Lindner's Angling Edge Fishing Tips

These fishing tips from the Angling Edge staff will help you catch more and bigger fish.

When the Leaves are Turning Orange and Brown…Think Green!

Fall is hands-down my favorite time of year. Summer crowds have departed, leaving the lakes uncrowded, even quiet, other than the occasional honking of southbound geese. The weather is cooling, but far from uncomfortable. And best of all, the finest fishing of the year is at hand. It’s an unbeatable combination.

Beneath the surface, fish of all species are on a fall feeding binge, prior to the relative slow-down of winter. Bass, pike, panfish, walleyes and muskies are on the prowl. And believe it or not, all of these species share something in common during the fall season.

In a nutshell, it’s a fondness for green weeds. That may sound strange, but here’s why.

Cooling nights chill the water in the extreme shallows, progressively killing off the shallowest weedgrowth and pushing fish out deeper. By the end of fall, the last remaining stands of healthy growth are limited to the outer rim of the weedflats, bordering steep dropoffs into the main basin. In effect, fish begin deserting the shallows, moving little by little toward the deepest perimeter of healthy green weeds. It’s almost like herding the fish into concentrated zones of foraging activity. All species. All fall. If you know what to look for, it’s a proverbial fish in a barrel scenario.

To begin taking advantage of this pattern, run your boat along the deep dropoff wherever shallow weedgrowth suddenly ends and gives way to deep water. Use your electronics to detect weedgrowth rising above bottom. Find candidate areas to begin fishing, and then start doing your homework to locate distinctive areas that collect and hold fish.

First, use your eyes, peering into the water with polarized sunglasses. Look for healthy, green cabbage or coontail weeds rimming the dropoff, typically at about the 10- to 18-foot level, you’re in the neighborhood. In addition, an underwater camera like an Aqua-Vu really helps establish where and how deep the best weeds are, and often reveals the presence of the fish you want to catch.

I like to pitch jigs at this time of year, tossing them slightly up into the weedgrowth while I position my boat just outside it in deeper water. I let the jig settle onto the weeds, then tighten the line, and interpret what’s there. Jigs hang up just enough, without undue snagging, to let me distinguish weed type, density and relative health. If the weeds are sparse or brown, indicating dying growth, I keep moving the boat parallel to the dropoff, probing with additional casts until I find what I’m looking for.

Ideally, I’ll eventually encounter a healthy stand of deep green weeds in conjunction with a point, turn or pocket along a steep portion of the dropoff. The weeds draw the fish; the irregularity along the deep edge collects and holds them, just as it does passing baitfish. Fish may patrol back and forth along the area; they may linger within the weeds, in an apparent ambush mode, ready to pounce. It makes little difference to me. Once I find such areas, I expect to find fish here again and again, or at least until the weeds begin to die off and the fish move elsewhere.

Depending on what species I’m fishing for, I select different forms and sizes of jigs to match their individual preferences. If it’s largemouths, I’ll likely go with a ½-ounce fiberguard jig with a rubber skirt, tipped with a pork frog, twin-tail grub or minnow. It slips though the weeds with few hang-ups, yet still allows me to interpret the growth. Twenty-pound test monofilament and a flippin’ stick round out the combo. Lift-drop the jig, let it settle a few seconds, then slide or twitch it. Big bass pounce on it like crazy. And where you find one big bass, a bunch of his buddies are typically nearby.

I’ll catch pike and muskies on the same combo, too, although when toothy critters are around, I add a wire leader to prevent bite-offs. I may also switch to dressing the jig with a larger softbait trailer, like a Berkley Gulp!  5-, 6- or 7-inch Saltwater Mullet, or some other oversized soft plastic tail. I want to appeal to both the fish’s aggressive nature at this time of year, and their tendency to eat larger meals in fall, since baitfish have grown to mature size. I also tend to work these baits a bit faster for toothy critters, ripping and swimming them occasionally to trigger strikes.

Panfish also cluster along remaining healthy weededges. Crappies and big bluegills fall prey to 1/16-ounce Fuzz-E-Grubs tipped with a small minnow. In summer, I tend to swim these jigs halfway down between the surface and bottom for suspended fish; in fall, by comparison, I now anticipate them to be tucked tighter to bottom. Vertically jigging, slightly lifting the jig on and off bottom with lots of hovers and pauses, positions the lure at or above eye level. Stick to medium light spinning gear and 4- to 6-pound line. I expect the fish to drop deeper as fall progresses, down into the adjacent basin, as the weeds thin and die.

And as far as walleyes go, weeds remain a good pattern as long as they’re healthy. Slightly larger 1/8- to ¼-ounce Fuzz-E-Grubs, tipped with a fathead minnow, work both for pitching slightly into the weeds, and for vertically jigging along their outer edge. Later, as the walleyes begin dropping even deeper, switch to a 3/8-ouncer and go down after them, switching to rocky humps, deep points and steep dropoffs into 40 feet or more of water. Medium spinning gear and 6- to 8-pound test mono is perfect.

Rarely does one pattern provide such universal appeal for a variety of species. But when you find deep, green weeds in fall, you’re on target. Then it’s a matter of finding those precious spot-on-the-spot type small areas that experience heavy schooling and feeding behavior.

You’ll catch loads of fish on other lures—crankbaits, spinnerbaits, livebait rigs, big bucktail spinners and hefty muskie baits. But the jig remains my universal favorite tool for interpreting weedgrowth and locating the best spots.

by Al Lindner
September 4, 2007

5/15/07 - Late-Spring Panfish in Natural Lakes

In northern natural lakes, winter ice generally mashes flat most shallow weed cover. Early spring panfish movements, therefore, tend to revolve around remnant wood cover in shallow bays and channels. Combine the warming water of wind-protected shallows with a fallen tree, submerged log or submerged brush, and it can be lights out for crappies and bluegills on an early-season feeding foray.

As the weeks go by, however, sunlight penetration increases, weather stabilizes, the water warms, and weedgrowth begins blooming, providing fish additional cover options. This results in a subtle change in fish location.

Both crappies and bluegills begin shifting more toward nesting sites, and begin building nests once the water temperature nears 60 F. Crappies love to spawn in deep reedbeds, and areas with dark bottom and thick, tangled overhead cover host some of the biggest fish in the lake. Use polarized sunglasses to peer into the deepest, thickest clusters of reeds, searching for dark shadows that betray the presence of crappies. Hormonal changes around spawning time cause the fish to turn darker than normal, and they visibly stand out among the reed stalks.

Use a long spinning rod, light line and thin bobber to suspend a small jig, or a minnow hooked lightly through the back, in pockets and open lanes in the reeds. Patience is key, since you need to coax the fish to move out to the edges and bite. When they do, immediately lift them to the surface, and drag them into open water before they recover from the initial hookset. Then fight them in open water where they won’t tangle in the cover.

Bluegills often spawn on sandgrass bottoms along inside weedlines, and depending on water clarity, may spawn as little as a foot deep in dark-water lakes, to 6 to 10 feet in clear ones, with the largest ‘gills typically spawning deeper than the small ones. If you’re only seeing and catching small ones, try fishing a little deeper. Look for the telltale signs of pit-type nests swept out of sandy bottom by the males, indicating a colony of bluegills.

Like crappies, bigger bluegills often spawn in reedbeds—perhaps even adjacent to crappies, but typically not mixed right in with them. While similar tackle works for each species, the preferred bait often varies. Crappies love minnows, while bluegills often tend to favor worms. Bigger bluegills, however, can be fussy, and may ignore a simple piece of nightcrawler threaded on a hook. Try an entire small crawler. Or better yet, the king of all trophy bluegill baits, a small lively leech hooked through the suction cup. Big ‘gills that ignore a crude, ragged piece of crawler may compete to rush and engulf a leech even before it descends to their level.

Panfish are usually abundant, and it’s OK to keep a few for eating. Avoid overharvest of the larger specimens, however. They’re very valuable to maintaining the population at a healthy level, and you don’t want the successive years to host chiefly small panfish with little chance for a trophy.

4/3/07 - Early Spring Crappies and Bluegills in Natural Lakes

As soon as the ice leaves midwestern natural lakes, crappies and bluegills are poised for movement. They rim the dropoffs outside shallow bays and channels, and at the first hint of warm, calm, sunny weather, begin crossing shallow flats to penetrate bays and channels. All it takes is a couple days of nice weather, and boom, they start showing up along shallow shorelines, hugging the perimeter of the lake, soaking up the heat where sunshine warms soft, dark, wind-protected bottom.

Watch a school of crappies enter a channel mouth, and you’ll see a nervous stampede dashing through the opening, heading for the back end of the channel. They don’t linger at the entrance, and typically won’t stop moving until they run out of room at the shallow back end. Here they seek out the best combination of cover and dark bottom, such as fallen trees, beaver lodges, logs, or some form of safety. Once clustered within a protective area, they change personality, trading their panicky movements for slow, subtle gliding interspersed with long periods of hovering.

This soon after ice-out, their location has nothing to do with prespawn and nesting sites. That comes later. For now, they’re simply relating to warm water and cover, where the first plankton will begin to bloom and draw small minnows. The warming shallows trigger insect activity, providing food for bluegills. In short, the kitchen is coming to life.

Early on, fish can be quite spooky, and refuse to chase lures or baits. Instead, you must dangle an offering right on or just above their noses, providing them time to react, move over for a look, examine, and finally rise to slurp a tentative meal. Casting and retrieving is simply too fast to get a response. You need a bobber presentation to dangle a bait and keep it there, vulnerable, until fish respond.

Long, thin floats like Thill balsa floats are tailor-made for these conditions. Whether you choose a fixed float that attaches to your line with a spring, or elect to use a slip version and adjustable bobber stop, the basic premise is the same. Position a split shot or two on the line about a foot above your jig or baited hook, using just enough weight to avoid sinking the float. These skinny lightweight floats are much more sensitive than traditional round bobbers, and betray even the lightest bites without the fish feeling any resistance. At the slightest dip of the float, set the hook; don’t wait for it to go all the way down. In fact, if a fish rises to the bait, inhales it and moves an inch or two shallower, a properly weighted float will rise and tip over, indicating a bite. Set the hook!

Crappies are vulnerable to a tiny 1/32-ounce feather or hair jig that barely breathes under the slightest wave action or rod tip movement. Light colors like yellow, white, pink or chartreuse imitate minnows, while darker browns or blacks imitate insects. Don’t overdo the action, or they won’t bite. Most of the time, you won’t need to add bait to trigger crappies. But if they’re finicky, slip a small crappie minnow onto the hook, inserting the hook point up through both lips, and let the struggling minnow tempt the fish into biting.

For bluegills, stick to even tinier jigs, like 1/64-ounce insect minnow imitations. Or simply use about a #6 single hook baited with a piece of nightcrawler. That should do the trick for average-sized fish. But if the fish are big and wary, switch to an entire small crawler, or perhaps a small leech—perhaps the finest bait of all for tempting big bluegills into biting.

Use a long, 6 ½- to 9-foot light to medium-light spinning rod spooled with 4-pound-test mono where cover is sparse, beefing up to 6-pound where you need to quickly lift and hoist fish away from cover. The long rod facilitates long casts, accurate pitches between cover, and absorbs the shock of a bass striking your lure without breaking your line.

- by Dave Csanda

3/29/07 - Walk Softly, and Carry a Little Stick

Ice fishing is a way of life, complete with its own unique clothing, equipment and strategies. As soon as the ice becomes thick enough to walk on, generally right after Thanksgiving, ice fishermen are ready, willing and eager to make their first few tentative steps across the glassy surface.

Some folks wait for 5 to 8 inches of firm new ice to form, which the Minnesota DNR says is necessary for supporting the weight of snowmobiles and four-wheelers. Yet treading lightly on foot across 2 to 3 inches of clear ice has major advantages.

First and foremost, you’re the first ones on the prime spots, and early birds definitely get in on the best bite. During the last few weeks of open water, blustery winds, cold weather, and a rim of ice along shorelines makes it darn near impossible to get your boat out to deep midlake structures. The fish enjoy a two- or three-week reprieve from fishing pressure, and become ripe for the plucking for the first few lures dangling below an ice hole.

Toss a modest amount of equipment on a lightweight plastic sled: a Styrofoam minnow bucket with a few dozen minnows; a portable depth finder; an ice scoop; a spud bar (5-foot-long chisel) or 8-inch diameter hand auger; a couple of jigging rods and reels spooled with 8- to 10-pound test thin flexible monofilament; a small 5- x 8-inch tackle box with an assortment of tackle; pliers and nail clipper; a thermos of coffee; a pocket-sized GPS, flashlight and a Coleman lantern for night fishing; a couple of granola bars in your pocket; a cell phone, rope and ice picks for emergencies—and not much else. With air temperatures still mild—30Fs during the day, teens at night--insulated boots, gloves, hat or hood, and a moderate-weight snowsuit or jacket and bibs combo should be sufficient.

Towing your gear on a lightweight sled across clean, smooth ice isn’t difficult, and the first brave souls go in light and savvy with just the right amount of gear. A few weeks later, once the ice thickens, you’ll see a parade of folks with portable shacks, gas augers, portable heaters, and a vehicle to ride on and tow it all with. In the meantime, however, you’ve been jerking jaws in relative solitude.

- by Dave Csanda

3/29/07 - Probing Strategies at Early Ice

Start fishing in the same areas you last contacted fish in late open water: namely prominent mainlake structures with steep drops to the basin. Walleyes, for example, use major points, deep humps--somewhere that deep water swings up tight against a sharp dropoff, within modest walking distance (a mile or so) of shore.

Tip-toe your way out to a potential area, tap-tap-tapping the end of your spud bar atop the ice as you walk along, probing and testing the worthiness of the ice surface. If the bar pokes through, slowly back up, and reconsider your plan of attack. Wait a day or two and try again. Or switch to an area with firmer and safer footing.

With 2 to 4 inches of clear, safe ice, though, you should be able to creep out to nearby spots. When you get close, use familiar rifle sights on shore--lining up a tree and a house over this way, or perhaps a flag pole and a big tree over there—the same way you relocate your spots in open water. If you have a portable GPS, even better. The same waypoints you stored in your unit during late-fall fishing forays should be good places to start ice fishing now. If you don’t have prelocated, pre-programmed hot spots, use a GPS mapping screen to walk out to potential areas indicated on a lake map.
Don’t bother trying to locate little secret spots at first ice. Stick to big, prominent, obvious, classic spots that attract numbers of walleyes due to their sheer size. Then look for walleyes along concentration points along their edges.

Splash a little water from your minnow bucket atop the ice, rest your transducer atop the surface, and see if you can send a signal through to get a good depth reading of the bottom. Brush away light snow cover if necessary. Repeat the process in 20-foot increments in all directions, reading the depths to establish the contour below. Then drill some holes in likely places and get ready to fish.

If you can’t get a good bottom reading through the ice, start drilling or chopping holes in a swiss-cheese pattern. Scoop the remnant ice out of the holes and lower the transducer into the water to establish a depth reading. If there’s a little light snow cover atop the ice, reach down with your gloved finger and simply draw the depth in feet in the snow crust: 23, 18, 21, 37—hey, there’s the dropoff. Now drill more adjacent holes to establish the contour, and prepare for action.

For fishing out in the open without a portable shelter like a Fish Trap or Clam, or perhaps an HT portable windbreak, use a fairly long, 32- to 40-inch ice spinning rod, medium action. If you’re inside the confines of a lightweight portable shelter, a shorter 28- to 32-incher will be more feasible. (When you lift to set the hook, you won’t bash the ceiling.) A small, light or ultralight spinning reel spooled with limp Trilene XL, 8- or 10-pound-test, is on the money.

Move to the first hole, insert your transducer into the water, and rest your depth finder atop the ice. Floating transducers get a good bottom reading, and establish the presence and depth of baitfish and walleyes.

3/29/07 - Ice Tactics for Walleyes

Lure choices are simple according to the walleyes’ levels of jigging aggressiveness. A simple 1/8- to ¼-ounce jighead tipped with a 2 ½- to 3 ½-inch minnow is a subtle presentation. Try colors ranging from subtle like white or yellow, to bright like fluorescent orange or chartreuse. Either hook the minnow up through the lips, or insert the hook through the tail, midway between the dorsal and tail fins. Tail-hooking usually increases minnow activity. Nose-hooking restrains it.
Lower your lure to bottom, engage the reel, and slowly lift it up and down a few inches. Then pause. Watch your depth finder to reveal the lure’s distance off bottom, and for the approach of any fish into the area. If a fish comes in to examine the offering, indicated by the sudden appearance of a prominent mark on your screen, lift-drop a couple more times, then pause, suspending your lure in place. Motion tends to attract fish, but lack of motion tends to trigger strikes—an important element of ice fishing.

Switch to a small ¼- to 1/3-ounce ice jigging spoon (nearly 2 inches long) for a more aggressive approach. Tip a minnow head (pinch it off between thumb and forefinger) on one tine of the treble hook. Lower the lure to bottom, watching for the line to stop or jump if a fish strikes during the fall. Upon reaching bottom, engage the reel, take up slack, and give the rod tip a more aggressive, foot-long upward surge. Then let the spoon flutter back downward, following it down with the rod tip to retain a taut line without stifling lure action. Repeat a few times, then instill that all-important pause to turn a looker into a biter. Suspend the lure a couple inches off bottom, allowing any twist in the line to slowly spin it before the fish’s eyes, giving it the illusion of life.

If that doesn’t work, try using a whole live 2-inch minnow, nicked lightly under the dorsal fin, to provide a bigger target and a struggling action when the spoon hangs at rest, just off bottom. For really deep water, upsize to a ½-ounce spoon, maybe 2 ¼ inches in length. Silver, silver blue-back, chartreuse, pink, orange, perch pattern, and anything with phosphorescent glow paint are good options Charge the paint by exposing it for a few seconds to a small Lindy Tazer light to make it glow brightly amidst the deep murk.

For a wider-moving approach, switch to jigging a swimming minnow like a Jigging Rap or Jigging Shad Rap, and add a minnow head to the bottom treble hook. Lower it as with the other lures, and when it reaches bottom, lift if up a few inches. Then give it an upward pump, followed by lowering your rod tip at the same speed the lure descends. The lure will shoot out to the side and descend in a circular swimming pattern, ever-decreasing in diameter until it comes to rest. Added or stronger pumps increase the side-to-side coverage and swimming activity. Smaller pumps decrease the motion.

Underwater cameras like the Aqua-Vu have revolutionized ice fishing, since they not only reveal the presence and depth of fish, but also their attitude. You can literally watch fish come in and study your lure, and see how they react to changes in lure motion, style, color, pauses, etc. Fine-tuning presentations can really make a huge difference between catching and not. When you’re hunkered down in a good spot, drill another hole 3 or 4 feet from your fishing hole, and lower a camera lens. Twist the cable between forefinger and thumb to rotate it for a 360-degree view and evaluation of the surroundings, and then let it settle, pointing at your lure.

Seeing what goes on below provides a huge advantage in locating and triggering fish to bite. And when it comes to fishing with a camera, angling from a still platform atop the ice is by far the easiest way to fish and view at the same time. It will revolutionize the way you fish through the ice, and likely spur you to explore the use of an underwater camera in open water as well.

Fishing at early ice is focused on probing, testing, moving and scouting, rather than sitting in one spot for hours on end in the comfort of a permanent fish house. Rather, drop your lure for a minute or two in one hole, work it, and if nothing bites, move on to the next. You may have to scout several areas in order to locate active biters. Just try to be in really prime areas shortly before sundown, with your holes predrilled rather than making noise, when walleyes tend to become most active. Just like fishing in open water, changing light levels usually activate walleyes, and you want to be in place fishing, rather than spooking them with a drill, as the sun dips below the horizon.

5/12/06

Spring means fishing to anglers, but before you hit the water review this list of important things to consider:

1. Water temperature—make certain you have a surface temperature thermometer. Knowing the water temperature will give you a heads-up on both the location and activity level of fish.
2. Since fish are often shallow during the spring spawning period, a good pair of polarized sunglasses will help you spot cover and fish in clear water.
3. Shallow fish (especially in clear water) tend to spook easily. Rig you boat for “silent running” and don’t make any “loud” noises. Use your electric motor to approach fishing areas and tilt your main engine so the skeg isn’t grinding into the bottom.
4. Keep you presentations simple and subtle and use the lightest pound-test line you can, given the cover conditions. Depending on the species of fish you are hunting, carry a variety of livebait (minnows, leeches, and crawlers) and /or a selection of various sized soft baits (tubes, grubs, and worms).
5. Slow to very slow presentations with precise bait placement are keys to getting bit in spring.

5/12/06 - Primary Spring Patterns for Popular Fish Species

Largemouth Bass—Largemouths typically move into back bays, coves and river backwaters as the water temperature rises into the high 40Fs and low 50Fs. Fish are often spooky and tentative when they first enter the shallows, and gravitate toward any cover available—usually some form of wood cover like fallen trees, logs, standing timber, stumps, old boat docks, etc. Pitch a jig & pig or small jig and tube combo to potential targets, pause, and tease bass into striking. The longer they’re in the shallows, however, the more aggressive bass become. It usually doesn’t take long for them to begin chasing down tandem spinnerbaits on straight retrieves. Once the water rises near 60F, though, largemouths often become quite territorial and will protect nesting sites. Switch back to subtle tactics like a tube and go back into teasing mode, focusing on areas with a soft mud-sand bottom where bass can sweep out nests.

Smallmouth Bass— Prespawn smallmouths tend to be more mainlake-oriented than largemouths and often move atop shallow sand-rock spawning flats adjoining the main basin of the lake. Fish often follow the deep-water contour in as close to shore as possible before committing to finally move up on top of the adjacent flats. Like largemouths, smallmouths can be spooky when they first enter the shallows. Subtle presentations like lightweight jigs and tubes, fished with distinct pauses, often far outproduce faster tactics. Smallmouths, however, can’t resist neutrally buoyant lures like Husky Jerks and X-Raps, and will follow and examine these lures, thereby revealing their presence, even when still reluctant to bite them. If so, switch back to a tube and fancast the area. The longer smallmouths are in the shallows and the more aggressive they become, the more they’ll begin to hammer neutrally buoyant baits and start chasing faster-moving lures like inline spinners, swimming jigs & 4-inch grubs, and small diving crankbaits. Once they begin exhibiting territorial nesting behavior, however, switch back to subtler tactics.

Walleye—Walleyes in all stages of prespawn, spawn and postspawn hang around shallow rock shorelines, the boulder faces of dams and causeways, and rocky river inlets, penetrating the extreme shallows at night and generally hanging out deeper during the day. At night, simply fancast shallow-running Rapalas or Husky Jerks across the adjacent flats. During the day, fish the first dropoff adjacent to the area, typically with a Fuzz-E-Grub jig & minnow combo, or a Lindy Rig baited with a minnow. Once the fish conclude spawning, typically indicated by water temperatures of 50F, the larger females begin shifting toward the first adjacent feeding opportunities, with the smaller males often lingering behind for a short time. If perch are spawning in nearby weedbeds, for example, try pitching small 1/8-ounce jigs tipped with minnows into the nearest 4- to 10-foot-deep emerging weeds and crawling them back through the stalks. If no shallow cover is available nearby, however, expect walleyes to begin moving down the lake, relating to major points or other structures, searching for whatever food is available.

Pike—Pike spawn in marshy shorelines as the ice first begins to break, and are typically done spawning by the time you can reach them. Postspawn pike will hang around shallow bays and coves, however, making periodic shallow movements to warm their bodies until the water temperatures there reach the high 60Fs. In the meantime, focus your efforts in the extreme back ends of bays and coves, particularly on warm, sunny afternoons. When the water is extremely cold, like in the 40Fs, stick with deadbait presentations with smelt, ciscoes or chubs fished in place, on bottom. As the water warms slightly, switch to more active presentations like wobbling spoons, neutrally buoyant minnow imitators like Husky Jerks, inline spinners, and fly fishing with streamers. Pike do a lot of following in early season, so fish slowly and give them time to react.

Muskie—Muskies spawn in the middle of shallow weed bays when the water is in the mid 50Fs, so in the northern states where both species are present in the same waters, they’re usually separate from pike when the fishing season opens. In the southern states, the backs of coves with scrubby emerging weedgrowth are often key locations. Stick to relatively small lures like small spinnerbaits, neutrally buoyant minnow imitators, etc., that can be retrieved slowly and steadily through 4 to 8 feet of water. Avoid fast, irregular retrieves with oversized lures; those are better later in the season. Some anglers like to longline troll subtle wiggling crankbaits, often adding planer boards to expand their coverage and minimize spooking.

Crappie—Crappies penetrate the shallows shortly after ice-out, or as the water begins warming from winter lows in the southern states where ice does not form. In reservoirs, they often suspend near the backs of coves before moving to shoreline brush. Thus you can longline troll small crankbaits 10 to 15 feet deep at first, later switching to jig and bobber tactics once the fish move to the shoreline. In northern natural lakes, spooky crappies behave much like bass, huddling close to wood cover in the backs of bays and channels. Stick to thin balsa bobbers and tiny 1/32-ounce hair or feather jigs, casting them near flooded wood and tempting the fish to leave the safety of the limbs to come out and bite. Add a small crappie minnow if necessary. Reed cover in northern waters is an especially good attractor for big fish as they near spawning in the high 50Fs.

Bluegill—Bluegills behave much like crappies and bass and are often caught in the same shallow areas in spring. Gills tend to be a bit more inquisitive and easy to catch, however. Typically, all you need is a small bobber, split shot, hook and piece of nightcrawler to tempt bites. Focus in and around wood cover and emerging weed, especially around sandy bottoms, and fish 16 to 20 inches deep. Reeds are also excellent as the fish begin spawning in the low to mid 50Fs. Tip for big gills: Unlike little bluegills that inhale nearly anything, big bull gills can be spooky and fussy. If you can’t catch ‘em on a piece of crawler, switch to a small leech. Also, try fishing slightly deeper; bigger gills tend to spawn deeper than smaller ones.

9/15/05

To catch more and bigger fish this fall, try large lures/baits but fish them very slowly.

As the water cools, a few things happen: fish gradually move to deeper water areas, collect in groups and their metabolism slows—in addition, at this time, big fish appear to prefer larger prey. This is the time to hunt for fish by using your electronics (GPS Mps, sonar, and underwater camera) to identify fish holding structures and locate fish. Then simply fish big baits slowly through these spots. Pay attention when using live bait because a struggling minnow will often telegraph the presence of gamefish!

5/10/05

When was the last time that you thoroughly cleaned your spinning and baitcasting reels? Modern fishing reels are fine tuned pieces of fishing equipment that require periodic maintenance to assure top performance. Cleaning can be a bit tricky, so get the manual out, and take your time with the process. Otherwise, take your reels to the local reel repair guy for cleaning and while you’re at it have new line spooled on too. This way your reels will last longer and provide optimum performance.

5/3/05

If you are fishing cold water, dark water, dense cover (weeds or wood), heavily pressured fish, or during a severe cold front then a slow presentation is usually best. Bass are often inactive and tend to be near bottom and buried in cover. Try a 3” Berkley Power Tube on a light jig head, a 4” or 5” Gulp Sinking Minnow, or a Texas rigged Gulp Lizard fished very slowly or with a “dead-stick” technique.