BASS FISHINGBass Fishing Sports Blog

September 02, 2011

COASTWIDE – Stiff winds and small-craft advisories are in effect through tonight, but the ocean is forecast to settle down this weekend. that could make for some very good bottomfishing. the ocean coho season north of Humbug Mountain has been extended through Saturday, Sept. 10, to give anglers another shot at catching wild or hatchery coho at sea.

Bottomfish anglers must stay within the 20-fathom line to steer clear of yelloweye rockfish, which must be released unharmed. Halibut anglers cannot fish for bottomfish while halibut fishing. the marine aggregate limit in Oregon is seven rockfish a day. Cabezon can no longer be kept by boat anglers because the quota has been met. the lingcod limit is two a day with a 22-inch minimum, and that is separate from the marine aggregate.

Tuna have come within 15 miles of some ports. Overall, the past week has been slow for tuna anglers except those running out of Port Orford, where anglers averaged nine tuna per trip.

Beaches from the mouth of the Columbia River down to Cape Meares are closed to mussel harvest, but the rest of the coast is open.

BROOKINGS – Bottomfishing picked up this week. Halibut fishing remains pretty good, but California halibut have yet to show up. Tuna fishing has stalled but it could improve with calmer seas.

CHARLESTON – Coho fishing has picked up and should be good through the week.

GOLD BEACH – Salmon fishing remains good in the bay for trollers of anchovies or cut-plug herring. Expect crowds this weekend. Some coho are starting to show in the catch but coho numbers remain light.

Surfperch fishing remains good outside of the Rogue River jetties and along Nesika Beach when the winds die down during the top of the incoming tide and the first hour of the outgoing tide.

ELK – Fishing for surfperch is waning near the mouth of the Elk River. Catches are best before the winds pick up.

WINCHESTER BAY – Sturgeon fishing is slow. Crabbing has been steady but the overall Dungeness catch has been low in the estuary.

AGATE – Water levels have dropped quickly recently, with the lake now at 54 percent full. Warm water has meant good bass and crappie fishing, with fish scattered around the lake. No gas motors are allowed. Small electric motors are legal.

APPLEGATE – the lake is dropping much faster now that inflows have waned, and the surface level is now 37 feet from full. Trout anglers are still getting fish by trolling worms with flashers or Triple Teasers off points. Smallmouth bass are biting plastic worms and small crankbaits near the dam and off points. the French Gulch and Copper boat ramps are usable. Hart-Tish Park is open. For updates on facilities, call 541-899-9220.

EMIGRANT – the lake has warmed and dropped significantly recently, and the lake is now less than two-thirds full. Trout fishing is slow, but it is best in the cooler waters in the Emigrant Arm. Catch them by casting a worm on a hook with no weights. good water conditions have helped the bass and perch bites lakewide, with perch fishing best in the willows and bass off rocky points and around Songer Wayside.

A standing public-health advisory continues about eating all but trout from the lake because of elevated mercury levels.

HOWARD PRAIRIE – the lake continues to be a smallmouth bass show, and the water temperature remains quite cool. there are still plenty of 15- to 17-inch trout for anglers fishing deep and in the early mornings and late evenings. Trollers continue to out-produce bank anglers. Success along the jetty near the resort has been spotty, as is fishing near Grizzly Campground.

HYATT – Fishing near the dam and around the Orchard has been fair for trout with chartreuse or rainbow PowerBait. Late evening has been best. Largemouth bass fishing is brilliant for those wind-drifting worms or casting and retrieving any red spinner or spoon.

DIAMOND – the lake is sporting 20-foot visibility and fewer mosquitoes since nighttime temperatures dropped below freezing this past week. Trollers and anchored anglers are doing very well for trout up to 25 inches. Trolling F-4 Flatfish or Triple Teasers is very good for trout, while glide-fishers using black or olive leeches are having some very good days in the south end, with mornings and evenings best. Fish mostly in water 18 to 20 feet now. For PowerBaiters, float your bait about 4 feet above the bottom for rainbows feeding on insects and freshwater shellfish on the weeds.

The trout limit is eight, but only one can be longer than 20 inches. one smaller rainbow with an orange tag in its dorsal fin is worth $500 to whomever catches it. Check it in at the resort if you catch it.

EXPO – Fishing remains fair for stocked rainbow trout with Panther Martin lures, PowerBait and worms under bobbers.

LOST CREEK - the lake’s water quality remains very good, and trolling for trout is good near the dam and directly across from the marina. Smallmouth bass fishing is very good in the mornings and evenings for jiggers and those casting rubber worms in the weeds.

FISH – Fishing is good with PowerBait or worms for rainbow trout near the center of the lake. Trollers are also picking up stocked chinook salmon, which are treated legally as trout. they run up to about 11 inches.

LEMOLO – A voluntary advisory against water contact is in place at Lemolo after a blue-green algae bloom there this past week. Trolling for huge brown trout has been good, and glide-fishers using woolly buggers or leeches were finding a mix of rainbows and browns.

WILLOW – Fishing is fair for legal-sized and larger rainbow trout stocked there earlier this year. Troll deep and slow, or fish PowerBait off the bottom.

ROGUE - the upper Rogue is a glide-fishermen’s steelhead zone now that the annual September rule changes have gone into effect. the middle Rogue has been a hot-spot for huge fall chinook downstream from the mouth of the Applegate River, while the lower Rogue bay continues to pump out fall chinook and a few coho amid crowded conditions.

That leaves the best bet a three-way split, with each zone offering its own cornucopia.

In the upper Rogue, it’s flies-only through October from the Hatchery Hole down to the old Gold Ray Dam site. Anglers can use up to three flies and a bubble regardless of what kind of rod or reel is used. But, no added weights or attachments are allowed — even swivels are illegal now.

Also, flows are dropping quickly, with 100 cubic feet per second shaved off each day this week from releases at Lost Creek Lake. the outflow will be down to 1,700 cfs by Thursday, so that will be the best steelhead fishing conditions in the upper Rogue so far this year. Also, water releases are averaging 56 degrees, leaving the steelhead more active.

Now is the time to swing streamers with sink-tip lines in riffles and tail-outs. Bank anglers also can use spinning rods, ugly bugs and prince nymphs. Egg patterns will start working well below spawning salmon, but there hasn’t been a lot of spawning activity yet downstream of Shady Cove. all wild steelhead must be released unharmed.

In the middle Rogue, very good fall chinook salmon fishing is happening downstream from Grants Pass, with Kwikfish wrapped with sardine filets out-working roe (too many pikeminnows get caught with roe). the float from Lathrop’s Landing to Robertson Bridge has been very popular, largely because anglers there can target fish headed up the Applegate River. Lots of 30-plus pounders are in the mix.

In the lower Rogue, anglers are packing the bay, and catches have come in one- or two-hour flurries.

In the bay, anchovies with spinner blades are working best, along with cut-plug herring. Vary your depths and trolling speeds because the fish are at different depths daily.

Very few of the huge, early-run summer steelhead have appeared in the lower Rogue. Halfpounder steelhead are making a strong showing in the regular beach-seining surveys at Huntley Park. these things will bite pretty much any fly, bait or small lure.

APPLEGATE – the river is open to trout fishing. all wild trout, including cutthroat, must be released unharmed. It is illegal to target spawning winter steelhead in the Applegate.

UMPQUA – Summer steelhead catches are slow in the lower North Umpqua, where all wild steelhead must be released unharmed. the South Umpqua is brilliant for smallmouth bass in the Elkton area. South Umpqua flows have been dropping consistently, and that has helped for bass catches on rubber worms and crayfish flies.

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i fish on my dock and i have had luck catching bass in the evening with topwater baits and fake worms. i was wondering if i should change lures and will the bass be more active? thanks

ps. there are lilly pads on each side of my dock but open water in front of it and the water depth is 3 to 5 ft and i live in minnesota

this time of the year, the bass are trying to get fat for winter. most of them are in group feeding on bait fishes out in the open water; to catch those, use a spoon/sinking rapala. most of the bass are still lurking around fish structures like where you have around your dock, lily pads. your top water lures: frogs, poppers, jitterbugs, etc; will still be productive. usually the huge-o bass are still doing the ambush thing, so try using a 1/2-1 oz spinnerbait; single blade or double, doesn't matter.
excellent luck to you!

when im fishing i will start by throwing rubber worms and lures but i try to stick with them but i always fall back to live bait every time i know i will improve my catch ratio if i put a rubber worm or lure on but its like programmed in my brain wut should i do

Don't stick with only 1 type & color worm,
Keep trying different styles & color worms, till you find something that works on that particular day & location

Don't take any live bait along.

Never fished before in the fall. always just quit around mid august. but this year gonna try it out. what are some excellent techniques and lures? depths of water? ect.

Fall can be hard because bass are in a transition period from deep summer haunts back into the shallows to feed up for winter. if its still warm in your area start with your drop offs and deepest part of points with crank baits and soft plastics or jigs. if you have already started cooling down as it has in the mountains of NC go shallow. I use a shallow square billed crank bait or Rat-L-Trap as a search bait. I will also go with a Zoom Trick worm Texas rigged in shallow water but Carolina rigged for those points and a jig works well in the shallows. also in the fall you may find schools of bass chasing bait fish and that would also be a excellent use for the Rat-L-Trap. I like Fall fishing but it can be a bummer if the fish are back in forth during this transition and you have to chase them. I have some swim baits I have been saving for the shallow fall bite and I am going to wake them right under the surface. I went this morning and caught 2 bass shallow on a shaky head worm in about 3 feet of water.

In the Fall, the general forage a Bass consumes is at it's "largest".

For this reason, larger Soft Plastic's, Cranks & Rattle Traps, and 1/2-3/4 OZ Spinnerbait's are a must.

If your in a region with snakes, toads & salamander's now is a perfect time to use larger SP imitation's.

Here are my preferred lures for Fall:

1. 1/2-3/4 OZ Rattle Trap type lures- when the water temp, (and Sun exposure), starts to drop/wane Bass start eating more to store up calories for Winter. Most "bait-fish forage" at this time is AT LEAST 6-8" long all over the country. when you reckon of a Bass in the Fall, reckon "Bear".

What does a Bear do in the Fall?

Eat like a moose until they gorge themselves!

And what is Mr. Bass's favorite food source? Bait-fish!

So any larger Crank or Rattle Trap is a excellent "quick" lure to find HUGE, active, Bass. in fact, Cranks ,in general, are excellent "Scouting lures" to find active fish…..

2. larger Soft Plastic's- 10" Worms, 8" Lizards and 6-8" Swim Bait's- a 10" worm looks like a small snake or HUGE leech; the huge lizard looks like a big Salamander & the action of a SP Swim Bait drives them nut's…….nuf said!

3. Spinnerbait's- Spinnerbait's are another baitfish imitation. make sure to try a variety of blades to see which one works best- (Double Willow-leaf blades most resemble a baitfish school…..hint hint).

Of course there are many other excellent lures………but I'd try these first.

Where will you generally FIND these hungry Bass?

Look for main lake point's and deepwater weedbeds.

Hope this helps ITZ? Excellent luck!

If you have never gone fishing in the fall then you have been missing out! Fall (i reckon) is the best time to go fishing other than spring. in the fall (especially around mid-september) the bass will start gorging themselves for the coming winter. So pretty much anything goes really. if you know what the fish are eating then throw a lure that imitates that. here a my home lake the large mouths feed heavily on the small shad, so i use small-medium sized shad colored crank baits. I usually see hoards of shad along the banks and weeds, so that's where i fish, sometimes the action is non-stop! when i fish the river for small mouths, anything will work. Yesterday me, my girl friend, and my sisters boyfriend went fishing at the river. I used a jig, she used a pins minnow (baby bass colored), and he used a heddon torpedo, all three of us were catching fish left and right. Small mouths tend to be very aggressive to. Tubes, hellgrammites, medium sized crank baits (shad colored), and jigs seem to work quite well during the fall. but like i said, anything goes during the fall, the fish feed heavily and aggressively to fatten up for the winter. So anything in your tackle box might do the trick, Excellent luck!

Fantastic advice by Fisher_King. Bass are greedy this time of year and will bite often and bite big bait. I was using large spinnerbaits the other day, retrieved just below the surface, and couldn't keep 10 inchers off my line, which was fantastic because I was just trying to get some kids their first bass. this was a large spinnerbait, but they didn't care, they went for it anyway. Excellent luck out there.

The HUGE spinner baits are KILLER for big bass in fall. Fish around submerged trees, stumps, branches, etc. with a big 1/2 OZ spinner bait. they will NAIL these things.

Outdoors. Workshop on using GPS, $20 per person, reservations required, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Bass Pro Shops, 7970 Northfield Blvd., 303-464-0606 or pellis1234@msn.com.

Hunting. Clinic on basics of shotgunning, 6 p.m. Bass Pro Shops, 7970 Northfield Blvd., 720-284-4799.

Hunting. Clinic on bird dog training, by C.J. Kausel, 6-8 p.m. Bass Pro Shops, 7970 Northfield Blvd., 303- 699-7199.

Hunting. Fall Hunting Classic, featuring Wayne Carlton, Steve Criner and Cameron Hanes, 6-9 p.m. Bass Pro Shops, 7970 Northfield Blvd., 720-385-3600.

Glide-fishing. “Getting Started in Glide-Fishing,” free class every Saturday in August, 10 a.m.-noon. Blue Quill Angler, 1532 Bergen Parkway, Evergreen, bluequillangler.com or 303-674-4700.

• Discount Fishing Tackle hosts a free beginners glide-fishing class every Saturday in August, 10 a.m. 2645 S. Santa Fe Drive, 303-698-2550.

• Workshop on introduction to glide-fishing, 9:30 a.m.-noon and 1:30-3:30 p.m. Bass Pro Shops, 7970 Northfield Blvd., 720-385-3600.

Hunting. Fall Hunting Classic, featuring Dieter Kaboth, Trevon Stoltzfus, Marc Smith, mark Campagnola, Jim Gilmore, Bob Hix and Jace Bauserman, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Bass Pro Shops, 7970 Northfield Blvd., 720-385-3600.

Glide-tying. Workshop for beginners with Alan Reyes, 6:30 p.m. Bass Pro Shops, 7970 Northfield Blvd., 720-385-3600.

Spring? Fall? looking for a excellent baitcasting reel on sale

Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's both are always having sales. whether it's fishing tackle, home decor, boats, whatever.

Look in the recent catalogs of BPS and Cab's. they have some stuff that's marked as a "sale item".

They remind me so much of Guitar Center stores… GC is ALWAYS having some kind of sale…

Usually they have a huge sale on all major holidays. The secret though is to get on their e-mailing list where they send you the coupons and notifications.

I always notice that Bass Pro has excellent sales right at the end of winter going into the spring to kind of go along with the spawning times.

I would have to say spring, But you may find one just before xmas.

Besides the spawning season of salmon or trout, I was wondering when more warm-water fishes like bass, catfish, sunfsh, carp, etc. start slowing down in their feeding. Is it in the fall season as the temperature lowers? Also, where do these fish species go when the water temperature cools?

I have always enjoyed fishing with spinner baits and know from past experiences that they work well. but I find that the big ones a finicky and won't hit them. That's why I need some different thoughts to make the big ones bite.

Spinner baits are fun to fish and a lot of anglers have plenty of action on them right off the shelf but there are endless changes that can be made in order to make them more effective. Don't assume you have reached your full spinner bait potential. A little research will help you take your spinner bait tactics to the next level.

As for an alternative, I like to throw a big worm. Texas rig a 10 inch worm on a 5/0 hook with the lightest weight conditions will allow and pick that cover apart. I like a Culprit style but will throw a variety of styles including large creature baits and of course jigs when the time is right.

If you like to turn and burn and don't have the patience for that type of fishing, try a lipless crank bait in place of the spinner bait. Tight Lines.

Use a Rattle trap for a search bait then once youve located fish throw a Chigger craw with a light wieght(Dont peg it) If your fishing Heavy weeds throw a crazy leg chigger craw with a paycheck baits punch skirt and a 3/8 tungsten bullet wieght. In the Fall the bass are very aggresive they goarge themselves on shad before winter so crankbaits and small paddletails are also a very excellent choice.

Bass fishing in the fall is about slow/steady retrieves and larger baits. the spinnerbait shines here, as you know. Jig/pig combos, skirted jigs, worms/creature baits all have their place as slow lures on the bottom. I also like soft jerk-baits like the Bass Assassin or Slug-O…fish these slow with light twitches and long pauses. Larger crankbaits can work too, but keep the retrieve slow and steady. Fall is a fantastic time to hit numbers of fish, but even more, it's one of the best time to get some really large bass. Excellent luck!

every fall a certain portion of the minnow popluation dies off as the water gets colder and less oxygenated. this is a fantastic time to fish a spinnerbait on the bottom. slow, small movements on the bottom looks like one of those dying shad and bass like an simple meal. especially the big ones.

Try a gulp worm on a jig spinner.

I'm taking some kids fishing on a northern lake and we will be going after smallmouth bass. I fish smallies on the rivers often, but never on lakes. Sounds like a clear lake, deepest is 40 feet.

Do I stick with grubs, crankbait the banks and submerged rocks, etc?

I would be looking for topwater lures(tiny torpedo's) over the same terrain you would be fishing for river smallmouth……….

Use crawlers and a Lindy rig, or just a small lead weight so it doesn't snag in/on the rocks. good luck! Smallies are my favorite fish to catch.

smallies in the fall like a live minnow on a bobber which is a hell of a lot simpler to use with kids than having them all throwing baits every cast. Get slip bobbers with that little plastic stopper that can pass through the eyes of the rod so you can set the depth of the bobber easily.

Just find a drop off and float the minnows a foot or two above the bottom near the deep water edge of the drop off. if that doesn't work, go in closer to the shoreline and rock points and other classic spots for smallies.

Crankbaits work best…..use the banks, staubs sticking up, nice shallows.

assuming the Lake HAS smallies, I'd look for stream or river inlets where the water is more oxygenated and cooler, additionally the spots where the fish will be will change with the time of day.

Closer to the shore in the early mornings and evenings deeper during the mid day.

Oxygen requirements of smallmouth bass are higher than Largemouth so they go with the day cycle in shallow water lakes.

Try a top water lure. Buzz bait or a hula popper.

I would go with shiners at or near a dropoff. The bass will be going back and forth between the deeper water to the more shallow water in search of food around this time of year.

Are you talking about up-state new York (Saranac Lake, Malone, etc.)? I used to fish that area quite a bit for Smallies, as well as Southern Quebec. I now fish mainly in Southeastern Ontario, so not far as the crow flies from Northeastern and North-central NY. Basically the same conditions as far as weather is concerned. from here on to ice-up the Smallies are fattening up for the winter. They'll be close to shore eating minnows and crayfish. Rocky shorelines with steep drop-offs are always best. The water doesn't have to be very deep, just as long as the drop-off isn't gradual. you can always use live bait like worms or minnows, but for catch and release you're better off with something that they won't be able to swallow too deep.
So, at this time of year I'd go with red Rapalas – the 3-1/2" (J09) floating jointed and 2-3/4" (CD07) or 2" (CD05) countdown (sinking). Jigs with grubs, Wave's 5" Tiki Bamboo Stick (chartreuse), tube jigs, Mepps spinners, spinner baits, and surface poppers for the cool evenings.
One lure I've had tremendous success with for Smallmouth is the Muddler Minnow. I troll it very slowly, using a spinning rod, and tied directly to 6lb. mono line. no sinker, and absolutely no swivel or snap. if you have an electric motor set the speed so that you're barely moving and let out about 50 to 75 ft of line. some people will tie a Muddler to a Rapala or to a spinner on a small line and use it as a stinger for fish that are small-striking from behind. if you can, get one with a bit of red like the one shown at yagersflies.com/comumi.html.

By the way – the water temp here on Sunday was 67F in a shallow lake (less than 20 ft) and the forecast for tonight in the Watertown NY area is for the low 30F range (risk of frost) in some of the inland valleys. The water temps are dropping quick. Nearly at the rate of about 1F per day.

try some tubes on jig heads ot texas rigged if there are weeds.
spinner baits worked over shallow areas will also produce many. even try a minnow under a bobber if the kids arent old enough to throw those lures around. use grubs also worked pretty slow. im usually a river fisherman but i would try some heavy spinners trolled or retrieved very deep.
jerkbaits suck as the Rapala x-rap or husky jerk also work very well (also try regular rapala floating minnow in silver color pattern). u can crankbait the bass if you know specifically where they are hidin. i usually have a hard time locating bass on lakes without a fishfinder
try worm stickbaits (Gulp! sinking minnows, or senko worms) they usually produce on lakes such as Erie. also try goby shaped and colored lures if there are any in the lake. smallmouth like this type of minnow.
heres a picture
www3.sympatico.ca/ianjames/images…

a really good site i use
smallmouths.com/

Excellent Luck and tight lines!!!!

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Ardmore angler Jeff Kriet didn’t qualify for the B.A.S.S. $100,000 post-season tournaments in Alabama later this month, but the fans may send him on the fishing trip.

B.A.S.S. changed its format this year, and, instead of qualifying its top 12 anglers this season into the post-season tournaments, the final four spots are being chose by fan voting.

As of Thursday, Kriet was leading the fan-balloting in Region 2 to earn a spot in the 12-angler field. Fans can vote through today (July 10) at Vote.Bassmaster.com.

The All-Star week of bass fishing begins July 23-24 at Alabama’s Lake Jordan then moves to the Alabama River for the July 29-31 finale.

The four winners of the fan voting will be announced July 13.

Oklahoma already has one representative in the field. Talala’s Edwin Evers finished second in the 2011 Angler of the Year race.

It was the second straight year Evers has finished second in the point standings to Michigan angler and four-time Bassmaster Classic champion Kevin VanDam.

Evers, Kriet and Bixby pro angler Fred Roumbanis are the only Oklahoma pros who have qualified for next year’s Bassmaster Classic.

A NEW PLACE TO HUNT

Oklahoma sportsmen will have another option for public hunting this fall.

On Tuesday, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission passed emergency rules for the Cross Timbers Wildlife Management Area in love County in southern Oklahoma.

The new WMA will have signs and fences marking the boundaries by Sept. 1. it will be open during most hunting seasons except the deer muzzleloader and gun seasons.

Deer gun hunts and muzzleloader deer hunts on Cross Timbers will be available next year by random drawing through the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s controlled hunts program.

Small game hunting will not be allowed on Cross Timbers beginning on the opening day of deer archery season through the first nine days of deer gun season.

A map of the new WMA will be posted soon on the Wildlife Department’s website, wildlifedepartment.com. A map can be obtained by emailing .ok.us.

Cross Timbers is almost 8,000 acres, with 6,100 acres owned by the Wildlife Department. the remaining portion is leased to the department.

A portion of all hunting and fishing licenses sold in Oklahoma are earmarked for land acquisition.

The money goes to a Wildlife Department fund used to buy land to make more public hunting and fishing opportunities.

Most of the hunting opportunities on Cross Timbers will be for deer, turkey, feral hogs and small game.

ADDED DOVE HUNTING DAYS

The 2011 dove season will be Sept. 1 through Oct. 31 as usual, but the entire state will get nine more days of dove hunting from Dec. 24 to Jan. 1.

The December dove hunts had only been legal in parts of southwest Oklahoma, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allowed for more hunting days this season so the entire state will get a chance at holiday dove hunting this season.

TEAL, RESIDENT GOOSE SEASON DATES SET

The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission established the early hunting season dates for teal and resident geese at its monthly meeting Tuesday.

The early teal season will be Sept. 10-25 statewide with a daily bag limit of four. the special Canada goose season will be Sept. 10-19 with a daily bag limit of eight.

TED TURNER GETS OKLAHOMA AWARD

Media mogul Ted Turner, who owns the Bluestem Ranch in Osage County, has been named the Landowner of the Year by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Bluestem Ranch is 43,000 acres of cross timbers and tall grass prairie. the ranch primarily raises bison.

The Wildlife Department gives the annual award to private landowners who adopt nontraditional farming or ranching practices that benefit wildlife.

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