Northwest Fishing Reports

I have been bass fishing hard for the last 4-5 years. It is my understanding that the hawgs start getting very active towards the end of summer to fatten up for winter. Am I correct? when or how late in the summer will they be in this state? I am a top water fisher mostley.A few tips or insight will be great. I think i know but no one knows it all even though some seem like they do. I live in spokane and like to hit the smaller lakes, eloika, jump off joe, etc.. Thanks for you time.

good info fishinislife!!! will hit you up on a pm for some extra info

good info fishinislife!!! will hit you up on a pm for some extra info

Bazzdude -
Your information is correct the fall period can be an excellent time for larger bass. I consider it to be the second best time (behind the pre-spawn) for consistent success on those larger fish. Teh following is for largemouth which seems to be what you are targeting -

I consider the start of the fall period to be when the water temperatures drop below the 70 degree mark. Like the spring period tracking the temperature can be a good idea as things seem to happen in reverse to that of the spring. I consider the peak fall activity for the larger fish to be when the temperatures drop to the lower 60s and continues also long the temp is above the low 50s (at least on the West side).

Early in the fall with largemouth the small fish are still active and like in the summer some large fish will be in the shallows but I have had more consistent luck targeting the larger fish by either fish the shallow cover carefully or looking for the fish holding on the first break. Early in the fall unless you are really familar with the lake you are fishing and its deeper cover I have had the best luck fishing baits with which I can cover water pretty quickly. While baits like buzz baits have their moments I generally have had more consistent fishing with things like deep diving crankbaits, slow rolling spinner baits, etc. and various plastics.

As the temps drop into the 60s the small bass become less active and I tend to focus more on the shallower stuff. I especially like fishing the windward shorelines at the start of storm fronts. With the wave action the larger fish seem to move into shallower water and are pretty active. Those are not the easiest conditions to fish but worth the effort. I like fishing small plastics at such time either skipping under the docks or into cover attempting to drop the lure near the fish. I try to match the coloration of local forage (crawdad stuff can be deadly). As the temperatures cool the fish do slow down some but are still will readily bite a well presented lure. On heavily fished water I continue to fish the smaller stuff but on water less pressured the larger jigs etc and other more traditional lures can be effective.

Like in the spring as the temperatures drop the fishing can be greatly influenced by the water and if possible as mentioned try to hit the pre-front conditons or stable periods. The post frontal conditions can be difficult. Once the temps drop into the 50s that deeper break can produce more consistent fishing though the shallow bite will have its moments.

At this time of the year the fish are in prime conditions and you have a chance for the best fish of the year so I always check my lines and knots and often re-spool with fresh line.

Good luck
Curt

Wow, thanks guys for the feed back. I guess i am thinking we still have atleast another month or so of great bassin. Hope we all catch are big one of the year. For me that would be over 5.10. My biggest to date too. Downs lake.

i know im not the only one that wouldnt mind getting out on the lake and taking a lesson from smalma. Curt your posts are awesome, always very informative.
Thanks, Anthony

fishnislife wrote:Buzzbaits are a great thing to throw when the surface water temp. is over 72 degrees. Right now in the low light situations in your area, hit up coves and points with a buzzbait or surface plug.



fishnislife

Are you sayin your wouldnt throw a buzzbait when its beloew 72? Ive seen a bunch of lakes under 72 for a bit now, but they still produce very well. Just wondering, thats all

S

Almost all the lakes I've fished recently are below 72 degree surface temps. Buzzbaits rock !

ChrisB wrote:Almost all the lakes I've fished recently are below 72 degree surface temps. Buzzbaits rock !

quess I'm gonna have to give them a try if they are producing

Ill be tossin them fo sho until they dont work anymore. Ive read they start working around 62, but it might not under 72??

I dont base what i do off water temp, although Im sure i will in the spring. TOPWATER ALLDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SONNN wrote:

fishnislife wrote:Buzzbaits are a great thing to throw when the surface water temp. is over 72 degrees. Right now in the low light situations in your area, hit up coves and points with a buzzbait or surface plug.



fishnislife

Are you sayin your wouldnt throw a buzzbait when its beloew 72? Ive seen a bunch of lakes under 72 for a bit now, but they still produce very well. Just wondering, thats all

S

During daylight hours. This is what I prescribe to.
Low light situations, early morning and dusk, I will toss a buzz almost year round depending on the situations.
Buzzbaits are ideal when the surface temp. is 72 during the day. Just something I have learned.
And yes, most lakes are below 72 right now and most will be turning over real soon.




fishnislife

Ok, i have a stupid question here. In my hed i thinka buzzbait is a bait that i have. A spinnerbait that has a spinner on it that i retrieve fast that makes a wake behind it. I also have a few top waters that have a blade on them too. I think they are floaters, i have not ried them out yet. Are those buzz baits? tried my spinner bait with a blade on it, i would throw it, it would take 3-4 secounds for it to surface before it would make a camotion on the surface. I had one nice hit on it but did not land it. Is that what a buzz bait is?

What you are calling the spinner bait with a blade is the buzz bait.

It takes a little practice to get the knack of fishing "buzzers" efficiently. The major issue is to start the retrieve before the lure has a chance to sink below the surface. This can be best helped by making a flat cast rather than a high looping one (too much slack line when the lure hits the water) and start the retrieve as soon as the lure hits the water (before it has a chance to sink). A faster retrieve reel helps and for a variety of reasons a level wind reel would be preferred over spinning reel. I would teach beginning buzz bait fishers to try to make that flat cast (aiming for a spot a foot or so above the water surface) while trying to have the rod tip at a low angle (pointing towards the lure parallel to the water). At the end of the cast engage the reel, lift the rod tip and begin reeling. The goal is for the combination of those actions to have the buzz bait moving towards the boat as soon as it hits the water doing what buzz baits do the best - creating a commotion.

Just a side note - for some reason I have had more nice fish hit a buzz bait as soon as it hits the water than any other lure that I have used. So be prepared for a hit from the get-go. The buzz bait is one of the all time fun lures to fish and well worth the time to learn to effectively cast/fish them.

The floating lures with propellers/blades can also be deadly as well. While the buzz bait is a fast fishing bait and great for covering ground and causing spectacular strikes those floating prop baits alway for slower and more varied presentations that can be magic. They can be fished from a super slow cast/wait/tic/wait cadence to a cast/rip/rip one and everything in between. One of my all time favorite prop baits is the Dalton Special which has produce many very nice smallmouth for me.

Tight lines
Curt

I would use jigs right now. In the spring summer and winter. They produce fish from dinks to ? Go large for big fish yea every now and then you get some on smaller things but big lures is more consistant with big fish on the other end of the line. HINT: Match the hatch.

man if u wait til 72 degrees, esp in washington, to start throwing buzzbaits you are missing a lot of potential explosions!