Spring Cold Front Flood Bass

Spring Cold Front Flood Bass

It is May, the temperature is 43 degrees and falling (Beardhead weather to be sure), wind is 20 mph and we have seen more rain then we have in a few years. Everything in my body was saying, stay on the couch and binge watch some Netflix. The problem was I was bored out of my skull. 

So I figured I would just make a fast run over to a local lake. This lake I fish often when I have little time. It use to be great but after years of no management and poachers it is just the shell of it's former glory.

I knew the fish before the storm were building beds. But now after all this water and cold where did they go and were they even thinking of feeding again?

When I decide to go on a quick trip I usually grab one or two rods and one or two presentations. I like to see if I can guess a pattern before I leave my garage. Sometimes I am right on and other times I am the Mayor of Skunkville. So I grabbed my swim jig rod and a worm rod, both armed with new Ardent Reels. I brought a Shur-Set Tackle Shimmy Jimmy white and blue bladed Jig with a white swim tail and a shaky head with a 7 inch black worm.

My hope was the fish put the feed bags back on and moved in close to shore to get the yummy morsels the flood water was bringing into the lake. But lets face it with a major cold front, rain, and dropping temps, bass having a case of lock jaw was just as possible.

So I threw the blade bait along the shore as tight as I could and moved it fast looking for reaction strikes. It paid off big. I landed 4 of 6 of my fish on the Shur-Set Bait. This bait will SHUR be a go to from now on. I picked it instead of a standard chatter bait because the Shimmy Jimmy's profile was broader and its wiggle was wider. I added the largest swim tail I had to make the bait more visible and put off a wider wake n shake in the chocolate milk I was fishing in.

Whenever I came to brush or even a stick in the water I flipped the shaky head black worm combo. I like black in any situation but most of all in stained water. This presentation scored me two more fish and one lost.

It just goes to show no matter how crazy the weather you can still have an awesome Angling Adventure. 

Shur-Set Tackle can be found here: http://shur-set.com/
Ardent Reels can be found here: https://ardentoutdoors.com

Thin Ice Here Thin Ice There Making The Best of Midwest Weather

The Midwest has been cursed with weak winter weather. Cold weather woohoo! 50 degrees son-of-a!! This has made ice fishing a challenge in our local area.

Ted Yates aka Soonerbass of DupageAngler.com Taught me to Kayak last season so I decided I would return the favor and take him ice fishing. I was extremely excited because I re-connected with a friend from college on FB, her parents back in the day let me fish their private pond! She was nice enough to call them and asked if I could fish there again after 12 years and the answer was yes!

We got there as the sun was coming up but walking up we noticed two big holes of open water in the middle of the lake. I walked out on the ice drilled a hole and it was only 3 inches. I took a couple more steps and had cracking. We would not be able to fish this great lake this weekend. We went to two more ponds and the shores had open water. Man! Really? I call Steelie Pete another DA member and he says to try a lake not far from his house.

We get there and 6 inches of solid ice!  We are marking a ton of fish but they just won”t pull the trigger. Then sooner gets his first fish!!! I apologized for the slow bite and Sooner happily says that he just wanted to drill a hole and catch a fish so he is all good.

The slow bite was bothering me so I decided to move. BIG mistake the next 4 ponds or so no safe ice. We finished the day on a small pond that had just over three inches (most winter state suggest 4 inches) and the bite was just as slow. We managed to catch one more fish and leave not feeling secure and not getting hits. We should of never left Pete’s.

 Sunday I wanted revenge and Dark Star and I head out to a pond which is surrounded by buildings and houses hoping that this would protect it from the warm south winds. Man! I was wrong again! It had the most dangerous ice I have seen yet. So we cut our losses and head back to Petes neck of the woods.

The bite was still very slow and it is very cold, BeardHead cold. Jason (DS ) manages to start picking up crappies suspended in 11 feet of water using a Lindy Toad. We change spots after Pete told us to move to another area. In 8 feet of water I am now marking plenty of fish suspended in 4 feet of water. I started with live bait because it is very slow and my minnow gets slammed without any time to react my 6lb snaps in a heartbeat. (insert baby crying noises) I manage to catch some small gills on waxies but they stop. So I switched to a Little Atom Micro Nuggie and quickly nail another four or five small gills! Thank you Little Atom.

With the conditions being crappy and not having the time to travel up north, I was happy to find a pond with good ice and catch fish. I also had fun with Sooner and DS. The Little Atom Micro Nuggies saved my bite and the Beard Head saved my face!. Please when temps are up and down be careful out there. No fish or great lake is worth your life. 

Practice proper safety steps, stay warm, talk some smack, and maybe catch a few small winter panfish.

The Fishing Goes On - Tom Walsh - Redhook

Written by Dupage Angler: Tom Walsh - Redhook

It’s been a while since I posted, but the fishing goes on…it never stops.

It’s my 2nd year of winter river fishing. Last year at this time, I had 1 creek chub as my tally for the month of January, and I only caught 1 more fish, a foul hooked carp, to finish the month off.  This month I’ve caught about 75 fish, all small walleyes. But I’m enjoying every second of it, and can only mention the  ½ hour drive to my spot to complain about.

I guess I’m a minnow guy now. I’ve been fishing fatheads for the last couple weeks and my success rate has increased dramatically. I’m hooking them on a 1/32 oz pearl gumball jig head.  The jig head keeps the minnow from sliding up my line when I catch something.  I look forward to breaking out the lures again, when I can, but for now, I’m just jazzed to be catching fish every time I go out.

It’s funny. At times I shudder at the thought of being out there in the wind, with temps hovering around 20 degrees. Sometimes that keeps me in my warm bed a little longer, but when the fishing bug overcomes that, the cold isn't much of a problem. I've got some super warm boots , some snow pants to wear over my jeans or dockers(gotta do something before work!), 2-3 jackets over a long sleeved shirt and sweater, neoprene gloves and my Beardhead Barbarian Vagabond hat. As long as I keep my fingers moving, I’m good.

Here’s me before a recent morning outing, geared up and ready. The other shot is my first fish of the day. I’ve been getting anywhere from 3 to 8 of these little walleye in the 45 minutes I have to fish.

Redhook out.

Cold Wet Christmas Walleyes

Cold Wet Christmas Walleyes

It was 19 degrees as I pulled into the dark parking lot. Chunsum (aka JcCrappies) and I geared up in the dark anxious to start fishing below a dam to fight some small winter walleyes. I said it was cold very cold right? I brought minnows but I decided not to go into the freezing bucket after them. We used crawlers and drift rigs.

With our body temps slowly dropping, we shot the shit the way most anglers do. You know what I'm saying? Here is an example. I come home from fishing father’s day all day long with Darkstar (another DA member) and my beautiful wife asks me what we talked about all day. I said nuthin really. She said “all day long and you cannot remember what you talked about?” This is because Fisherman usually don’t talk about anything serious. Most guys go out fishing to shut off everything and relax. So the conversions are about cartoons, sex, sports, women, fishing, women, cartoons, fishing, food, fishing, music, and fishing.

In about an hour and a half I managed to score 3 walleyes. That was not as many as I wanted and they were not giants, but in the middle of December I take what the fish gods give me.

Both of us were now totally freezing. When you are wading in very cold water your toes are always the first to go followed by finger tips. We decide to get out of the water. I proceed first and as soon as I am on the shore ice forms on my legs. Chunsum is taking a little too long. I look back and he is stumbling. He take a step wobbles, another wiggles, another he tips, one more and Ka-Splash-Ka-Spoosh!!!!! WOAH Holy CRAP! Not only does he fall but if this was a judged event he would have gotten a perfect 10!! He fell backwards in slow motion; both arms stretched as if he just accepted his fate and let the river take him. Oh my god I am still chuckling right now. It was like a wading NESTEA PLUNGE! His outside jacket and gloves were soaked but underneath he was quite dry. The stiff winter wind quickly made him a jacket of ice. Of course this ended his day. Even his head got soaked but his Beardheadacted like a force field and kept his hair dry.

I went to one more location solo and managed to scrape up two more eyes, two white bass, and a dink smallie. Not a terrible day. Well not for me! BLahahaha (sorry buddy)

Caught some fish and had a good laugh. Of course I have just jinxed myself for teasing my friend. I am now destined to fall the next time out.

PS. For those of you who stumble on to my blog, we would love to have you visit DupageAngler.com It is for everyone the only requirement is you have to be a good person. See you there.

What if our ice season shrinks?

What if our Ice Season Shrinks?

Its December 16^th and there is no sign of ice and gone maybe the years of early ice on Thanksgiving weekend. That used to be the sign it was going to be a great winter. What now? A Dupage Angler member dedfisher put it best, “we may no longer be part of the ice belt with northern Wisconsin reporting only 2-4 inches of ice” What if? What if our ice season shrinks? I say keep fishing. Keep trying new areas and techniques until you can have regular success all year long, ice or no ice!  So we are face with a dilemma, evolve or watch fishing on TV. Those in the Midwest who search, experiment, lake hop, switch species and put their time in will be among the first to enter uncertain winters with the angling knowledge to be the leaders of a possible ice-less age. If winters come back strong, your time is still well spent and the new knowledge you have obtained will make you a better fisherman.

Today Ted Yates(Soonerbass)  & I were out at O’Dark thirty and dressed for war! We had our Beardheads, multiple layers, hand warmer, gloves, hell I even had extra rain gear and shoes in case it really got nasty. We fished four ponds today for crappie. Now our target is crappie but the rigs we use almost always catch bass and gills as well. We went pond to pond fishing hard in a very tough bite. We had hook ups with minnows, crawlers, red-worms, ice-jigs/wax worms, tube jigs, mini mites, and crappie thunders. As you can read by this list we kept switching presentations until we got a bite. When the bite stopped we switched again. When the shallow biters stopped we went deep. When the lake stopped we move and moved again. I believe what we did today shows a micro version of what it will take to be successful in an ice-less winter.  Adapt, adapt, adapt, have a plan A, B, and C, be patient and persistent, and above all have fun.

December Crappie Video

Two Days of December Crappie Bonanza

Two Days of December Crappie Bonanza

With no ice in sight, it is time for serious anglers to get the layers on and hit the water. I called Chunsum Choi (JC1Crappies) and Ted Yates (Soonerbass) both DuPage Angler.com members. We decided to hit crappies because the river bite has been slower and honestly it sounded warmer then wading. We met in the dark not expecting more then a couple of fish each.

The three of us wanted to increase our odds so we tied double rigs. This rig was floats with two offerings under it. This is a favorite presentation of DuPage Angler Brim Reaper that he uses for bluegill and seemed the right choice for cold winter bites. We just had to beef up the offerings. Chunsum used Gulp Minnows and Crabby Squirts, Ted tube jigs and Lake Fork Shads, I used two tube jigs.  The rigs are set 2-4 down and just need an occasional twitch to trigger a bite. Ted had discovered a rock pile way the heck out there and our yellow spotted foes were on the far side of said pile. So weighted foam floats were used once more to get the distance needed to reach the target areas.

The bite started slow but lucky for us it just got better and better. The outside air had a definite chill and layers were in order. The mornings are frigid so when the sun popped out at moments it was more then welcome. I suggest this time a year with wind, rain, snow, mud, and wet conditions around, it is smart to bring extra clothes like gloves, socks, and hand warmers. Wearing your snow boots will ensure good traction and keep feet warm and dry. One weapon we had was BeardHeads! These hat beard combos kept our heads warm and the wind out. They also provided laughs and added more personality to the smack talk among us anglers.

The double rigs were knocking the crappies dead, when Soonerbass scores not one but three beautiful white crappies! White crappie can be found in our area but are not in numbers or size and are a prize when fishing speckle villains.

As the day goes we catch a few bass, and Ted Soonerbass, show off white crappie pants, catches two at once!!!! Bastard! LOL!

The day ends so well that we decide to come back the next day. We are greeted by colder temps wind and rain. UGH well, we are here so might as well make some casts. The crappie didn't watch the weather cast because they were still in the mood to fill up for the upcoming freezing weather. The bite was great again and at times we would catch them on every cast. We caught dozens on this two day catch fest and released every fish to fight another day.

We missed some big bass as well. Including a 4-5 pound I fought with 2lb line all the way to shore only to loose the big mouth jerk right at my feet.

The crappies in this lake always relate to the wind and the bite turns on and off with wind conditions. Once the wind died and the rain picked up the bite stopped like someone controlled it by a light switch. That’s when we realized that we were wet, hungry, and cold. Funny how catching fish helps you not notice certain things like hunger. We shook hands, smiled, and each went on our way. On the way home Chunsum sends me a text that his shoulders are sore and as I type this my neck and shoulders are also sore from making a million long casts. He says we can chalk this up to sports injuries for the 40+!

When you look outside and the weather sucks, instead of hanging it up or waiting for ice get your butt off the couch and get back out there. Dress in layers, be prepared to change presentations on the fly, invite some friends, bullshit, laugh, and if your lucky maybe you too will have a crappie bonanza!