Active fish??

Did someone say, “I look for active fish.” As fishermen, we grow up with influences on our style of fishing. Whether it’s the Infishermen or some other publication we develop a fishing style that we read about, practice and refine over time. Understanding what makes a fish active and looking to feed is key to catching fish. I’m somebody that likes to tip the scales in my favor by understanding factors such as weather patterns, water clarity and forage for the specific body of water I am fishing. If I am fishing the Mississippi river when water clarity is at it’s lowest (murky) then I’ll try to fish it when the sun is at it’s highest taking advantage of the increase light penetration. I know what you’re thinking, I’ve had some fantastic fishing under low-light situations and murky water. I would be willing to bet that those fish you caught were moving shallow and actively feeding. Stable weather patterns promote fish activity and more frequent trips to shallow water. Too often I’ve heard fishermen comment, “we just nailed em’ yesterday, but they seem to be gone today.” A change in the weather, water clarity or forage will change fish location. So do I look for active fish? You bet!

JonN

not me!… I look for active nets!!! lol…. ok, just kidding…… but seriously I think there are lots of fishermen who do!!…. I think its kind of viewed as a version of feeding gulls or something…… then of course theres the ever famous critical mass…. thats when enough boats have accumulated in an area to form a gravity well that then draws in ALL the rest of the boats in the area….. its kind of amazing to watch… I eventually installed an anti-gravity device so that my boat would no longer get “sucked in”………

then ewe gotyur Millelacs fish finders….. you put them to your eyes and they magnify the view by a power of 10 or so…… that really helps to locate cases one (nets) and two (boats) on bigger water!!…….

(and NO thats NOT why I call myself RiverEYES!!! lol)

So, Rivereyes………………what you’re saying is:

1) You don’t ever want to be on the water alone and

2) You’re a mooch. :O) LOL!

I know you appreciate a good tip but the only thing I’ve ever seen you “monkey-see, monkey-do” is cut your line with the trolling motor! Now, ………………… let me see …………. where have I seen THAT before??? Hmmmmm………….(LOL!)

Could rivereyes be a medical condition……………I’ve heard of beer goggles!

Just a question, but how rude is it really to pull up on a spot where someone is catching fish? I don’t think that I’ve ever pushed anyone off their hotspot, but when I’m on unfamiliar waters, looking for others fishing (or just asking) is a whole lot easier than spending 3 hours scanning the entire lake/river bottom with a depth finder and still ending up where everyone else is!

The only time I’ve ever felt really bad was when I pulled up to one of my favorite spots and started fishing, only to realize that flock of ducks up-river a few hundred yards wasn’t moving. Heyyyy…. wait a minute. After figuring out that they were decoys I went and fished somewhere else.

Gianni,

We’re all happy you were able to recognize the danger of that situation!

Your question could be enlightening as others post their opinions but here’s my feelings…………………it all depends. There are a lot of variables but look at it this way…………..if there’s a lot of fishing going on and many spots are being fished, I think it’s just fine to cruise over, do a little small talk and join in. But at the crack of dawn and there’s only one other boat out there, even if they’re in the spot I intended to fish, I’ll go somewhere else. There’s not a single one of us that doesn’t appreciate a little serenity from time to time, so I try to honor that. The other reason I find another spot is that I feel I have enough skills to come up with something somewhere else just as easily…………..in most situations. No need to crowd someone else for getting up earlier than I did. Besides, who says I want their company either? There are times though, that you have to get near someone if you’re going to fish at all and when that’s clearly visible, I don’t mind who shows up, just don’t force me to change what I was already doing. Then, it’s just being rude…………I think.

Gianni,

I’ve never had a problem with people stopping to try a spot that I am catching fish from. They still need to figure how to catch’em! Also, in today’s world there are more people fishing the same water so you’re bound to have multiple boats fishing a spot. SO, at the same time I say share a spot also share what you know! It will make us all better fishermen. JonN

I have no problem with visitors to (my) spots unless:

A….. they sit with thier head down&act surly, as long as your here we might as well visit, besides you probably know more about this spot than I do.

B….. you are riding a jet ski.

C…. You anchor in the center of the Roseu on pool 10…you know who you are!

And finally what does LOL mean?…………thanks B

LOL- Laugh out Loud

O.K. You got me, what is the Roseu? Am I guilty?

JW

Gianni, I may have the spelling wrong. It is also known as the rosa or just rosy, at any rate it is a narrow channel that runs between the river and big lake north of Prairie du Chien. A long time reliable spot to troll cranks or drift jigs or bait rigs. As a relativley small area, when fish are present or a walleye has been taken in last week it is crowded at best. Several boats can work the cut sucessfully when all are courteous and keep their head out of their livewell, but let one soul anchor across the center (and if he does he will use two anchors & park sideways) the whole drift/troll is shot. Im

sure your not guilty or you would surely remember my Grandmother, the self appointed rosa ranger.Boy she sure could get a boat moved in a hurry.

thanks B

Not guilty. I’ve never fished the Prairie/MacGregor area, but have heard that people do pretty well. The one time I made it up to Guttenberg this year we drifted down through the narrow part of Cassville slough where the closing dam comes across, but tried to keep out of the way of other boaters going through.

I think having someone parked in your favorite spot is a much bigger pain in the but when you’re bank fishing (as opposed to boat fishing), especially if you had to walk 1/2 mile from the truck through mosquitos to get there.

you got that right.. I remember walking into the dam at lynxville from the Iowa side…. thats about 2 miles…. and though its illegal for a boat to be THAT close to the dam.. (I fished right ON the dam)…. sometimes they were parked RIGHT there and they made it almost impossible for all the shore fisherman in the area….. the only good thing is that they eventually were “driven” out… usually by shore anglers with really HEAVY rigs that they had just for such an “emergency”… they would wait till these people cast.. then they would cast OVER their lines and tear off their jigs… repeatedly.. until they got the “hint”….. afterall…. all they had to do was pull their boat into shore and join the “line” if they wanted to fish that spot…. we shore anglers did not really have another option…… (though a little secret.. the rip rap ABOVE the dam could be pretty good at times..!, also ABOVE the spillway could be hot, particularly right at dark)……

anyway… guess I started a line about rude behavior when I made my above reply… it was really NOT my intention…. to be sure I think EVERYONE at least looks at other anglers and sees where they are at and how they are doing….. and the river is NOT a private reserve…. I dont mind others fishing nearby as long as they have decent boat control, dont anchor right over the spot that someone else has been fishing, and they are not “rudely aggressive” with their boat control……

I remember when I started out….. my BEST way to find fish was to observe others, go where they were, do what they did…… I DID get over that… we all do, once we have enough experience…… those who read this site all have MORE than ONE trick, and MORE than ONE spot… so its possible for us to find a spot thats not being heavily fished….. thats what I like to do….. though like most anglers.. I will still at least cruise by the community holes and see whos there and how they are doing…. its nice to actually KNOW a few of the PEOPLE in the boats on the river now…. instead of like just a couple of years ago when I recognized various boats and anglers… but had no idea who they were… I just knew they were out after them everytime I was…… now I feel I have a decent chance of “knowing” them….. I look forward to seeing you all out on the water….. maybe we can “corner” the eyes just like white bass with a school of shad!…… (good thing we all practice catch and release!!)

ummmm… JON2!… hmmmmm RiverEyes a medical condition? lol… well.. maybe!!… though its probably just some sort of pychosis…… that can only be alleviated by fishing the river on a regular basis!!…….

Rivereyes, you are right. Rudeness should never become a topic on this board. I, Big B am a new poster on this site but I have been reading a while. I fear I may have contributed to the rude factor with my last post. This was not my intention. I have probably used the boat locator instead of the fish locator more than most. Some of you have probably seen me on Pepin, as I fish there quite often near maiden rock. IF you see me there in a red Lund Explorer&40Merc don”t hesitate to stop &inquire. If I can help you with the walrus or crappie I will. Field reports on this site are excellent, Lawrence,James,Hougie,& Dustin&all the rest GREAT JOB! Can;t get to the river or Pepin again till oct 19. The way the bite has been on the lake I may try the river above,any thoughts?

PS Lawrence, can you give a correct spelling on the rosy?

thanks B

PSS. the walleyes are still being taken on the cedar,…. but the river has dropped enough one can no longer get a boat from rock bar to rock bar. AT least where I was catching them. Oh well, what fun while it lasted……………B

Edited by Big B on 10/02/01 12:09 AM.

now BigB… dont get carried away!! I would not say that rudeness never should or could never become a topic here!….. first of all, particularly once we have FTR stickers on our boats we all represent this site and I would sure hate to see someone with this sites sticker exhibiting traits that were clearly unsportsmanlike, though I would most likely address it with them personally if I knew who it was, but if I did not guess I might consider posting about it….. further.. on rare occasions people of truly surpassing rudeness are encountered…. and tis natural to let of a bit of steam about it…. lets face it, there are some people who can really dampen your day….. I always try to rise above it… because like all the rest of you I go to the river to escape the hassles of everday life and I really want to avoid getting all bent out of shape about what someone else is doing…… (unless they are breaking the law… thats ANOTHER story… I WILL be calling Mr Stone if I observe fishing violations in the Red Wing area)….. I dont think polite posting about fishing manners is out of line at all, it helps us all develop our code of ethics and it gives us yet another common bond……

just my 2 cents worth….

my FIRST comment on this line was meant to be a bit tongue in cheek… as I was reading the active fish post, it came to me, well sure.. fish active fish… but how do we FIND active fish?? thats when I realized… well…. often we find them by watching NETS, and BOATS……. works much faster than GPS and fish finders!!…. and truly, its a rare person who does not at least observe where people are fishing….

but the thing I really LOVE about this site is it has helped develop my skills to the point where I dont fish a spot because there are anglers there…. I fish them becaus its the area I was targeting…..

Or, “Lots Of Laughs”

I look at it this way:

I wasn’t born with table manners. If I remember correctly, it took a great deal of butt-whoopin’ and nasty looks to get me in line. Now that I have kids of my own, I’m more sure than ever that was the case.

The same goes with fishing. If we never talk about what we would like people to do or how people should behave when on the water, then people like me will go about our business assuming that we’re not bothering anyone. People like Big B’s grandmother are necessary for a well-ordered society to function. If I’m parked where you need to be, let me know & please be polite, since I’ll be more likely to help you out. If you pull up and tell me that it’s better to drift through the spot where I’m anchored, then I’ll be the first to yank up the weight and follow you upstream.

On the flip side of that coin, when someone has a bad experience, it makes sense to rant about it to those who sympathize and understand… where better to find those people than on this board.

The right spelling is the ROSEAU CHANNEL long time hotspot for eyes!!!!!!!