# Salt Fork surprise!



## javacoder (Jul 13, 2011)

My wife and I stayed the weekend in a cabin at Salt Fork with some friends and we fished Thursday evening and Friday morning. We didn't catch many bass, but the few we caught were of good size. Thursday evening we boated five largemouth. Two of them over 4lbs, one over 3lbs and two 16 inchers. We caught two more 2-1/2 lbers Friday morning. All of the bass were caught cranking rock piles in deep water near the creek channel.

Friday morning this musky nailed a Bandit 250 in 15 fow over grass. Gave the ole 10 lb test and the drag on my Quantum TP tour a real test. I hated to boat him, especially since I didn't have a net, but I had to cut the barbs off two hooks to free him of the lure as he had a treble in the top and bottom of the front of his mouth. He swam away vigorously . . . but tired, I'm sure, after a twenty minute fight and a couple of minutes in the boat.


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## ranger175a (Apr 20, 2011)

Nice fish! I caught a 40" one thursday on a crankbait while bass fishing.


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## dmbenjamin (Jul 28, 2012)

Thats a good weekend!

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## MuskieWolverine (May 16, 2012)

Where are the muskie this time of year down there? We slammed them in June near the camper beach, but I've been trolling the dam and camp bay a couple times a month, and haven't hooked up with a single one. I've caught 47 up north hear, but nada in the past month and a half at Salt Fork. Feel free to PM me if you don't want to give out info here.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

Nice looking fish, but I'm more interested in your bass report. Sounds like an excellent weekend. Were you catching those bass on that Bandit 250 you referenced? I've been looking into getting a couple of those and just wonder what kind of depths they hit on a cast? The Tackle Warehouse website has them listed at running 12' to 14'. What say you?

And congrats once again on a great weekend of fishing. I love fishing Salt Fork. It can be really tough, but as your weekend proved, it can be very rewarding. Plus it's just a beautiful lake.


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## javacoder (Jul 13, 2011)

I previously used the Bandit 250's mostly at Kentucky Lake to fish ledges in late spring and early summer because the bills are tough enough to withstand grinding over rocks all day but I've grown to like them in local reservoirs when the thermocline is 11 - 12 feet. They run about 12 feet with 10lb flouro and a long cast and about 14 feet with 8lb.and they have a tight wobble.

For deeper cranking, I throw 5XDs and 6XDs, Bandit 250's and DT14s. I only throw the Strike Kings because of the color selection. They are poorly made and tend to helicopter when you give them a big heave and the bills won't stand up to digging over a hard bottom.

I don't buy the really expensive cranks because I lose so many over the season.


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## javacoder (Jul 13, 2011)

MuskieWolverine said:


> Where are the muskie this time of year down there? We slammed them in June near the camper beach, but I've been trolling the dam and camp bay a couple times a month, and haven't hooked up with a single one. I've caught 47 up north hear, but nada in the past month and a half at Salt Fork. Feel free to PM me if you don't want to give out info here.


Let me preface this by saying that the musky catch was purely an 'accident'. but I caught it on the east point of the bay where the cabins are. There is a pocket of grass that stretches into the deeper water there.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

javacoder said:


> I previously used the Bandit 250's mostly at Kentucky Lake to fish ledges in late spring and early summer because the bills are tough enough to withstand grinding over rocks all day but I've grown to like them in local reservoirs when the thermocline is 11 - 12 feet. They run about 12 feet with 10lb flouro and a long cast and about 14 feet with 8lb.and they have a tight wobble.
> 
> For deeper cranking, I throw 5XDs and 6XDs, Bandit 250's and DT14s. I only throw the Strike Kings because of the color selection. They are poorly made and tend to helicopter when you give them a big heave and the bills won't stand up to digging over a hard bottom.
> 
> I don't buy the really expensive cranks because I lose so many over the season.


Thanks for the response. I'll definitely be picking up a couple of them then. As far as the SK 5 XD I love that bait. I haven't really had any problem with it helicoptering unless I am throwing it into the wind. Other than that it's been a great bait for me. I'll have to keep an eye on the bill wear that you mentioned. So far they don't look too bad, but I did just start throwing them this year. I haven't thrown the 6 XD yet. The body is a little bigger than I like to throw. Anyhow..... thanks for the info.


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## MuskieWolverine (May 16, 2012)

Of course that's where you caught it....since I never even looked at that side. Lol! Thanks for the info!


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## eyecontact (Jul 23, 2012)

Nice one you got there!


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