Threadfins and gulls just inside Wolftever bridge

[polo-dog]

For the past week or so there has been a large number of gulls just inside the Wolftever creek bridge and specifically over the bend in the creek. If you have navigated Wolftever much or looked at the map you know that from the bridge the creek channel runs along the right hand side of the creek and then makes a hard left hand turn to hit the bluff bank on the left hand side of the creek. The gulls seem to stay in the area that is over the creek after the leftward bend in the creek and before the channel hits the left hand bank. This has happened many years in the past too. When I motor over the area at times the bait is stacked from top to bottom. I was wondering if anyone had targeted stripers or bass or crappie in this area when the bait stacks up there and/or if anyone might be interested in trying. I would expect that there should be somewhere along that stretch of channel that the game fish stack up. I just haven't played around with that area much, just tend to drive right over it. Just wondering if anyone has figured the fish out there.

 

[BackOnTheWater]

I found HUGE clouds of baitfish just on the creek side of the bridge along the rock bluffs two weekends in a row in 20-ish FOW, covered up with what I assume were white/ yellow bass or crappie. </p>

I worked the schools for bass without so much as a nibble. I put on a small spoon w/ a feather tail and hooked a little flathead. I spent at least 2 hours over the 2 weekends on those fish, and got nothing but the cat out of it. I never saw anything but small fish attacking the bait.</p>

 

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[rsimms]

I remember last year, throughout the winter, the bait slowly worked it's way toward the back of the creek. A few weeks ago they were stacked up out in the bay, now they have transitioned into the creek and I bet will continue to move farther back into the creek. Last year they ended up stacked back near your house until there was a huge die-off in February. However from my experience, the big fish (stripers, bass, etc.) are reluctant to follow them up the creek. At least I never caught any to speak of... and last year I didn't start catching any decent crappie in decent numbers back in the creek until after the shad die-off.

 

[polo-dog]

It is interesting that so many baitfish would be there and not be able to hook up with some good fish. I have never seen the stripers in the creek, in fact I missed seeing them out in the bay this fall and have never seen bunches like you guys have seen ever. When I motored back and forth accross the creek it did seem that there were fish under some of the schools and especially some fish on the drop on the point that sticks out that the creek sort of wraps around when the creek channel goes from the left bank to the right bank. I would expect that bass would stack up somewhere along that drop. I would expect that it would be sort of hit and miss with bass and catfish and other fish just fishing under the bait over open water but I would expect the bass to be in groups on cover along that structural breakline somewhere. Bass being more of an ambush type predator don't tend to be constanly following baitballs out in open water, at least the better bass. Often whities, stripe, smaller bass, swim along following bait balls in deep water but most of the time in my experience it seems like the better fish tend to be on drops or cover near those big bait balls and will move from drop to drop following the bait but not usually just be suspended under the bait.

Last year's bait die off was a strange deal. It was the biggest die off that I have seen in the 17+years that I have lived back here on the creek. It was so strange that for a week there were a pair of bald eagles that were behind my house eating dead or dying shad. It didn't seem to bother the shad population though as it seems as good as ever. I think that the grass coming back is making it so the shad spawns are very effective and the baitfish hide in the grass and more live to maturity. It will be interesting to see if we have a die off this year.

 

[drumking]

In years past, I have caught numerous yellow bass and a few crappie when the baitfish were stacked up like that in winter.

 

[polo-dog]

The gulls were thick and diving all morning out in Harrison bay not too far from the bridge today. I didn't see any striper activity but I was driving to and from an apointment and didn't want my car to end up in the lake. I would expect that there is a huge school of shad suspended out there with fish busting them from below. The gulls were sitting on the water in big numbers and there was diving activity constantly. I am tempted to get out there and see what I can rustle up but I'm home with a sick son today and don't think that I should leave him.

 

[RocnRebel]

I found all of that bait in there two weekends ago from the bridge back to the creek bend to the left. We fished it pretty hard for a few hours and got nothing. I went back this past weekend, same thing with the bait. I marked the most and larger fish along the bluff on the left going up the creek just past the bend where the channel breaks from right to left abouve the boat ramp. No hook ups.

I thought the larger fish were Crappie, White Bass, or smaller LM from the size of the echos on my graph, however due to no hook ups I'm starting to suspect they may be gizzard shad. I did catch some really nice gizzards in there last Feb and March.

 

[DHaun]

I spoon-fished all that inner bridge bait near the bluff last month and came up empty as well. I did see one angler hook a paddlefish trolling a dd22 in that same area.

 

[BigFishGuide]

I'm seeing the same thing on Nick with alot of gulls sitting on the water. Thats were the bait is right under neath the gulls. I'm cast netting the shad and using them to fish with. My depth finder will say 7 and 8 feet deep but it's really like 28 and 30 feet deep just depending on what's chasing them gulls or predators (bass). I can pull up 100 to 150lbs of bait per cast and they are about 3" long perferct for bass fishing and catching stripe.

 

[polo-dog]

The bait is still really thick at Wolftever bridge and just inside and outside of it. Often it's bait top to bottom. There are still huge numbers of gulls out there too. Not as many diving today when I was out there.