Halloween Treat; Mississippi River Bass

How does a pair of 20” Smallmouth sound for a Halloween treat? Through in a 19 and an 18, plus a half a dozen others fish from 13 to 16 inches and I’m a happy angler. The ghost and goblins didn’t find on me. These fish came off a wingdam with deep water near by. I’ve fished it 4 times this fall and the number of fish keep increasing so I assume they are preparing to winter in the area. The pattern seems to be consistent from pool-to-pool. Wingdams in broader areas of the river where the water has room to spread out and the current is reduced. Add in some deep water and you have all the right ingredients. From there it’s a mater of finding the sweet spot on the dam and you’re in business. The fish in the photo and the others came by swimming a 5” Pearl Blue S/P K-Grub.

I spent all of the week on the water by myself. With the unpredictable weather it’s been hard to plan anything. On Tuesday, on pool 5 caught a huge northern that I believe is my biggest river northern ever. The fish was too big to fit in the livewell. All I could do was lay her on my boat seat and take a quick picture and release her. The seat measures 48 inches from side-to-side so you can do the math. I would guess the weight to be in the mid-teens. She was on a stump among milfoil clumps in a bay on the edge of a main side channel. She hit a white swimming jig and a chunk trailer with a vengeance. It was a visual treat.

With the water temperature stable the largemouth haven’t changed locations for several weeks. They have been relating wood, rock and sand breaks in current in major back channels. What has changed is the presentation. The fish are less willing to chase so flipping and casting a 4” Yum Mega Tubes in brown or green has been the most productive technique. The fish in the photo came off a closing dam on pool 4.

One of the keys to late fall fishing success is using large lures. The photo is a shad that a 14” smallmouth regurgitated in my boat. It’s next to a half-ounce Cordell Super Spot. How’s that for matching the hatch? Four-inch shad are pretty common right now and the fish are trying to maximize their calorie intake. It probably takes them less energy to chase down one 4” shad than two 2” shad. This holds true for all predatory species.