By Ronnie Parris
Hey folks, hope everyone is well! Fishing sure has started to pick up on our local lakes. One thing that’s different is the patterns we go through this time of year. One day, it will be freezing cold and the next, it’s short sleeve weather and this can wreak havoc on the fishing. I usually watch as I’m traveling down the lake and if I don’t see any breaking fish, I’ll depend more on my fish finder as to what they’re doing and how I’m going to fish this trip. If I’m seeing scattered fish, I may throw live bait or artificial along the shoreline. If I’m seeing schools of fish, I may drop live minnows, or drop shot a minnow, imitation, or a plastic worm. Sometimes, this calls for spoons or ice jig. Just try different stuff till you see what works and be sure to pay attention to where you catch fish, what kind of banks they’re holding on, and the depth. I’ve seen them be aggressive some days, and other days just barely grab a lure.
Fish tend to move a lot this time of year, so don’t be surprised if you don’t catch where you did on your last trip. Be sure to dress as warm as you can; you can always take it off but you can’t put it on if it’s at the house. This is a great time to catch mixed bags, as species such as crappie are starting to move up to spawn and the bass are beginning to stage.
I love this time of year because I can usually put folks on something, even if the target species isn’t cooperating. As always, be safe and take a kid fishing!
Ronnie Parris is owner and head guide of Smoky Mountain Outdoors Unlimited-Fontana Lake Fishing Guides, headquartered in Bryson City, N.C., heart of the Great Smoky Mountains www.smounlimited.com; (828) 488-9711.