# Island White bass 9-9 Livingston



## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I got out early and was on the water by 6:30. I trolled the end of the jetty with divers and spoons with no luck for a few passes then headed towards the Hump, but just as started jigging and was not getting hit I saw birds at the island diving.
I puled anchor and made way fast to where the birds were diving about the middle of the island.
I caught an excellent white bass the first pass, a little one the next and then the birds started flying away, so I headed to the West end and trolled.
I got a double hit right where it drops from 8' to 25' on a steep slope past the end of the island. They were nice 15" white bass so threw a maker over close to the school that I could see on the sonar.
Then I trolled over them with double hits most of the time untill I had all I wanted and kept ten big ones.
Right at the end the school broke up completly, just as I waved anothet guy in to the spot, and they were gone completly on the sonar when they had filled the screen a few minuets earlier.
A great day on the water and some willing white bass made a great morning so I called it a day about noon.
SS


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

The screens that dis[lay 8' 11' and 16' are the shizzel, when you see that on a screen that is set to manual sensitivty, and about 80%, then you will catch white bass. Right now they are holding tight to 8" to 10" edges that drop to 20+' with a steep slope.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

The fish are stirring in mid-lake region also...picked up 15 whites and a nice striper the day before out along a hump I found on the old Kickapoo creek before it runs into the old Trinity...its now in my GPS. It seems to be just a matter of finding them (moving around until you find them)...and being in the right place at the right time.

If the weather holds, I'll be back out there again soon.


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## SaltH2oAssassin (Jan 25, 2006)

Stripers are biting below the dam. Been the past few days at sundown and fished til about 1am. They are hitting on jerkbaits and glow/chartreuse TTK (soft plastics) that I use for saltH2o fishing. Fish ranging from 20" to 30". As long as one gate is open than its good. 

Sorry for hijacking your thread Loy. Nice report and pics as usual. Very detailed and informative.


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## dbullard (Feb 13, 2008)

good deal Loy! I need some lesson on ready the sonar.I got an Eagle 502c GPS COMBO.


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## dbullard (Feb 13, 2008)

I see you got one of those whiskered fish in there.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I ran 9 jugs all morning and that's all I had to show for it, one kitty. Today I went to another spot and just ran jugs and only caught 4 catfish. I might need to start anchoring them.
Thomas, the day you called as I crossed back over the bridge, after hitting the pharmacy, it looked too deep to wade across, I guess you could though. I have a 10' john boat and I think I'll put it in at the ramp and paddle up there and get out and wade. Stripers are calling me and i love to catch them back there. You on the West side?


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## Ditto (Apr 18, 2005)

Shadslinger, you get much damage up that way?


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## fishinganimal (Mar 30, 2006)

SS


Have any reports from this week. Considering a trip up tommorrow.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Damage was bad here to my trees, all of them just missed house, boat, vehicles, so I feel really blessed. There must have been a tornado right over the top of my house as thetrees are all twisted in all directions.
Going fishing today, post a report later maybe see you there.


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## bboswell (Aug 14, 2006)

What about those screen shots made you think fish? All I see is what looks like clouds.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I got my first sonar about 25 years ago and the years of watching screens set to manual with the sensitivty turned up to about 80% and set on pixals as compared to fish symbols, and catching fish as I watch it lets me know what schools of fish look like, as compared to bottom structure or artifact (signal noise) on a sonar screen. 
The screens pictured are of a big school that I caught fish trolling thru on every pass for a while. A little later the same underwater terrain actually was 2' deeper than shown in those screen shots in a couple of places because the school of whites was so big and compact that they returned a signal indicating a bump on the bottom. 
I have fished that spot(its on my gps) for about 10 years and know that there is no bump there. So when I see that kind of screen, its fixing to fun as whites that look like that are feeding hard and willing to bite.
A sonar set to pixals does a better job of giving you information than fish symbols, it does take a lot of time and experimentation to read it well however. The best way to learn to dechipher a screen set to pixals is to change it over from fish symbols when you are catching fish and see what they look like on the unit.
I never did get the right shot of the screen that I wanted to show as I caught fish everytime I got the camera focused and had to tend to rods. The sweet spot appeared to be 10' when the school was really active, after they left the same spot was 12'. When the fish appear to be attached to the bottom and rise all the way to the surface it is prime fishing as those whites have some shad coralled and are working them over.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I thought about it some more and realized that to someone who has never used pixals and always used fish locator mode then all of those clouds look the same when it's on manuel and the fish id is off.
The clouds are sometimes shad and sometimes white bass or a mix of both. When whites school together tight and they are hammering shad they send back a strong signal that will have some layering to the cloud with crosshatch like symbols on some finders(hummingbirds)ijn the middle of the cloud, shad can be that thick too,but will usually be pretty distinct balls when they are. below are some other type screens that help you locate and catch fish.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

The top one is a ball of shad(see how the middle of the ball has a different screen texture towards the top of the ball?) with a couple of white bass circling them (small eliptical shapes). The fish in the secound one are catfish. The large fish in the bottom fuzzy screen is a buffalo, the smaller ones could be anything, but likely smaller buffalo.


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