Center Hill Lake advice please

[jad2t]

I know absolutely nothing about this lake and need some pointers as I'm headed there Saturday 9/21 to fish it early in the morning until about noon. I'm really just after Smallmouth and Spotted Bass and I know this lake gets deep real quick. Someone told me that this time of year you can find schools of bass stacked up about 20ft deep in 60ft of water. I've got a depthfinder on the yak to find them. Will deep diving crankbaits and lipless crankbaits work well for these fish or does another method work better? Getting a lipped crankbait down that deep from a kayak will be tough, I'd rather use a lipless crank and let it sink deep enough and drag it through them. Maybe slow retrieve swimbaits through the school? Maybe floating over the school and jigging spoons? I've also got some of those skirt jigs, never really used them, maybe this is a good scenario for them?

Not asking for anyone's GPS waypoints, just methods. I'll find the fish on my own. The techniques on this lake are much different from what I'm used to when bass fishing in Priest so any advice is greatly appreciated! Also, I'll be putting in at the Floating Mill area.

[TNBronzeback]

Im with you, not sure if a lipped crankbait will be able to get deep enough on a cast, maybe trolled, but in a yak, that would be alot of paddling!
My go-to bait for vertical jigging are the blade baits. (cicada's, gay blades, ect.) they have great vibration and for the most part, dont get caught up on the line too bad. My second go to vertical presentation would be the jigging rapala. they come in all kinds of sizes and color patterns to match various bait fish. Jigging spoons can be good if they have good action. some seem like they are just chunks of lead with some paint of them that just go up and down without much flutter. I like that slow flutter back down, that seems to drive the fish nuts. Not had much experience with swim baits however.
I want to get to Center Hill and try for some 'eyes once i get my motor running.
as long as you have your depthfinder dialed in, you should be able to get some fish though. Vertical jigging is a favorite method of mine, once you get the right bait and presentation, them fish about jerk the rod out of your hand on the hit! i would stick with natural colors on the baits though. ive found in my fishing that when the water is really clear like that, i have to stick with natural colors, never had much luck in gin clear water cranking chartruse or pink or anything like that, but again, ive not fished Center Hill before, might be totally different.
Good luck to ya!

[jad2t]

I like the jigging spoons idea. I've got several that give a decent fluttering action on the way down. I'll bring plastic worms and topwaters to fish shallow in the early morning but I assume with that water so clear they'll head deep pretty quick once the sunrise starts. I don't have any jigging rapalas, maybe I'll stop by Academy on the way home from work one night and see if they have them.

[TNBronzeback]

Yeah just vary your presentation on the jigging. Ive caught smallmouth and walleyes up north with a violent 3ft rip of the rod like im trying to hoist the titanic out of the water followed by slack line, then other days they like the slow, 1ft lift just barely giving any movement to the spoon.
another sleeper presentation i like and i dont know if you can find em down here is a jig made by Northland, its called the Airplane jig. It looks just how it sounds. a lead jig with 2 wings coming off of it. Tip it with a curly tail or tube or leech or something and give it some nice smooth motion up and on the drop it does circles on the way down like a cork screw. that jig has put a ton of walleyes in the boat for me thru the years. not my go-to technique but in the right time and place, its just what the doctor ordered!

[Pinwheeled]

Tough to beat a drop shot rig and a 6" straight tail Roboworm when they're suspended deep. The fish below was my first attempt at fishing Center Hill just last month. 18" Smallie out of 22ft of water on a hump.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/06/uzasapyj.jpg

[jad2t]

You know, I've never tried the drop shot technique but I do know that it's good for deeper water. Were you using the method of dropping it down and slowly dragging the rig or twitching the rod? I'd assume twitching the rod otherwise I don't know how a straight worm would have much action.

[Travis C.]

If I was fishing CH out of a yak, (hopefully you have rod holders) I'd pack some Gatorade/granola bars then cover a lot of water trolling.

Shad raps, bandits, and diving stick baits for cranks then jig head flukes or jig head 3"-4" grubs.

For extra depth either use length of line out or add on weight.

Just work the banks starting close then move out further covering main lake points from all angles.

A drop shot is very effective but I can't imagine the awkwardness fishing it from the seated position in a kayak. To me unless your fishing specific structure or really shallow water a kayak would be best used trolling due to the speeds/stealth at your disposal.

[creeksmallie]

Early morning buzz bait( tight to bank on the 45 degree rocky banks (or steeper).
The cool temps you will have a suspended jerk bait bite a good part of the morning. As your day gets warmer keep the jerk bait tied on and fish slow(did I say slow) If you find wood on rock bank 10 feet and deeper fish with a soft plastic like a 4 inch slider or weighted fluke type bait. If you want a sure fire way to catch the Kentuckys take a few boxes of night crawlers and 16 ounce jig head. If you want, PM me and let me know where you are putting in I may be able to put you on a hole or two.

With your depth finder on the bluffs stay against bluff and look for the shelfs in 10 to 30 feet try dropping plastics down the shelfs.

Slo Falls and Whirly Bs are working also with this earlier fall pattern. Slo Falls are your best bang for the Buck. Mboro Outdoors,Hook 1 Grandpas and Friedmans Franklin have some. Flipper and Poindexter also
Ace Hardware in Smithville may have some.

The Recoil rig by Secret Weapon is a awesome bluff method. If not familar go to Secret Weapon site. I have not used it on the bluffs but you can hold your bait longer on the shelfs with this. I have used many times in shallow runs in the streams to keep the bait in the current.

Watch out for the late summer skiers!!!!!!!

[jad2t]

and 16 ounce jig head.


16 ounce jighead??? haha

[jad2t]

If I was fishing CH out of a yak, (hopefully you have rod holders) I'd pack some Gatorade/granola bars then cover a lot of water trolling.

Shad raps, bandits, and diving stick baits for cranks then jig head flukes or jig head 3"-4" grubs.

For extra depth either use length of line out or add on weight.

Just work the banks starting close then move out further covering main lake points from all angles.

A drop shot is very effective but I can't imagine the awkwardness fishing it from the seated position in a kayak. To me unless your fishing specific structure or really shallow water a kayak would be best used trolling due to the speeds/stealth at your disposal.

I've got rod holders and power food so I'll be able to do a couple hours of trolling if necessary. I have three rod holders so I might set them up with large curl tail grubs and lipless cranks and see what works. I might get there early enough to have a bit of topwater and shallow water action but it wont be long before they move deep and I need to switch tactics.

[Alphahawk]

PM sent.

[Pinwheeled]

You know, I've never tried the drop shot technique but I do know that it's good for deeper water. Were you using the method of dropping it down and slowly dragging the rig or twitching the rod? I'd assume twitching the rod otherwise I don't know how a straight worm would have much action.

I fish it vertically while watching my depth finder most of the the time. You don't really want a drop shot to have a ton of action. A lot of times, just the natural movement of your boat will be plenty. If Im marking fish and know it is right in their face then i might shake it a bit more. It doesn't take much to make that worm quiver when it's nose hooked like that. If you have your depth finder set right, you can watch your rig the whole time. Like Travis said though, it might be a bit awkward out of a yak.

[Pookie]

The best advice I can give ya about CHL is: Stay Home!

I fished out of Hurricane Wed and Thursday, and never caught a fish. I threw my CHL baits; Shakey Head, Slider Worm, fly n rind, spinnerbait...and got one true nibble, but no fish. For the two hour drive, I'd rather go to Ky Lake.