Catching big stripers from the Dam to Point 5. This here is Zack Ragsdale from here in Eureka with his big fish being 34 inches and close to 20 pounds he got last week.
I also had a trip on Beaver Saturday with our biggest fish weighing 32 pounds and 43 inches long, but took pics with their camera with my phone going dead. So they’re sending email after getting back home from vacation Friday. Will get in next week’s report unless these fish start getting bigger on us.
So what about these cool nights? The fish seem to like it. The stripers are liking big shad now and still down around 30 feet deep with a little surface activity when the sun is low or with cloud cover. So spoons and top water lures can both work, too.
With water temps running about 76°, which is a good drop from the 80s, the fish are getting more active. I believe that when we get down between 68 and 72° all our warm water fish hit the shallow water along with the surface. Some like it all the way down to 58° and don’t slow down until below 48° which we don’t usually see unless we get a couple ice storms around January.
The walleye bite here at Holiday Island seems to doing better with some anglers doing best in the late evenings into dark off the flats with a jig and minnow. During daylight hours trolling crankbaits that run from 8 – 12 ft. are catching some along with crappie, bass and even big trout as you go up river past Beaver.
Once we get below 68° we also get some big trout that come up to check out the Island. Most fish spawn in the spring, but Brown Trout spawn in the fall so now is also a good time for them, too. Bigger trout like bigger baits, just like warm water fish. They will chase shad and look for crawdads right beside them.
Well I’m late on this again so will close with saying all our good eating fish like cool water better than warm unless you like eating gar or carp. Wish I had a smiley for that one.
Robert Johnson, fishofexcellence.com, (479) 253-2258