# Livingston 6-2-09 with pictures



## NitroNX898 (Apr 7, 2009)

I just want to to say thanks to all the great people on here that has gave me great advise with my fishing. I have fished several lakes in the last month that I normally would have never fished but with the help from you guys and the pictures that you have all posted I have got out of my comfort zone and have hit new waters with great sucess. Todays trip is no differant, this is the first time for me to be on Livingston since I was a very small kid so, say around 30 years. I got on the water later than I was wanting to but I did enjoy the ride up I-59 as the sun was coming over the trees. I did make the mistake of taking the first exit to the state park and had to travel the red dirt roads for several miles and my boat was a mess. Don't ask how, but I got lost in the park trying to find the boat ramp . but after talking to two older gentleman they pointed me in the right direction.
My first stop was the west side of Pine Island, there were several boat around and I did not see anyone catching any fish. That was a good sign because I wasn't catching any either, so I wasn't getting skunked. This was about 8:30am. About 9:30 the boats have all left but a few so I headed to the dam with a quick stop to cast at afew fish hitting the top of the water. Nothing, I was starting to think to myself if I made the wrong choice of lakes. at about 10:00 I picked up and headed back to Pine Island, When I started to shut the motor down the biggest school of fish that I have ever seen started schooling a couple hundred yards away. There was only one boat and they were on the other side of the school, I kick the trolling motor on high and headed towards them. My first cast produced a fish. I was throwing a small crome rattle trap, being a bass fisherman I love schooling fish on top water bait. I got the first fish off threw it in the livewell and second cast another fish. after about the fifth fish I just left the lids open and was tossing them from the front deck to the back. It took all of about 15 minutes to go from 0 to 25 whitties and several hybreds mixed in. 
I had a great day on the lake and none of it would have been posible without all your help. Thanks guy on a trip that will never be forgotten.















Wil Taylor


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## Corey270 (May 18, 2009)

Thats awesome Nitro...looks like you did very well on that trip.


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## essayons75 (May 15, 2006)

Those pics are cool with the fish lined-up like the bulkhead pilings and the fish ID chart in the background.


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## Tombstone (May 19, 2009)

Great trip. I love it when you hit a big school of whites tearin it up on top. Next time keep an extra rod rigged with tandem white or chartruse culry tail grubs. If you think one at a time is fun, wait till you get two whites on. Now that is a blast! Nice pics.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

WTG Nitro!


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

Good on ya mate!! Great trip. 
I love WB, they are white coillar worker. Not on the job until 9:00 or later so you do not have to unload the boat in the dark.


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## Rather-b-fishin (May 13, 2009)

Hey SS/Nitro, Is it better to throw lighter tackle at those schools? I was chucking my usual 1oz chartruse slab at a few schoolies and barely got bit. Should Castmaster or equiv. work better? I'm typically a tournament bass fisherman like Nitro and I've got tons of rattletraps etc.


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## NitroNX898 (Apr 7, 2009)

I will throw a 1/2oz trap at the schools. I got into the white bass last year on Lake Buchanan and caught them the same way. I am actually using a Cordell Spot, Bass pro shops had them on sale a while back and I baught a bunch. I even caught some on the 1/4 oz traps last year. If you have a very small shaoolw diving crank bait in crome they work great also. The main thing is they are shooling because they are eating shad so they need to look like what they are eating.


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## NitroNX898 (Apr 7, 2009)

I will even go down to my 4.5' ultralite rod to catch them, But today I was using my normal bass rod with 10# test


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Thats kind of typical of Liv WB in my experience....periods of relative boredom followed by flashes of intense activity. I always carry a "light" rod(s) with 10 pound test and some 6-8' diving crank baits and 1/2 oz traps on Liv WB trips. Usually modify the cranks to only one treble hook and sometimes only a single hook in the tail to enable speedy fish removal.


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## archersfin (Aug 31, 2005)

WTG Nitro, I did not doubt you would catch your limit this time of year. So much fun when you luck into them schooling.


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## dbullard (Feb 13, 2008)

wtg Nitro Glad you got into them.


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## bueyescowboy (Apr 10, 2005)

you must have really been in them if they went to schooling like that. I still like my lime green Little george in this case.
hey nitro....got into them several times last year where they were schooling like that, and I threw everything i had. And they wouldn''t take the bait. Never could figure out why....
Get the grease hot...


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## ML56 (Dec 30, 2008)

...got into them several times last year where they were schooling like that, and I threw everything i had. And they wouldn''t take the bait. Never could figure out why....
Get the grease hot...[/quote]

After the shad spawn the white bass gorge themselves on the fry(tiny guys). When you have that happen, try a small pet behind a topwater plug, maybe 20"-24" trailer, it's a match the hatch thing. Also throw a slab or grub and let it settle to bottom, work it like fishing a bass worm, some times hybrids/stripers are below them.-Mike


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## NitroNX898 (Apr 7, 2009)

Rather-b-fishin said:


> Hey SS/Nitro, Is it better to throw lighter tackle at those schools? I was chucking my usual 1oz chartruse slab at a few schoolies and barely got bit. Should Castmaster or equiv. work better? I'm typically a tournament bass fisherman like Nitro and I've got tons of rattletraps etc.


I made a mistake on the size traps I use. I use 1/4 oz and 1/8 oz


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## NitroNX898 (Apr 7, 2009)

Rather-b-fishing

I dug these out of my livewell. so you have to match that.


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## Rather-b-fishin (May 13, 2009)

Awesome info! Thanks!

These fish weren't really busting the top but you could see the shad running for their lives! I kept throwing my heavy jig at them working it back to the boat with my rod tip up keeping it off the bottom with little luck. I thought about putting on a rattletrap or crankbait on but never did. Come to think of it, I actually had both of those on other reels in my rod locker..  The guys parked next to us were reeling them in one after the other but I couldn't figure out what they were throwing. I got caught up with the idea that when the WB are gorging themselves with shad you can throw just about anything at them and they'll bite... When they get finicky I'll make the change next time.


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## FISHNNUTT (Oct 27, 2007)

When I use to fish Livingston alot I always kept a light rod
rigged spec rig for the schoolers would catch em two at a time.
Also fished a clear or chrome tiny torpedo with white bucktail on a
18 " or so leader behind it. Lots of times a fish would hit the torpedo and while
bringing it in another would hit the bucktail

Rather-b-fishing I think the reason they wouldn't hit your spoon is that
it was below them and they didn't see it.I've had it happen to me before
switched to a spec rig and started whackin em.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

I have posted this picture before, but I personally think a Rat-L-Trap is hard to beat on schooling whites. (Is there a fish that swims - salt or fresh - that has not been caught on a Rat-L-Trap?) I noticed over a period of time that 98% of the time the front hook was in their mouth and the rear hook flailing around looking for a human hand. So, I removed the rear hook for safety - and believe me it makes un-hooking them quickly much safer. I guess if you were fishing a black bass tournament you would not want to remove hooks, but on schooling whites does it really matter?


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## NitroNX898 (Apr 7, 2009)

Last year on Lake Buchanan we caught several doubles on the same trap on both hooks. Now that was a good fight, My son still talkes about it.


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## Rather-b-fishin (May 13, 2009)

Now that's one good lookin beat up rattletrap. I wish all my baits looked like that! 

Thanks for the advice!


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## slimyhand (May 3, 2009)

NitroNX898 said:


> Last year on Lake Buchanan we caught several doubles on the same trap on both hooks. Now that was a good fight, My son still talkes about it.


Nitro,
The only place I've ever done that was in Rayburn. My father in law and I have been fishing there for whites the last few years and we do that all the time. The first time I seen it, it absolutely amazed me. That is definitely some fine fishing!! Glad you caught your limit!! WTG!!


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## randyrandy (Jan 27, 2009)

WTG Nitro.
Hard to beat a rattle in those conditions.
Speaking of....
Whitebassfisher, can't help but love a lure that looks like that.

Nitro, schools out.
School takes on a whole new meaning now.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Well after all of the banter I have to weigh back in with a slab spoon raced across the top, it is the best top water schooling bait for white bass, Then when they go down, just drop it on to the bottom and keep catching fish. Raced across the top you can make it jump and be just as wild a shad trying to get away from a hungry white bass, and you cast them a country mile. If the whites start feeding just below the surface you can count them down and find what depth they are hitting at too.
SS


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## NitroNX898 (Apr 7, 2009)

SS, that is a great tip. I did not think of that


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