Searching for Cuervo Jones at Lake Fayette - 3/21

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shoffer
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Searching for Cuervo Jones at Lake Fayette - 3/21

Post by shoffer »

"Pre-spawn." "The Spawn." "Post-spawn." I hear this chatter all the time. I read about it on fishing boards. But I never experienced it for myself, even though I had fished for bass before. And since we had not heard from Cuervo Jones in months, I decided to load up on Thursday, 3/21, and head to Lake Fayette, thinking maybe I’d run into him there and get to apologize to him on behalf of Dandydon insults about his fingers and show him that the Fishing Attorneys are not such bad guys after all.

I got a pre-sunrise start under the full moon:
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I arrived at the Oak Thicket launch to 58-degree temps, a flat lake, no wind, a nice sunrise and 15 boats and trailers in the parking lot. Apparently, the nice weather, the spawn and the good solunar periods had tempted others, and that did not include whatever numbers of craft were over at the Park Prairie launch. [At one point during the day, I counted 15 boats in this little flooded timber cove on this 2400 acre lake, and that was just within my eyesight]. Oddly enough, I did not see another kayaker out there all day.

I got loaded out and trolled out to a flat lake, with steam rising in the morning sun:
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As I was trolling around to my favorite little cove with two crankbaits - one a shad imitation deep diver, and an 8 foot smaller baby bass imitation. - the deep diver got hit, and I pulled in a decent size female getting a little chunky with eggs:
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I went to a more shallow cove where there were no boats, and I finally saw the bass spawning beds I had heard about (or so I thought):
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As I later came to realize, they were beds made by spawning TILAPIA, as I saw tons of these beds being guarded by fish swimming around them. I could not make them out that well, until I foul hooked one, and brought it to hand:
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Then I realized this area was not a good bass area. So I ventured out to 8-10 feet of water and fished a shoreline using a pumpkin seed craw soft plastic rigged on a Carolina Rig. I had actually never used one of these, but a guide I used on this lake last fall recommended it during our trip (Pete Dodge - a great guide for you or your kids) so I rigged one up and learned how to throw it on Youtube. I caught a two pounder on it, so that made my day to catch a fish on a new rig I was learning to use.
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I stopped, had lunch, and fished a couple of hours more, with no luck. I was marking bass in 15-35 feet of water, but the wind had picked up, and I could not stay in place to employ a surgical strike with a Texas Rigged worm or the Carolina Rig. I got off the water at 3 pm and saw three dudes with a cast net coming from the shoreline, and they had a stringer of maybe 20 fat female tilapia. They were cast netting those fish that were guarding spawning beds. I would not eat tilapia, but apparently, for them, that is good table fare.

The other nice thing about the day was I got to test out my new Lifepo4 100 ah battery since I knew it was going to running the trolling motor and fishfinder all day. It is a FuelZero 12v 100 Amp Hour LIFEPO4 Lithium Ion Battery, available at http://www.fuelzero.com. And it was strong all day, over 9 hours of fishing, 75% of the time on the troll. This battery is 25 pounds lighter than the 50 ah Sealed Lead Acid battery I was using before. Although this Lifepo4 battery was pricy (around $780), I will take double the power at half the weight any day. And the nice thing about Lithiums is that the power does not decrease as it goes below 50% charge, like the SLA battery I was using before. I really like this battery.

I never found Cuervo, though. I am afraid that DandyDon's blistering insults have caused him to seek perceived greener pastures.
Last edited by shoffer on Tue Apr 09, 2019 8:02 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Dandydon
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Re: Searching for Cuervo Jones at Lake Fayette - 3/21

Post by Dandydon »

Capt. Shoffer knows how to catch fish in salty AND fresh water! Great detailed report, as usual, loaded w/ useful fishing & gear information.
And unlike Queervo's fat hands, Shoffer's are slim & pretty. Look at the photos & weep, folks.
Tight lines to all who fish the salty & fresh waters!
IMG_7785.jpg

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kickingback
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Re: Searching for Cuervo Jones at Lake Fayette - 3/21

Post by kickingback »

Most excellent fishing report Captain Shoffer! Love the pictures! You can't beat a good day on the water especially when you can catch fish!!!
Thanks for sharing! :clap: :clap: :clap:
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Ron Mc
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Re: Searching for Cuervo Jones at Lake Fayette - 3/21

Post by Ron Mc »

I think it takes a swimbait to catch Cuervo jones

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NativeSon
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Re: Searching for Cuervo Jones at Lake Fayette - 3/21

Post by NativeSon »

I would think tilapia, especially that size, would be darn good eating!
Millions of fish taco plates can't be wrong!
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kickingback
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Re: Searching for Cuervo Jones at Lake Fayette - 3/21

Post by kickingback »

I think the tilapia you get in food stores or restaurants are farm raised on fish food unlike the sludge in some waters.
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Bayou_Fennec_CEO
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Re: Searching for Cuervo Jones at Lake Fayette - 3/21

Post by Bayou_Fennec_CEO »

very impressive report. love the photos. and i can only imagine how long it took to type that report with those hands. thanks for sharing
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Dandydon
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Re: Searching for Cuervo Jones at Lake Fayette - 3/21

Post by Dandydon »

Shoffer's beautiful hands were allegedly the very ones used in the "Seinfeld" episode where George Costanza discovers his pretty petite hands. He then plunges into the wacky world of "hand modeling.". Keep your hands clean & tidy for better fishing. A manicure is always advised.
Yessir. Tight lines & smooth hands!


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Dandydon
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Re: Searching for Cuervo Jones at Lake Fayette - 3/21

Post by Dandydon »

IMG_7865.jpg

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