By Captain Jim Hirt

In the prior fishing articles, we started with the importance of location, tackle, temperature and good record keeping. I also covered some of my key ways to find fish in early spring on Lake Michigan and the hot set ups to keep the rods dancing. Let us now go into more detail on location of temperature breaks and how to work them. The first and perhaps most important is how to find these sometimes subtle temperature changes. Your primary tool, and one you cannot do with out, is a surface temperature gauge. I use the one built into my fish locator. It also has a graph to show the temperature history over the last hour. This may not be necessary but it can help when mapping temperature over a given area. The big pond is very cold in May also some years even into June. Your ability to monitor temperature and stay in as close to the target species preferred temperature will make or break your day on the lake. Let us assume most of the lake is in the forty-degree range and your target species is Coho, browns or Chinooks. All of these fish are looking for two things: temperature as close to their preferred range and food.

Out of Milwaukee we are fortunate to have several rivers flowing into a large harbor. The rivers warm earlier than the lake and the mouth of a river is a place to start with a temperature check. In addition, you should be checking each of the three gaps in the break wall that creates the harbor. A south wind will push the warm water out the north gap. This will turn the fish on in this area while the south gap is too cold for productive fishing. The way I start any day is to work the warmest water or water nearest to preferred temperature I can find. After working this water, I move to cooler water. Sharp temperature breaks are usually better at holding fish then gradual changes. Always consider the wind direction, not only when you are fishing but what it has been doing over the last several days. A light east wind on our western shore moves warmer surface water on shore and contributes to a rise in temperature and a good bite close to the shoreline. All harbors with rivers have some current flow and the wind determines the direction that warmer water will flow when leaving the harbor. Fish that warmer water and into the cooler lake water keeping an eye on your temperature gauge. When you get action note your location by land sightings and temperature. Stay with that temperature to find active fish. If you have worked the harbor and gaps with no or slow action, look for temperature breaks on the lake created by shifts in wind direction. If you are interested in fishing Lake Michigan please consider booking a charter. Find charter fishing boats here.

When the water begins to cool and shad move in the shallows, the big bass move in too. Of course, we know it’s because bass love shad, it’s their favorite food in many lakes.

Once they are in the shallows and hugging the bank you want to
throw your buzzer parallel with the bank. Sometimes, you will get a lot of blow-ups but no fish. This is usually because the bass want the buzzbait at a slower pace. One way to do this effectively is to go from a small blade to a big blade. That allows you to work the buzzbait more slowly and still keep it on top.

During the fall, the bass see the buzzbait as a shad trying to
escape. Then unlike other times, you are catching bass feeding
instead of just a reaction strike mainly. For bright skies and
clear water try a nickle blade with a white skirt. The white skirt resembles a shad in clear water. On cloudy days and stained water try a gold blade with a blue, black or chartreuse skirt. Buzzbaits can be used anytime the water temperatures are about 50 degrees or warmer.

The noise factor…ever have a buzzbait that squeaks? About drives
you nuts doesn’t it? I have some good news! I saved a bunch of
money by switching my car insurance to Geico. Sorry, I couldn’t
help it. Actually the good news is it drives bass nuts too.
So, if your buzzbaits is squeaking let it squeak, the louder the
better.

When you cast the buzzbait, get those blades moving the second it hits the water. When there is a lot of cover, you need to have those blades turning as you don’t have the convenience of getting the buzzer working over a long distance.

Ever see a bass on the beds? Try a slow moving buzzbait to entice them to move your intruding lure off the bed. If you can’t go slow enough with the blade you’re using try a 3 blade buzzbait, it allows you to keep the lure on top at a super slow speed. This should cause that bedding bass to want to move it. Please, if you do catch a bass on her bed, always return it quickly to the water. I personally don’t fish for bedding bass, but there are a lot of huge female bass on beds for sure.

When the water warms to the mid 70’s bass usually move to deeper
water. This is the time to use buzzbaits in early morning or at
night. The early morning bass you catch are usually going back to deeper water from the feeding area. You buzzbait can get them to strike for that last meal.

When fishing cover with a buzzbait, throw past the cover and let
the buzzer come back to the target and actually bump the buzzbait against the cover. The erratic movement many times will produce a strike.

This past week we have had lots of rain and the lakes are a little out of the banks. Guess what, that is more areas for bass to roam. Now a buzzbait is a great search tool, so throw it in the new flooded areas of your favorite lake to find the bass.

One last but main tip. Don’t ever fish a buzzbait without a trailer hook and to even get more strikes use a red trailer hook.

Have fun this fall and catch bass and when you do on a buzzbait
using one of these techniques, write me a thank you note.

Charles E. White has fished 50 years for bass from California to Florida. In his lifetime, it is estimated that he has caught over 6,000 bass. His biggest bass is a 12 pound 14 ounce that hangs on his wall in his office. His tips and techniques have helped many people who have never fished for bass before become successful anglers.
He also has fished with the Pros in Florida.
His website is at:
http://www.bassfishingweekly.com

Oxfordshire is a hub of corporate events that truly encourage the corporate people to spend some time out of their hectic schedule. The corporate event ideas truly create the spark of excitement among people and offer them to test the event management skills, time management factors and event organizing talent of corporate people. The activity ensures them to work as a group so they come to discover one another even better.

Chillisauce is a corporate event organizer who decides for various activities for corporate people so that they can feel relaxed out of their tight and monotonous work schedule. Apart from the fishing activities, Oxfordshire also deals with other spectacular daytime activities and evening-time activities. The daytime activities include dragon boat racing, horse riding, paintball, quad bike treks, clay pigeon shooting, blind fold driving, archery wonders and so on. The nighttime activities include murder mystery evenings; quiz nights, nightclubs, cabaret shows, riverboat party cruises etc.

Fly fishing game in Oxfordshire

Set in a serene background, the country of Oxfordshire welcomes you to enjoy one of its famous activities, fly-fishing. You can forget all tensions of the corporate world and indulge luxuriously in this entertainment to get relaxed in mind and body. While you go for fishing you can simply set sail on the tranquil setting of the crystal clear blue lakes and streams.

As you cruise luxuriously or simply sit on the shore dipping your feet in the transparent waters you can take the help of experienced ghillies. They will teach you the fascinating art of catching fishes and also locate you to the best spots where you can catch a handful of fishes like brown and rainbow trout. As you set sail you are allowed to take photographs of the setting sun against the backdrop of crimson sea or of fishes playing on the waters.

Corporate event management is simply excellent when one goes to enjoy fly-fishing in Oxfordshire.

The activities also induce

To know each other better

To test the efficiency level of people

To judge the team building attitude amidst a group

To enhance the feeling of good will amidst all colleagues

To make all feel relaxed and leisured after hectic days

The fly-fishing activities in Oxfordshire is a great experience that leaves you completely relaxed and encouraged to deal with hectic days ahead again.

Reference:
http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/oxfordshire/fishing/
http://chillisauce.co.uk/
http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/oxfordshire/