More drop shot fun

RichZ wrote ...

Meanwhile, except for 2 that came on
top of the bar near the drop-off, everything in my boat came from 26 to 29
feet of water in the crease at the base of the drop-off.

Question; how do you determine the length of leader in a situation like
this? Sounds like you started off searching with the DS until you found the
congregation down deep. Did you vary the leader until you hit them? Did you
mark them on the graph and adjust? This blind squirrel can't find a nut.

-- Shawn

RichZ wrote:

Jack wrote:
It was called tight lining when used for crappie


Except that's with heavy tackle and livebait.

RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing

Nope, we used light line and a hook with a plastic tail similar to a
Charlie Brewer Crappie tail. The sinker was attached to the bottom of
the line as in drop shotting.

Unless I'm fishing suspended fish that I've marked with the electronics, I
start with about a 12" leader. I'd say that 80% of my drop shot fish are
caught with a leader between 10 and 18" long. I try to keep it simple.

RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing

Jack wrote:
Nope, we used light line and a hook with a plastic tail similar to a
Charlie Brewer Crappie tail. The sinker was attached to the bottom of
the line as in drop shotting.


Interesting. How long ago was this? When I spent a November week there back
in the 80 doing crappie fishing research for In-Fish, all the local experts
were into using 20 pound test line with a special, long weight on the end,
and above that a pair of aberdeen hooks tied about 2 feet apart and baited
with minners. And they definitely called it a tight-line rig. The weight
that the real sharpies were using was a welding rod with one end hammered
flat and drilled to attach to the snap swivel on the end of the line.
They'd drop it into the nasty tangles along the deep channel ledges, and if
a hook got hung, the 20 pound line would just straighten it out with no
problem.


RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing

baited with minners

Minnows?

RichZ wrote:

Jack wrote:
Nope, we used light line and a hook with a plastic tail similar to a
Charlie Brewer Crappie tail. The sinker was attached to the bottom of
the line as in drop shotting.


Interesting. How long ago was this? When I spent a November week there back
in the 80 doing crappie fishing research for In-Fish, all the local experts
were into using 20 pound test line with a special, long weight on the end,
and above that a pair of aberdeen hooks tied about 2 feet apart and baited
with minners. And they definitely called it a tight-line rig. The weight
that the real sharpies were using was a welding rod with one end hammered
flat and drilled to attach to the snap swivel on the end of the line.
They'd drop it into the nasty tangles along the deep channel ledges, and if
a hook got hung, the 20 pound line would just straighten it out with no
problem.

RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing

I wouldn't call my group experts, but we did catch fish

I owned a camp at Southern Aire Resort from 1965 to 1982 which was owned
by Barefoot mallory and later David Lashlee. We created stake beds
during the draw down of the lake in the fall and early winter by driving
oak stakes into the river and creek bottoms. We were able to fish with
light lines due to the fact that a stake bed is not near as hangy (sp?)
as a brush pile. All the structure was perpendicular to the bottom with
no horizontal arms. It seems to me that the water in KY Lake was much
clearer then than now and we thought we did better with the light lines,
although we did lose some rigs from time to time. When Lowrance came out
with their Green Box Flasher and later the X-5 LCR we were able to find
additional stake beds in other areas, notably, the Big Sandy area. You
are correct that the guides used heavy line and light wire hooks with
mostly live bait for their clients.

The man who taught me this technique is no longer with us, but he was a
devotee of light lines. He was a fine small mouth fisherman who used
light lines in the creeks that flowed into Ky. Lake primarily from the
east side: White Oak, Cane, Leatherwood, and Richland. He also fished
the mouth of Duck River and Blue creek further south.

Hope this helps from a guy who has fished Ky. Lake since it was first
impounded.

RichZ wrote in message ...
My intention for yesterday was to go to the Hudson River. But Friday
night,
it occurred to me that I had not yet renewed my New York license. For
reasons that make no sense whatsoever, NY license year runs from Oct-Sept.
When I first started fishing in 1969, the license year was as it is now,
from Oct. 1-Sep. 30. However, my original mentor, who is now 81, says that
at one time the license year was the calendar year. His recollection is that
the change was made to alleviate the heavy holiday workload in town and
county offices.

Jack wrote:
Hope this helps

I don't know about 'helps', but it sure does entertain and inform. I love
the history of this sport especially as it perains to the development of
local techniques for local conditions, then the adaptation of those
techniques to other conditions elsewhere. Thanks for the info.

RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing

Marty wrote:
His recollection is that
the change was made to alleviate the heavy holiday workload in town and
county offices.


The DEC once told me it was set that way ever since they came up with combo
licenses, becayse hunting licenses had to start with the new hunting
season. Of course these days, lots of northern states have hunting seasons
(eg, early resident goose, bow/deer) that begin before 10/1 anyway. But in
those days, it made sense for hunting licenses to be issued prior to
hunting season. I guess. The reasoning doesn't really have to make sense to
anone other than politicians and bureaucrats, I guess.


RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing