Kayak Angling WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO THROW Part One

As winter settles in, dependent on where you live you may be drilling holes in the ice or still using sunscreen. After decades of fishing and deciphering the game of hide and seek with several species of fish we’ve found repeatable success in certain areas, using certain lures and “tried and true” techniques. Adapting to various weather and water conditions has helped me find fish. Using a commonsense approach to where fish will be throughout the year and what will make them say “Ahhh” (bite) has helped in fishing for cash, fun or food. Here is part one of my take on finding and fooling fish anywhere you (or they) live.

• Late winter and early spring lake waters are drawn down to winter pool. This is a good time to scout for potential hot spots during cold conditions. Making mental notes, shooting pictures are marking waypoints in your GPS are all good ideas. Some potential fish holding areas are defined creek channels, sunken logs, boulder rock, gravel bars and underwater structure visible to the naked eye. If crappies are your target brush piles, stake beds and artificial cover can be located and utilized during the spring spawn and once water has reached normal levels again. Crappie beds and natural log jams or single trees will also be used by bass and other gamefish. For spring crappie and surface water temperatures of 50 – 65 degrees I try horizontal presentations using small soft plastics, mainly tubes and grubs. Cast and retrieved steady and slowly with the occasional twitch if that fails, I go to a vertical presentation close to or in the cover. Bring lots of leadheads and replacement plastics. Light line and spinning equipment is recommended. Full moon phases can be fabulous. Post spawn crappie will move progressively deeper during the late spring / summer months.

• The spring rains bring muddy water. High or swift water presents a challenge but identifying either or both can bring unparalleled bass fishing. In “dirty” water bass will hang close to cover and the same can be said of moving water. Fish of all types will avoid direct current and use objects to stage behind. This can make locating and patterning fish a bit easier. Muddy water can be mastered with a few adjustments. Using baits with rattle chambers, larger lures or brightly colored baits are all options. To appeal to their visual sense, I suggest some other tactics. A well-placed jig, 3/8ths or ½ ounce and a bigger trailer like the Ragetail craw makes it easier for the bass to track the crawfish imitator. Another effective tactic is the use of a spinnerbait to draw hits from each type of bass. A larger willowleaf blade and maybe a color change are in order now. A bait that produces for me is an altered Strike King spinner with a copper colored blade. River system bass seem partial to this bait. The flash of the willow blade coupled with the pulsating skirt appeals to spring bass. I lean toward the 3/8ths ounce spinner cast on 12-14-pound test monofilament on a seven-foot medium action rod. Watch for areas where stained water and clearer water comingle. Bass love to set up near this phenomenon and around wood or vegetation. *see photo.

• For nonstop action and a great fight, the bluegill is hard to beat. As surface water rises and gets to 65 degrees bluegill feed heavily prepping for the spawn. Once water reaches 70 degrees the popular bluegill will prepare nests and once the full moon arrives, they will lock into the “dinner plate” depression they make to deposit their eggs. Once the eggs are in and incubating bluegills will guard their nests. Swimming in tight circles they will attack anything that comes in range of their individual beds. While just about anything works live baits like night crawlers fished under a float, small soft plastics and mini spinners all catch the active fish. For topwater fun a small sponge spider is irresistible as it hovers over the nest of a spawning bluegill. Catches of 50 to 100 are not uncommon. Game fighters a mess of bluegill fillets make a great meal and with strong populations of the fish mean a sustainable species for the lakes, rivers and ponds they call home. In most places there’s no size or take-home limit.

• For locations that have lots of aquatic vegetation these water plants can be bass magnets. Bull rushes, pencil grass, hydrilla or lily pads all provide basic bass needs. Offering cover, comfort and incoming food supply these various forms of vegetation bring bluegill, crappie and bass to their edges and have them hiding under the green canopy. Heavy vegetation was made for kayak anglers. Paddling in or pedaling up to the kayak glide is silent and positions the angler to work baits in and around the greenery playing right into the predatory nature of most gamefish. Hot weather and bright sunshine are the perfect formula for fish to head into the heavy cover. Weed choked coves, bays, shorelines and boat docks with aquatic vegetation in close proximity can provide explosive action. Forage foods for the fish frequent the water weeds. Frogs, snakes, multiple varieties of insects and minnows use the plants to eat and hide. Dropping soft plastic baits rigged weedless into holes and openings is effective. Another heart stopping presentation is the hollow body frog. Frogging requires specialized equipment and a mindset that you’ll miss many of the strikes. Bass will “part” the pads to get at the hopping bait worked in, around and over the various weed and especially lily pads. A stout heavy action rod, a bait casting reels with the drag winched down and braided, no stretch line in the 30-50-pound test category is a good rig. Patience and practice are required with big bass potential the payoff. I have a 9 ½ pound largemouth to my credit from crashing the pads. Sharp hooks and string line are a necessity.

Coming soon PART TWO: WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO THROW.. edges, rocks, docks and wood.