This tip is a continuation of my article this month describing a recent trip for lakers to Cold Lake, Alberta. To help with this explanation I took a picture of my sonar and will describe the events that appear as the fish is being caught.
Can you blame me for planning a family holiday to Cold Lake to fish for lakers!! Anyone would do the same if their family would let them. So Linda, my two daughters and a slew of Linda’s cousins headed for Cold Lake. Bad idea. First off the weather was brutal that first week in July. The water was cold so there was no way the family would hang out at the beach so I could go fishing.
Stay on fish once you find them. Once you have found a school of active fish stay on them. Many a time I see anglers trolling a shoreline from end to end. Each time they connect with a fish, they keep on trolling in the same direction until the pass is complete and then turn to go back and do it again.
A few years ago I was prefishing for a Walleye Tournament put on by the Western Walleye Council in June on renowned Lesser Slave Lake. It’s the kind of lake where anyone can put a pattern together at almost any time of year let alone June’s ‘summer peak’ bite. To describe it as a ‘strong fishery’ would be an understatement.
We often get hung up on the fact that most fish hug the bottom of the water column. Although this is true in several instances, there are several occasions when predator fish move away from the bottom to peruse forage fish.
The dead of summer can be a tough time of year to catch fish consistently. Although they are set up in their traditional haunts, there are times that they seem to disappear or quite biting altogether. Fish at this time of year tend to fill up quickly when they feed. The young of the year are big enough to provide a meal and there are plenty of them. The predator prey relationship is in full swing – there are hungry predators heavily feeding trying to put on weight to get them through the rigors of next winter and the consequent spawn. There are also literally tons of prey fish which makes for easy pickings and full bellies for predators. How does this affect us as we attempt to spend a full day on the water? It’s quite simple … these fish take very little time to feed and spend the rest of their time lounging and dodging larger predators. This is best done in the depths, the weeds, or on wide open flats. The reality of the situation is that you are trying to catch fish throughout an entire day while they are only actively feeding during short very intense periods. Open up your bag of tricks and get creative. Fish can still be caught. Here are some tips and tricks to get you through the summer.
One of the most consistent comments and questions I get in the Shimano booth at sportsman shows year in and year out pertains to the use of bait casting reels.
Several years ago I was approached to do a seminar by Dave Johnston of the Fishin’ Hole for the Fishin’ Hole Outdoor Show and Sale they were organizing. We bounced several topic ideas off of each other over lunch. We decided at that time that a good seminar topic would be one tackling (pun intended) the many questions that both myself and his staff are asked time and again. We then needed a list of frequently asked questions. Dave was gracious enough to approach his staff and request questions they most often receive from their customers – yes that’s you. Naturally, his staff responded with a series of very relevant angling questions. As I received the list of questions, I was amazed at how many of these same questions were the one’s I’ve been answering for years at trade shows in my role as a Shimano Pro Staff, after tournaments, or on the dock after a successful day on the water. As I was going through some notes for this column, I came across the list of questions Dave handed me. I thought you might like to hear what I have to say on these FAQ’s.
