jpp summertime high water

[commdd]

I have struggled at jpp when the water is high ( its 6-7 ft up today vs last week) you guys with jpp experience chime in as I thought it would be great but not so much. Are we near the "in the jumps" season? any discussion would be great, thanks in advance.. regards.

[Pinwheeled]

Ill let you know when I figure it out. I had been been catching them pretty decent on Priest out on the ledges but when I went out Friday, those fish had moved off and were suspended. The lake was about 3ft high by then. I caught a few but they were pretty tight lipped. I ran up one of the creeks and caught a few good fish on current breaks but I doubt those bites would really be there now.

I'm going to try and get out one night this week. When it was this high in the spring, I whacked them pretty good way up in flooded brush but I'm not sure how they would react this time of year. Anxious to hear what others have experienced.

[jad2t]

The water is high as crap right now. I mean wayyy up in the trees. I don't have a depthfinder on my kayak yet so I'm lost as far as finding the deep fish but I carefully paddled my way in between the trees and bushes throwing spinnerbaits, flipping jigs, and plastic worms and came up with nothing. I thought for sure I'd get them out, maybe they're not even going up in all that cover. I guess they're staying deep. I blindly cast deep and pull a bass out here and there but until I have the electronics to locate them, Summer bass fishing isn't easy for me.

[commdd]

sounds like we all had similar experiences... I appreciate the feedback..you can't catch em if you don't go so will keep trying..

[Travis C.]

I blindly cast deep and pull a bass out here and there but until I have the electronics to locate them, Summer bass fishing isn't easy for me.

Jimmy, for summer bass you don't "need" (in my opinion) a depth finder. Just get a map and fish only banks that the channels sweeps against. If the channel runs a bank there are bass on it and if it hits a point bass will be there as well as the adjacent banks leading to that point.

Take the jig, spinnerbait, worm and cast parallel to channel banks. Since you're in a yak start right next the bank (literally) then cast as far in front as you can a few times then move out a boat length repeat until your 3-4 lengths out from the bank then move forward past your casting distance and repeat.

Try that instead of sitting out casting in next time.

If you are fishing now in the high water, start where the old shoreline was and go out from there. Sometimes the fish move in to the newly flooded areas looking for food but a lot fish stay put and people fish the new water thus on top of the fish the whole time.

[jaycee]

The time for the jumps season is here according to my journal although last year I did not find the jumps. Attributed that to low water last year. Don't know about this flooding.

[Pinwheeled]

The time for the jumps season is here according to my journal although last year I did not find the jumps. Attributed that to low water last year. Don't know about this flooding.

Jumps? Not sure I've heard that term before.

[TroutFiend]

Jumps? Not sure I've heard that term before.

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/VM3E01L243c

[Alphahawk]

The time for the jumps season is here according to my journal although last year I did not find the jumps. Attributed that to low water last year. Don't know about this flooding.

John mine and your journal read the same....time for the jumps...LOL. went to Bass Pro Sunday and stocked up with Kastmasters....Pop-R's....flukes. Going to hit it at Pickwick tomorrow. Should get them in the jumps above dam and since Pickwick is letting 180,000 CFS go no telling what I will find below dam.


Regards

[commdd]

alpha, for those of us that don't have your long time experience of fishing below the dams, tell us about how fishing with 180,000 cfs is different for you vs normal discharge. thanks..

[jaycee]

Fishing in the jumps I use a popping cork with, what I call, a striper streamer about 18" to 24" behind or below it. A can't miss rig used mostly in salt water fishing for specs and reds. Love the jumps. Fast and furious action if on hybrids. Use a single hook.

[jad2t]

Lately I've found them in the jumps on Priest early in the morning. I'm having a very confusingly hard time catching them though. Usually white bass in the jumps means you can just about put a piece of paper with a hook on it and catch them. Me and Mike were on JPP early one morning and found 3 different schools of what we assume were whites busting up minnows and threw everything we could think of - topwaters, flukes, roostertails, even crappie and trout magnets, and couldn't catch them. :o

[Headhunter]

fish in the jumps were really good last year on priest. have found a few this year but haven't really looked either.

[commdd]

headhunter, whats your take on the high water this time of year..does it affect your ledge fishing or do you try other tactics? regards. oh, and nice rainy lake photos, that action would spoil a fisherman!

[nomad60]

Since I'm one of the DOD employeees affected by the furlough, I'll be off every Friday through September. So I'm hoping to get out here locally on the Cumberland this Friday but I don't know how high it'll be by then and how much crap will be flowing downstream from the dams releasing all that water. What a change from last year as far as the weather goes.

[Alphahawk]

alpha, for those of us that don't have your long time experience of fishing below the dams, tell us about how fishing with 180,000 cfs is different for you vs normal discharge. thanks..

That much water......9 times out of 10....brings more fish. Generally speaking the more water the better the fishing. It doesn't always have to be white bass or stripers....as evidenced by the large mouth being stacked in there today. I will hit Pickwick probably the next 3 days. I cant remember a big rain event like this down there in July....I am sure there has been in the past but I don't remember it. But I am going to take advantage of a good situation. The Caney is going to up the discharge and I would almost put money that the next week will be awesome for those that can fish the boils. At Pickwick it is easy with this much water.....easy from the bank that is....you can't get a boat below there with this much water. A big calm area forms to the left of the generator side and fish just stack up in there. On a normal discharge day you will most probably catch fish but the calm area will be much much smaller. If you notice in the pic I have a lot of relatively calm water in front of me. With just the generators going at say 75,000 I would just have one small cut back. Hope this helps answer your question.



Regards

[commdd]

alpha, thanks for the detailed response.. you are a great asset to this forum. good luck at pickwick this week and keep sharing your great reports! reagrds.

[Alphahawk]

alpha, thanks for the detailed response.. you are a great asset to this forum. good luck at pickwick this week and keep sharing your great reports! reagrds.

Thanks...this forum has a ton of people with great fishing knowledge. This has been a different year for sure for fishing. All this rain just has some places messed up.


Regards

[Headhunter]

Same as usual for me. Just have to find the fish. Flipping is a great way to catch fish in high water, but I do not fish that way. I will still fish deep even when water is in the bushes in June, July or August.