Phil Schuman at Tackle Haven in Benton Harbor said some lake trout jigging off the river side of the piers at St. Joseph; steelhead picking up, especially with spawn, in the river. This morning I headed back out there and was blessed with another great outing. Only 6 fish this time but one was the biggest walleye I’ve caught from the river, mid-twenties I would guess.
Grasshoppers are a natural part of the diet of many fish, so it catches lots of different species. The other thing crickets do for me in the fall is to tell me where to look for turkeys. Find a setting that has a lot of crickets and you have probably found your next good turkey hunting spot. You can make a very effective cricket trap by taking a posthole digger and creating a hole about 12-inches deep. Make sure the side walls are smooth and then toss in a lettuce leaf in the bottom of the hole.
A small plastic worm on a drop-shot rig is good to use 25 to 35 feet deep along gravel points or above tree tops at bluff ends. Angler Mike McBride said the best fishing is for black bass. Use top-water lures early and plastic worms or spinner baits later in the day. Crappie fishing is slow, but the bite should improve with cooler water and increased flow into the lake. Crappie are moving into brush in and around the main lake channel. Try for walleye by trolling crank baits or a jig-minnow combination.
Fish know winter is coming and they try to pack on extra weight in anticipation of what could be a lean time of year when the surface of their world is frozen over. This bait is subtle, effective, and can trigger strikes from wary fish.
For catfish, I rig the grasshopper in the same fashion, but I don’t use a casting bubble. I put a couple pieces of split shot about 12 inches above the hook. Cast this out in a spot you know holds trout and hang on. A wiggling grasshopper on the surface is very attractive to hungry trout. It won’t take long to hook up with a fish using this technique.
Focusing on bridges, rocky areas & structure, found about 25 over the past few days. No giants, but a lot of really solid, healthy fish on the fall feed. Biggest one attached, guessing it was maybe 17 inches or so but FAT.
Don’t be fooled, this small bait can catch some tanks. Larger presentations have a tendency to spook big fish, dragging this small worm slowly on the bottom is a sure way to get bit. My preferred method of rigging is with a shaky head to get my bait down fast and add a little extra movement. As far as colors go green pumpkin is my go-to for clear water and black grape is an overlooked but extremely effective color for deeper and darker water. At Lake Eucha, fish for black bass with Alabama rigs, crank baits, plastic worms or spinner baits along points and riprap.
Spawn working good as well as Wax Worms and different jigs. Hitting crankbaits and spoons as well as some baits like Spawn, larger minnows, shrimp and crawlers. Bluegill are currently the hottest bite going on ice jigs worked under a slip float tipped with wax worms. The wind blown weed edges adjacent to deeper water is where they are stacked up. Pay attention the the wind directions and bring plenty of bait.
For black bass, try top-water lures at sunrise or sunset in the backs of coves. Robbie Towner at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said bluegill are biting crickets or worms on the smaller Bella Vista lakes. Black bass are biting plastic worms or jig and pigs in shallow water, but fishing is tough. Nick Gann at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said black bass are biting jig and pigs or plastic worms. Bluegill are biting crickets or worms on the smaller Bella Vista lakes. Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs recommends fishing for black bass with any type of soft plastic lure such as plastic worms or Ned rigs.
A good angler should have a wide variety of lures to choose from depending on the conditions to consistently catch fish. As a general rule of thumb, moving baits like swimbaits and crankbaits work well on windy days, whereas finesse-style baits are suited for more clear water shallow applications. The most important question to ask about the best bass lures is whether or not they catch fish consistently.
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