The summer heat is finally starting to dissipate, but the fishing is only picking up because of it. The past couple of weeks has found us looking for fish, which is the hard part. Once you find em, it can be lights out.
I’m definitely in the learning process at this point. Fall usually equals tough fishing for me, and Sept is usually the worst. I’m not a slabber, but am trying to learn. Getting out on the water and having success doing it last week brought me some much needed confidence, as well as learning what to look for. I ended with 10 wipers total one afternoon, with 6 of them coming on slabs. I don’t know a whole lot about the slabbing secrets, but I do know it’ll only get better as the water cools. At least now I have a starting point.
I don’t believe I’ve ever done this well in Sept, so I hope it continues. Using what I learned previously, we headed out yesterday, even though it was cool and cloudy, and I was certain the weather would mess with our fishing. Not the case. It took us a few hours to find fish, but once we did, we caught them immediately. We were looking for wipers, and found some, but we also had some added surprises: channel cats. Nice surprises as we were using walleye jigging rods and bass casting rods. I’d say we ended with 12-14 of the hard chargers, and the smallest was still 24 1/2″. We had two that were 25 1/2″, but the rest were 26 1/2″ to 30 1/2″, which are some nice cats anywhere. Having 5 in the 28 1/2″ to 30 1/2″ class made it the most quality cats I’ve ever had in the boat in one day, and we weren’t even planning on it!
Add in about a dozen wipers, two of which were MA at 24″ and 24 1/4″, and it was a great day. Dad caught the biggest wiper, my buddy Steve caught the biggest channel, and I was busy catching the most fish. If we would have had $5 bets in the boat, it woulda been tough trying to decide who won what!
Goes to show it’s the time of year where you really need to key in on bait fish, their locations, and most importantly, the predators’ locations and how they’re relating to them. I’m learning that it takes some work, but as you can see, it’s well worth it. First time in a few years I’m very excited for cool weather, fall fishing, and hopefully more big fish!
Great read… sounds like fun!!!
Those are stripers, and not white bass right? Guessing they fight like white bass… I’ve just never seen them that big…. but am sure they would be a ball to fish for.
What Brian is catching are Wipers, A hybrid between striped bass and the smaller whitebass that are present across the midwest.
Good report Brian, with temps dropping I am ready to get the fall bite underway. – QB
Thanks Cycle, it was a good time. As QB state, they are wipers indeed. They’re very popular, and for good reason. Even the little 18 inchers will take you for a ride. I’m pretty excited as this is new to me, and I don’t believe I’ve ever caught a wiper in September. To actually be putting numbers in the boat is just spectacular for me right now. I’ve learned a few things, and they seem to be paying off. I’m hoping to learn more going into Nov and Dec (weather permitting) and hope to get even more. I’ve heard of em up to 29″ recently at this lake, which is something I’d have to see to believe. The biggest I’ve personally seen from here is 26 1/2″, which I thought we’d never see. 27 I believe, but 29? I sure hope so, and I hope I get a couple!
Nice catch Brian, Id like to get into a good wiper bite like that, bet it was fun.
Thanks for the info… never heard of a wiper, and was thinking it was slang for stripers. We catch a number of 15-17″ white bass during certain times of the year. Getting into a bite like you are with the thought of upper 20″ fish would be fantastic. Good luck this fall!
This lake does have a population of big white bass like you mention, but wipers blow them away. The worst thing you can do is catch a wiper though, because then you’ll be addicted like the rest of us!