# Spring Fed Quarry Lakes, 100+ FoW with Big Blues, tips?



## Dana.Birrell (Apr 23, 2012)

This Saturday morning, I'm heading over to Prairie Oaks metro and moving around the deep(er) waters for blues. After talking to the rangers (and taking their advice about catfishing with a grain of salt) they had stocked the lake(s) with blues over ten years ago. Since I've gotten 2/3 catfish FO species this year, and frankly don't have it in me to go to the Ohio river this year, I'm going to take the next best thing and go locally where I know I can catch a FO blue.

Here's my plan;

I'll be arriving just before open; 6:15 AM in hopes it's open a bit early, who knows if it's the older fella opening it could be open as early as 6. I'll be getting out with more rods than needed in the yak, but all will be used somehow. Since we can't throw a cast net, I'll be attempting to catch shad by tossing a size 14 octopus hook into schools of shad by the shore tipped with a wax worm (any advice on better baits?). After that, I'll be trolling the shore lines in 20-30 FoW (in hopes to avoid the damn weed pits in more shallow water) for channel cats all the while looking for more shad (never know how many you'll need/want).

After a couple hours of bait hunting and channel cat hoarding (hell, the blues won't be in one place, afterall). I'll be attempting to troll a bait around the lake in the deeper waters at 30 feet and one at around 50 feet changing the depths every 30-40 minutes. Ultimately, my goal for the day is to catch a 15lb + blue cat, bigger would of course be better, but I'll take what I can get. I've caught two blues this year, one 3lb and one about 4lb. Hell, maybe in the processor I'll find the bull dozer in the lake and have a location for year round crappie!

Last thing - I'm looking for a partner. Going to try to convince Flash Gordon to come out, but he's not morning friendly. If anyone is interested in coming out with me/us on their yak/canoe - especially if you have a fish finder - I'd love some backup and company.


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Ok, Ive never been there but I feel its unlikely the lake is really 100 ft deep. I hear that about a lot of gravel pits but in reality, after talking with multiple dredge operators in the last 20 years, Ive found that there is typically 3 sizes of dredges that are used for digging quarries in our area, that being 60 ft, 40 ft and the most common is the 30 ft'r, Ive been in many quarries and my boat has shown tons of 20-30 ft with only 1 quarry I know of that has some 55+ fow, its possible there is 100 fow but once you get a fish finder youll really know. ( then you can prove me wrong, LOL) 

Next point is you need to realize there will be a thermocline in that water and it will be shallower then you think since ground water is not oxygenated at all. with that said, Id fish a bait at 25 FOW and another at 15, Blues will come up on a bait but not go down, just like crappies, so in clear water youd rather be above them then below them, same with channels, we get them this time of year in the Ohio River in around 20 FOW even though the depth is 40 or more, even get flatheads up a ways, its all about the oxygen levels, no bait, no big fish...

Speaking of crappies, Id bet that crappies are a main forage in this place since blues and crappies inhabit the same types of water, dep and open, also the blues will follow schools of baitfish ( Crappies again come to mind) so Id throw or fish a live crappie out there, also if he comes back dead after no hits, you know your fishing below the thermocline. Food for thought.. you really need that fish finder as most will show you the levels at which the majority of the fish are holding and even show the thermocline if you play with the sensitivity. 

Good example is CJ Brown has a bunch of 30 ft water but the thermocline is at 20ish ft this time of year, so the majority of the fish are in less then that depth.

Good luck, happy hunting...

Salmonid


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## Dana.Birrell (Apr 23, 2012)

Salmonid said:


> Ok, Ive never been there but I feel its unlikely the lake is really 100 ft deep. I hear that about a lot of gravel pits but in reality, after talking with multiple dredge operators in the last 20 years, Ive found that there is typically 3 sizes of dredges that are used for digging quarries in our area, that being 60 ft, 40 ft and the most common is the 30 ft'r, Ive been in many quarries and my boat has shown tons of 20-30 ft with only 1 quarry I know of that has some 55+ fow, its possible there is 100 fow but once you get a fish finder youll really know. ( then you can prove me wrong, LOL)
> 
> Next point is you need to realize there will be a thermocline in that water and it will be shallower then you think since ground water is not oxygenated at all. with that said, Id fish a bait at 25 FOW and another at 15, Blues will come up on a bait but not go down, just like crappies, so in clear water youd rather be above them then below them, same with channels, we get them this time of year in the Ohio River in around 20 FOW even though the depth is 40 or more, even get flatheads up a ways, its all about the oxygen levels, no bait, no big fish...
> 
> ...


Mark, I hate (love) it when you come at me with advice that makes sense. Biology combined with physics makes for a good day. There are some massive crappies in the area too. My winter save will be for a decent fish finder for the yak, i guess after I get some shad and troll the 20-30 feet ledges, I'll run a road runner for crappie for a bit and see if I can get a few. I know there is an app that you can use on your phone to get a round about depth of a lake, but somehow I doubt the phone is powerful enough to measure past 30 or 40 FoW.

I'll probably give a call sometime this week to talk on it more.

E: Does anyone know how a spring will affect the thermocline of these quarry ponds?


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

Not all lakes hold a thermocline. The lakes I fish did not even Produce a thermocline this year. We have had a very mild summer this year. I fish the mwcd lakes and most years the thermocline holds at around 16 foot. Leesville is a lake that almost never produces a thermocline.


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## katfish (Apr 7, 2004)

Dana

Why doesn't ODNR know about blue cats stocked in Ohio?
(except Dillon and Hoover)

You do understand that many people often refer to channel
cats as blue cats?

Did you know that 100 FOW equals 5 atmospheres? Live baits would probably not survive pressure much below 20 feet.

That is all the good news I have


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## Dana.Birrell (Apr 23, 2012)

katfish said:


> Dana
> 
> Why doesn't ODNR know about blue cats stocked in Ohio?
> (except Dillon and Hoover)
> ...


Is this really a common problem Robby? Blues and channels side by side are more different than most would believe =/


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## katfish (Apr 7, 2004)

> Is this really a common problem Robby?


Far to common. Check the posts here and see how adamantly some argue that an obvious picture of a channel cat is a blue cat. 



> Blues and channels side by side are more different than most would believe


I think that most folks that identify their channel cats as blue cats have been misinformed and have never seen a real blue cat.

I am not trying to rain on your parade. Some times the facts do not fit our expectations and dreams.


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## Dana.Birrell (Apr 23, 2012)

katfish said:


> Far to common. Check the posts here and see how adamantly some argue that an obvious picture of a channel cat is a blue cat.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I feel bad for them =(

I guess I may have the ability to tell whether or not blues reside in this quarry. They said they only stocked blues in one of the quarry lakes, and I'll be heading to that one. I have yet to see a blue out of there this year, but I haven't fished the one he speaks off that much.


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