Smallmouths and fall cold fronts

To hear a lot of anglers tell it, cold fronts are about as bad as anything can be as far as bass fishing is concerned. That might be true (maybe) with largemouth and it might be true (sort of) for spring smallies. It is not true, however, when it comes to fall smallies. In fact, fall cold fronts actually turn them on.

Exactly why is something a lot of us disagree about. I think it’s because sudden cold weather triggers a response in them that says it’s time to feed up before winter arrives. If I’m right, that means all the talk about frontal bass wanting small, subtle, slow moving baits isn’t true. What they really want is something to eat — a lot of something to eat — and they’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.

So anyway, there’s a cold front that’s supposed to blow across much of the country this weekend and early next week. We need to take advantage of it.

The bait I like the best for the conditions we’re experiencing right now is a hard jerkbait. There are several good ones around. I’d say you should pick the one you have the most confidence in and go for it. Natural colors seem to work best for me, but if the water has a little stain to it you might want to consider something with chartreuse or red on it.

It’s important to keep your jerkbait moving. Slow pulls and long pauses are usually not the ticket in October and early November. Short, sharp jerks followed by very short pauses are much better. These are feeding fish. There’s no reason to tease them. Force them to make a decision.

I also like spinnerbaits for fall cold front fishing. Double bladed models are good but so are single spins with big, hammered Colorado blades. Again, keep them moving.

Nothing I’ve said means that you shouldn’t try a jig, especially if there are a lot of crayfish in your lake or river. Jigs have always been a staple for me, and I suspect they always will be. Browns, green pumpkin as well as peanut butter and jelly are always good. That said, black and blue works darn near anywhere.

When you’re picking a spot to fish, it’s important to pay attention to the shad or whatever other forage is in your lake. In some places around the country they’re already back in the creeks. In other places they’ve just started to move and you’ll find most of them still in open water, but near the creek mouths.

The importance of analyzing your local conditions cannot be overstated. In some of our northern states there’s already been a hard frost and guys are wearing long underwear when they’re out on the water. Here in Tennessee, however, we haven’t even come close to having a frost. That makes a big difference.

Right now is the time to get going. If you wait more than a couple of weeks, you’ll probably miss some of the best smallmouth fishing of the year.

View the original article here

McClelland’s favorite fall lures

You wouldn’t expect a guy nicknamed “Pee Paw” to place speed at the forefront of his autumn angling success, but in the weeks surrounding Halloween, there’s no clowning around when 6-time B.A.S.S. tournament champion Mike McClelland hits the water.

The 45-year-old class act from Northwest Arkansas graciously shared the lures he reaches for in the peak of football season, and three of them are rather fast moving. “I’m generally always going to try to catch fall bass on a shallow crankbait, spinnerbait or buzzbait first, and I’ll mix in the jig secondarily,” says McClelland.

He speaks of each lure, and the specifics of his use of them, in the paragraphs that follow.

“This has become my favorite fall crankbait,” say McClelland. “I throw it these days in place of the real small balsa baits that I used to throw around shallow wood and rock because it’s extremely buoyant and avoids getting snagged around thick cover.”

Notable is the fact that he pairs his shallow crankbaits with a fast reel. “A lot of guys crank with a 5.3:1 reel, but I use a really fast 7.3:1 Quantum EXO 100 because experience has taught me that bass want a crankbait to move fast in the fall. While a 5.3:1 is great for spring, and getting big baits deep in the summer, a faster gear ratio gets me way more bites when cranking in the fall.” 

Paired with 12-pound SunLine, McClelland can get the Fat John to run at least 6 feet deep, but typically he throws it on rocky banks and isolated wood in less than 3 feet of water using line as meaty as 20-pound test.

“I’m always going to have both a 1/2-ounce War Eagle spinnerbait - and a buzzbait - tied on at this time of year – and really, they go hand-in-hand,” says the winner of $1.5 million as a pro bass fisherman.

“It’s all about shad at this time of year, and both these baits will get bites as long as there are shad present,” he says “The key is to make sure the shad you’re fishing around are big gizzard shad. You’re likely to see lots of shad in the fall, but it seems like you’ll get more quality bites when you’re around bigger gizzard shad,” he emphasizes.

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Fall topwater fishing

The warm summer days have faded away, replaced by the bitter chill of cold mornings and bone-chilling runs. Despite the dropping air temperatures, this is a great time to be on the water fishing. Bass are feeding up for the winter, and many folks have garaged their boats until the spring. During the fall it can feel like you have the whole lake to yourself.

Even though we may have changed our shorts and T-shirts to insulated pants and jackets, there are some things that you should not leave home without this time of year. I believe that there is a common misconception that the topwater bite dies out at the end of the summer.

Here in the Midwest there are quite a few of us that consider this time of year to be one of the best opportunities for good topwater fishing. In fact, there can be a great topwater bite going on even when snow begins to fall in November and December. Don't be afraid to fish on top with water temperatures in the 50s or even 40s. Anytime you have bass chasing baitfish up in shallow water, there’s an opportunity for a good topwater bite.

There are two baits that I keep with me long into the winter months, because they catch big fish. They have the added bonus that most other guys have quit throwing them, thinking the water is too cold. That leaves the big bites for those of us who like to throw topwater baits well into the fall.

I always keep a buzzbait and a walking bait rigged up and ready to go. The steady swimming action and the spray of water droplets being cast off by a War Eagle buzzbait perfectly mimics a school of baitfish fleeing across the surface. The sound and action of a buzz bait will draw strikes from big bass whether you fish it through heavy cover or in open water. As long as bass are pursuing baitfish at or near the surface, I will have a buzzbait at the ready.

My other fall/winter go-to bait is the Livingston Pro Sizzle. I can dial my trolling motor up and cover water quickly to search for active bass with this four-inch walking bait. Weighing in at 3/4-ounce, this bait is easy to cast long distances, allowing me to cover shallow flats without spooking fish. The side-to-side slashing action will fire up a school of fall bass like no other lure.

Working the Pro Sizzle at different speeds and even pausing it for a few seconds to rest motionless on the surface gives it a little more versatility over the buzzbait. If you happen to come across bass busting shad, this bait is perfect for making a quick cast to them before they have disappeared in deeper water.

Choosing the right places to fish topwater lures will increase your chances of connecting with quality bass during this time of year. I like to target the larger flats in the early part of fall, but as the season progresses I will move to the steeper areas, especially the rocky 45-degree banks. The rock seems to be the key component as winter approaches. Those areas will absorb heat and attract baitfish and invertebrates. Bass move around quite a bit this time of year, so any areas where bait is present can be productive.

Keep those surface baits tied on and you will soon agree that targeting these fish will put some big bites in your boat for a few more months.

My buzzbait gear:
• Wright & McGill Rick Clunn Reaction, Murky Square Bill rod
• Wright & McGill Skeet Reese Victory Casting Reel (7:1 gear ratio)
• 50- or 60-pound test Gama Torque 100% Spectra
• Trailer hook —always use a trailer hook!

My walking bait gear:
• Wright & McGill Rick Clunn Reaction, Murky Square Bill rod
• Wright & McGill Skeet Reese Victory Casting Reel (7:1 gear ratio)
• 50- or 60-pound test Gama Torque 100% Spectra (in ultra clear water, use a 12-pound-test mono leader)
• Add a second split ring to the rear hook (it allows the hook to move more freely)

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Do you want the good news first?

If you've been keeping up with my “Becoming a Fit Fisherman” column, you'll know that I issued myself, and all of you, a 21-day challenge where we all tried to form a habit and break a habit over a period of three weeks. My bad habit, fried food. My good habit, daily exercise. 

Let's start with the bad news. As these things tend to go, I did great... until. Until I hit the road again headed to fish the Ross Barnett Central Open last week. The first 10 days or so before the Open, I was spot on. I started walking every day walking a little farther each day until I was up to about 3 miles. Then I fished a tournament on Saturday near home and drove to Ross Barnett afterward. 

I was up at 4 a.m. to fish the local derby; and by the time I had made it to Ross Barnett and setup camp, it was 10 p.m. I missed my exercise for that day, and so began the snowball effect. 

The next few days of fishing were a grind, and I turned to fried food for comfort and neglected my exercise because I was "too tired" from being on the water.

Excuses, excuses, excuses. I'm not proud to be making them but I am human as all of you reading this are. I thought initially in doing this blog, that I would have no problem with my will power since I would have the whole bass fishing community to hold me accountable. Even then, it's not easy. 

The good news, I am down 6 more pounds. That makes 20 overall. Definitely not where I wanted to be by now but I'm still moving in the right direction. Slow and steady wins the race right? 

I spent a couple days at home and got back into my walking. I’m on the road again now working the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship this weekend and I have a new found determination to hit the gym at the hotel every day and eat right. There's not a lot of extra time when I work a tournament either, but the stress level is a lot lower knowing that no matter if someone takes better pictures than me or not, I still get paid on Saturday. That's a lot better than knowing I have to catch more fish than someone to get paid when fishing a derby. More fun in front of the camera, but more steady behind it. 

I'm going to be bringing in more outside information in my next column. Many of you have offered various websites, apps and workout routines that have helped you. I also spoke with Elite Series pro Cliff "Cajun Baby" Crochet at the Open, and he offered up a quick workout tip that I'll be sharing. 

I'm looking forward to incorporating more and more content from other anglers and personalities from the bass fishing community. So stay tuned!

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Topwater tune-up

In the last installment of "Pro Spective," I shared a few tips on how to develop proper cadence for jerkbaits, the focus of which was on how and when to move the lure.

Well, with this entry I'd like to discuss how those same basic concepts apply to topwater lures. Just like jerkbaits, it's all in how you move the lure.

When I conduct seminars on topwater fishing, I always talk about "The Moment of Truth" — the point at which a bass is poised beneath the lure and contemplating a strike. It's the most crucial time in topwater fishing. In that instance, what you do or don’t do, ultimately determines the outcome.

Should you pause or should you move the lure? And if you do move it, then how much?

Normally, those questions can only be answered by the fish and time on the water. But that doesn't mean there aren't a few short cuts. To better understand this critical point in the retrieve, let's consider the various groups of topwater lures and how it applies to each of them.

Depending on the type of topwater lure I'm throwing, I usually have a basic presentation in mind … at least to start with. And I'll always begin with that unless the conditions or the fish dictate otherwise.

Take poppers for instance. Let's say I'm trying to catch bass during the shad spawn. Obviously, the first order of business is to locate the shad. Once that's accomplished, then it's a matter of keeping the lure in contact with them and using the right moves.

Courtesy of RapalaThe Rapala X-Rap Walk (top) and Rapala Skitter Pop (bottom).

If the shad are tight against a rock bank, for instance, I'll make certain the lure touches down right at the waterline. (You'd be surprised at how many instant hook-ups this can generate.) If I don't get bit there, then I'll start the retrieve by using short, steady pulls of the rod tip to make the lure spit and slide across the surface. And I'll do this at a fairly brisk pace, pausing the lure only briefly between pulls. The spitting action emulates the tail flips of a shad on the surface perfectly, and it can drive bass crazy.

If that approach fails to produce, then I'll slow the retrieve — popping or chugging the lure more, using longer pauses between pulls.

If I'm trying to draw fish from submerged cover, like grass or brush, I'll usually begin with a much slower presentation, popping the lure a couple of times then letting it sit over or next to the target. And if I get a quick reaction from the fish, then I'll take that as a cue to speed things up, using quicker pops with shorter pauses.

These moves with a popper aren't guaranteed to work in every situation, but they are fairly reliable, and they provide a good place to start.

Now let's say I'm using a prop bait. Then what?

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The key to catching more bass in fall

Fall is upon us. With longer nights and cold fronts, the leaves begin to turn, the waters cool and the fish move shallow. One predictable pattern this time of year is the migration of shad into the creeks ... and the resulting bass feeding frenzy!

Anglers can take advantage of this pattern to locate actively feeding bass and quickly fill a limit. Schools of bass are often easily found, and lipless crankbaits, soft plastic jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and topwaters will all catch them now.

But what is really going on with these shad? Why do they move into the creeks? What anglers observe is only part of the food chain dynamic. To understand it you have to closer look — or in this case smaller — to see what is driving the migration.

Shad are mostly filter feeders that eat primarily phytoplankton and zooplankton and cruise in huge schools, often traveling many miles in search of plankton-rich water. They roam the vast open areas looking for food. Early in the year, as rains and runoff bring nutrients into the lake, sunlight and warming water temperatures cause plankton blooms in the lake's open waters.

As summer gives way to fall, nutrients in the main lake are depleted and temperatures decline, putting a damper on plankton growth. In the shallow coves and creeks however, the last warm, sunny days can cause quick warm-ups, and the plankton can continue to bloom. Shad schools, which may include larger older fish from previous years and small juvenile shad that were spawned in late summer, migrate into the creeks in search of food.

This sudden influx of prey appeals to opportunistic bass. While they will usually not travel miles and miles following a school of shad, those that are resident in an area will certainly take advantage of the prey that swims into their home territory.

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Battling fall cold fronts

There are two times of the year when cold fronts have a dramatic impact on fishing and one of them is right now – during the fall season.

Like the spring, fall brings in a lot of fronts with cold Canadian air pushing deep into the south. This can cause a severe change in water temperature as well as air temperature and leave the bass in a funk.

Those fronts are usually accompanied by heavy north winds that really diminish surface temperatures and can cause the lake to “turnover” in a short period of time.

Also, the lakes are usually lower because of dry summers or winter drawdown that begins in the fall. Low water diminishes the shallow water cover and most lakes get ultra clear.

All of those elements will affect the bite dramatically.

But you can still catch ‘em.

Of course, catching bass ahead of a front can be easy. But after the front passes and we get those windless, bright sunny days, the bass go into neutral mode.

There are two ways to attack the problem; fish smaller baits with slower presentations that antagonize the fish into biting or use reaction baits with erratic presentations that trigger reflex strikes.

My problem with finesse tactics is the fish can be anywhere and you have to fish painfully slow while searching for them.

Of course, that’s not my style, so I choose reaction baits that effectively fish the depth, cover and water clarity effectively. You can cover water faster and locate bass sooner with those presentations than you can with finesse baits.

However, you’ve got to match the lure to conditions. It’s difficult to fish a jerkbait in mattered grass, yet if you’ve got a clear rocky point it can be a good lure to make bass bite. It has a lot of erratic action and stays in the strike zone longer to trigger a neutral fish into biting.

You also can use spinnerbaits and crankbaits, but you have to use them with erratic retrieves and make sure they bang into the cover. A crankbait that crashes along the bottom and pauses periodically or a spinnerbait that rips through grass and changes speeds can trigger a reaction from a passive bass.

I also like walking topwaters like the Strike King Sexy Dawg that has a lot of erratic action but stays in the strike zone longer.

Look for baitfish, too. The bass are focused on shad so you have to be around bait to find the fish. Keep in mind that the baitfish won’t be very active early in the morning but they will get more active in the afternoon as the surface temperature begins to warm and the bass start chasing them again. That’s why the afternoon bite tends to be better during these brutal cold-front periods.

Stick to shad-colored lures and the more natural colors in the clear water. You can use baits with a little more color in stained water.

You’re not going to get a lot of bites, but by working lures with erratic action in those areas where you see shad, the bites will come.

Remember, it’s all about the attitude!

Kevin VanDam's column appears weekly on Bassmaster.com. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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The versatile swimbait

The days of the swimbait being a one-dimensional lure presentation are behind us. They are far more versatile than we imagined originally, due largely to the different shapes, actions, styles and rigging methods available to bass anglers today.

You can fish them deep or shallow, at various speeds, in cover or open water, or in clear or stained water. In many respects, they’re a lot like a spinnerbait but a different type of presentation.

So versatile, in fact, that I have one tied onto a rod every time I go out. While I still have a lot to learn about these amazing lures, I gained a lot more appreciation and knowledge about them this past season.

My lure sponsor (Strike King) now offers three different styles in multiple sizes, and I’m learning the subtleties of each and when to fish them.

For example, I was at a Kentucky Lake writer conference last week and fishing in the back of a creek when I saw huge pods of shad shallow and bass were chasing them. It was easy to get bit on a Sexy Dawg topwater, but once we caught a couple, the action shut down.

So, we rigged 4-inch Swimming Shiners (ghost minnow color) on 1/8-ounce shaky jig heads and a spinning rod. We made long casts to the shad schools that were in inches of water and caught the fire out of the bass roaming around them. The same fish that grew wary of the topwaters were gobbling the finesse swimbait.

The Swimming Shiner has a little more subtle action than Strike King’s Shadalicious hollow body bait and the Caffeine Shad which has a little more active tail.

They all have their time and place. It boils down to having the right presentation to match the conditions you’re facing.

Bass often are attracted to swimbaits but sometimes only follow or bump them. That’s when you have to make an adjustment in style, action color or speed to get them to bite.

The bulkier, hollow body swimbaits are best suited when fish want a slower presentation. Those baits rock from side to side and have a thumping tail action which is excellent through the prespawn period. They also can be good in summer and fall in stained water because of the extra vibration.

But sometimes the fish need to be finessed, which is where the Swimming Shiner comes into play. It is ideal for clear water and on those high, bright sky days when there is a tough bite and you need a more subtle presentation. You can fish it on a jig head, on a weedless belly hook for winding through grass or on umbrella rigs.

The Caffeine Shad falls somewhere in between and is my all-round favorite. It’s really well balanced and great for a weedless presentation around grassbeds and brush. I will use it on a Mustad Screw-lock Swimbait Hook and work it through cover. If I want the bait close to the surface I’ll put it on a 1/8 ounce, but if I’m fishing deeper or need a faster retrieve, I’ll use 1/4or 3/8 ounce. I’ve also had success rigging it on heavy jig heads and fishing deep along ledges.

So, if you’re not using swimbaits, take time to get to know the little nuances of each one and try fishing them in a variety of situations. When you get the right set-up for the conditions, you’re going to catch more fish!

Remember, it’s all about the attitude!

Kevin VanDam's column appears weekly on Bassmaster.com. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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Fishing Report October 21, 2013

Fishing Report October 21, 2013

Fishing has slowed down for the season and the weather made it tough to get out most of the days in late September and early October. The weather recently has been beautiful though Salmon Eye Charters have pulled all their boats for the season and will start fishing again in March. For anglers with their own boats fishing off Big Bank could still be an option as there should be feeder Chinooks out there. The weather has been great and should continue for another week so fishing is still an option. We had good numbers of Coho through Barkley Sound as was expected during September. If you are buy tackle for next season, Silver Horde has many different new colors in their three inch spoon which see to work very well for Coho and Chinook inside Barkley Sound. The 3 inch spoons worked well behind a 5-6 foot leader and flasher.

September fishing was very good for Coho in Barkley Sound until mid month and then it was important to run out to Big Bank if you were looking for salmon. In early September the Coho were about the same size as the Chinook and since the limit was 4 per person, it made it easy to go only 10 mins out of the harbor and fish Coho in protected water. The Coho were mostly in the 7-12 lb range and were at 20-50 feet mostly on 3 inch and 3.5 inch green/silver Silver Horde and Coyote Spoons.

Tight lines and enjoy your summer salmon! For current and indexed fishing reports check out http://www.salmoneye.net/category/fishing-reports/ If you are visiting the Tofino area please check out http://www.tofino-info.com/ for pictures and descriptions of beaches and trails, surfing and more! We also have great winter deals for two bedroom ocean view condos starting at $139 per night at http://www.vancouverislandvr.com./

Below are some pics from the summer fishing!

Sam Vandervalk
Fishing Charters Vancouver Island BC
www.salmoneye.net
1-877-777-4344

****
Sam Vandervalk
Fishing Guide Vancouver Island
www.salmoneye.net

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Wahoo Fishing Fort Lauderdale Happy Day Today

(132 posts) Wahoo Fishing Fort Lauderdale Happy Day Today
Fishing Fort Lauderdale on Happy Day Today with Capt. Zsak

A family from Maryland, Daniel Hearn, father Stan, motherCarole and friend Bernell, chartered the Happy Day Today along with theTopshotfishing team to do some deep sea sport fishing in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The whole family are avid anglers, and wereenthused about on an 8 fishing hour charter here in Fort Lauderdale FL.

Winds were out of the east northeast at 8 mph, seas running3-4 ft., temperature was in the mid 80?s. We left the dock at 7:30 am and fifteen minutes later lines were in thewater as we approached the sea buoy in Fort Lauderdale in 120 ft. of water. We put two plainers down, one with a doublehook Bonito strip with a green and white sea witch and the other with a blackand purple sea witch. For surface baitswe had four Ballyhoos and a Ballyhoo daisy chain teaser. With the fish gods on the angler?s side, westarted off with a bang, catching one Kingfish after another after another,winding up with eight Kingfish, which we kept and releasing 18 Kingfish. From there I could see some birds working thearea off shore, so we trolled towards the birds. As I got close I could see a school of Mullets migrating to the south, which isa good indication that the predators will not be too far behind. We wound up catching four Tunas and twoBonitos in this area.

I kept working the area and one of the plainer rods bentover with the line exiting at an extremely fast rate and the rod tip bouncingup and down, which is a strong indication we had a Wahoo on the line. Stan reeled in the fastest fish in the ocean,a Wahoo, which are recorded at 64 mph. Jackson, our mate, leaned over the side to gaff the vertical stripe, jawsnapping Wahoo, weighing 24 lbs. We keptworking the area ? again the tell tale sign of a Wahoo appeared as Danielreeled in another Wahoo weighing 28 lbs.

From there we went wreck fishing and we brought it oneAmberjack and eight Snappers.

With a smile on the angler?s faces and the fish box full offish to be brought back to Maryland, everyone retired to the a/c salon for theride back to the dock at Bahia Mar 801 Seabreeze Blvd. Fort Lauderdale 33316.

For a successful and adventurous deep seafishing charter Fort Lauderdale FL for Sailfish, Shark, Bonito,Mackerel, Swordfish, Snapper, Wahoo, Tuna, Mahi Mahi and Grouper contactCaptain Zsak. - 954-309-7457 or email us at tzsak@bellshouth.net Website: www.topshotfishing.com.

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Cabo San Lucas Sportfishing Report and Baja Fishing

(63 posts) Cabo San Lucas Sportfishing Report and Baja Fishing Jc Sportfishing Weekly Fish Report.
As the Admiral Seas It
Fishing Report: 10/16/13 to 10/23/13
Stop by Our Office for up to Date Fishing Report.
Jc Sportfishing Charters is a family owned and operated business and has been fishing in Cabo San Lucas for the past 18 years. Jerry, explains that his charter business is geared more for families and novice anglers, making sure everyone who charters a boat with him have a great time and lots of fun. We welcome families, and groups. We want everyone who fishes with us to take all the sites in and have memorable experience. This is what is most important to us. We have and do a few tournaments each year and can cater to fisherman who might be interested in tournament fishing. Lets get on with the report for this past week.
Tournament Time in Cabo

Prize monies for the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament

1st Extraction 625 lb blue marlin $295,425.00
2nd Expedition 516 lb blue marlin $27,000.00
1st in release Chupacabra $39,150.00
2nd in release Galati $5,400.00
3rd in release Cisco$3,600....00
Daily release Reel Quest $6,075.00
Tuna Day 1 & 2 39 lb & 65 lbs Reel Gold $20,081.00
Day 1 Wahoo Miss Behavin 26.5 lbs $6,693.00
Day 2 Wahoo El Suertudo 32.8 lbs $6,693.00
Day 3 Wahoo Minerva II 34.5 lbs $6,693.00
Bisbee Los Cabos Offshore Tournament



With an overall purse of $621,350 and local charities the benefactors, the 2013 Bisbee?s Los Cabos Offshore Charity Tournament wrapped up Sunday evening with a lavish awards dinner at the Baja Cantina Restaurant on Medano Beach. Teams North Star and Ultra Seal were the winners, equally dividing the available pot. Donald Whittier guided his local team to the top tuna, a 201-pound behemoth that was caught Sunday near the Gordo Bank. Gonzolo Castillo wound that fish in aboard Estrella del Norte, a custom outboard boat. The North Star team pocketed a check for $110,075 for its efforts.

Ultra Seal, led by Don Burts and his son Donnie, captured the largest dorado of the event. The 33-pounder earned the Lafayette, Louisiana team a check totaling $110,075. Burts and Company were fishing aboard Caliente, a 40 Cabo Flybridge skippered by Capt. Jaime Gonzalez. The two equal prizes represented the daily jackpots for each game fish category, plus the billfish share from both days.
In order to qualify, dorado had to weigh at least 30 pounds, while tuna needed to weigh 40 pounds or better. Blue and black marlin were also eligible species if they exceeded 300 pounds. None did, although John Peelman aboard Hot Rod came closest with his 282-pound black marlin, landed on Saturday.
A record 90 teams fished the 2013 edition of the LCO. The combined 591 anglers caught 71 billfish, including 24 blues, 36 striped marlin, 5 sailfish, one black marlin and dozens of smaller dorado and tuna. The overall billfish release ratio was 93 percent.
Team Galati was the top boat in the release division, scoring 800 points for one blue, three stripers and two sailfish. Carpe Diem was second with 700 points earned from two blues and a sail, while Team Salvatore?s was third with 500 points (1 blue, 2 stripers).
Cabo Riviera, an upscale marina and golf resort in East Cape, was the Presenting Sponsor. The others included Baja Cantina and the Wyndham Resort in Cabo San Lucas.
The biggest winners of the 2013 Los Cabos Offshore Tournament are local Baja charities. Donations totaling $132,150 will be given to local causes to serve the underprivileged in the greater Cabo region.
?We?ve had a great event, thanks to all our participating teams and the generosity of our sponsors, Cabo Riviera, Baja Cantina and the Wyndham Resort,? Tricia Bisbee told the banquet guests. ?We had more boats than last year, beautiful weather and we raised a lot of money for some very worthy causes. So thank you all and I look forward to seeing each of you this week at the Black & Blue.?


WATER: The water has been really nice and blue as of lately with water temperatures in the lower 80,s to high 70,s. With the calm weather and sunny days we expect the water to stay nice with swells 1 to 3 feet on the Sea of Cortez side and 2 to 4 feet on the pacific side.
WEATHER: The weather has been great really with lots of sun and light breezes. Our last bit of weather on the 14th of October which closed the port for the day is probably all the tropical weather we will see this year as things are starting to cool somewhat and typical October weather is setting in.
BILLFISHING: The fishing has been great for striped marlin and lots of Blue Marlin being caught all week with most of the fish being caught up at San Jamie on lures and live bait. The 1150 and 95 spots are also producing Striped Marlin this past week and again lures and live bait are doing the trick.
BAIT: Bait is the standard 3.00 dollars a piece and there has been plenty around:
DORADO: Well really all the Dorado you could possibly want are out there and waiting to be caught. All areas are producing with the strongest areas being from the Solmar up to San Jamie and they seem to be biting cut ballyhoo, lures and live bait. A majority of the fish are being taken 1 to 2 miles offshore from Solmar to Migrano and Los Arcos.
From The Admirals Kitchen
Grilled Wahoo Fish Recipe
From Jerrys Kitchen @What's Cookin' Italian Cuisine
1 lb of Wahoo Fish Cut into chunks or steaks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 fresh lemon sliced
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoons finely ground fresh pepper
Cooking :
Whisk together olive oil, lime and lemon juice, paprika, and red pepper in a small bowl. Place wahoo in a dish. Pour the marinade mix over the fish, place in refrigerator, and let stand for half an hour add sliced lemons on top. Remove wahoo from fridge, place fish on skewers or steaks directly on the grill and grill for 15 minutes on medium turning once at about 8 minutes. Use the leftover marinade mix to baste the fish while it is grilling. Serving suggestions on plain white rice.
TUNA: Tuna bite has slowed somewhat compared to last week. There was a 201lbs Tuna caught in the fishing tournament. Some football size Tuna were reported caught about 20 miles off the Jamie Banks. Some reports of smaller Tuna also inshore caught off of the Pangas.
INSHORE: The fishing close to shore has been not to bad as of lately. The Dorado fishing has been good close to shore and also some reports of Roosterfish being caught off the Solmar beach. Some small Tunas being reported inshore also the grouper and Snapper fishing in the Pedregal Rocks has been decent.
WAHOO: The Wahoo bite has slowed down some since last week not near the number of Wahoo this week. Rapalas and Maraders lures were catching the fish this week at about a quarter mile off of Los Arcos.
BEWARE: Remember if your not renting charter boats from companies who have been established in Cabo for the past 20 years ( Jc sport Fishing, Pisces Sport Fishing, Minervas, Redrum, Picante Fleet) you might have problems. They don?t even have an office you can go and confirm your charter boat. You do not want to spend a day walking around looking for the boat and where you board. If you wait till the day you are fishing and go to the dock where your boat is many times people will mislead you to another boat or dock trying to put you on a boat that was not meant for you. You need to have a person guide you to your boat, who is from a reputable charter company. This way there is no confusion or misleading. Please remember when renting Sport fishing boats in Cabo that you rent your boat from reputable and established business. Walk into a fishing fleet office and ask questions about what you are getting and what are the costs? You dont want to rent boats from vendors in the streets and you do not want to book through shady websites offering you the world. Check through travel forums about reputable fishing fleets to deal with. Look for testimonials about the fleet your booking your charter with. Ask about what will the boat be supplying? Will it include beverages or lunches? How much does it cost to fillet your catch? Check to see if charter boat is insured? Ask about getting your catch smoked? Check cost of fishing license. These are just a few things to consider when booking your charter boat. We will be talking more about this in next weeks fishing report. Until next time good fishing and we hope to see you in Cabo soon. Come by the office here in Cabo and get all the latest up to date fishing report. http://www.jcsportfishing.com http://youtu.be/zNBk33jCjCk

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Wahooo Fishing Fort Lauderdale Happy Day Today

(132 posts) Wahooo Fishing Fort Lauderdale Happy Day Today
Fishing Fort Lauderdale on Happy Day Today with Capt. Zsak

Mike and Linda Ganje took advantage of their last chance toenjoy warm weather here in sunny Fort Lauderdale by going deep sea sportfishing in Fort Lauderdale FL aboard the Happy Day Today along with theTopshotfishing team before going back home to Minnesota.

With blue skies, winds out of the north at 12 mph,temperature in the mid 80?s, 2-3 ft. seas, we left the dock at Bahia Mar Marinaand 15 minutes later lines were in the water at the sea buoy in Fort Lauderdalewhich is 120 ft deep. If you venture offanother ? of a mile from the sea buoy, the depth of water will read 500 ft.

Our first north winds triggered the migration of Mulletscoming south down the coast, sited from shore out to 180 ft. of water. We have 34 artificial wrecks for fishing herein Fort Lauderdale, FL which attract bait fish and in return thepredators are not too far away.

We put two plainers down, both with double hook Bonitostrips with sea witches, and for surface baits we went with two Bonito strips,two Ballyhoos and a Ballyhoo daisy chain teaser. I fished over one wreck after another asLinda and Michael both took turns catching and bringing in the fish. I headed out to one of our deeper artificialwrecks that sits in 280 ft. of water. AsI approached the wreck, the depth recorder revealed a school of fish 110 ftabove the wreck. I took one engine outof gear and kept the other just idling so that the baits would sink downdeeper, as we picked away at the school of Kingfish over thewreck. Suddenly, one of our plainerrods bent over, hooked up, as the line screamed of the reel and then the rodtip started bouncing up and down. Withexcellent Wahoo fishing this week and the sight of the rod going up and down, wasa tell tale sign of a Wahoo hooked up, Michael was our angler, and he retrieved the line ? twenty minuteslater, the deep blue-purple torpedo appeared, with the silver vertical stripsflashing back and forth from side to side as he shaked his head. Jackson, our mate, started to wire the Wahoobut the Wahoo was not ready yet as he screamed line off again. After the second attempt, Jackson leaned over the side and gaffed the58? Wahoo, as his jaws exposed his razor sharp teeth.

With 8 Kingfish, 1 Barracuda, 3 Bonitos and a 41 lb. Wahoo,it was time to return to the dock while Mike and Linda retired to the a/c salonfor the ride back to the dock at Bahia Mar 801 Seabreeze Blvd. Fort Lauderdale 33316.

For a successful and adventurous deep seafishing charter Fort Lauderdale FL for Sailfish, Shark, Bonito,Mackerel, Swordfish, Snapper, Wahoo, Tuna, Mahi Mahi and Grouper contactCaptain Zsak. - 954-309-7457 or email us at tzsak@bellshouth.net Website: www.topshotfishing.com.

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B-Run blues affect steelhead fishing derby - The Spokesman Review

The Clearwater Snake Steelhead Derby will be held Nov. 23-30 despite the closure of a large section of the Clearwater River to harvest of steelhead more than 28 inches long.
Officials with the steelhead derby committee at the Lewis Clark Valley Chamber of Commerce are working with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to ensure the annual fishing contest doesn’t unduly target fish that an emergency rule change is designed to protect.
When the catch-and-keep steelhead season opened Tuesday, the Clearwater River below Orofino and its North Fork were closed to harvest of hatchery steelhead longer than 28 …

Idaho fish managers are asking anglers to go beyond the restrictive emergency regulations set to protect the dismal run of salmon to the Clearwater River.
Release the protected fish longer than 28 inches as quickly as possible to increase their odds of survival, says Joe DuPont, Idaho Fish and Game Department regional fisheries manager.
Some anglers place marks on their boats so they can measure fish without taking them out of the water.
“This helps prevent people from dropping a struggling fish in the bottom of their boat, which increases the likelihood of handling mortality,” he said.
The Clearwater Snake Steelhead Derby will be held Nov. 23-30 despite the closure of a large section of the Clearwater River to harvest of steelhead more than 28 inches long.
Officials with the steelhead derby committee at the Lewis Clark Valley Chamber of Commerce are working with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to ensure the annual fishing contest doesn’t unduly target fish that an emergency rule change is designed to protect.
When the catch-and-keep steelhead season opened Tuesday, the Clearwater River below Orofino and its North Fork were closed to harvest of hatchery steelhead longer than 28 inches. The rule is designed to protect the 2,000 large B-run steelhead predicted to return to Dworshak National Fish Hatchery.
Virtually every one of the fish will be needed to meet spawning goals.
The Clearwater is a destination for derby anglers and other fishermen trying to catch B-run fish renowned for their size and strength. But while this year’s run of fall chinook is setting records, B-run steelhead numbers are dismally low.
Joe DuPont, Idaho Fish and Game regional fisheries manager in Lewiston, said derby officials have agreed to make surederby participants know of the rule change and aren’t tempted to cheat.
“When you have a derby with a fairly large award for the largest fish, there is going to be a tendency for somebody to want to keep a big fish somebody would catch on the Clearwater even though it is illegal,” he said.
Derby officials will cover the rule change at the opening ceremony and also have it printed in registration packets.
As always, they plan to announce the biggest fish caught each day. This year, they will include where the fish was caught to help derby participants police each other.
Fisheries monitors and conservation officers from the department will have a presence on the Clearwater during the derby.
“I was fairly confident with all of those things in place that illegal harvest should be minimal,” DuPont said.
“I feel I was able to assure (DuPont) there will be a lot of self policing and we will be reminding (anglers) of the rules and be very clear with the restrictions,” said Chamber President Kristin Kemak.
According to the latest forecast, a total of 9,440 hatchery steelhead from Clearwater River hatcheries will return past Lower Granite Dam this fall. But only 7,888 will be adipose fin-clipped fish that have spent two or three years in the ocean and just about 2,000 of them will be bound for Dworshak, where nearly all hatchery fish are collected for spawning.
The hatchery has a goal of collecting 2,000 fish each year, leaving none available for harvest this year.
“The only way we feel confident that we can get the necessary fish to Dworshak Hatchery is to restrict all harvest of these two- and three-ocean fish,” DuPont said.
The regulations are likely to reduce the number of anglers fishing the Clearwater this fall and will hit steelhead outfitters in the pocket book. Toby Wyatt, owner of Reel Time Fishing, said the restrictions will be painful but he understands the reason they were adopted.
“It’s going to hurt a lot of us, that is for sure, but you have to do what you have to do. You have to make sure you have enough fish to make the next crop.”
Despite the poor run, both he and DuPont predicted there will still be quality fishing on the river, even if anglers have to release most of their catch. Steve Pettit, a retired Idaho Fish and Game fisheries biologist who lives at Cherrylane, is worried about the B-run, particularly the federally protected wild fish. He said years of hatchery practices combined with the increasing popularity of the fishery in the Clearwater River has taken its toll on the fish.
Runs over the past 13 years have been mostly robust due largely to positive ocean conditions in the North Pacific Ocean. However, conditions in the ocean typically run in decade-long streaks between good and bad known as the Pacific decadal oscillation. He fears the fishery has entered a period of poor ocean productivity and both the wild and hatchery runs are on a dangerous slide.
“We are probably going to have another decade where the North Pacific productivity ebbs and goes downhill,” Pettit said.
“If there is any issue at all with juvenile migration and you have a poor ocean on top of it, you are going to see much poorer returns back to the Snake River.”

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Fall fishing in Idaho is cool and productive - The Seattle Times

BOISE, Idaho — If you think fall is time to trade the fishing rod for a gun, you’re missing out on some great fishing.

Fall is a transitional time, and you never know what kind of weather you might get. It might be 70 degrees one day and snowing the next, or vice versa.

But fish know winter is coming, so they tend to feed aggressively, especially when the water temperatures drop back into the 60-degree range, which all fish seem to love.

You also have the salmon and steelhead returning from the ocean to give you an opportunity for some really big fish, as well as a nice fillet for the grill or broiler.

Even so-called warm water fish are available for the taking in rivers and reservoirs, so don’t let a little rain or frost stop you from making another fishing trip. Here are some places to go.

SNAKE RIVER

The Snake is Southwest Idaho’s most overlooked river. It has ridiculous bass and catfish populations and a few surprises, like sturgeon and trout.

The river offers good-to-excellent bass fishing that will extend well into the fall.

“I think we’re at the start of some great late-season smallie fishing,” said Dave Gourley. He’s been fishing the river all summer and taking big smallmouth bass.

The Snake rewards those who adapt to different seasons. The river can be weedy after the hot summer, but the bass are still there.

Smallmouths like current and rocks, and where you find those things, you will often find fish. But the key is to always keep searching until you hook a fish. Then you will usually catch several because they tend to be in schools.

Boat fishing is typically the best option for the Snake, but there’s a lot of bank access and good fishing from Swan Falls Dam downstream.

It’s difficult to talk about the Snake without including its reservoirs because there’s a chain of them all through the system.

Although much of the fish are of the “warm water” variety, don’t take that too literally. Bass, crappie and perch are caught nearly year-round.

SOUTH FORK OF THE SNAKE RIVER

This Eastern Idaho river has an entirely different character in the fall.

It’s fished mostly from boats during spring and summer because of higher flows for irrigation, which makes wading difficult.

But when flows decrease in the fall, waders return to take advantage of the excellent cutthroat, rainbow and brown trout fishing.

“It’s a lot more accessible for wading fishermen, and you can almost always float the South Fork,” said Jonathan Lancaster, head of outfitting for Natural Retreats, which owns South Fork Lodge at Swan Valley.

You can also still fish the river from a boat; just allow much longer to get between launches because the river is flowing much slower.

Fall brings abundant blue-wing olive and mahogany dun hatches, and fly anglers also entice the river’s brown trout with streamers.

The South Fork is an easy road trip because it’s freeway most of the way, and there are cool campgrounds along the river. Just expect cold weather because the river is at about 5,000-foot elevation and at the base of the Tetons. You will also get some amazing scenery when the cottonwoods and aspens turn gold and the Tetons get a dusting of snow.

The South Fork is a big river and can be intimidating, but guided trips are available. “We will do guided trips year-round if people want to go,” Lancaster said.

SNAKE/CLEARWATER

This may be one of those years that’s talked about for years to come. A big fall chinook run is heading into Idaho, and it will give anglers a shot at those big fish fresh from the ocean.

Fall chinook are different from their spring cousins. Springers make their way upstream into tributaries to spawn.

Fall chinook spawn in the main rivers, so they’re not going to come to you — you have to go to them.

Nearly all the fishing will take place in the Snake River from the Lewiston area up to Hells Canyon Dam. A small section of the Clearwater near the Snake is also open for chinook fishing.

Fall chinook are also different from springers because they spend a short time in freshwater before spawning, so their quality for eating can drop off fast. It’s best to fish them lower in the river system, which puts you around Lewiston.

Anglers fish for fall chinook the same as spring chinook, typically pulling large plugs such as Kwikfish and often wrapped with a herring fillet.

You also have the Clearwater for steelhead fishing and the river’s famed “B“-run fish that are nearly as large as chinook.

DUCK VALLEY INDIAN RESERVATION

The three reservoirs on the reservation — Mountain View, Billy Shaw and Sheep Creek — are often overlooked because people think of them as spring fisheries.

But the trout are still there, and the tribe’s fisheries managers have been working to reduce the weed growth during summer.

That means the fish are more accessible to anglers during summer than fall.

Trolling, bank fishing with bait and fly-fishing are all good ways to fish, but Billy Shaw is restricted to fly-fishing only.

All three lakes are owned and operated by the Shoshone Paiute Tribe, so make sure you buy your tribal license before fishing. They’re available on the reservation at Our Store and also at the Fishin’ Hole in Bruneau.

If you want to take fish home, stick to Mountain View and Sheep Creek reservoirs because you can keep five fish per day, but only one between 16 and 19 inches from Billy Shaw.

Fishing season ends Oct. 31 at Billy Shaw and Sheep Creek, but Mountain View is open year-round.

MOUNTAIN LAKES

Don’t fool yourself. Fishing season doesn’t end with the first dusting of snow in the mountains. You can still catch a lot of fish there.

McCall and Stanley are the most popular destinations for mountain lakes, so let’s do this prizefight style.

In this corner, we have McCall. It has lots of mountain lakes you can drive to or within a short hike. Hit the Goose Lake Road, aka the road to Brundage Mountain, and you can drive to several of them — including Brundage Reservoir, Goose Lake, Granite Lake, Hazard Lake — and hike to several others. As a bonus, you’re a short drive to the Salmon River and Little Salmon River for steelhead.

In the opposing corner is Stanley, which also has lots of lakes you can drive to, including Redfish, Stanley, Pettit and Alturas lakes. Unlike McCall’s lakes that are accessed by miles of washboard gravel roads, most around Stanley are accessible by paved roads or with short sections of gravel.

There’s also the Upper Salmon River available for trout anglers, as well as several other streams nearby.

You can expect frosty mornings in the mountains during October, and snowstorms are common, but fishing remains good.

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