By Capt. James McManus
Tis the season! Not even talking about holidays as much as the annual return of really good fishing.
With our warm October and November, the lake turnover was a little later this year, so the first of last month we were having mediocre days. Not so now, fish are awake and, even better, they are looking up for their meals. Lots of top water action for those that love to see as well as feel a bite.
I have talked to some folks that are seeing breaks but canât buy a bite. Hereâs what to do:
Not sure exactly about the fish science behind my observation, but there are hordes of bait schools in Fontana, my home lake. There have been days, when trolling, I would never get to a place where no bait showed up; it was thick all over the upper part of the lake. Most clouds were threadfins, but bluebacks were mixed in, or their adults were. Some clouds were also baby blues, Iâm sure. I just know there was bait everywhere.
My understanding is that shad can spawn every full moon til it gets really cold. With very warm fall weather I suspect they spawned into October, and thatâs why most fish I caught in November were spitting up three quarter to one inch shad; fish had bellies swollen with them. To use the old phrase âmatch the hatchâ that meant throw small offerings. Nothing is more fun than throwing a big spook but if they arenât biting it, just go smaller.
Lighter line and lighter rods will let you throw small poppers, jerk baits or my favorite, jigs. One way to get hits is to tie a leader yoke, one arm 12â and the other about 20â. This, with eighth oz jigs attached, gives you enough weight to cast good distances and they hardly ever tangle. You are also liable to get doubles throwing into schools of spots.
Well lighten up. Stay warm if it ever gets cold. And thank the Big Guy for all our beautiful lakes. Enjoy the season and give me a call if you want to catch a few.
Capt. James McManus owns 153 Charters. Give him a call for a great day on the water at (828) 421-8125