Summer Patterns

My son and his buddy caught em yesterday in 5fow on a weed covered rock bar with a wacky worm on a drop shot slack lining. Go figure. Sounds like a strange method, but I saw the pics.

If the line is slack what is the point of the drop shot set up? Couldn’t you use a plain hook?

tim hurley wrote:

If the line is slack what is the point of the drop shot set up? Couldn’t you use a plain hook?

I’ve done something similar to what ssaamm described. Only thing I can figure is that the DS weight allows you hold the bait in essentially one spot a lot longer. Don’t think you’d want the line completely slack though in order to get the bait off bottom a little and feel the bite.

As far as current patterns go, we fished a smaller north Wright County lake for league on Thursday night. I think weather conditions played a big part with south winds and a bit of overcast. The bass and northerns were on an absolute feeding frenzy. I’ve never seen so many sunfish boiling at the surface. We started on a point and immediately saw a couple smaller schools bust the surface above the 10′ weed edge. Using a dropshot w/ a wacky rigged 5″ senko, we proceeded to catch 8 keeper bass in 40 minutes in a 50 yard stretch. Only needed 6, but wanted to upgrade a couple. Northerns were hitting a white spinner w/ chrome blades and white paddle tail trailer. Had trouble catching more that one keeper pike, but they were fun.

There is one tip I’d pass on when fishing weedlines for bass, no matter the technique. If you’re not seeing baitfish on sonar or down imaging, keep moving until you do. I’m sure most of you realize that, but I see so many in our league that spend too much time fishing dead water.

Thanks Joe-great post

Hey Joe did you try the double o-ring wacky rig yet? You mentioned you were going to try it to see if the hook stayed on better than a single ring. I haven’t tried it yet.

gimruis wrote:

Hey Joe did you try the double o-ring wacky rig yet? You mentioned you were going to try it to see if the hook stayed on better than a single ring. I haven’t tried it yet.

I haven’t. Usually start with a couple senkos rigged with a single o-ring. When I lose those I’m in too much of a hurry to put on more. The other night was a little costly in senkos and dropshot weights.

Fat mama’s are at it this morning. Fishing the storm.

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Nice fish Bearcat! Went out yesterday did not do the best the wind kept switching for me. first lake right after the dribble of rain got 6 bass on every different lure no pattern and nothing in the weeds very odd more suspended but nothing. Second lake a very nice pike on a bass jig and plastic. Wife got a couple nice bass wind picked up and we said the heck with it. Not blaming the weather but for me it really changed things up. Surface temp was 75 degrees big change. A little early for fall patterns but it seems they are on the move some.

Seems like every season, quite often my best fishing days of the entire season occur when we get a low pressure front like this that ends a stretch of hot sunny dry weather. The lakes seem to just “come to life” with aggressive hungry fish. Fishing in the rain beats fishing in that hot sunny crap we’ve had most of the summer.

Got a bunch on surface stuff, biggest was a 20”. Thunderstorm sent me home early but the lake as G was saying was alive, so fun to get them on topwaters.

Tough bite in the Longville area this weekend…. one of the hottest summers on record and of course, we run into a good, old fashioned cold front up North with cool temperatures, East wind, gray days and barometric blues. Seemed like Fall, Sumac and some poplars already starting to turn yellow. 74 degree water temps.

Caught fish but really had to work, smallmouth and largemouth topped out at 18.5 inches. Ned rigs around rock piles 8-14 fow for smb, Geecrack/Bellows almost dead sticked on T-rigs into outer edge of weeds, twitch, retrieve, repeat. The profile and scent of those things are unreal and draw fish in.

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Was down in the Faribault-Le Center-Shieldsville area yesterday from around 6-5. Fish were once again hard to find and large (typical for that area). My best 5 on the day ended up somewhere around 15 pounds, anchored by a 4.27lb Melon. That was my first bass over 4 pounds this whole year, though i’ve gotten too many to count in the 3 pound range, so I can’t complain.

The fish I found were shallow. I don’t think I caught a fish in more than 5 feet of water. The weedline ended in around 3-5 FOW, so that wasn’t too surprising. I got my fish on a combination of frogs, jigs, and chatterbaits. Couldn’t seem to get anything on the ned, wacky, or neko. There were lots of dead Sheephead in the lake I was fishing, so there must’ve been a summerkill (though I didn’t see a dead fish that wasn’t a sheepie)

I don’t wanna speak too soon, but I’m thinking that the reaction bait bite is starting to heat up. I don’t think I could be more excited to finally be able to catch more fish powerfishing than on finesse.

fishingdakotacountymn wrote:

I don’t wanna speak too soon, but I’m thinking that the reaction bait bite is starting to heat up. I don’t think I could be more excited to finally be able to catch more fish powerfishing than on finesse.

Normally for me the reaction bite doesn’t seem to heat up till the water temps start to fall for several weeks in a row. With our current forecast I don’t see that happening around here. I’m not saying that there are not fish to be caught on reaction baits because there are always some fish willing to bite a reaction bait. I’ve caught fish on a fast moving chatterbait or topwater bait in the hottest surface temps of the summer before – Just not large #’s of them. Normally our reaction bite around here really kicks in around mid Sept. some years earlier if we have a early cool down. I really like both finesse and power fishing. About the time the fall power fishing bite heats up I’m getting tired of the finesse thing.

Got a bunch on plastics and cranks yesterday, sunnies were breaking on the surface, used a fat bodied shallow runner with a rattle, worked well ’till a front passed threw and sunnies buried into the weeds. Cranks & surface stuff will always work at prime-time, IMO.

fishingdakotacountymn wrote:

I don’t wanna speak too soon, but I’m thinking that the reaction bait bite is starting to heat up. I don’t think I could be more excited to finally be able to catch more fish powerfishing than on finesse.

My last 4 outings, I have caught almost all of my fish on a moving lure. Since about last week of July, water temps have fallen from the 80+ degree mark down to 76-77 degrees where I generally fish in the north metro. I always prefer to catch fish on a power fishing technique instead of finessing them. Unfortunately its just doesn’t always work that way.

What a rough weekend Friday got on a few bass very shallow in 3 FOW or less in the slop on spinnerbaits. Saturday 1 bass 1 pike on chatterbaits could not buy another fish. Today got 1 little bass on a ned rig new lake but I must say the bass are really scattered about for me oh well at least I was out for a bit.

mrpike1973 wrote:

What a rough weekend Friday got on a few bass very shallow in 3 FOW or less in the slop on spinnerbaits. Saturday 1 bass 1 <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>pike on chatterbaits could not buy another fish. Today got 1 little bass on a ned rig new lake but I must say the bass are really scattered about for me oh well at least I was out for a bit.

Been a tougher year all round I think for most of the people I talk to. But then you see three 6+ pound largemouth in the Blackfish tournament on Tonka and two 6+ pound smallmouth in the Woman lake tournament last weekend. I think some of the better anglers are either getting lucky or have figured out a pattern within a pattern on lakes they are really familiar with..

Was just talking about Woman lake this weekend. That lake has some crazy big SM in it. There was a spring tourney there a few years ago and the top 3 weights were all over 25lbs. and contained all SM bass. I believe the winner had 28+ lbs.
I fished it late last fall. Tried the live sucker thing. No success at all. Don’t know the lake all that well so probably tried it in the wrong areas. did catch a nice Muskie while doing it , so wasn’t a total waste of the try.

If anyone here fishes Mille Lacs with suckers in the fall has a open seat and wants a partner, Let me know. I will be more than happy to help out with expenses. Would love to catch a few nice SM and learn that technique.

fishthumper wrote:

If anyone here fishes Mille Lacs with suckers in the fall has a open seat and wants a partner, Let me know. I will be more than happy to help out with expenses. Would love to catch a few nice SM and learn that technique.

Sounds like a ned rig or a drop shot is the most effective method right now in deeper water.

fishthumper wrote:

Was just talking about Woman lake this weekend. That lake has some crazy big SM in it. There was a spring tourney there a few years ago and the top 3 weights were all over 25lbs. and contained all SM bass. I believe the winner had 28+ lbs.
I fished it late last fall. Tried the live sucker thing. No success at all. Don’t know the lake all that well so probably tried it in the wrong areas. did catch a nice Muskie while doing it , so wasn’t a total waste of the try.

If anyone here fishes Mille Lacs with suckers in the fall has a open seat and wants a partner, Let me know. I will be more than happy to help out with expenses. Would love to catch a few nice SM and learn that technique.

I do it every weekend. That bite turns on in the real near future. Pm me and you can hop in with me any time

gimruis wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>fishthumper wrote:</div>
If anyone here fishes Mille Lacs with suckers in the fall has a open seat and wants a partner, Let me know. I will be more than happy to help out with expenses. Would love to catch a few nice SM and learn that technique.

Sounds like a ned rig or a drop shot is the most effective method right now in deep water

Well yes, and no. Definitely works. But at the same point if every one is doing the same then it wears out fast. The ned rig always works, I just don’t prefer going deeper then 16 ft at all.

Saturday morning was my best outing of the season for largemouth. I found a couple large schools hanging on small hard bottom areas within a large 6-8ft deep weed flat. (Think fish in a barrel) A 3/8 oz jig with a menace grub trailer did the most damage but I caught a few on a drop shot a a few on a small finesse paddle tail on a 1/4oz jig head also.
The best part was the school was all good fish. I didn’t keep track but I caught at least 20 bass between 17-19.5 inches and the biggest one was a fat 20.5 inch fish.
I returned Sunday with a friend and the fish had shut off. It was a totally different day. We managed a few by slowing way down and dragging finesse presentations painfully slow along the bottom.
It was really amazing how the fish’s mood had changed so much over night.

As someone that has always avoided Ned-rigging at all costs (i.e. “Nerd Rig”) I’m eating my words this year. Due to past wrist injuries/surgeries I’ve all but stopped using spinning rods/reels except drop-shotting. Over last winter I picked up a BFS rod/reel and I have used it extensively with hair jigs and Neds. Frankly, I’m having a hard time putting it down these days after avoiding the Ned for years. That BFS set up launches even the lightest lures effortlessly and a long ways and is so much fun to catch fish on…

Bearcat89 wrote:

Well yes, and no. Definitely works. But at the same point if every one is doing the same then it wears out fast. The ned rig always works, I just don’t prefer going deeper then 16 ft at all.

That is true. The video did offer some very good insight on the subject for me. Most notably the part about making sure that the plastic is sitting perfectly straight on the mushroom head jig, and not slanted in any way.

gimruis wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
Well yes, and no. Definitely works. But at the same point if every one is doing the same then it wears out fast. The ned rig always works, I just don’t prefer going deeper then 16 ft at all.

That is true. The video did offer some very good insight on the subject for me. Most notably the part about making sure that the plastic is sitting perfectly straight on the mushroom head jig, and not slanted in any way.

Interesting, he mentions smallmouth feeding on a variety of forage – but I wonder if they are only using worms on the Ned or if they using any crayfish imitators?

Bite has been brutal since my last update. Looks like highs are supposed to dip down and stay in the 70s in the coming week, so maybe that will help fishing.

Gotta say I don’t enjoy it being dark outside by 9.

FryDog62 wrote:

As someone that has always avoided Ned-rigging at all costs (i.e. “Nerd Rig”) I’m eating my words this year. Due to past wrist injuries/surgeries I’ve all but stopped using spinning rods/reels except drop-shotting. Over last winter I picked up a BFS rod/reel and I have used it extensively with hair jigs and Neds. Frankly, I’m having a hard time putting it down these days after avoiding the Ned for years. That BFS set up launches even the lightest lures effortlessly and a long ways and is so much fun to catch fish on…

I think I hate the ned as much as you Frydog but as bad as it’s been for me I have one tied on for my next outing…..dreading it honestly but hopefully it produces.

Had my best day in weeks. Put the boat in 20fow. Casted toward a weedy point in 5fow. DT-10, Tx rigged chigger craw, and shaky head all worked. Nice ones,too. Ive caught walleyes here in the Fall. I’m slow, but never thought to fish it it for bass. Glad I did

I had the best day of the season so far today. My Father and I caught 27 bass and 7 pike in about 5 hours this morning. I personally caught 5 bass over 18 inches including a 20 3/4 incher which is the biggest largemouth I’ve caught in 3 seasons. A white chatter bait ripped through the weeds did most of the damage, but I also caught several fish under docks with a neon green colored stick bait. Here are a few photos.

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Nice Gim – you found the pattern and slayed them! We’re you metro area or up North?