Craig was back again this weekend for one last trip and this time he brought Derek along as well. The last time they were here Derek had a wet, cold initiation to the world of fall bass fishing. This time, it would be different! We started the first of the two days in sunshine, no wind and warm air, unlike the last visit where it was blowing, raining & cold. This was going to be a treat, or so we thought! Within the first 15 minutes there was only one bite on Craig’s line and he managed to land a small Muskie around 37 inches. I had noticed the lack of flow from the current and didn’t like it at all. I don’t think the bass liked it either as they weren’t very active. We practically had to dead stick the baits in order to get bit. I barely had to step on the pedal of the electric motor either. It was like being anchored! We even went to senko’s for a while to see if this would help and came up empty. All we could do was just pick at them and fish slowly on the bottom. The bass would find the baits and if we were alert, we’d hook up. This went on all day with no real flurry until the last hour of light. In a short time they both hooked up pretty regularly and this definitely bumped the numbers. With the low light coming in early, we decided to call it around 4 o’clock. Although it was a tough day, there were still plenty of fish caught, just not what I have grown accustomed to seeing in the fall. Another body of water tomorrow and hopefully more action showing us what bass do best, feed! Tough day overall!!

I hit the water this morning with Darren in very similar conditions to yesterday’s outing. Winds were once again blowing from the NE and right around the 20 knot mark! Temps were also low and in the mid 30’s with the water falling to 43.5 when we dropped the lines in and started fishing. Although the skies were brilliant blue with sunshine all around, it still felt cold! Another tough day for dragging in the current was in our future and I just hoped the casting bite would be like yesterday afternoon. The first few fish to come aboard were all in the 4 pound range but not plentiful. I guess with the water temps dropping each night, they have to adjust as well. The mid day period has always been best once the sun has gotten higher and today would be no exception. A bunch of fish were caught during the morning hours but it was the afternoon that would shine once again. One area in particular had Darren hooking up on each and every cast for a while. It was like fishing in a hatchery when he got started and smallies up to 4 pounds were fighting for his jig! Too bad all good things must come to an end and this held true with the area. Eventually he either caught all the fish or the rest of them just shut down and moved, as it died. I relocated to another place that also had quality bass and although it was tougher than expected, the bites were big. We practically had to dead stick the jigs at times in order to get bit. They really weren’t active and it showed. I was marking them on the sonar and there were many! I think if we were using live minnows we might have gotten into more of them but Darren still caught plenty. As with yesterday, we called it quits around 4:00 and made our way back to the boat ramp. Another day of peak periods of action with just picking at them for the remainder was what the results showed today. It was productive but the NE winds limited the numbers that could have been by restricting certain areas of fishable water. Hopefully the winds will eventually lay down and I will have the best of both worlds by drifting and casting wherever I see fit. Better days ahead, I hope!!

I was back out again today with Sam & his brother Haissan and W even joined them as well. We began shortly after 9:00 in a terrible 20 knot wind from the NE and definitely felt it in the fishing. It was tough to detect the bottom let alone a bite and everyone was getting snagged in the process, even more than usual. Water temps were around 45 degrees with all the cold nights and the air temps were in the low 30’s. Fortunately it was bright sunshine all day but unfortunately the wind chill made it feel like it was well below zero. I believe it was W that hooked up first and started the ball rolling with a chunky 3 pounder as we dragged jigs along a breakline. Sam & his bro were also hooking up but having a hard time landing the fish, as they kept coming off before the boat. At this time of year you really need to give them a bit more time before reacting and a 2 to 3 second pause on the hookset always seems best. It didn’t take long before this all changed though and everyone was into bass up to 4 pounds. Several double headers were also had as multiple fish are not uncommon when you’re on schooling bass! I had informed them that the morning bite would be a little slow but ensured them the afternoon would more than make up for it. Sometime after one o’clock, they went active and it was just insane! Haissan had the hot hand as it didn’t seem to matter where he casted, the rod was always bent. From two pounds all the way to over four, he just pounded them! It was his brother Sam that managed the biggest ones though and boated two solid fish over 5 pounds. One of them was in the high five range and just bloated! I hadn’t planned on holding as long as I did in this area but the Golden Rule has always been “Never Leave Fish Biting”! We hung in till the end just moving around slightly and always seemed to relocate on top of more active fish. By 4:00 I decided to call it quits and it was unanimous. They had all caught their share of bass and many huge ones too! This was surely the end of a perfect day despite the winds that we were faced with. They had managed to endure the cold N winds and somehow it didn’t seem so bad when they were fighting the smallies. We headed back in a beautiful sunset signifying the perfect end to a perfect day!!

Scott & Tom joined me today for their annual fall fishing trip, in anticipation of a repeat of last year’s success. We hooked up shortly after 8:30 and were on the water looking for giant smallies soon after. The weather was an overcast one with winds out of the NE at 10 to 20 knots making the drift & drag almost impossible. Temps were in the mid 30’s to start and I don’t think they even made it to 40 by the end. The only good thing was that we weren’t getting rained on! Water temps remained low at about 48 degrees and never really changed throughout the day. Although we tried spinnerbaits, they just weren’t active without the aid of sunshine and had to focus on the jigs petty much all day long. Fishing was tough but the rewards were good when they bit, as most of the fish were at least 3.5 pounds with many over four as well. I think Scott had a couple that surpassed the 5 pound mark but nothing like last year’s 6.5 behemoth. Both Tom & Scott caught their fair share of fish in a variety of depths but the 15 to 25 range proved to be the best and we decided to stay focused there. Tom even managed a good walleye over 3 pounds that ended up going home with them for the following night’s dinner! We all thought that we might get a break in the weather with sunshine seen in the distance but it never seemed to arrive where we were. By 4:00 we were getting a drizzle instead and decided to call it a day. Foul weather always seems to plague them in the late fall and this year was no exception. Fortunately, they always seem to have good fishing though and that’s all that matters!!

Hugues & Gilbert were joining me today on a local body of water looking for some smallmouth bass action. We met up around eight and were on the water not long after. Overcast skies were going to be with us and I don’t think we saw the sun all day. Temps were in the low 40’s with winds blowing west at 5 to 10 knots as a light rain fell. We arrived on the first location and they started casting jigs hoping for a quick bite. After many unsuccessful attempts at finding a fish I needed to cast & see if they were actually there. The first cast yielded a chunky 3 pounder and a confirmation as well. On the third cast I nailed another about the same size and I was sure they were stacked! I think that Hugues & Gilbert were having a hard time feeling the bottom and not staying in the strike zone. Once they slowed down & started snagging up, they also began hooking up as well. From the moment the first fish came aboard they knew what to look for and fish were coming in on a regular basis. We mixed it up between casting and drifting but they were more successful at the drift & drag. Unfortunately, they were also more successful at snagging up as well and spent plenty of time in the rocks. At this time of the year you need to be right in the fish’s face and getting hung up is all part of the game! We covered plenty of water looking for numbers of bass and found a few areas that were holding them pretty good. By drifting along the current breaks we were able to monopolize on the volume of fish and there were a few double headers when we got into the zone. Later in the afternoon we slowed down in an area that had been producing and casted to a small break. I think the guys pulled a half dozen nice fish from the spot with the largest going over 4 pounds. Gilbert took away the big fish of the day from Hugues earlier 4 pounder and now had the bragging rights. The day ended with both of them really close but Hugues managed a couple more than Gilbert and he had the numbers. Overall, it was a pleasant day despite the off & on rain and wind shifts to the north and they caught a load of fish. What a great way to end the year for those two as I’m sure they will remember this day for at least 6 months until they’re back out in the spring for trout & salmon. Gotta love the fall bite!!