Oct 17 Guided Deer Hunt

Spencers first Deer taken with Up-Close Outfitters

Cold weather is really starting to push the deer. Acorns are really falling and the bucks are walking all day. A client managed a great 17 1/2 inch 7 pointer on Sat. around 11:00 am. Stand was located on a white oak hill surronded by a thick cut down to one side and bottom land on the other. Great Job Spencer T

Book now while the rut is just kicking into gear!

Up-Close Outfitters

Oct 20 Guided Fishing Trip on Fontana Lake

Ed with Two Nice Smallies from Fontana Lake

Water temp: 78 / Cold front line on top of us / 56 degrees / Pouring rain!

Good bite early. Bait still staging toward back of creeks around Panther Creek. Started out looking for schooling bass on bait up little Tenn. River. Stopped at several key areas with no action. Ran to Panther creek and jigged 40-50 foot. Caught 5-6 smallies and one white bass. All on 3 inch mega bait spoon with chartrouse linner. Bite stopped abruptly. Moved to multiple creeks looking for same condition but could not talk a fish into biting. Went back to Panther Creek and tried drop-shot in 45 feet with Gulp 2 inch minnow in white. Managed one more on this Rig. Rigged the bait 5-6 feet above the weight to get to the suspended bass stationed below the bait balls. Ran up little Tenn. to mile post 80 and fished current on points. Managed 5 or so bass on jigs in 25-50 foot all off main river points. No fish relating to banks. Did see some fish around piling on bridges, which are always a good place to check this time of year! OK day considering the front that moved through. Really think this affected the bite toward the end of the day. Never saw any fish schooling on bait.

Capt. Frank Askew
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Lake Fontana Deep Water Small Mouth – Oct. 14

Lake Fontana Small Mouth Guided Trip

water temp 68 degree on main lake and 70 in rivers / Steady hard rain / low 60s / Cold front approaching

Dominate patterns: Find bait heading to back of creeks and points were bass stage on downside of current

Lake levels were falling due to TVA pulling water. Good current on points up little tenn. river around mile 80. Nice 4-5 pound smallie hooked in two foot of water on this pattern. No fish were relating to banks in creeks except a 2-3 pounder in the very back of Chambers caught on topwater. Fish were not relating to deep main lake banks or humps. Good bait was located in Panther and Mouse creek. Bait was staging at the last deep narrow channel before flats open up in back. Water depth between 38-59 feet. Managed 18-20 bass all of which were 2-4 pounders mixed in the bait, mixture of small mouth and spots with a few large mouth. Small 2 inch shinner imitations worked well. Jigged 2 and 3 inch jigging spoons, drop shots with flukes and gulp minnows, and blade baits all produced. Most fish came from 45 feet down.

Tip: When scattered bait balls are present in the fall try throwing a heavy blade bait. Let if sink to prefered depth and slowly real in just fast enough to get the vibration. Also try try ripping it in a yoyo fashon. large 5-7 inch spoons worked this same way will often trigger the large fish into biting.

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Capt. Frank Askew
Keep on Fishing!

October 9th Trout and Bass Fishing Report

Water temp 72 / no wind / cloudy early then clear / front approaching / temp 65-70

Started at the mouth of the Toxway River and fished up river to bends pulling sutton and badcreek spoons at 70-90 foot of water. Marked good bait at 80 feet with scattered bait on top. Moved to intakes at dam with nothing then to point of fishers knob and up Whitewater River. Several outfitters already in area. Fished till 11:00 with no takers. Never saw any fish caught. Decided to run the bass to get a few fish in the boat. Marked good bait (small) mid-way up Horsepasture and adjoining creek. Jigged spoons and dropshot in 65-70 foot of water. First fish was a spot in 35 foot drifting a bank near mouth of creek. Landed several smaller ones in the area. Moved to middle of Toxaway river and threw to suspended bass around shad schools in 80-130 foot of water. Fished suspending jerk bait and rattle traps. Boated several others with a mix of spots and largemouth. All hit suspendeing jerk baits. Later ran windy banks and caught a nice 3 1/2 pound smallmouth on small strike king colorado blad spinnerbait. Few more small bass were caught and we retired for the day. Clients seemed happy so I was too.

Capt. Frank Askew
www.mappingandguides.com

October 9th and 10th largemouth Bass on Lake Hartwell

water temp: 74 / temp: 70 degrees / cloudy and windy / cold front pushed through about 5:00 pm

Fish relating back to deeper water with front moving in. Very few fish related to coves on the 9th and completely gone on the 10th. Good numbers of bass can still be caught on points and humps. Shad relating to mouths of creeks so therefor the bass are fallowing. Slow sinking plastics, carolina rigged 10 inch worms, and large crank baits are staple for this time of year. Bass are ready to eat larger baits. Drop shotting in 25-40 foot of water produced several nice bass on inside of timber along steep bank heading near mouth of coves.

Tournament results: Phil Shope Tournament

first place : 14 pounds
heavest bass: 4 pounds

October 8th Hartwell fishing report

Water temp 74 / calm wind / sunny / 80 degrees

Largemouth
Lake was extremely calm today. Prefished for Phil Shope tournament. As the water is cooling bass will begin to fallaw shad to the back of creeks. Found good numbers of small spotted bass in 1 – 2 foot of water in back of creeks. Bait presence and grass were essential. Several 2-3 pound largemouth bass were on this as well. Smaller largemouth were found on banks relating to cover 1/2 way back in creeks to the back. Large spinner baits with Indiana balds were producing in shad color. Checked several points with strike king series six but no takers.

Striped bass
Striped bass are beginning to school more and more. Stripers busting bait in 40-70 foot of water. Look down toward dam still. Caught 10 or so on poppers and skitter poppers. Positioned boat between bait schools and wait till surface feeding starts. Cast to breaking fish. Works everytime.

Up-Close Outfitters
Capt. Frank Askew
www.mappingandguides.com