Ask The Experts | Fishing

Panfish On The Fly

Question: I’ve purchased a new fly rod and want to catch some big bluegills like I see fishermen do on TV. How do I do that?

Answer: From mid-May through the month of June is the best time to try for bull-size bluegill with a flyrod. Anglers should know that big ’gill remain deep throughout most of the day, holding to woody or point structure in 10 to 20 feet of water. Gills can be taken from these places with live bait such as red worms, crawlers, meal or wax worms weighted to these levels.

The best time for surface action occurs about 7 p.m. in the afternoon when big ’gills swim to the shallows along the shore in search of insects or other food that has fallen onto the surface. A #10–12 size bullet-nose popper in bright colors can be deadly when cast to within six inches of the shoreline and allowed to rest for a few seconds before twitching it to life. Fishing is generally good until about 9 p.m. before the bluegills move back to deeper water.

Gulf Fishing

Question: I used to go to Florida with my family, and it seems like we could fish from any of the beaches. Now that so much development has occurred along coastal areas, is it still legal to fish from Florida’s beaches and, if so, what can we fish for?

Answer: It is absolutely legal to fish from public beaches in Florida if you have a Florida saltwater license. Surf fishing can be good to excellent at times—especially in summer.

Fishing the Atlantic side calls more for surf-casting with long rods and heavy lures or bottom weights. My pick is the Gulf side, where the surf is more placid and friendly to waders. Redfish and speckled trout are numerous along Florida’s Gulf Coast. South of Clearwater you can catch lots of snook. Get there at daybreak before all of the tourists arrive and you’ll probably have the beach to yourselves. Salty locals all have their favorite lures. One is the MirrOlure Mirrodine—a slow-sinking lure that imitates a two-inch Spanish sardine. But your favorite freshwater lures will work, too—soft plastic jigs, medium walk-the-dog lures and jerk baits. You can buy a non-resident fishing license online.

More Gulf Fishing

Question: My buddy and I are taking our families on vacation to the Gulf Coast this summer and we plan to take advantage of some pier fishing opportunities while there. How do we gear up for this kind of fishing?

Answer: You’ll note that most pier fishermen use spinning rods, but bass casting rods and reels work quite well. They have the backbone and tip stiffness that you’ll need to lift most fish from the water. Spool up with 15- to 20-lb. test line. Before you start, though, spend a few minutes chatting with pier regulars to find out what’s biting and whether to use lures or live bait. Piers are baitfish and gamefish attractors and usually hold fish throughout the summer. Live bait such as minnows, shrimp and oyster crabs work well when drifting them along the bottom. If you’re there when a game fish species is running, you and your partner will catch fish. There’s always a possibility you’ll hook into something huge like a shark, ray or even a tarpon. If that happens, hold on, yell for help or cut your line and start a story about the one that got away.

Pre-Spawn Crappie

Question: What is the migration routing for pre-spawn crappie in large reservoirs?

Answer: White crappie are fairly predictable during late winter and early spring when reproduction urges send them toward historical spawning areas. In large reservoirs, crappie spend most of the winter in and alongside main river and large creek channels, where water temperatures are more comfortable. Depending on the latitude, male crappie lead females out of deep water holding areas in late February and early March. Many of these fish re-populate the main lake, where spawning areas are scattered along the shoreline. A large number of fish make their way into creek arms where they collect near the junction of the creek arm and main lake river channel. Here, they wait until water temperatures begin to ease up before they gradually head for the headwaters of the main lake arm and up smaller tributaries.

Anglers fishing spider rigs catch the migrating fish once they show up on fish finders by trolling live minnows or jig head/minnow combos through the bunched up fish. Once the temperature reaches constant a 55 degrees, crappie seek out a spawning locations near the shore in water that is about two feet below the level of light penetration in the water. They remain there until waters reach 65 degrees. That’s when as many as 60 large egg-laden females join a single male to commence spawning.

Muddy Waters Walleye

Question: How can I catch walleye in muddy water?

Answer: Spring rains and melting snow often mean trying to find walleye under high, muddy water conditions. This is the time to switch to high-visibility baits that are easier for walleye to find, but that isn’t the only answer to catching this tasty fish.

When visibility is poor, walleyes also rely heavily on hearing and their lateral line to locate food. Tie on a jig with “add-ons” like rattles, small flicker spinners or a combination of rattles and spinners. Even light sticks, which glow in the murky water, can be added. You can also bulk up your jig by using the bodies or tails off of soft plastic baits. This not only slows the descent of the jig, but it increases the water displacement, which walleyes can feel. Work these baits around the mouth of tributary and current breaks where walleye often rest. Fishing for walleye under these challenging conditions isn’t easy, but using these methods will definitely increase your odds of catching fish.

Flippin’ Out

Question: How do I learn the fishing technique called flippin’?

Answer: The flippin’ technique is intended for pinpoint lure presentation to visible, thick cover between 10 and 20 feet away. The flippin’ method entails using a heavy-action 6 1/2- to 7 1/2-foot rod. Now, let out about 15 feet of line. With your free hand, grasp the line between the reel and the first rod guide and straighten your arm to the side. There should now be about 8 feet of line past the front tip. Raise the rod to make the lure swings back close to the body. Lower the rod top to make the lure swing forward. Using only your wrist, roll the butt of the rod to the inside of your arm. As it moves past the rod tip, continue raising the rod as you feed line with your free hand. As the lure nears the target, lower the rod top again and make the bait touch down softly and precisely on target by stopping the bait just before it enters the water. Let go of the line in your free hand and immediately place it on the reel. Make sure you’re ready to strike before beginning your retrieve.

It’s All About Timing

Question: I’ve always been told that fishing for bass is best early and late in the day. Why is that?

Answer: When the sun is low on the horizon, slanting sun rays bounce off the water’s surface, affording game fish some protection from their No. 1 enemy—wading and diving birds. This allows feeding fish to come into the shallows where it is easier to trap food such as baitfish, frogs, insects and the like.

The entire sport fishing industry was based on fishing early and late in the day. Such lures as floating-diving minnows, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits and topwater chuggers are proven choices for fishing shallow water during this period.

What Depth And When?

Question: According to what I’ve seen on TV, pro bass anglers fish from shallow to deep. What’s their timetable for fishing different depths in a lake?

Answer: After a running start, tournament bass anglers head for proven shallow areas to try for an easy catch of active feeding bass. Such places that afford woody cover, grassbeds and other hiding places will often attract bass early in the morning. A twin-blade spinnerbait is a popular choice for covering this area, as is a noisy surface disturber such as a buzzbait.

By 8 or 9 a.m. bass will move away from the shallows and drift downward away from any chance of being seen by wading and diving birds. Spinnerbaits, and plastics rigged Texas-style, are effective for depths down to six to eight feet. By 10 a.m. bass have usually fed up and are resting. These fish are more difficult to catch, but will sometimes react to Texas- and Carolina-rigged plastics, or to a jig-and-pig combo fished in thick cover.

The Weather Factor

Question: I’ve noticed that fishing is always slower when a cold front comes through, and equally so on a bluebird day. Why do these conditions have a negative effect on fishing?

Answer: Cold fronts have a definite effect on fishing, especially when followed by a bluebird day. This applies to most fish in both lakes and rivers. The reason is simple. Most freshwater species were originally natives of river systems, where they developed survival instincts that apply today. They associate strong barometric pressures with the likelihood of a coming storm. These conditions cause fish to go on a feeding spree, trying to eat enough food to last them through high and roily water conditions where feeding can be difficult.

Once the frontal system passes, the fish are still well-fed and simply aren’t hungry. Anglers can generate some success by fishing lures or live bait slowly in deep, heavy cover. Bass fishermen use jig-and-pig combos almost exclusively during these events, dropping the offering as close to woody cover as possible.

The Slow Roll

Question: What does “slow-rolling” a spinnerbait for bass mean?

Answer: Slow-rolling a spinnerbait for bass or other game fish means retrieving the lure just slow enough to male the blades turn as the lure is worked close to structure. Usually, a heavy lure with large blades is used for this technique. Slow-rolling can also refer to the speed the reel handle is rotated (slowly rolled), which obviously determines the speed of the retrieve.

The slow-rolling method works best for bass during cold water conditions. That’s because bass are increasingly lethargic when water temperatures drop into the forty-degree range. A slow-rolled spinnerbait is most effective in areas where the water is warmer than the rest of the lake (run-ins, shallow flats, steam and water treatment discharges, et cetera).

The Pro’s Bag

Question: What lure groups do most professional bass anglers use during a tournament?

Answer: While there is great variety in each pro’s choice lure groups, they essentially boil down to five different lure types. These consist of a spinnerbait, a crankbait, a jig-and-trailer, a soft plastic (worm, lizard, et cetera) and a topwater bait. This selection affords tournament anglers with lure offerings that work from top to bottom under any circumstances.

A spinnerbait is used by pros to cover water quickly, and to probe heavy cover in the form of woody or weedy structure.

Crankbaits are ideal search lures the pros use to effectively eliminate water while looking for suspended bass or fish living in structureless areas.

Two topwater lures, a buzzbait and a popping lure, are popular with the pros for surface action. They are used early and late in the day, and in extremely shallow spots.

Plastics are favored by pros when searching for bass that are buried in sunken tree tops, and for investigating holes in heavy weed cover.

A jig may be the single most important lure of all because it looks like food to a bass, and it will catch fish from shallow to deep water.

Timing Is Everything

Question: What is the best daily timetable for fishing lures for bass?

Answer: It is much easier to catch bass when they are actively feeding. From spring through late autumn, bass invade the shoreline early and late in the day looking for food. These include baitfish, frogs, crawfish, small snakes and the like. Fishing during this period demands using lures that work in shallow water.

A buzzbait is ideal, as are most surface-working lures. The Original Rapala can be deadly for these fish when you toss it to shore, allow it to set momentarily, then begin a twitch-and-stop retrieve for a few feet.

By eight o’clock a spinnerbait, cast to shore and retrieved into water six to eight feet, is recommended. If the shoreline is free of weeds, try casting a lippy crankbait to the same places.

Late-morning until mid-afternoon is a good time to probe deeper water with jigs or plastics rigged Texas-style. The lure choices are reversed in late-afternoon, as bass once again begin swimming into shallow water to feed.

—Soc Clay