By Guide Wayne-O
Trout fishing on Tug Hill is HOT right now. The streams have seen fluctuating flows the past two months. It seems that every time they start to get low we get more rain. It is a perfect pattern for keeping the streams cool and the trout happy. If this pattern continues the fishing will be excellent throughout the summer. The fish are spread out and hungry.
My last guided trip ended with happy customers that caught a good share of wild fish along with a few stocked trout. The trick was getting away from the areas everyone fishes. I say this repeatedly but most still won’t do it. You must get away from the parking lots and bridges. These are the areas that see the most pressure. I recommend getting a good map and getting off the main roads to start with. Then you need to be prepared to hike in a bit.
The walleye bite on the reservoir has been steady to good. They have been being caught trolling stick baits and crawler harnesses. A few guys also have been jigging. Most of the action has been coming from the lower half of the reservoir down towards the dam. The state has decided to stock more walleyes this year now that there is proof that it is worthwhile. This is great news and in a few years, we may very well have a truly top-notch walleye fishery.
As bass season gets into action there will even more opportunities for great fishing in the greater Redfield area. The reservoir provides excellent small and largemouth fishing. A wacky rigged Senko is hard to beat. I also like to run crankbaits long the edges of the channel. This requires good electronics to keep your boat in position. Another surefire method is to pitch a jig and pig up into the buck brush found near where the rivers come in.
There are also some excellent “backcountry” opportunities in the Tug Hill region. Some of these produce great numbers of smaller bass while others produce trophy size fish. This is another time where you need to look at the map, locate ponds on state or other public land, and then go give them a try. A canoe or kayak is the best bet for most but some will accommodate a small v-bottom or flat bottom boat. If you do some looking around you will find everything from ponds you can drive right up alongside to ponds that you need to hike in to. Many of these ponds have heavy weed growth and are best fished with top water lures that will work over the weeds or by dropping soft plastics into any pockets you can find. I will be hitting the bass waters over the next month so look for more information in the next issue.