips in a row producing 17" smallmouth. Not to much data to compare from my own excperince but as soon as i've tied on pointers they've started working?!?

I've noticed on a steady retrieve pointers perform with a natural swimming action I've not gotten out of other jerks.

Expensive but worth having in the box!


Sent from . . . off and over there.