Fall Bite

[Arne]

Fall is here. The white bass are in the rockpiles.. Where I fish there are old foundations scattered around the lake. The bass love them. 2 1/2 hours 18 whites, 3 wipers, one drum and a 14 lb channel cat. Seems like the big ones show up this time of year too. Most were in the 14 inch range on up. Using a blade bait from a do it mold, caught a few but wasn't great. Changed to a tail spinner and they lit off. Make the tail spinners with an old casting sinker mold, whittled on it some with a dremel. Made a thru wire top to bottom for line attach and hook attach. Whittled a channel for a barrel swivel on the back end and attach a spinner to it. If I knew how to post pics I would. Anyway, time to get out there and get to fishing. Arne.

 

[Hawnjigs]

14" white bass is a chunk ! Good #s of nice fish out your way. How long will the bite last?

With canal flows here shut down for now annual maintenance, reservoir inlets & outlets no longer offer aerated flowing water to attract predators & prey. The diminishing water levels in the canals however offer a short window of excellent fishing when fish are forced to congregate in the few deeper remaining pools and outbend cuts Predators are hungry and active until the shrinking water no longer has sufficient oxygen to sustain life, eventually resulting in a total fish and forage kill. This past Saturday codgers Bill, Billy, & me jigged up maybe 150 smallies & a half dozen wallys nothing big but still fun sized worth pursuing. Past 3 days I've targeted trout in a different canal section 43 total most 15-17", no biguns this year since last year both the wash down source lake & canal were totally fish killed and this years fish were lake stocked in Spring at 8-10". On a robust diet of crawdads the trout grow fast and fat, local lifer Kelly claims that in another year they could be at least 5# maybe up to 8# if they weren't killed off.

The smallies bit anything, the wallys preferred a chartreuse twister, & the trout liked a dark fur tie or 2" Power Bait black shad Ripple Shad.

 

[Arne]

that bite should last for a few to a couple weeks yet. Biggest problem is the winds will be coming up. Can't get down there for the rest of this week. Maybe next week will be good still. They are talking about some nice weather and taking the boat out I like to have it decent. Arne.

 

[hookup]

Nice job getting out when the bite's hot

 

[Arne]

Tailspins are still the hot bait. Hoping to get out next week for a bit. Will be shutting the trailer at the lake down. They shut the water off 1st of Nov. My season will pretty well be over til next spring. Mite get out around here for a bit. Time to button things up and wait for winter. Arne.

 

[Arne]

Finally got back out. Winds were not too bad, week before nothing but gale force. Had a grass fire, baler caught on fire and set the hay field on fire. Time we got there the fire was almost a mile long. Old christmas tree farm went up, had a couple houses built in it. Managed to save the houses, then shelter belt on fire. Corn fields burning (picked crops) faster than we could keep up with them. Local farmers showed up with tractors and discs. Had at least 15 of them. Fire crossed the south channel of the Platte river. Finally got it out after approx. 12 hours. Had a lot of help from different departments and many many people. After a week or so finally got a little bit of rain, think all the hotspots are out now. Anyway the wind went down some and got back on the lake. Water temp. was down in the low 60's. Shad were not very evident and the spots we had been catchin the bass in were not real productive. Think due to the shad going deeper into the lake. Anyway still caught some white bass and one bonus 22 inch wiper. The white were almost all nice ones 15 inches or so. Landlord shuts the water off at the trailer 1st of Nov. So the trailer is winterized the boat came home and now maybe some shore fishing. Water back on the first of April. Just hope there is some snow pack and rain so we can get some runoff and water in the lake. Now a long winter of lure making. Always something to do. Arne.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Man those fires are hell, good thing the community pitched in. Going canal trout fishing north of Paxton one day fine, next day cupla acres burnt out obviously started by some knucklehead driving by throwing a cigarette on the side of the road.

Still time to chase moving water walleye before it ices. Looks like night may be done tho with 30s forecast for a full week ahead here. Decent last fling in the dark here with 3 shorts & 3 keepers. Benefit of C&R got to enjoy a tussle with the same 8# from last week.

I wonder if your tail spins will work casting & retrieving from shore?

 

[Arne]

I am sure they will. Will send a few of the smaller ones and you can try em out. Jim

 

[Arne]

They are on the way. Let me know if they get there. Jim

 

[Arne]

They are on the way. Let me know if they get there. Jim

 

[hookup]

It's so warm on the right coast, that the fish are still chasing top water