# Tappen Black Friday



## Kip-eye71 (Dec 24, 2012)

Tried fishing for saugeye for a couple hrs with no luck. 
Although I did get the
Skunk out with a couple decent bass


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## shorthair (Jul 21, 2009)

Fished Tappan also yesterday for eyes with no luck. Will keep after them and if I find them I'll let you know.


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## Skippy (Dec 2, 2009)

All I can say is that there is a good NIGHT bite at Tappan. Sometimes up in 2/3 foot of water.


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## shorthair (Jul 21, 2009)

I'm Still trying to locate the good holes. I have fished it many times this fall. Been there at dusk and been there at midnight. Only one night have I caught saugeye (2). I will keep after it and try to find them.


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## Kip-eye71 (Dec 24, 2012)

thanks, Shorthair, i'll keep trying as well. Question for the night bite, what bait are you using Skippy??


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## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

Well from what Skippy has been reporting to me Big Joshy swim baits and jerks with a trap bait thrown in the mix. I am sure he will reply. Hope you guys get into them some quality eyes in that lake.


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## shorthair (Jul 21, 2009)

Thanks fishslim. I have been trying to fine tune the jerk bait thing. Have them properly tuned. Throwing all types of swim baits. I'll give them traps a try soon. Thanks again.


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## TankerYanker (Jul 9, 2014)

Is it possible to still launch a boat at tappan? If the weather cooperates alittle tomorrow I might try it out


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## shorthair (Jul 21, 2009)

There was boats on the water yesterday. I haven't actually been at the ramp lately.


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## promag (Aug 21, 2011)

I was there today water is about 5foot below summer pool and the launch ramp docks are out of the water sitting on the ramps. I also got a couple bass but no eyes..


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## Skippy (Dec 2, 2009)

There is some big girls in that lake. Before dark I'll throw a red eye. Most luck come's on a chartreuse/silver one. If I snag any shad I take that as a good sign. As it gets darker I usually switch over to Joshy's 3.25 lime swim, pink jig head. His solar flare is good along with his pink antifreeze flash. On these 3.25 swims I use a 1/16 oz. jig head with a 3/0 hook. Some nights they just suck them in, all you feel is a little extra weight, and some nights the eyes just crush them. Also been messing with a 5 inch Grass Pig using a swimbait screw type 4/0 hook.
I'm a lure changer. If I catch a few on one thing I'll change it out for something different. Different color, size, ect. That's the only way that I can find out what else mite work. Doing that has payed off more then once when the bite has been super slow.
As far as stickbaits go, Started the fall bite off with the 5.5 super Rouge and a # 10 HJ. Mostly clown and the HJ in the steel color. Both have worked. Switched around a little and now have been throwing that Perfect 10, clown and lime crush color. They work BUT the newer Elite 8, IMO, has it hands down just more action at much slower speeds. The Elite has a much better roll action and just twitching it shows much more action. They tune up real easy also. I keep a few that I don't tune. Once the eyes get real shallow I use them. Just a slow pull,stop, twitch then back to the slow pull. 

As my own rule the only eyes I keep are deep, deep hooked or hooked in the gills. I do give some away to others that are also fishing close. I also do live 3 minutes from a lake and I can get down there to tune sticks and see there actions during the day. 
Hope this helps somewhat. Just be safe out there.


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## Kip-eye71 (Dec 24, 2012)

Thanks Skippy, that's some great info,
I'm looking forward to trying some of those techniques


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## shorthair (Jul 21, 2009)

Thanks for the post skippy. Going to stock up on your baits. I hope I can find them before the ice comes. Thanks again.


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## Skippy (Dec 2, 2009)

Nobody gets them all the time. Took me 3 years to sort of get a milk run going there. One spot is just on a straight section of 250 along the rip-rap. Found it during low water. Someone just had to of carried some good sized rocks out there and built a pile of them. No other reason to it. Before the water gets to low that spot will hold a few eyes.
Lots of others fish the bridges and catch them. I tend to stay away from there instead Fishing the small rock/sand points. A few aren't really noticeable at higher water levels.
Once again, you have to spend the time to find them. Last months full moon was great. Just have to wait and see what this next full moon will do. Did get 2 eaters out of the Muskingum river last night.


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## shorthair (Jul 21, 2009)

Any luck with the grass pig, skippy?


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## Skippy (Dec 2, 2009)

Shorthair, It's a love/hate type of thing with them. Took awhile to figure them out as far as getting a good hook set that would keep the eyes on. I know part of the trouble was that I use medium and medium/light spinning rods not that bass tackle where when you set the hook you can pull there tails right up through there mouths.
Ended up with the screw type swimbait hooks in 4/0. These are 1/16 and 1/8 oz. weighted ones. I have cut the 3/8oz. ones to what I feel are in the 1/16 oz range. I found that bringing the hook all the way out of the top of the grass pig is about the only way I do get good hookups. I even bend the hook shank up a little to get better hook ups.
My fingers don't work real good anymore so I have to prerig them at home. ( Putting that little screw eye in - in the dark with cold fingers really sucks ).
The chartreuse with gold flake and the bubble gum colors both have worked. Lift drop and also a slow straight retrieve with little twitches both work. 
It's a big lure and them damn fish with teeth work them over.

Got to say, the other night at Tappan I set the hook into something big. One of those that when you set the hook nothing happens then it just starts swimming away. Well I had it on for maybe 3 minutes then nothing. One of those where you just let your rod tip hit the water and just stand there for a minute. Reeled that pig in and it looked like something that was just run through a meat grinder.
Went bluegill fishing yesterday so I just stayed home last night.


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## shorthair (Jul 21, 2009)

Thanks Skippy. I have the pearl pigs and just was wondering when you mentioned it earlier. Sorry for the big one that got off. And it is horrible when that happens. Thanks for your time.


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