Well folks, we have a two week span report this week since I was amidst my best friend’s wedding last week! The JigHeads have been out fishing and we have all the details to get you on the that last end of summer bite before the real fall weather sets in.
Jerry was able to get back out on the water last weekend once for a few hours.with his wife Karen where they fished a smaller hill town lake with a temperature of 75 degrees . They caught largemouth bass in weed patches anywhere from three to twelve feet of water. Jerry reported the fish were feeding throughout the morning, landing 32 with the majority on neko rigged stick baits in natural colors green pumpkin and black and blue. Most of the bass were around twelve inches but we did have nine over fifteen inches. It was a great morning of fishing together so get out on the water with friends and family.
Nelson got out the water up in Maine last week for the last stop of the Elite Kayak Fishing tournament trail where Event #5 was held on Messalonskee Lake and Great Pond. He said having never fished Great Pond, he checked his history on Messalonskee Lake first for pre fishing day. I caught fish at most of the spots that I checked and although they were mostly small at least I had found some fish. They were mostly deep in 15 to 35 feet and I can only get them on a drop shot. I then headed over to Great Pond to see if I could find anything better. Although I did find some fish, I didn’t find anything that I felt good about.
Nelson decided that he would fish Messalonskee Lake for the tournament. On top of that he also decided to fish an area that he had had never even checked only because it looked like what he called my kind of fishing. Lots of weeds, lily pads, and lay downs. But after about 4 hours and only having 2 small fish, he decided to make his way back to the ramp and go to a completely different area of the lake and fish his history. At this point in the tournament I was sitting around 45th place. I needed to do something different. I lost some fishing time but I had a feeling that I would find some fish in that area. As Nelson made his way to one of his way points about 3/4 of a mile down the lake, he came across a school of smallmouth bass on the surface. HIs first cast yielded a 15 1/2 inch smallmouth followed by 2 17 inch+ smallmouth. He said he stayed in that area and within 15 minutes, he had his limit and culled both of my smaller bass. Although the action was fast and furious, unfortunately it didn’t last. The school of bass was chasing bait, and they quickly moved out of that area, and he said he couldn’t find them again. Nelson did catch a few more smaller bass but nothing that would help his position.
Forward Facing Sonar would’ve been a great tool to have in that situation but I was doing it the old fashioned way. All of my final bag came on a drop shot in 23 feet of water.
I ended the tournament in 21st place out of 64 anglers. I was hoping for a better finish but I’ll take it. The best part is this finish kept me in the top 10 for Angler of the Year which gets me a free entry to the 2 day Championship on Lake George in NY on Oct. 14-15. Get out there while the fishing is great.Be safe!!
Last week Shawn the Fisherman had an extended weekend at a larger lake in central Maine where the weather was all over the place with storms rolling through, and the breaking heatwave left the water temps near 80 degrees. He said that particular lake holds both largemouth and smallmouth, and with the water higher and more strained than usual, an aggressive shallow bite was lined up. The bass didn’t disappoint.
Shawn said that they connected on more than two dozen bass over 2 days on every manner of shallow bait you could think of – in dark colors. Frogs, ploppers, dropshot, stick worms, everything. It was a fantastic and explosive weekend of fishing!If the Maine bite was any indication, fish are or may start feeding up for the winter soon. Simply time to have a line in the water and let the fish do their thing. Be wary of the weather, though. Between pop up t-storms and the upcoming hurricane Lee, please prioritize safety when outdoors!
This week, Shawn got out three times to a couple different lakes up da’ ‘shires in pursuit of a few species for this month’s Jigs & Bigs Scavenger Hunt. The first lake he visited twice, looking for perch, crappie, any trout species, and some pickerel or bass to add to his ANY 5 bag. He said that both days were slogs, only getting bites deep in 15 to 25 feet of water on a dropshot. Shea said that it seemed like every species he needed was in the depths; he was able to land a couple yellow perch, some brown and rainbow trout, smaller largemouth bass, a dozen bluegills, and a handful of massive pickerel. I’d say, mission accomplished!
Shawn said on the second lake, the bite proved to be even slower, but he did manage to nab a white perch and a good-size northern pike by dropshotting and running a bladed jig near deeper weed edges. Shawn said that both these lakes had significant recreational traffic, and were under bluebird skies when he was on them, which explains the deeper bite. This summery pattern won’t last forever, so keep depth and finesse in mind if you’re fishing similar conditions!
Stay safe out there folks, and tight lines!
Wild Woman 