A Halloween surprise (all treat, no trick)

Possibly not one other factor has led more towards the elevated top-out size smallmouth bass compared to mild fall weather we've lately experienced across The United States. For more than ten years — from about 2000 to 2012 — lengthy, residual, warm fall several weeks stored water warmer for added days in fall. Some time, we experienced early springs because of early ice-outs in northern locales.

While there's unquestionably been local variation sometimes, these general designs continued to be quite consistent within the northern one-third from the U. S. throughout that time period. The warming trend extended west in to the Dakotas, directly on as much as Idaho. Out east, the truly amazing Ponds were also affected, as were nearby prime smallmouth waters like Lake Simcoe, Lake Champlain and also the St. Lawrence River. Associated this trend, ponds experienced a rise in average seafood size, apparently benefitting from the longer growing season.

Just before the general warm-up, an average fall season on Mille Lacs Lake in Minnesota typically went something similar to this:

After Labor Day, the very first week of September generally observed a stable cooling from the water column because the atmosphere started shifting from the late-summer time a great-fall weather pattern.

On Mille Lacs, seafood groups that utilized the lake’s many rock reefs and surrounding scattered weeds would begin moving to nearby sharp drop-off areas that plunge in a sharp position from about 5 to 25 ft thorough, typically with hard bottom. These eventually be wintering places that smallmouths eventually settle into relative dormancy for that lengthy Minnesota winter.

Throughout these early-fall changes in location, schools of bass continue feeding, although in a gradually diminishing rate, before the temperature of water dips to around 42F. At 42F, smallmouths often become quite logy and be tough to become popular artificial fishing lures. As ice starts to create across the top of lake, smallies usually lie alongside rocks, big chunks of rock, logs or perhaps in dish-formed downturns towards the bottom, slowing down their actions to some crawl. They continue to be within this mode until they change into prespawn actions that start to draw them shallow again at the begining of spring, soon after ice-out.

Thanks to the LindnersA shopping cart software encrusted with zebra mussels discloses how prolific this invasive species could be, altering marine habitats.

Oddly enough, in the 45F range in fall, the seafood usually still bite well and can strike great shape of artificials, showing a readiness to give. As well as in recent seasons, using the temperature of water residual between 49 and 42F for many additional days every year, evidence indicates the additional fall feeding activity led mightily towards the surprising growth spurt of smallmouths. Compare that to twenty years back, once the Mille Lacs smallmouth bite typically grew to become tough round the third week of October, and also the lake started freezing in mid-November.

Imagine our pleasure when, throughout the current many years of residual the sunshine, smallmouths were positively feeding and biting artificials up through Halloween —sometime longer! Which after that, i was still in a position to play halloween together by lowering an active bait (just like a enticing redtail chub) and deadsticking it in position before their eyes and noses, tempting reluctant bites lengthy after artificials grew to become useless.

What we should observed within Minnesota could virtually be duplicated to some extent in other parts of The United States. Anywhere in which the water ices up and feeding slows, a couple of additional bonus days of mild water may leave water open longer, leading to sustained fall smallmouth activity and elevated growth.

Thanks to the LindnersIn 1984, the Lindners authored their first book on smallmouth bass. Today, they are still learning.

Could it be a lasting consequence of climatic change or perhaps cycle which will eventually turn back trend toward longer growing seasons and elevated smallmouth size? Can be. In the meantime, let’s all make use of the bonanza, catching large bass along the way.

Later on articles, we'll explore the implications of numerous different facets on today’s smallmouth bass fishery. And most importantly, the best way to make use of all these details to trap many bigger seafood.

To understand more about what Al, James and Ron Lindner do, visit their site. It’s packed with great fishing information, an entire schedule of where their tv shows play, plus a listing of the award-winning Dvd disks. You may also follow Ron on Facebook under both Ron Lindner and Angling Edge. 

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Shep on <b>Fishing</b>: Weakfish an early season surprise

Posted: Saturday, June 2, 2012 12:15 am | Updated: 1:42 am, Sat Jun 2, 2012.

One of the promising developments in the first part of the improving fishing season is what looks to be the return of decent catches of weakfish.

The Press Fishing Contest has received five entries, which is probably already more than the last two seasons combined.

The heaviest weakfish weigh-in so far is a 7.81-pounder caught by Egg Harbor City resident Skip Compton. It was entered into the Senior Division at Dolfin Dock in Somers Point. It was caught May 21 with a yellow and white bucktail with purple worm in the back bays of Margate.

Other hefty weakfish entered - Joe Craner of Northfield with a 6.54 fish caught off Drag Island between Somers Point and Ocean City and certified at Dolfin; Gary Goll of Cape May Court House at 6.05 caught at the 8th Street jetty in Avalon on May 25 and weighed at Moran's Dockside in Avalon; Paul Dailey of Pine Hill at 4 pounds, 10 ounces caught in Absecon Bay on Tuesday and certified at Up The Creek Marina in Absecon.

You can only keep one fish, minimum 13 inches, so the stale joke is that they all limited out.

One of the long-time weakfish hot spots is Mullica River. Violet Meyer at Chestnut Neck Boat Yard in Port Republic said the early returns are better than they have been for at least three years. She said Friday that the usual weakfish spots such as Deep Point and Doctors Point in the Mullica have produced "lots of big fish."

As usual, shedder crab is the best bait. Meyer said the best time is high water or early morning.

Incidentally, apologies to all shedder crabs. They were misidentified as green crab in this column Tuesday when describing a one-day out-of-state bait-buying trip from Dolfin Dock by Joan and Rob Barrett.

Mike Hughes has seen a number of 4- to 6-pound weakfish at Budd's Bait and Tackle in Cape May, and he had a hint of a rumor of a 13-pounder that was not confirmed. Hughes said kingfish, croaker and weakfish are mixed together in the surf at Alexander beach in Cape May, and they are biting on bloodworm, shedder and even night-crawlers.

There seem to be lots of 3- to 5-pound summer flounder throughout the area. Another old-fashioned doormat was caught, and again the women are topping the leaderboard.

Howard Sefton got a call 8 p.m. Thursday - after closing Capt. Howard's Bait and Tackle in Egg Harbor City - from a very excited Kimberly Hackney of Hammonton. Sefton opened the store and Hackney walked in with a flounder that weighed an even 7 pounds and was 26 inches in length. Hackney caught it in Absecon Bay with what she described as a freshwater rod with light line and a minnow. Basic and effective.

She was fishing with Raymond Acevedo of Hammonton, who, oh by the way, picked off a 3-pound flounder.

The heaviest flounder entered into The Press Fishing Contest to date is a 10-3 pounder caught May 18 by Nancy Tregnan of Brigantine. And to add to the theme: Candy Jankowski of Marmora has been leading the way at Frank's Boat Rentals in Strathmere with keepers that went 18, 19, 20, 20 and 20 inches caught over Memorial Day weekend.

Other keepers reported recently include the first of the season by 87-year-old Tony Pagano of Cardiff. It happened May 17 on the Duke of Fluke back-bay partyboat docked in Somers Point.

Duke Capt. Brook Koeneke said it was 18 inches in length and weighed 2.3 pounds. Koeneke also reported a 4.5-pound flounder for a 14-year-old from Deptford.

Rolland Reeve of Avalon picked a 5.8-pound flounder out of Paddy's Hole, one of the best flounder spots inside Townsend Inlet.

In addition to the weakfish, Dailey caught a 4.6-pound flounder. Joe LoPane at Up The Creek said he was drifting near the Brigantine Bridge in Absecon Inlet and caught both the flounder and weakfish with a minnow.

The new fishing area at the Somers Point-Ocean City causeway bridge is a cool place and it looks like it can only get better as more people learn about it.

Brian Lee, a mechanic from Clementon, has fished it four times.

On Thursday, he pulled a 21-inch keeper flounder over the rails, and earlier he caught two. He was using a plain hook with minnows for bait at high water and the outgoing tide.

He was there with 7-year-old Andy and 8-year-old Aaron Villafana and mom, Dana, of Somers Point.

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Mike Shepherd is the retired sports editor of The Press. His Shep on Fishing column and Shep's Hot Spot appear Tuesdays and Saturdays in the sports section. Call 609-350-0388 or email

sheponfishing@yahoo.com.

You can also hear Shep's on-air fishing reports Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 6:05 a.m., 9:45 a.m. and 7:05 p.m. on WOND 1400 AM and on our website: PressofAtlanticCity.com

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