Tough Weekend on the West Side

[ECPaul]

Ty:

I must say that this weekend on the Big Chip was not a confidence builder. Rarely do I go an entire weekend without at least having a follow or a flash. The last fish I boated was Labor Day; a real healthy 41" off the NW point of Screedy(sp) Island. I spent a boatload of hours on the water from Friday evening through noon today. I worked shallow and deep, break lines, shorelines, etc.; with cowgirls, large bucktails, small bucktails, a bull dawg, a slow moving Red October Monster tube (which I have enjoyed great success with in the fall), as well as my vintage wooden Pacemaker. Notta! I got nothing . . . So:

Is the low water affecting what one might call typical fall locations? I have also noticed that water clarity, in most locations, is rather poor. Or, is it just that time of year? Is it too early for large, live bait?


As always, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Paul

[muskymike]

Don't feel bad Paul, I problably fished ten times out there this year and only saw one fish. Never even caught one. I was out there today for 5 hours and didn't see a thing.

[Ty Sennett]

I don't think the low water has had any effect on them at all. I know it does have an effect on fishermen though. I've seen the water a lot lower than it is right now but it's hard for people to realize the fish don't care about the water levels. Sometimes it wrecks a fishing spot that you like but the fish themselves just adjust and move to another area or a little deeper on the spot. I will say this, the fish we have seen in the last week have been on spots that I have never seen a fish on until this year or this week for that matter. I guess don't be affraid to mix it up if your spot isn't working. Sometimes patterns are found by fishing outside your comfort zone.

As for the live bait question, I'm not sure. I guess it can't hurt to drag meat. It slows you down a bit but does help sometimes.

[ECPaul]

Thanks Ty:

Makes very good sense. The fish obviously don't pack up and leave or stop feeding.