Well guys and girls I think I’m safe to say the dog days of summer have hit me in the metro area. Now with this being said there is still fish to be caught out there. We will start with the walleye bite first, or is it even considered a bite as of late? For myself it’s been very tough when it comes to walleyes. I’ve been lucky to get one maybe two a night. The ones I have found have been during low light periods by cranking the shallow sandy areas. Ive also gotten a couple jigging Shinners off that deeper weed line. I just keep telling myself with these walleyes fall is nearing and the best time to put the smackdown on them! Now to the bass bite, it has been fairly decent for myself! Ive been finding them very spread out on different kinds of structure so its kind of fun you can fish a lot of different ways to catch them. The best ways I have found lately is drop shotting that deeper structure. For this I tend to use a 3/0 hook paired with generally a 5” finesse worm. I also have caught them Carolina rigging rock piles and the deeper weed edges. Of course there also is the summer milfoil punching technique that can get you a giant if you pick apart a weed flat well. Pike bite is really picking for myself as of late as well. Have had a few really good sized ones and some good ones clients love for pickling fish. For these I have caught most trolling the outer weed edges in the mornings and nights and then trolling the deeper water off the reefs during the day. For this I like using small bucktails on lead-core line or even a flat billed crank bait like the strike-king 1.5 or Rapala DT4-6. These baits have a great wobble in the water and paired up with lead-core I can fish it at any depth in the water column. Pan-fish have also been very good. These fish have been schooled up as of late on the outer weed edges. With pan fish I don’t fish until I mark a good sized school and then fish it until they move and then find the next school. For this approach I’ve been throwing a 1/16oz jig with a crappie scrub. If you want to throw a ton of fish in the boat this is a fun way to keep the kids busy while out on the water and show them the joys of fishing. Thank you all for liking and sharing my reports it makes it worthwhile to write. Be sure to book you fall trip because they are filling up quite fast. Fall is a blast to fish cause these fish are on the feed. Book now to have your shot at a Reel Monster! Tight lines everyone, and remember a day fishing is better then a day working!
