Fished the River again. 42 degree water. Great weather day and fishing was good, too. No whoppers, but pretty good numbers. Tried the Ned rig. It’s too light for me. Carolina rig and Tx rig w/ crazy leg chigger craws were the ticket. Good luck. Nice fish Fry.
Sam I never thought to use a c rig but I can see why it would be good. How often do you get snagged though? Could get pricey loosing the whole rig a few times a trip.
Oddly enough, I’ve only lost one rig. I feels like I’m dragging over gravel with a few boulders. A buddy who fishes the River a lot has been telling for years to try it. Finally listened.
Might have been my last bass trip for the year looking at the upcoming temps. I could go Tuesday, but I get to have a colonoscopy instead. Yes. Decent numbers today, but size was smaller than past trips. Carolina rig was the ticket. Didn’t lose a rig. Tried a Neko-rigged craw. I saw a wired to fish video on this. It got bumped a couple times, but no takers. A little nerve racking to see guys in orange in boats and occasional rifle shot.
Amazing weekend!
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Smallmouth bass large forehead fisherman.
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Great pic Bob
Hoping to find those smallies this week still.
Caught em on a Heddon Sonar on the River today. Watched a Jim Moynaugh video on blade baits yesterday. Never used one in my life. Been in my tackle box for years. Caught a couple on plastics. Couldn’t believe it when I caught the first one. Started the day with a colonoscopy. Good report. Yesterday was rough— many deposits. 42 degree water. Today was much better than yesterday. The end is close. Good luck.
Caught em on a Heddon Sonar on the River today. Watched a Jim Moynaugh video on blade baits yesterday. Never used one in my life. Been in my tackle box for years. Caught a couple on plastics. Couldn’t believe it when I caught the first one. Started the day with a colonoscopy. Good report. Yesterday was rough— many deposits. 42 degree water. Today was much better than yesterday. The end is close. Good luck.
Sounds like you caught a butt load… 
Even farted with no lump. That’s good.
Even farted with no lump. That’s good.
Supposed to be 40degress up here Tuesday. Might give the River a try. I shoveled and plowed snow for 2hours today which makes no sense. I unusually have to get blanked twice before I quit. I’m not real smart
Supposed to be 40degress up here Tuesday. Might give the River a try. I shoveled and plowed snow for 2hours today which makes no sense. I unusually have to get blanked twice before I quit. I’m not real smart
Yes, a little warmer on Tuesday and maybe next weekend. Tuesday sounds windy so good idea to fish a river for some cover… hope you don’t get skunked so we can still get reports up until Thanksgiving!
Caught a fair number of smallies, up to 4 1/2lbs, in far northern MN this past week in water temps as low as 40 degrees. The bite seemed to have slowed from the week before when the water temp was 46. Interestingly, this time of year, they seem to prefer more sand/gravel and scattered boulders on the edges of the rock reefs rather than amongst the heavy boulders on top of the reefs themselves. Total switch from the warmer water periods. One theory for this is that the smallies are following the seasonal migration of crayfish, which burrow in softer bottom to overwinter. Another theory would be that they are getting pushed off the rocks by esox, which were using the same reefs. The esox theory might also explain why the smallies were holding so tight to bottom. Could just be comfort too. What ever the reason, and unlike in the summer and early fall, we saw no smallies on Livescope or Mega 360, even though they were present since we were catching them. Blade baits were all we threw. A plug knocker was a must-have.
Brian,
How deep were you finding those smallmouth? I’ve had some success with targeting smallmouth through the ice and they’ve been located on structure that you describe. Deeper rocks on gravel (22-32ft) off the edges of shallow rock reefs/flats. I wouldn’t be surprised if you went to that same spot on the ice and caught some bass there.
“…we saw no smallies on Livescope or Mega 360, even though they were present since we were catching them.”
First time this happened all year for me too… couldn’t see them on the electronics but they were definitely there. For me, it was an oversized football jig when it pulled across the sand and hit the first rock is when they’d smack it.
Blank, 15-22’- but the depth depended on the basin that we were fishing. As you know, some basins on that lake are shallow and some are deep. The deeper basins held deeper fish. We also catch them in the winter ice fishing, but the winter spots seem to be deeper than where we were catching them this past week and many of those winter spots require a swim across the mud basin which smallmouth seem very reluctant to do until the bitter end.
Fry, just guessing but I think they would’ve eaten football jigs had they seen one. We just never threw anything but blades.
Here is what we were seeing on Livescope/360. There were sand flats right up until some of these scattered chunk/boulders.You can’t see the smallmouth, but you can spot a few bait fish swimming above and around the boulders. I’m sure crayfish on the bottom as well.
My guess is the smallies were hugging the bottom in the shadows of the boulder and as the lure banged off of it, they get pissed and hit it. So, no game fish to be seen on the electronics, yet without them it would be a lot harder to find the right spots where they were hiding…
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Get comfortable fishing them where Livescope does not show them, that’s where they will be in the future. Do you hear: ‘fish are scattered’ or in small pods? You will hear that more as electronics and our ability to use electronics improves-IMHO
Get comfortable fishing them where Livescope does not show them, that’s where they will be in the future. Do you hear: ‘fish are scattered’ or in small pods? You will hear that more as electronics and our ability to use electronics improves-IMHO
Maybe, but my guess is opposite. They help find the spot on the spot when others are in search mode. Like fishing with a road map instead of just a compass.
I had one of the more difficult summers fishing this year. After I got 360 working, it was one of the most productive Falls in recent memory. That and a re-newed interest in finesse fishing did the trick for me. Eating my words on the Nerd Rig now… just need to know where to fish it..
Years ago I went to the racetrack, bought a tip sheet for a buck or 2. GREAT info in that tip sheet, trends, how certain horses ran better on a wet track etc.Only problem was I saw lots of other people had my same tip sheet.
Frydog,
After I get my Ultrex this off season the 360 is next. I’ve fished with a few friends that have them and man is it nice.
Frydog,
After I get my Ultrex this off season the 360 is next. I’ve fished with a few friends that have them and man is it nice.
Yes, I go back/forth between Livescope and 360. Received a couple PM’s about which is better and why. I get time will try to post. But yes, the electronics upgrade made a big diff this past couple years, you will like…
That and a re-newed interest in finesse fishing did the trick for me. Eating my words on the Nerd Rig now… just need to know where to fish it..
Like that! Same here!
Bob, are you snagging those by accident? Or, are they eating the bait?? Either way, it looks like fun and must be quite a ride on walleye tackle. B
Not speaking for Bob but there’s a certain time of year, about right now around thanksgiving when the temps just bottomed out and the roughies go on the chew. Usually get buffs in my neck of the woods. Either way fun fight and quite the surprise the way they hit a ringworm. Doesn’t last long the bite.
Bob, are you snagging those by accident? Or, are they eating the bait?? Either way, it looks like fun and must be quite a ride on walleye tackle. B
Yes, they’ve been eating the bait. The first few we got had me thinking “Big Eye”…
We have foulhooked a few but the majority are right in the yap👍
Odd looking bass….. 
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