B
y Capt. James McManus
Well, the first of what I like to call “decent fishing weather” is here. I know that wearing shorts and slathering on sunscreen, drinking bottles of “whatever is your choice” and applying yet another layer of bug dope thrills some, but I personally like that first good chill in the air. Call out the dogs and let’s GO! I think the fish much prefer this time to any other, except maybe when love is on their minds in the spring. Nothing like rounding the bend of a point to see breaking fish explode all over the surface. It doesn’t matter if you are here in western NC or upstate SC, there will be some topwater action this month.
My home lake of Fontana can have some really spectacular topwater action from now ‘til after Christmas. There are some late summer hatches of threadfins coming of age about now and spots, smallies and whites all love those little tidbits. We have only had bluebacks for several years but the young of the year will be on the menu also. They may make catching easier because with just threads, you had to match the hatch a little more and so BB’s open up the possibility of more bait options. By that I mean larger and sometimes more traditional lures like Spooks, Pop-R’s and spoons. With only threads, you were sometimes limited to small jigs, swimbaits and the smallest of hardbaits.
I have been throwing some of the new suspending jerkbaits from Rapala and Mirrolure and love their realistic finishes. If I had could only have two baits for a year, I would choose the Kitech swimbait and a Rapala X-Rap. Everything from redfish, trout, snook, bass of all types, and stripers have come on both these baits. It’s a good time to just put the boat in gear, take in the special color show that’s happening now and just cruise whatever lake you are on. If you get out early, there is usually plenty of activity to make you slow down and cast to surface breaks. If they are too far away, just chill and they will probably be back up close to where you last saw them. Here bait stays out in open water so just keep your eyes open rather than staying glued to the shore structure.
While Fontana has been in a down swing the past couple of years, I pray things will start to turn this fall. We have been catching more fish and though the size isn’t exactly spectacular that should improve as the year goes on. The same is true on Hartwell and most area lakes in my opinion. So put down the remote, grab a jacket, fill up with gas and hit the water for the prettiest time of the year. Thank God for fall! Later, Capt. James
Capt. James McManus is the Owner of . Give him a call for a great day of boat fishing!