Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Ozarks

Jerkbaits should be very effective as will the Bama rig. Fish a tube in smallmouth areas, and the action should be quick. Spooning is still effective on both bass and walleye. If you are fishing for walleye, plan to spoon 45 to 50 feet deep.
Crappie are being caught around brush piles on both lakes. Live minnows and small Bobby Garland baits have been working better than anything else. A few white bass are still being caught from Udall to the state line on Norfork. Several anglers reported good catches of big bluegill on Bull Shoals last week, with most fish being found in the 20- to 25-foot range.

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Hemlock Lake

Hemlock Lake, also known as Straight Run Lake, supports a good fishery comprised primarily of largemouth bass, panfish along with northern pike. Its modest 60 acres cool quickly, increasing the odds of a lengthy ice fishing season. Just to the east, State Game Lands 174 provides nearly 4,000 acres of public hunting boasting a variety of habitats.
Hemlock Lake (as it will show as on most maps, including Penn Dot maps), is a relatively infertile body of water that, despite this lack of productivity — water chemistry-wise — plays host to a respectable fish population, largemouth bass in particular. It reaches depths of more than 30 feet and has significant weed growth in the shallow zones — consisting of about 30 percent of the lake’s total acreage.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Lake Macbride


Any size motor may be operated at no wake (5 mph). The fish cleaning station is shut down and most boat docks are out. The fish cleaning dock at the main ramp is still in along with the dock in the bay by the Sailboat ramp. Black Crappie - Fair: Use jigs or minnows over brush/stumps in 10-15 feet of water. Walleye - Slow: Vertical jig over structure in 14-18 feet of water. Largemouth Bass - Slow: Try spinnerbaits and crankbaits fished along rip rap. Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) - Slow: Fish are hit and miss. Most fish are smaller, but some bigger fish have been reported in the past week. Most fish are deeper during the day and shallower towards evening.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Allegheny River

The Allegheny River in Clarion County is populated with walleye, smallmouth bass, muskellunge and northern pike. Anglers are saying the fish are in the water mostly from East Brady to Emlenton.

Tuesday, November 08, 2016

Oneida Lake

The bass and walleye fishing on Oneida Lake, one of Upstate New York's premier angling destinations, was "off this summer," according to creel reports collected by the Cornell Biological Field Station at Shackleton Point.
Angler catch rates for both fish were down about "40 percent" compared to years past, said Randy Jackson, senior research associate and associate director at the field station.
In addition, the fall walleye bite on the lake has likewise been "hit or miss," according to several veteran anglers interviewed.

The population explosion of round gobies on the lake, an invasive bait fish is one big factor. An additional reason is a banner reproductive year for gizzard shad, another bait fish on the lake. It's not a matter of shortage of fish in the lake. They just have an ample food supply.

Saturday, November 05, 2016

Big Manistee River:

 Some fresh coho were caught. Steelhead numbers are decent especially for boat anglers fishing from High Bridge down. Beads, flies and crank baits were producing in the early morning. Spawn was not doing as well as artificial baits but anglers are still catching fish when drifting smaller sacs on the bottom. A few more lake trout were caught up near Tippy Dam when drifting beads.

Friday, October 28, 2016

Lake St. Clair:

 Smallmouth fishing was slow in the south end of the lake. Largemouth bass were caught in the canals at Metro in four to six feet when casting a purple tube bait of a green pumpkin wacky worm.  Yellow perch were caught on emerald shiners when anchored in 16 or 17 feet around the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club or with perch rigs and minnows in 14 to 16 feet off the 400 Club.  Muskie were caught under the 16 Mile Bridge when casting crank baits or about a mile out from the Clinton River Cut-Off Launch in nine to 11 feet with spinners and crank baits.  On the north end, yellow perch were caught in Bouvier Bay in eight feet.  Nice panfish including perch were taken by shore anglers floating a crawler at Selfridge.  The mouth of the North Channel was another hot spot for perch for those still-fishing or drifting minnows in nine to 11 feet.  Anglers continued to catch bluegill and crappie in the canals.  Smallmouth bass fishing was basically non-existent.  A few largemouth bass were caught along the shoeline.  Pike were caught along the weed beds in Anchor Bay. 

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Lake Erie:

 Yellow perch fishing was decent but walleye fishing was still very slow. Perch were found in good numbers in 13 to 17 feet off the Toledo Beach Marina, the mansion and the Erie Consumers Plant or in 20 to 23 feet off Stony Point. Perch rigs and shiners worked best. Those fishing for largemouth bass did well with spinners and soft plastics in Plum Creek. Those fishing the Hoffman access site caught a good number of panfish from La Plaisance Creek with shiners and crawlers on crappie rigs or under a bobber. The lagoons at Sterling State Park were producing largemouth bass and bluegills and shore anglers at Pointe Mouillee caught perch and bluegills.