5-29-2011 Sun
6:30 AM- 11:30 AM
Weather: S7, cloudy and rain at end of trip, 63˚, 29.85 steady
H2O: 4.54 falling, 1.2 KCFS, 63 ˚, clear
Location: Black R., North Bend
Caught: ten inch walleye and a ten inch sucker and one fourteen inch channel catfish
Partners: Jake and Mark Tupper
Comments
The fishing was very poor. I was the only one to catch anything, and the fish I did catch did not bite very hard. All fish came on a night crawler sitting on the bottom. From the activity of the fish I believe the Black has better fishing later in the summer.
Observations
None
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
5-28-2011 Sat
6:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Weather: S 10, clear, 63˚
H2O: 9.12 rising, 81.6 KCFS, cloudy, 63 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. pool 7 (Lake Onalaska)
Caught: Four bass, with one being a dandy that was probably twenty inches!
Partners: None
Comments
I wanted to get out onto the lake and try the pike fishing in the weeds, but it was just too windy for using a buzz bait over top of the weeds. Usually I can do pretty well on the pike around Labor Day. I fish the emerging weed beds in the main lake basin. The bite is usually a top water bite, and they can be aggressive.
The bass I did catch were shallow and located at the upper end of the lake where main sloughs were emptying into the lake. The fish I did catch were all caught on spinner bait.
Observations
Adam K. says the bass are on the beds in the marina where they have their house boat.
Friday, May 27, 2011
5-26-11
5-26-2011 Thr
4:00 PM- 8:30 PM
Weather: NE 10, clear, 63˚, 29.95 MB, steady
H2O: 37.2, falling, 1.18 KCFS, clear, 63 ˚
Location: Black River below the Black River dam
Caught: I caught one twenty inch pike and one fifteen inch smallmouth. Scot caught one thirty-two inch pike.
Partners: Scot
Comments
Today was an after work excursion on the Black River exclusively in search of Mr. Musky. Scot and Adam had been having some pretty good success on muskies on their last two outings and it stimulated my curiosity.
Except for the one decent pike that Scot caught, it was a pretty dull evening. The scenery on the river is very pretty, and for being very close to town it is very remote. The river has a lot of rock and sand. The sand does not bother me much, but it mentally hurt me every time I hit a rock with the motor. Must stretches were quite tranquil, but we did traverse some mild rapids.
The only other action besides the two fish I caught was a follow by a very small musky, which I estimated to be about twenty inches.
When we came back to the landing there were quite a few young kids fishing off the concrete landing. One of the kids had been fighting a very large fish for twenty minutes, but lost it shortly after we pulled up. One of the other kids told me that he had caught a forty six inch musky at the same spot last week.
Observations
The water was quite clear, and I noticed that there is absolutely no aquatic vegetation. All the blooming trees (apple, lilac, pear, and red bud) are pretty much done blooming. Even the dandelions are over their big pop!
4:00 PM- 8:30 PM
Weather: NE 10, clear, 63˚, 29.95 MB, steady
H2O: 37.2, falling, 1.18 KCFS, clear, 63 ˚
Location: Black River below the Black River dam
Caught: I caught one twenty inch pike and one fifteen inch smallmouth. Scot caught one thirty-two inch pike.
Partners: Scot
Comments
Today was an after work excursion on the Black River exclusively in search of Mr. Musky. Scot and Adam had been having some pretty good success on muskies on their last two outings and it stimulated my curiosity.
Except for the one decent pike that Scot caught, it was a pretty dull evening. The scenery on the river is very pretty, and for being very close to town it is very remote. The river has a lot of rock and sand. The sand does not bother me much, but it mentally hurt me every time I hit a rock with the motor. Must stretches were quite tranquil, but we did traverse some mild rapids.
The only other action besides the two fish I caught was a follow by a very small musky, which I estimated to be about twenty inches.
When we came back to the landing there were quite a few young kids fishing off the concrete landing. One of the kids had been fighting a very large fish for twenty minutes, but lost it shortly after we pulled up. One of the other kids told me that he had caught a forty six inch musky at the same spot last week.
Observations
The water was quite clear, and I noticed that there is absolutely no aquatic vegetation. All the blooming trees (apple, lilac, pear, and red bud) are pretty much done blooming. Even the dandelions are over their big pop!
Monday, May 23, 2011
5-21-2011
5-21-2011 Sat
11:00 AM- 8:30 PM
Weather: S 8-15, heavy rain to clear skies, 70˚, 29.78 MB, falling
H2O: 10.2’, falling, 61.2 KCFS, clear with some muddy areas, 63 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Wabasha, WI
Caught: A fair number pike, and bass with pike outnumbering the bass five to one. Scott also caught the two odd fish; a dog fish and one seventeen inch walleye.
Partners: Jake and Scott
Comments
It was readily apparent that the vegetation had exploded to the surface since I was here last week. The lily pads were now in all the spots where I had done so well last week. We caught plenty of fish in the pads, but the size was small in them.
The larger pike seemed to be in the less weedy areas in about two to three feet of water. We caught fish on spinner baits, rattle traps, man’s minus ones, and swim baits. My best bait of the day was a swim bait, but I still had a hard time hooking the fish. I did learn the best way to hook fish with the swim bait. I found if I let the fish take the bait for a second or two and then use a hard hook set my percentage of missed fish was reduced.
Jake had issues with feeding the pike new rattle traps, you see he did not think he had to use a leader, but the fish proved him wrong. Scott also fed lures to his own share of pike. He kept snapping the line when he set the hook. Scott also had issues with stripped gears on his reel. At times he would set the hook and the reel would scream like a scared cat, and he would end up empty handed.
Observations
Aquatic vegetation, especially the lily pads are in the process of taking over the water surface. The lilacs and apple tree blooms are at peak and soon will be a shadow in our memories until next year.
Friday, May 20, 2011
5-19-2011
5-19-2011 Thr
4:30 PM- 7:00 PM
Weather: E 8, clear, 70˚, 30.01 MB, steady
H2O: 9.11’, falling, 81.5 KCFS, clear, 63 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7
Caught: One 15 inch small mouth bass
Partners: None
Comments
I escaped work early today, and I was ready to stack em up. Well, I did not stack anything, in fact the fishing was so poor I quit early and came back home and mowed the lawn. For me to do that is sad!
The one fish I did catch was located on a stump in about three feet of water, and he had his spawning colors on. I missed one other fish and that was the extent of my evening. My target audience was bass and pike.
Observations
Lilacs and apple trees are at full bloom, and some areas on the big pond are seeing quite a bit of aquatic vegetation growth.
4:30 PM- 7:00 PM
Weather: E 8, clear, 70˚, 30.01 MB, steady
H2O: 9.11’, falling, 81.5 KCFS, clear, 63 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7
Caught: One 15 inch small mouth bass
Partners: None
Comments
I escaped work early today, and I was ready to stack em up. Well, I did not stack anything, in fact the fishing was so poor I quit early and came back home and mowed the lawn. For me to do that is sad!
The one fish I did catch was located on a stump in about three feet of water, and he had his spawning colors on. I missed one other fish and that was the extent of my evening. My target audience was bass and pike.
Observations
Lilacs and apple trees are at full bloom, and some areas on the big pond are seeing quite a bit of aquatic vegetation growth.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
5-17-2011
5-17-2011 Tues
5:30 PM- 10:45 PM
Weather: E 7, clear, 64˚, 29.94 MB, steady
H2O: 9.48’, falling, 85.8 KCFS, clear, 60 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 and Lower Black river
Caught: Approximately 10 bluegills and two channel cats
Partners: Jake V.
Comments
Jake is moving up near Hayward this weekend, and I wanted to get out cat fishing with him one more time. I figured it was too early for flatheads, but I thought we could get a channel cat or two.
I met Jake when I was working in Holmen and he was a new hire; he is a good guy and I will miss him. I still chuckle about the time he came to help me out at a rural customers premise. The customer had a rooster (Clem) running loose and he had warned me that Clem could get a little ornery. Old Clem kept pretty close tabs on me and I never turned my back on the old fart as I worked.
Well Jake shows up to help, and of course I did not fore warn him about Clem. When Jake went back to the truck for tools, Clem sprang into action. He ran up to Jake and tried to spur him in the back of the legs as Jake was walking away. Jake did quite a dance to get away from the unwanted attack. I was just rolling on the ground. It was one of the funniest moments I have had on the job.
As far as fishing goes, it was okay. Jake caught two medium size channel cats and I missed two hits. I was glad he was able to catch a fish during what may be his last time catting.
Observations
The water is still quite high and flowing pretty fast. Bluegills were not the easiest to come by, but we did get a few nice ones.
5:30 PM- 10:45 PM
Weather: E 7, clear, 64˚, 29.94 MB, steady
H2O: 9.48’, falling, 85.8 KCFS, clear, 60 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 and Lower Black river
Caught: Approximately 10 bluegills and two channel cats
Partners: Jake V.
Comments
Jake is moving up near Hayward this weekend, and I wanted to get out cat fishing with him one more time. I figured it was too early for flatheads, but I thought we could get a channel cat or two.
I met Jake when I was working in Holmen and he was a new hire; he is a good guy and I will miss him. I still chuckle about the time he came to help me out at a rural customers premise. The customer had a rooster (Clem) running loose and he had warned me that Clem could get a little ornery. Old Clem kept pretty close tabs on me and I never turned my back on the old fart as I worked.
Well Jake shows up to help, and of course I did not fore warn him about Clem. When Jake went back to the truck for tools, Clem sprang into action. He ran up to Jake and tried to spur him in the back of the legs as Jake was walking away. Jake did quite a dance to get away from the unwanted attack. I was just rolling on the ground. It was one of the funniest moments I have had on the job.
As far as fishing goes, it was okay. Jake caught two medium size channel cats and I missed two hits. I was glad he was able to catch a fish during what may be his last time catting.
Observations
The water is still quite high and flowing pretty fast. Bluegills were not the easiest to come by, but we did get a few nice ones.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
5-15-11
5-15-2011 Sun
9:30 AM- 5:30 PM
Weather: N14 G25, clear, 61˚, 30.00 MB, steady
H2O: 656.5’, falling, 91.3 KCFS, clear, 56 ˚ - 60 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 5a (south of Alma, WI).
Caught: Approximately 15 pike and eight LMB
Partners: Terry C.
Comments
Today was an exploratory trip with a past co-worker. I had never fished this pool before, so it was a blind excursion. It did not take long to see that there was a pretty decent population of pike here, but the size was lacking. We caught pike everywhere, but the largemouths were tough to come by.
The conditions were comfortable, but the wind was very strong. In fact we could not fish the main body of water in the Weaver lake area, because of the wind. This lake is very shallow and the water was very dirty from all the wind.
We did not catch a ton of fish, and nothing of any great size, but I would have to say we did okay for never having fished here before. I do plan on coming back to this pool sometime in the future. A big plus for me was again the lack of fisherman in this area.
Observations
Trees are really starting to leaf out and things are definitely getting green. We did observe quite a bit of submergent aquatic green weeds starting to grow in the back of the warming bays
9:30 AM- 5:30 PM
Weather: N14 G25, clear, 61˚, 30.00 MB, steady
H2O: 656.5’, falling, 91.3 KCFS, clear, 56 ˚ - 60 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 5a (south of Alma, WI).
Caught: Approximately 15 pike and eight LMB
Partners: Terry C.
Comments
Today was an exploratory trip with a past co-worker. I had never fished this pool before, so it was a blind excursion. It did not take long to see that there was a pretty decent population of pike here, but the size was lacking. We caught pike everywhere, but the largemouths were tough to come by.
The conditions were comfortable, but the wind was very strong. In fact we could not fish the main body of water in the Weaver lake area, because of the wind. This lake is very shallow and the water was very dirty from all the wind.
We did not catch a ton of fish, and nothing of any great size, but I would have to say we did okay for never having fished here before. I do plan on coming back to this pool sometime in the future. A big plus for me was again the lack of fisherman in this area.
Observations
Trees are really starting to leaf out and things are definitely getting green. We did observe quite a bit of submergent aquatic green weeds starting to grow in the back of the warming bays
5-13-11
5-13-2011 Fri
9:40 AM- 8:30 PM
Weather: N15, overcast, 58˚, 29.85MB, steady, (2:53 PM)
H2O: 11.33’, falling, 81.4 KCFS, clear, 56 ˚ - 60 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 4 (Nelson, WI).
Caught: 55 pike and 15 largemouth bass (one pike was forty-one inches and I had fifteen over thirty inches).
Partners: None
Comments
It was Friday the 13th, but who cared the fish were very aggressive and attacking! The fishing was as good as I have ever seen, and I do not expect to ever have that privilege again. I have never had pike that aggressive or abundant!
I was confident that the weather conditions would be conducive to good pike fishing; there was a moderate wind and it was overcast, perfect pike conditions. The water was high and very clear, which was another plus. The only part of the conditions I did not like was the temperature; it had dropped thirty degrees since yesterday afternoon.
It took about an hour to find the fish, but when I did it was holy mackerel, or should I say holy pike. I found the fish relating to some kind of cover, with flooded bushes being the real pike magnets. Most fish were quite shallow, being in anywhere from one to four feet of water. I caught fish on just about everything I threw at them, but the reliable terminator spinner bait in white was hard to beat. I did have pretty good luck using a swim bait, but I had a very hard time hooking them on this rig. The pike in the very shallow water were not as big, but boy were they fun. A lot of times as soon as I started the retrieve, a wake would appear on a mission to intercept the intruder in their lair.
The bass were not as numerous or aggressive. My theory was they were probably scared they were going to become a meal for a hungry pike. The best part of the day was seeing very few fishermen. I did learn that if I caught a few fish in one location and they stopped biting, by simply changing baits I was able to coax a few more into the boat.
Observations
My redbud tree in the backyard has started to bloom, and the lilacs are very close to blooming. I did notice some aquatic vegetation starting to sprout up from the bottom, but no lily pads had yet ruptured the surface.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
5-11-11
5-11-2011 Wed
6:30 AM- 10:00 AM
Weather: Calm, clear, 68˚, 29.70MB, rising
H2O: 9.78’, rising, 89.5 KCFS, clear, 56 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 (West stumps and area around Cole’s Corner).
Caught: Eight pike and seven largemouth bass
Partners: None
Comments
I did not have to be to work today till 11, so I took advantage of the late starting time with a little quality morning fishing. It sure was nice being the only person at the landing.
My game plan was to try a few spots for walleyes and if that did not pan out I would opt for the old stand byes of bass and pike! My first two spots for the eyes failed so it would be mostly spinner bait fishing for the other two previously mentioned species. I pretty much knew it was too early in the spring for the walleyes to be in the back waters, but you just never know.
I was able to hook into some pike and bass, but I covered a lot of water and made lots of casts. All fish except one bass came on my favorite Terminator Spinner bait set-up. The largest pike was twenty-eight inches and the largest bass was a decent eighteen inch fatty.
I caught some fish today in the back water areas, so it is leading me to believe they are starting to vacate their early spring haunts. I had a suspicion of this the last couple times out, and today catching them in the slough areas confirmed my thoughts.
Observations
Today I noticed the flowering crabs are starting to blossom and some lilacs are at their earliest stages of bloom. Also, our red bud tree in the back yard has started to bloom.
This morning I saw an otter out on the lake. This is the first otter I have seen on the river. I knew they were around because their tracks are everywhere in the winter, but they just must be very shy of being seen by people.
6:30 AM- 10:00 AM
Weather: Calm, clear, 68˚, 29.70MB, rising
H2O: 9.78’, rising, 89.5 KCFS, clear, 56 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 (West stumps and area around Cole’s Corner).
Caught: Eight pike and seven largemouth bass
Partners: None
Comments
I did not have to be to work today till 11, so I took advantage of the late starting time with a little quality morning fishing. It sure was nice being the only person at the landing.
My game plan was to try a few spots for walleyes and if that did not pan out I would opt for the old stand byes of bass and pike! My first two spots for the eyes failed so it would be mostly spinner bait fishing for the other two previously mentioned species. I pretty much knew it was too early in the spring for the walleyes to be in the back waters, but you just never know.
I was able to hook into some pike and bass, but I covered a lot of water and made lots of casts. All fish except one bass came on my favorite Terminator Spinner bait set-up. The largest pike was twenty-eight inches and the largest bass was a decent eighteen inch fatty.
I caught some fish today in the back water areas, so it is leading me to believe they are starting to vacate their early spring haunts. I had a suspicion of this the last couple times out, and today catching them in the slough areas confirmed my thoughts.
Observations
Today I noticed the flowering crabs are starting to blossom and some lilacs are at their earliest stages of bloom. Also, our red bud tree in the back yard has started to bloom.
This morning I saw an otter out on the lake. This is the first otter I have seen on the river. I knew they were around because their tracks are everywhere in the winter, but they just must be very shy of being seen by people.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
5-8-2011
5-8-2011 Sun
9:30 AM- 12:30 PM
Weather: E 9, clear, 69˚, 29.98MB, falling
H2O: 10.09’, falling, 94.2 KCFS, clear and dirty, 54 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 (West and my favorite early season point of lake).
Caught: Fifteen largemouth bass and three pike.
Partners: None
Comments
I did not find a large concentration of fish anywhere, but I was able to locate some here and there by being very mobile. Most fish were relating to structure with a fair amount of current. I even had a decent walleye follow my Rattle Trap to the boat.
Speaking of Rattle Trap, that was my hot bait today. The old metallic gold has brought plenty of fish to the boat so far this season. Most of the bass were nice fish; I did not have a tape, but the majority we in the sixteen to seventeen inch range. From the location that I caught the fish in I do not think they are ready to spawn yet.
Observations
Yesterday I mowed the lawn for the first time of the season. This bothers me, for now it will be quite frequently until the heat sends it to dormancy.
9:30 AM- 12:30 PM
Weather: E 9, clear, 69˚, 29.98MB, falling
H2O: 10.09’, falling, 94.2 KCFS, clear and dirty, 54 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 (West and my favorite early season point of lake).
Caught: Fifteen largemouth bass and three pike.
Partners: None
Comments
I did not find a large concentration of fish anywhere, but I was able to locate some here and there by being very mobile. Most fish were relating to structure with a fair amount of current. I even had a decent walleye follow my Rattle Trap to the boat.
Speaking of Rattle Trap, that was my hot bait today. The old metallic gold has brought plenty of fish to the boat so far this season. Most of the bass were nice fish; I did not have a tape, but the majority we in the sixteen to seventeen inch range. From the location that I caught the fish in I do not think they are ready to spawn yet.
Observations
Yesterday I mowed the lawn for the first time of the season. This bothers me, for now it will be quite frequently until the heat sends it to dormancy.
5-7-2011
5-7-2011 Sat
2:30 PM- 8:00 PM
Weather: S 10, a few clouds, 67 ˚, 29.80 MB, rising
H2O: 5.35’, falling, 1.98 KCFS, clear, ( ** for my own future reference the place I was fishing needs a bare minimum of five feet of water to get into the spot and I would have to say over eight feet would be too much water for the fish**).
Location: Black River Hwy 93 landing
Caught: Twenty-two pike and two largemouth bass
Partners: None
Comments
Holy pike! That is how I would have to describe the pike action today. It was just incredible. The fish were not big, but they made up for it in sheer numbers and aggression. There are a ton of twenty to twenty-two inch pike cruising the local waters.
Almost all fish came on my favorite Terminator spinner bait. In fact I could not get them to hit anything else. I even tried a buzz bait after Buzz Bait Matt had schooled me in their use the other day, but they pike did not want anything to do with them.
Observations
The black river is in pretty decent shape, but it sure looks as if the bottoms got slammed by high water this spring. Another pretty amazing observation for this time of year was that I only saw one mosquito! Normally the little blood sucking devils are almost unbearable down here.
2:30 PM- 8:00 PM
Weather: S 10, a few clouds, 67 ˚, 29.80 MB, rising
H2O: 5.35’, falling, 1.98 KCFS, clear, ( ** for my own future reference the place I was fishing needs a bare minimum of five feet of water to get into the spot and I would have to say over eight feet would be too much water for the fish**).
Location: Black River Hwy 93 landing
Caught: Twenty-two pike and two largemouth bass
Partners: None
Comments
Holy pike! That is how I would have to describe the pike action today. It was just incredible. The fish were not big, but they made up for it in sheer numbers and aggression. There are a ton of twenty to twenty-two inch pike cruising the local waters.
Almost all fish came on my favorite Terminator spinner bait. In fact I could not get them to hit anything else. I even tried a buzz bait after Buzz Bait Matt had schooled me in their use the other day, but they pike did not want anything to do with them.
Observations
The black river is in pretty decent shape, but it sure looks as if the bottoms got slammed by high water this spring. Another pretty amazing observation for this time of year was that I only saw one mosquito! Normally the little blood sucking devils are almost unbearable down here.
5-6-2011
5-6-2011 Fri
5:00 PM- 8:00 PM
Weather: NW 7, mostly cloudy, 69 ˚, 29.76MB, rising
H2O: 10.36’, falling, 98.9 KCFS, clear, 53 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 (out from house).
Caught: Approximately fifteen fish with pretty much an equal amount of pike and bass.
Partners: Matt W (co-worker)
Comments
The fish were fairly aggressive tonight and some were extremely shallow. Matt is a pretty good fisherman, and I am going to nick name him buzz bait Matt.
You see it was very apparent that he likes to use a buzz bait and very effectively I might add. I definitely learned that it was not too early in the spring to use them. I always thought they were a late spring to summer bait, but he proved me wrong. He was pulling fish out of some very skinny water where I had just fished with a spinner bait. The buzz bait is not only an effective bait, but also a fun one to use. I will be given them a try more often this year.
Observations
The dandelions are in full bloom!
5-5-2011
5-5-2011 Thr
5:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Weather: SW 15, clear, 56 ˚, 29.91MB, falling
H2O: 10.47, falling, 101 KCFS, clear and dirty, 53 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7(out from house and also my favorite west side spot)
Caught: If I would have to guess we probably combined for around a dozen fish. Most of the fish were largemouth bass, but we also caught a few smallish pike.
Partners: Kyle
Comments
Kyle has been on a mission to find a serious bass bite the last couple of days. You see, he is a tournament bass fisherman and he has a large tournament coming up on Saturday. I had seen Kyle on the lake last night, and he was not having much luck locating fish, so we got together tonight to see if I could help him out.
I was not only helping him out, but I was learning new baits and techniques from him. Besides it is more fun fishing with someone. I would even venture to say that most times my average will go up when I am fishing with someone. I think it is the competiveness and you can see what is or is not working for your partner and make a switch based on these observations.
Observations
The water temperature is steadily going up. I have noticed the magnolias are in full bloom and the buds on the trees are starting to swell.
5:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Weather: SW 15, clear, 56 ˚, 29.91MB, falling
H2O: 10.47, falling, 101 KCFS, clear and dirty, 53 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7(out from house and also my favorite west side spot)
Caught: If I would have to guess we probably combined for around a dozen fish. Most of the fish were largemouth bass, but we also caught a few smallish pike.
Partners: Kyle
Comments
Kyle has been on a mission to find a serious bass bite the last couple of days. You see, he is a tournament bass fisherman and he has a large tournament coming up on Saturday. I had seen Kyle on the lake last night, and he was not having much luck locating fish, so we got together tonight to see if I could help him out.
I was not only helping him out, but I was learning new baits and techniques from him. Besides it is more fun fishing with someone. I would even venture to say that most times my average will go up when I am fishing with someone. I think it is the competiveness and you can see what is or is not working for your partner and make a switch based on these observations.
Observations
The water temperature is steadily going up. I have noticed the magnolias are in full bloom and the buds on the trees are starting to swell.
5-4-2011
5-4-2011 Wed
5:00 PM- 8:30 PM
Weather: S 12, Clear, 60 ˚
H2O: 10.61’, falling, 104 KCFS, clear, 49 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7
Caught: I caught some nice pike tonight and of course I also caught some largemouth bass.
Partners: None
Comments
The conditions were good tonight: enough wind to put a chop on the water and clear skies. I am starting to observe that pike bite best on a fairly windy day, and of course the water has to be clear for the best bite.
I hit my same usual early season haunt close to the house. I am starting to notice it is getting fished a lot harder and the fish are responding with less aggression. In fact, it seems as if the bites are not nearly as aggressive as they once were. I think I can logically attribute this to angling pressure. This seems to be really prevalent when fishing a spinner bait.
Observations
Ever so slowly we are starting to warm up and continue are way into spring.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
5-1-11
5-1-2011 Mon
9:30 AM- 1:30 PM
Weather: W23 G31, overcast, 38 ˚, 29.87MB, rising
H2O: 12.02’, steady, 99 KCFS, clear, 46 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 5a (Wabasha)
Caught: Approximately two bass and four northern (nothing large)
Partners: Scot
Comments
If I was to have lost track of time I would have to guess it is the middle of November! It was cold and the wind was whipping the water into froth. We were even treated to a few snowflakes as we prepared to embark on our nasty weather adventure. Before we embarked on our perilous fishing journey we donned all the clothes and cold weather gear we could scrounge up.
The first spot we tried was close to the landing behind a steep bank that provided a little relief from the wind. I was actually surprised that I caught a small northern rather quickly. This first fish was soon followed by a bass and a couple of northern that shook off at the boat. Scot also came up with a small northern and missed one other.
Next, we headed out across the wide open big lake to get to the sheltered tree line on the west side. I caught one pike here and had another bite off my Rattle Trap. I had made the mistake of not fishing with a leader on the pole that was strung with 17 pound fluorocarbon. Scot missed two fish on two consecutive casts.
The next spot we went to was the upper end of the big lake. Scot pulled in a respectable largemouth bass and I caught nothing.
We finished off the day in the bay next to the boat landing. After fishing along the bank for about one-hundred yards I came to the realization that we should not be fishing in this area. We were on the east side of the railroad tracks and this area was closed to fishing for game fish. It was a good thing we were fishing for big crappies and perch!
Fishing today down right sucked! The temperature was cold and the wing was brutal. When my feet contacted the pavement at the landing I had a hard time walking, my feet were numb from the cold. The baits of choice were spinner baits, rattle traps and jerk baits.
Observations
The water temperature has dropped back into the mid-forties. Spring is very slow getting started! There was not any apparent aquatic weed growth. I did notice the start of some green grass on a few islands, but that was the only sign of spring I observed!
9:30 AM- 1:30 PM
Weather: W23 G31, overcast, 38 ˚, 29.87MB, rising
H2O: 12.02’, steady, 99 KCFS, clear, 46 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 5a (Wabasha)
Caught: Approximately two bass and four northern (nothing large)
Partners: Scot
Comments
If I was to have lost track of time I would have to guess it is the middle of November! It was cold and the wind was whipping the water into froth. We were even treated to a few snowflakes as we prepared to embark on our nasty weather adventure. Before we embarked on our perilous fishing journey we donned all the clothes and cold weather gear we could scrounge up.
The first spot we tried was close to the landing behind a steep bank that provided a little relief from the wind. I was actually surprised that I caught a small northern rather quickly. This first fish was soon followed by a bass and a couple of northern that shook off at the boat. Scot also came up with a small northern and missed one other.
Next, we headed out across the wide open big lake to get to the sheltered tree line on the west side. I caught one pike here and had another bite off my Rattle Trap. I had made the mistake of not fishing with a leader on the pole that was strung with 17 pound fluorocarbon. Scot missed two fish on two consecutive casts.
The next spot we went to was the upper end of the big lake. Scot pulled in a respectable largemouth bass and I caught nothing.
We finished off the day in the bay next to the boat landing. After fishing along the bank for about one-hundred yards I came to the realization that we should not be fishing in this area. We were on the east side of the railroad tracks and this area was closed to fishing for game fish. It was a good thing we were fishing for big crappies and perch!
Fishing today down right sucked! The temperature was cold and the wing was brutal. When my feet contacted the pavement at the landing I had a hard time walking, my feet were numb from the cold. The baits of choice were spinner baits, rattle traps and jerk baits.
Observations
The water temperature has dropped back into the mid-forties. Spring is very slow getting started! There was not any apparent aquatic weed growth. I did notice the start of some green grass on a few islands, but that was the only sign of spring I observed!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
4-29-11
4-29-2011 Fri
5:30 PM- 7:30 PM
Weather: SE 9, clear, 61 ˚, 29.86MB, falling
H2O: 10.68’, rising, 104 KCFS, clear, 53 ˚
Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 (Upper mid-pool)
Caught: We combined for a total of approximately eight bass and about six northern. The biggest bass probably was around eighteen inches and the biggest northern was thirty-three inches.
Partners: Little Jake and Ben
Comments
It was the end of the week and why not start off the weekend with a little fishing! We had a fairly steady breeze to contend with and it was quite cool on the water, but other than that the conditions were pretty good.
The fish did not come fast and furious, but we were all able to boat some fish. Most fish came on spinner baits, but a number of them did come on Rattle Traps. Jake does not have a lot of fishing experience, and I supply the tackle when he does come along. So, I thought it would be quite interesting having him use a bait caster for the first time. I tightened the brakes down quite a bit and he did just fine. I only had to pick out one bird nest the whole night.
Ben, who was using a spinner-bait most of the night, was hanging it up quite often on weeds and stumps. This just is not normal for spinner bait fishing. After looking over his set-up I figured out what the problem was: he was using a leader with a snap, and his spinner bait did not have a closed loop on it. What was happening is when he would cast; the snap was riding down the spinner bait. This would cause the bait to pull oddly through the water, thus allowing it snag more often.
The easiest way to cure this problem is to take a rubber band and put on the back of the open bend of the spinner bait. This will keep the snap from moving down along the shaft of the bait. Ben happened to have some rubber o rings for Senko fishing, and that pretty much cured the problem.
Observations
The water is very clear and actually rising a little bit. The temperature of the water has pretty much stagnated around the lower fifty degree range. I did notice some lily pads starting to percolate up from the silt on the bottom in about four feet of water. These types of areas are excellent for attracting early season bass and pike.
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