News & Stories
Adjust For More Fish!
Posted by director on September 21, 2020
Adjust for More Fish!
By Mike Frisch
Recently, a partner and I fished a bass tournament on the Le Homme Dieu Chain of Lakes in Alexandria, MN. This was my first bass tournament in several years and, even though I’ve been an avid bass angler for more than two decades, it once again served as a good reminder that every fishing trip can be a learning experience, regardless of how many times you’ve “done it before!”
The pattern we had discovered going into the tournament revolved around targeting bigger largemouth bass that were holding on flats in mid-depth waters ranging from 6 to about 12 feet. A few weeks earlier, those big fish had been holding in deeper coontail weeds, but a few hours on the water during the tournament’s “pre-fish” period indicated that most of those fish were gone.
We surmised they moved shallower as fall’s first cold weather snap had probably moved the baitfish shallow and the bass followed. When we moved shallow, it quickly became apparent that our theory was a least partially correct as we were able to catch bass in the 4 to 5 pound range from shallower weeds.
Tournament day saw us start on a spot that we had confidence could produce several bass in short order and often holds a “big” or two as well. We caught one 16-inch largemouth before moving to spots 2, 3, and 4 where we never had a bite!
With more than two hours elapsed in our 8-hour day, we moved to another lake on the chain and put our jigs and other bottom-oriented baits to work. We did catch a pair of 2 3/4-pound bass in the next couple hours, but a big wind gusting over 30 mph, a finicky bite, and trolling motor batteries that were showing signs of tiring from running on high power to battle the winds had us rethinking our plan.
We decided that rather than battle the wind, we would use it to our favor. One particular stretch of shoreline that spans nearly a half mile had been producing bass for several weeks earlier in the summer for me and various guide clients. My partner and I used what was left of our trolling motor batteries to keep the boat near the flat’s drop-off edge in 10 to 14 feet of water and let the wind push us down the flat.
We also used the wind at our backs to make long casts with crankbaits and quickly retrieved those baits back to the boat. This “chuck and wind” technique allowed us to cover lots of water and we surmised that the speed and vibration of our crankbaits would also combine to trigger a reaction bite from the finicky fish.
Our plan quickly came together as we started catching bass in the 2 ½ to 2 ¾-pound range almost immediately! By day’s end we were able to assemble a good bag of fish, though not big enough to cash a check, that kept us in the tournament field’s top third. While satisfied that we had made a good adjustment, we were disappointed that we couldn’t catch a least one bigger fish that would have moved us up “in the money.”
Nevertheless, as I reflected back on the experience the next day, I was once again reminded of how things are constantly in a state of change in the outdoors and that, while a good plan sometimes results in good successes, often times change is needed. Keeping an open mind and adjusting to the current conditions helped my partner in our tournament and can help you on your next fishing trip too!
As always, good luck on the water and remember to include a youngster in your next outdoor adventure!
Mike Frisch hosts the popular Fishing the Midwest TV series. Visit www.fishingthemidwest to see more fishing tips and view recent TV episodes as well!
Photo – Mike Frisch with a largemouth bass that ate a jig earlier this summer. When conditions change while fishing, anglers are often forced to adjust their fishing approach and lures to stay “on the fish” as well!
Catch Walleyes At Night!
Posted by director on September 16, 2020
By Bob Jensen
Although I don’t do it as much as I used to, I still enjoy getting after walleyes at night. Across all of walleye country, there are lots of places where you can catch them under the cover of the moon. They can be caught casting from shore or trolling in a boat. Another appealing aspect is that the presentations are pretty simple: We cast either a crankbait or a jig tipped with plastic. An angler that’s trying to catch walleyes at night can get all the baits needed into a small tacklebox. Here’s how you can take part in this walleye action that’s going on right now.
There are lots of bodies of water across the range of the walleye that will provide big fish. Some lakes, rivers, or reservoirs have a reputation for turning out trophies. If the walleye-of-a-lifetime is your goal, center your efforts on those water systems.
Often the best trophy walleye producers will be large, deep lakes with clear water. Not always, but often. Lakes such as this are home to baitfish that make the walleyes fat. The food in deep, clear lakes make walleyes heavy, and because the water is clear, the walleyes can often be easier to catch at night.
But there’s another reason why the walleyes go on a night-bite in the fall. Those baitfish that make the walleyes grow big are fall spawners. They’re in the shallows laying their eggs at a time of year when the walleyes are interested in adding some fat to their body to get them through the winter months. Those baitfish are very susceptible to hungry walleyes when they’re in those shallow areas.
To take advantage of this night-time opportunity, you need to do a couple of things. First, you need to identify a potential hot-spot.
The fall-spawning baitfish will usually spawn in shallow water that is close to deep water. Shorelines or off-shore shallow sand or rock areas will be good starting points.
In lakes that don’t have fall spawning baitfish, a night-bite can still occur. Look for areas with current. Go out during the day to current areas and see if baitfish are present. If they are, walleyes will visit at night.
If you’ll be fishing from a boat, make sure the boat is clear of unneeded equipment, and know where all the equipment that you might need is. You don’t want to be looking for baits or a net or hook-outs when the fish are biting.
If you’ll be wading, check out the area for rocks or logs under the water that you could trip on.
Arrive at your spot before the sun goes down and get set up. Keep quiet. When fish are shallow, they’re oftentimes spooky.
Now about the lures. When trolling, a traditional walleye crankbait such as a Lucky Shad will usually do the job. If you’re casting to water less than five feet deep, a KVD Jerkbait might be better. Use the largest size that the fish will hit. If they won’t hit the crankbaits, try a jig tipped with an action tail plastic.
Much of the time you’ll have the water to yourself at night this time of year. If you get on a good walleye body of water at night now and for the next few weeks, your chances for action and a truly big one are very good.
Get Ready for Fall Fishing!
Posted by director on August 23, 2020
GET READY FOR FALL FISHING
By Bob Jensen
Boy oh boy oh boy, summer of 2020 is already starting to exit. There are lots more butterflies on the bushes, birds are gathering, and football practice has started. And many anglers are spooling up with fresh line to prepare for fall fishing. I’ve often said that June and October are my favorite months for fishing. June 2020 is in the past, October 2020 is in the near future. Following are some things that I’ve experienced in autumns past that will help anglers catch more fish in autumns future.
In the 80’s I had the good fortune to work at a fishing school in Walker Minnesota called Camp Fish. Camp Fish hosted what they called “Camp Fish Celebrity Jamborees”. These Jamborees were 2-3 days of hard-core fishing. Anglers visited Camp and were taken fishing by notable guides, fishing celebrities, and tournament anglers. The Jamborees were fund-raisers and were held in the fall for several reasons, with one of those reasons being the fishing for a variety of fish species was best and most consistent then. On one memorable day my boat partners and I caught dozens of largemouth bass using crankbaits along deep weedlines and on spinnerbaits in shallow rushes in the morning. In the afternoon we moved to a different lake and caught a bunch of walleyes on jigs in a narrow area between lakes. We would have been very challenged to have that much diversity with that much success at any other time of year.
In the fall, fish want to eat. They instinctively know that things are changing and they need to fatten up. They’ll be wherever the food is. I recall a sunshiny October afternoon when we caught walleyes in 2 feet of water. They were on a wind-blown point that had attracted baitfish. Typically walleyes aren’t that shallow when the sun is bright, but fall is different. The sun isn’t as directly overhead in most of walleye country, and wind will diminish the negative effect of sunlight to some extent. And the presence of food in the fall will really encourage fish to participate in the catching part of fishing. Casting 1/16th ounce jigs to hungry walleyes in 2 feet of water is fun.
I remember fishing for muskies with my friend Don Pursch on Leech Lake one autumn afternoon a good number of years ago. We had been fishing for several hours with minimal action. I was ready to call it a day, but Don said that a “major” was coming soon. The “major” was a major solunar period, and some anglers pay a lot of attention to these. Perhaps more anglers should pay attention to them. Don wanted to be on his best spot when the “major” arrived. We were, and so were the muskies. In just a couple of hours we saw and hooked more fish than we had in the previous several hours. Some very successful anglers believe that major solunar periods have the most impact on fish in the fall months.
Last thing. Smallmouth bass gather more than usual in the fall. Just a couple of years ago Mike Frisch and I joined Tim Snyder on Kabetogama Lake in northern Minnesota. Tim told us that the smallmouth fishing can be very, very good in the fall. Some fisher-people exaggerate: Tim wasn’t. We caught smallmouth after smallmouth on jigs and dropshot rigs tipped with KVD Dream Shot and Half Shell plastics. Absolutely the best smallmouth action that I’ve ever experienced, for quality and quantity. Spend time looking for the concentrations of fish in the fall and chances are they’ll bite.
It appears that the fall of 2020 will be somewhat unusual, just like the spring and summer of 2020 have been. The good thing is, the fish don’t know about that. They’ll be where they usually are doing what they usually do in the next few weeks. If you’re where they are and doing what they want, you can get in on some memorable fishing action.
Photo - Kabetogama guide Tim Snyder with a big fall walleyes!