10/9 DVL Report

[HawgZWylde]

First, my apologies for not posting summer reports but you know how that report would read every week, "yup, it's a grind, it was frigging hot, 90-100+ degree air temps, water surface temp was 85+, caught a fish here, caught a fish there using these 3 techniques". Well the summer grind is finally over, air temps were in the low 70's, water surface temps were 70-72 degrees. The bite was on as long as you found the wolfpacks of LMB's roaming the banks in search of the hugely abundant amount of bait-fish on the banks. Shad is back and gaining in numbers. And so are all other forms of bait-fish, including fry and juveniles. I threw Shad colored squarebill cranks, scrounger headed and fly-lined white flukes, a small A-rig, white led heads/Big Hammers, jigs, and t-rigged plastic and got bit hard on all of them. Bait-fish are everywhere, the Wolfpacks of LMB's are not so you have to keep moving and when you do find the target fish, don't blow it up before you milk it for all it's got. On the spots I found fish, I could usually get 3-5 fish out of it. Look for birds and watch for panicking bait-fish, if you see it, throw said fly-lined or scrounger headed white or smoke colored fluke at it and get ready to set the hook. The weather was cold in the morning, high 50's, and then topped out in the low 70's with a light but steady E-NE breeze that lasted around 3 1/2 hours then the front began moving in and the west winds started to blow. By the time we left it was blowing at around 25-30 mph.

The big fish of the day were 2, 4lb LMB's that I had my buddy take pics of with my phone, or so I thought. He somehow managed to lose them both. I heard the camera click, but when I went to look at them later, they weren't there, so no eye candy here today, sorry. The rest were 1 1/2-3lbrs. All fish were fat and healthy which hasn't been the case for the last couple of years. We got tired of fighting the wind and got off the water at 4:30.

Tip for those throwing t-rigged plastics and jigs, that bite is on BUT it's gotta be lifelike. Color and technique matter a great deal right now. Downhill to 45 degree downhill retrieve...

*Add Edit*

No boils to report that I saw. A fish jump here, a fish jump there, but no boils. I threw a walker and a popper early on for no hits...

[Stinkbait]

Thanks for the report. Did the rain ever catch you?

I was thinking the same thing as you using a finesse A-rig with the generally clear DVL water. Bought one and now going to trim it and add some small willow leafs. Thinking on watermelon or grn pumpkin swim baits as I have been seeing larger size silver sides, Japanese pond smelt or whatever TF they are. But they are olivish. Did you get bit on the rig?

[HawgZWylde]

Thanks for the report. Did the rain ever catch you?

I was thinking the same thing as you using a finesse A-rig with the generally clear DVL water. Bought one and now going to trim it and add some small willow leafs. Thinking on watermelon or grn pumpkin swim baits as I have bee seeing larger size silver sides, Japanese pond smelt or whatever TF they are. But they are olivish. Did you get bit on the rig?

You're welcome and thanks for bringing up the clear water, I forgot to include that in my post and is one of the reasons I warned about on not blowing up the bite. Keep the boat away and turn off the meters, these fish are very skittish and unnatural movement and sound sets off the freak out mode in them easily. Some parts of the lake like in the backs of coves the water is getting a little stain to it. Yes I did get fish on the A-rig. I used smoke colored swimmers on it. It also has two short arms with small blades on it. No, it didn't cloud up until later in the evening, but the BP changed real quickly as the front moved in...

[Skinny]

Great post. Thanks for the good info you always post. I went on monday and found the fluke bite to be great. Most of my fish were on the clean water on the north side of the lake. Hope to see you out there someday.

[elbowlayer]

I want to take my kayak out on Friday, this will be my first time in the kayak at dvl. I've already been to Skinner twice. Would you recommend after launching I take a right and head east to the nearby dam, or west across the shore fishing area, to the coves?

[cutbait]

OK, where's the rest of the report?

[HawgZWylde]

I want to take my kayak out on Friday, this will be my first time in the kayak at dvl. I've already been to Skinner twice. Would you recommend after launching I take a right and head east to the nearby dam, or west across the shore fishing area, to the coves?

If you're heading out of the marina, go left to the east dam and fish the island and surrounding area. As you are heading out of the marina cove be sue to hit the bank all the way around the point. If you go right, or West, hit the first cove past the buoyed shore fishing area. Hit it all the way back. Then hit the points as far West as you want to take the Yak. Be sure to check the lake rules and regs to be sure your Yak meets DVL's requirements...

[HawgZWylde]

Great post. Thanks for the good info you always post. I went on monday and found the fluke bite to be great. Most of my fish were on the clean water on the north side of the lake. Hope to see you out there someday.


Thanks Skinny. We're out every Tuesday. Look for the white yellow and grey Stratos with two old guys on it and say hi. It's always nice to meet fellow FNNer's...

[HuskerRod]

wow, great report. That's the first real positive report Ive heard from DVL in quite some time. Really great detail and informative.....................thank you.

[prankster13]

Great report HawgZ, I was out there to and got a couple of fish on a 6in. swim bait right up on the rocks. The wind blew me off in my aluminum boat or I would of stayed.

[fishinone]

Where's the striper report? UGB taste bad! :Smile:

Thanks for the the report Hawgz.

[HawgZWylde]

Where's the striper report? UGB taste bad! :Smile:

Thanks for the the report Hawgz.

You're welcome Ron. My Tuesday fishing partner doesn't do Stripey and he's the guy with the boat so unfortunately I don't have anything to report. However, I've been drilling him pretty hard about targeting them and I think I may be getting somewhere with him...

CB, I saw your post and I had two pieces (pics) of eye candy I was going to post but when I went to download them from my phone, I lost all my pics. I have no idea what happened to them. When I get a little more time, I'll try to see if I can find them. I hope they didn't get erased...

Prankster thank you! I wish I had the same luck with the 6" swimmer you use as you do. I've thrown that thing so many times and have had an untold number of short strikes and followers. I've used every technique and cadence known to man but have yet to boat something with it. But I'm not giving up on it...

[PONTOON]

wow, great report. That's the first real positive report Ive heard from DVL in quite some time. Really great detail and informative.....................thank you.

X2 on that,

I like the detail you put in your reports and although I'm not much of a bass fisherman the information tells me things are looking better for a certain species Trolly and I are after. Trout Only tells me you are just as passionate about the sport as he is. I hope to cross paths with you at the Jewel some time.

Keep the reports coming.

[Stormcrow]

If you're heading out of the marina, go left to the east dam and fish the island and surrounding area. As you are heading out of the marina cove be sue to hit the bank all the way around the point. If you go right, or West, hit the first cove past the buoyed shore fishing area. Hit it all the way back. Then hit the points as far West as you want to take the Yak. Be sure to check the lake rules and regs to be sure your Yak meets DVL's requirements...

Its funny, that island is out of water now. I loved to fish it when its submerged....

[HuskerRod]

I like that island as well. Just hearing it was out of water got my juices flowing. Water must be getting low. Lakt time I was at DVL it was well under water.

[HawgZWylde]

X2 on that,

I like the detail you put in your reports and although I'm not much of a bass fisherman the information tells me things are looking better for a certain species Trolly and I are after. Trout Only tells me you are just as passionate about the sport as he is. I hope to cross paths with you at the Jewel some time.

Keep the reports coming.



Thanks PONTOON. TO's a good man and he's right, I'm very passionate about angling. Bob is a master and I'm quite humbled and honored that he would say that. More than a few times over the last couple of months I've seen squads of big Kitties cruising around. Hope to see you on the water or ramp soon...

[HawgZWylde]

Stormcrow and HuskerRod. Yes indeed, it's a good spot but there's some other killer structure either in play, or will be coming into play as the lake keeps dropping. I hear no water to come until next May at the earliest...

[ddoskocil]

Thanks for the updated report. I have to be in Hemet Saturday, so I'm gonna hit the shore from open til about 9. Nice to hear they are up shallow. I shall report my findings!

[ben0606]

Nice work and always sharing as usual pat..........I'm headed back Sunday except my co pilot is my 5 year old daughter this time. She saw me putting the boat away Monday and was so mad she was tearing up...........my little princess is an angler who's ready for the big lake :). She's willing to get up at 4am, man what a daddy's girl for sure. Can't wait to put her on more fish!

[Matt_Magnone]

killer job again you two! you guys have it firgured out even though you both are humble as hell and will never admit it!

haha, sometimes i grind my teeth coming across the lake to see you guys posted up on some of the key spots i love. you have definitely put the time into finding some of the areas that the dedicated hold sacred!

keep it up!

[HawgZWylde]

killer job again you two! you guys have it firgured out even though you both are humble as hell and will never admit it!

haha, sometimes i grind my teeth coming across the lake to see you guys posted up on some of the key spots i love. you have definitely put the time into finding some of the areas that the dedicated hold sacred!

keep it up!

Thanks Matt. We love and respect the lake. And as I mentioned on the other thread we are passionate about our sport. We definitely take our time and learn the terrain as it's key to getting bit at the Jewel. She's a tough lake to master with all the various structure and depths that fish will hold on at any given time, especially when the water level changes. And trust me, those sacred spots we share with you are just that, sacred, and if someone wants to know about em, they gotta find them like we did. I have no problem pointing folks in the right direction, but there are some spots they just gotta learn and find on their own...

[HuskerRod]

Hawgz...have you heard about any sort of poaching/ commercial fishing going on out there at DVL? I know you frequent the lake a lot. Ive heard rumors, but never seen anything myself. But it seems like whenever I go their are very few other people around.