[johnnyhz5]

So I went out today and caught 7 fish on a shaky head. However, only one was a keeper at 2 lbs. Whats the best way to find some of these bigger fish and what do you use? I've heard people say senkos but are you using weights or no, or what exactly do you do to get the big ones that everyone always talks about?

 

[SkeeterLance]

Did you fish from the bank? If so where did you fish? What baits did you use besides the shakey head?

 

[johnnyhz5]

fished from a boat. Tried a small crank bait and a frog, and a small buzz bait. all close to shore or around docks.

 

[Waylon Papst]

three words.. wacky rigged senko

 

[Strictly Biznuss]

fished from a boat.  Tried  a small crank bait and a frog, and a small buzz bait.  all close to shore or around docks.

Interesting... if you include the shaky head as well, 75% of the baits you threw were "small" baits.  What do you think "small" baits catch?    I'm not saying that small baits won't catch big fish, I catch plenty of big fish on small baits... but I also go through a lot more small fish.  With bigger baits you are upping your odds of catching bigger fish.  It's as simple as that.  I've heard a lot of people catching a lot of small fish on LA the last 10 days or so with an maybe 1 or 2 keepers mixed in.  My last couple of trips on Lake Austin I have specifically been targeting "bigger" fish with "bigger" baits.  I haven't hooked any real monsters the last couple of trips, and I definitely haven't had nearly as many bites as most people have been lately... but I also haven't caught anything under 2lbs.  Only keepers.

The senko is a good bet on Lake Austin.  It seems to work year round there.  The standard 5" senko that most people throw, will still catch a lot of small fish, but for such a "small" bait it will catch more keeper sized fish than other 5" soft plastic worm will.  Fish it weightless, and most people these days seem to prefer to throw it wacky-rigged.  

 

[carson]

Maybe concentrate on areas that would hold bigger fish for this time of year. With water temps getting into the 60's fish should be moving up for the spawn. In and around spawning creeks/coves. Just a thought.

 

[castillobreed77]

three words.. wacky rigged senko

x2 Caught a 26"er -Red Shad colored Senko wacky rigged

 

[johnnyhz5]

Ok so 5" too small need to get the big terd size? lol... so what about the fact that there are so many weeds in that lake. Are docks still the best place to fish? Also what colors work other than red shad?

 

[castillobreed77]

I used a 6'er at the time and think they make weedless ww hooks. Skipping under the docks has been good to me. As far as colors, just depends what those bass-tards want. haha, baby bass, red/black flake, even pearl

 

[castillobreed77]

or maybe it was a 5", what ever that standard size is. Good luck!

 

[ChitownLonghorn]

Ok so 5" too small need to get the big terd size? lol... so what about the fact that there are so many weeds in that lake.  Are docks still the best place to fish?  Also what colors work other than red shad?

With the recent drawdown, most of the shallower grass is gone, you can target deeper weedlines now to find some bigger fish. I would target the inside edge first, where the dead stuff meets the grass that is still alive and then move out to that deeper edge. You may want to use a weighted hook if fishing a wacky rig on that deep edge, unless you are extremely patient.

You can't really go wrong with Green Pumpkin and Watermelon colors on LA most days.

 

[johnnyhz5]

Ok another question... How long do you think I should focus on one dock at a time?

 

[ChitownLonghorn]

I found these two videos from Denny Brauer to be decently helpful. Pick a couple nice docks to start with, thoroughly fish those and then let the fish tell you the story, If you catch a decent fish on one particular part of a dock, try to focus on those areas.

http://www.wired2fish.com/Media1083/Breaking-Down-the-Docks.aspx

http://www.wired2fish.com/Media1077/Denny-Brauer-dissects-deeper-docks.aspx

 

[SkeeterLance]

This somewhat of a report has turned into a fishing lesson.

 

[Emac]

I caught two bass over 7# last spring on Lake Austin. One on a big red spinnerbait slow rolled outside the grass and one on a big black and blue jig and pig pitched under a dock.

 

[J.R.]

Shallow Grass and dock fishing on Lake Austin is good with Senkos? Blasphemy!  

Baby bass colors and watermelon red are usually the bomb-diggity out there.

 

[Strictly Biznuss]

Ok so 5" too small need to get the big terd size? lol... so what about the fact that there are so many weeds in that lake.  Are docks still the best place to fish?  Also what colors work other than red shad?

I didn't say the 5" was too small. Read again. The 5" will still catch lots of small fish, but it WILL catch MORE larger sized bass than other soft plastic baits of the same size will. Generally speaking of course. The 5" should work just fine. Personally, if I'm specifically targeting big fish, however, I will throw the giant senkos... but you won't get nearly as many bites.

Looks like everyone else covered your other questions pretty well.

 

[Matt Warren]

fished from 4 till dark and caught one perch. Major jockjaw this afternoon. I forgot my worm bag at the house (with senkos ( and all my other plastics) did have some baby brush hogs and wore that out in all kinds of deep/shallow/dock/rock scenarios-no luck. LA handed it to me today-just like it did the other day

 

[evil fish]

I went out yesterday for an hour throwing a pumpkin crawfish and a blue and black jig. the only bite I got was a 4# first cast then nothing. oh I was fishing off the apachee shores owners docks

 

[johnnyhz5]

Ok so I tried what yall said today out on the water and had nothing on the big senko weightless. However, I did get tired of no bites so I did my shaky head again and caught two easy fish really fast. one was 13in and the other was a 3.5#er. No idea still why the senko didnt work.