By Capt. James McManus
We don’t always know when we have it really good. Sometimes we think the everyday blessings will continue, even though we don’t always see them as blessings, it is just what we deserve because we work so hard, or are so smart and efficient. Circumstance occasionally reminds us that nowhere is there a guarantee that any of us is granted another day on this earth, much less a box full of goodies each and every day. I have been wrestling with this thought a lot lately, worried that our lakes aren’t what they could be, worried that government entities aren’t doing all they can to provide me, and mine, every possible extravagance I think I deserve. Looking back at pictures from earlier summers, I see big piles of walleye, haven’t hardly caught any lately, just didn’t know how blessed we were back then.
I am going to try and look more positively at our state of affairs in regards to local fishing. First off, fishing at Fontana this spring has been pretty good. We caught bunches of crappie for a while and as one buddy told me, “The way the bass have been biting a lot of guys think they are really good bass anglers”. This is a good thing… everyone likes to feel as though they are good at something. The spots that have almost taken over Fontana were indeed really good in May. There have even been a good number of smallmouth caught. At times, you could imagine it was ten or twelve years ago, when almost every bass caught was a smallie, and some good-sized fish as well. As July approaches, I hope the past summers will be a portence of things to come. Typically, as baitfish and their predators finish spawning, a wholesale move to deeper water plays out. This is when you break out the trolling gear and crisscross deep channels looking for suspending fish.
As a guide, this can be a blessing of sorts. Clients come with all skill levels and, while you can help teach techniques, some folks are always going to lack the skill to put baits where needed when casting close to cover or banks comes into play. Trolling is by far the most efficient summertime strategy and the good thing typically is that, while fish are caught all through the water column, there are fish that can be cast to and caught on the surface, giving those with the itch to throw, something to throw to. It always surprises folks from the coast or lowland lakes that smallmouth, and usually the bigger ones, can be caught in 200 feet of water using a topwater bait. The one bummer is that, as we troll this year, I am not expecting much in the way of walleye catches. Hopefully, this will improve as the state is upping its stocking program and, in coming years, we can once again find plenty of ole bright eyes deep in open water.
The big unknown is what the bluebacks are going to do to change the habits of our bass in particular. There hasn’t been much surface feeding yet and hopefully that will increase, as that is the best indicator of bait and fish. So, if all we catch are spots [which we will keep and eat] or smallies [which we will turn back] this summer, the spots are almost as good to eat as the walleye and hopefully some of those stocked eyes will start to filter into the mix. Regardless, I am going to be thankful for every day I wake up, and get to be on one of the prettiest lakes on God’s green earth. Enjoy the solitude, take in the views, and call if you want to catch a few, Later, Capt. James.
Capt. James McManus is the Owner of 153 Charters. Give him a call for a great day of boat fishing!