Louie Stout

Last Chance Largemouths

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:24 -0400

It's time somebody set the record straight
regarding fall bass fishing in the North,
where misconceptions run deeper than a
Minnesota snowdrift in January.

Indeed, autumn arrives much earlier in
the northern-tier states. It brings with
it crisp nights, blustery days and plummeting
water temperatures. Those fabulous feeding
frenzies triggered by cooler waters end
abruptly when lake temperatures flip-flop
and the bass seemingly disappear.

For many anglers, the onset of cooler
weather is a signal to put away their
boats and go hunting or become couch potatoes
until spring rolls around. Too bad, because
they're missing out on some of the year's
best fishing.

Just ask Steve Clapper of Lima, Ohio,
who combines duck hunting with bass fishing.
Or talk to Greg Mangus of Fremont, Ind.,
who fishes year-round, or pro anglers
Kevin VanDam of Michigan and Michael Iaconelli
of New Jersey, who agree that late fall
ranks right up there with early spring
as a big-bass season.

"One
of the biggest myths in bass fishing is
that the fish go deep and dormant when
the water temperature plunges below 50
degrees," says Mangus. "As far as I'm
concerned, that's when the fishing for
quality Northern bass gets good."

Clapper proves that point every November
on Lake St. Clair near Detroit. About
the time Canadian mallards begin to show
up, largemouth bass are schooling in the
man-made cuts and channels off the many
rivers that feed the lake.

"We
shoot ducks in the morning and catch bass
in the afternoon," he says. "We catch
them right against the cattails -- even
in blinding snowstorms -- and 100-fish
days aren't out of the question. People
will think I'm crazy, but it's true."

Misconceptions about late-season largemouths
aren't without substance. Because most
of today's how-to bass literature is based
on fishing experiences in the South, where
bass are highly sensitive to cold-weather
conditions, it's natural for Northern
anglers to draw similar assumptions. But
the truth is, Northern largemouths are
more resilient to winter-like weather.

"No
doubt about it," says Iaconelli, who probes
Northeastern lakes when he's not touring
the Southern bass circuits. "One thing
I've noticed since turning pro is how
Northern bass are more active during cold-weather
conditions than bass are in the South."

It's true that shallow bass activity slows
down following the fabulous fall feeding
frenzy. But the fish don't go far, regrouping
on nearby structure and still making brief
forays onto the flats. And while vertically
fished lures can outproduce the fast-movers
at times, popular summertime lures such
as crankbaits and spinnerbaits may bring
in the biggest fish of the day.

Fishing buddy Mike Cottingham and I discovered
that a decade ago while fishing a small
southern Michigan lake under slate-colored
November skies. Northern winds sliced
through our winter clothes and sleet peppered
our faces. We'd caught a few bass on jigs
tipped with pork frogs, but we'd gone
an hour without a bite.

"Don't
laugh at what I'm about to do," I said
while tying a Rat-L-Trap lipless crankbait
to my line. "Maybe the fish have moved
up and I can make them bite."

My first cast onto the shallow flat produced
a nice largemouth, and then another, and
then a five-pounder. The fish were so
shallow I had to hold the rod high and
crank the reel handle quickly to prevent
the lure from snagging scattered grass
on the bottom.

So much for the theory that bass don't
go shallow or won't chase baits in early
winter.

Follow Fall Movement

Fall feeding binges begin when water temperatures
tumble and bass move shallower. By October,
bass in most Northern states are in varying
stages of the fall migration toward the
banks.

October water temperatures can range from
the low 60s to low 50s, a period when
bass scatter on big flats between the
shoreline and the first major drop-off.
On natural lakes, they're relating to
the weeds, even though much of the heavy
vegetation has begun to die off.

"Fish
know winter is on its way and are feeding
for longer periods," says VanDam, a three-time
B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year. "Cooling
water draws forage shallow, and since
the cover is dwindling, minnows and crayfish
have fewer places to hide. Bass are there
for the easy pickings."

A few fish still can be found in marshy
areas, such as around lily pads and cattails,
especially those adjacent to drop-offs.
However, the majority of the bass will
relate to the shallow side of weeds growing
nearest the drop- off as temperatures
fall. "The most aggressive bites occur
during the middle of the day on sunny
days, or during the low-pressure systems
that occur just as a front is approaching,"
explains VanDam. "Believe it or not, that's
when you can experience some incredible
buzzbait and spinnerbait fishing over
those weeds."

Follow Fall Movement

Fall feeding binges begin when water temperatures
tumble and bass move shallower. By October,
bass in most Northern states are in varying
stages of the fall migration toward the
banks.

October water temperatures can range from
the low 60s to low 50s, a period when
bass scatter on big flats between the
shoreline and the first major drop-off.
On natural lakes, they're relating to
the weeds, even though much of the heavy
vegetation has begun to die off.

"Fish
know winter is on its way and are feeding
for longer periods," says VanDam, a three-time
B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year. "Cooling
water draws forage shallow, and since
the cover is dwindling, minnows and crayfish
have fewer places to hide. Bass are there
for the easy pickings."

A few fish still can be found in marshy
areas, such as around lily pads and cattails,
especially those adjacent to drop-offs.
However, the majority of the bass will
relate to the shallow side of weeds growing
nearest the drop- off as temperatures
fall. "The most aggressive bites occur
during the middle of the day on sunny
days, or during the low-pressure systems
that occur just as a front is approaching,"
explains VanDam. "Believe it or not, that's
when you can experience some incredible
buzzbait and spinnerbait fishing over
those weeds."

Skamania!

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:24 -0400

With all due respect to acrobatic smallmouths and bulldogging king salmon, no other fish swimming Lake Michigan or its feeder streams fights with more fury than a steelhead. Consider my first encounter with steelhead on a northern Indiana creek 15 years ago.
The moment I set the hook, the fish shot heedlessly across the stream with such power it literally beached itself three feet onto the bank. Undaunted, the eight-pounder rolled back into the water, streaked to the other side and
went airborne into a fallen tree lying in the creek just offshore.

Before I could mutter a few choice words, the steelhead jumped out of the gnarly brush the same way it
entered and did so without tangling the line on a single branch! If that weren't enough, the silver bullet raced toward me and zipped between my legs where I stood in knee-deep water. To this day, I don't know how I landed that fish.
It's those kinds of bizarre experiences that steelhead anglers have come to expect during fall runs up Lake Michigan
tributaries, especially where the animated Skamania strain has been planted.
"I've had steelhead jump five feet out of the water and land in trees on the bank or literally knock themselves out by running into the side of the boat," says Dustan Harley of the Ripple Guide Service (219-288-7453) in South Bend, Ind. "The fall steelhead is the best fish in the world."

Go to the St. Joe

Harley guides flyfishermen on several Michigan tributaries in late fall but says the 63-mile stretch of winding St. Joseph River in southwestern Michigan and northern Indiana is the most productive and least pressured. "You'll hook far more fish and see fewer people on the St. Joseph than you will
on any Great Lakes stream," he says. The St. Joseph
receives substantial steelhead stockings from both Indiana and Michigan as part of a unique cooperative agreement created in the early 1980s. The $11 million project, funded by the Anadromous Fish Conservation Act, Sport Fish Restoration funds and state funds, enables migrating trout and salmon
to pass over five dams between St. Joseph, Mich., and Mishawaka, Ind. The system was completed in 1992.

The funding also paid for a fish hatchery in Mishawaka, where Indiana produces most of the 200,000 steelhead it stocks in the St. Joseph annually. Considering that Michigan contributes 60,000 fish to the stocking effort, it's clear why the St. Joseph has become a premier steelhead fishery.

"It's not just one of the best in Michigan, but one of the best in the world," insists southwestern Michigan fisheries supervisor Jim Dexter of the Department of Natural Resources. "We're seeing annual returns between 35,000 and 50,000 fish. Nobody comes close to that."

The St. Joseph also has a much better catch ratio than other Michigan waters. "We're seeing between 14,000 and 19,000 steelhead taken each year on the St. Joseph and
another 8,000 to 17,000 caught and released," says Indiana Department of Natural Resources biologist Neil Ledet.

Of course, not all the fish come at once. Most of Indiana's fish are the Skamania strain, which begins migrating from Lake Michigan into tributaries during midsummer. However, because of warm river temperatures, most of the fish don't make it to Indiana's 16-mile section until early fall.

Michigan and Indiana also stock the Manistee strain, a winter-run fish that starts to funnel into the St. Joseph in October and peaks in March. The Skamania and Manistee strains stay in the river until spawning is completed in early spring. Although there is some natural reproduction, the fishery could not be sustained without hatchery support.

Water temperature controls the run, with the Skamania moving in when river temperatures dip below 70 degrees and the Manistee steelies heading upriver when the water temperature drops into the 50s. Unseasonably warm falls can stall the fish in the lower riveer, but a cold spell or lingering rainy weather can lure them to the upper river overnight. The best action in the lower river occurs around Berrien Springs, Mich. For fishing reports and guide information, contact Shamrock Park (616-473-5691).

Top Tactics and Essential Gear

Fall steelhead prefer swirling current along gravel bars and deep channels, which are abundant in the St. Joseph.

Anglers do well fishing near the fast water at all of the dams, but the best fishing occurs in the holes downstream from gravel flats when the salmon are spawning. Fall steelhead love salmon eggs that are free-floating in the current; anglers will drift spawn clusters, colorful in-line spinners and night crawlers to the steelhead that are feeding below the bedding salmon. Flyfishermen like Egg-Sucking Leeches and other leech patterns during this period, and chartreuse or orange Woolly Buggers later. Sinking-tip lines are preferred for the deeper stretches, teamed with 8- or 9-weight outfits.

When the salmon have left and the water drops below
50 degrees, Indiana river guide Dick Parker (219-255-7703) trolls plugs like Storm Hot'N Tots and Wiggle Warts through deep runs. Steelhead also take 5/16-ounce in-line spinners cast into deep holes along the bank.

Use medium- or medium/light-action rods eight feet or longer in either spinning or bait-casting gear. Guides and
experienced anglers prefer 10-pound-test or less, and reels should be able to hold at least 150 to 200 yards of line to counter the steelheads' long runs.

"The fish do get very line-shy, especially in the clear water and when there is a lot of fishing pressure," says Parker. "Also, smaller-diameter line gives you a more natural presentation."

Some of the best flyfishing occurs in November despite the cool weather. Use 9-foot, 8-weight rods, reels with good disc drags, floating lines and 6- to 8-pound-test leaders and tippets. Bear's Estaz Egg, Bear's Hex Nymphs and lime Sunday Caddis patterns are effective then.

"You're going to average six to ten hookups a day, but some days you'll fight as many as twenty steelhead," Harley says.

Skamania!

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:23 -0400