With the warming weather we are experiencing this week, we are beginning to approach catfish season. All this week, content will be related to catfishing. To start off this week, I want to highlight some different catfish species that are native to our area
The Channel Catfish
The Flathead Catfish
Both species are great fun to fish for, and both can be caught in the Upper Midwest. Stay tuned all this week for tips, tricks, and stories about catfish!
With the prolonged rainfall we have had in our area, the local rivers are being affected severely. Right now, the Rock River is starting to crest over it’s banks, which can be potentially dangerous for fishermen. With this in mind, do heed caution when extreme high water conditions present themselves. Make sure you are on sturdy banks to avoid potential washout. Make sure people know that you are on the river. Make wise decisions while on the river. Another important reminder regards transportation to the water. As it stands currently, Bark River Road, an access road that leads to the Rock River, is currently impassable due to flooding. This happens often to roads adjacent to flood-prone rivers. Don’t ever drive through floods, and make sure you have alternate routes in the event that your normal routes become flooded.
I would assume with this forecast that the flooding will calm in the next few days. However if the storms they are predicting next week occur, conditions can shift quickly.
Be Safe and Tight Lines!
Hello Folks,
Sorry the dry up in posts. It’s been a very busy time lately. I have also decided to do my fishing reports in blocks, and not on the day of. I do this because giving a lot of information in real time in the fishing world is dangerous. Give too much, and you tend to find a bunch of people in your spot. Doing reports in blocks allows me to still tell you how I do things, while also protecting my fishing.
3-15-17
Rock River-Jefferson Dam
Fish caught-2 short sauger
Rig- 3 way river rig w/fly and minnow
Daytime
It was tough fishing in Jefferson. The water was really churning up under the dam, creating really dirty water. Classic spring conditions
3-20-17
Rock River
Downtown Fort Atkinson
Fish caught: none
Rig: 3 way rig, Moxie jig, Jig and Gulp
Early evening
Fishing was tough yet again. The stretch of river in Fort has a lot of timber on the bottom. Lot of tackle donated tonight. Need to try other methods to avoid snags.
3-24-17
Grand River-Allendale, MI
Fish caught: none
Rig: Rapala crankbaits
Daytime
This was a shot in the dark. I was visiting a friend in Michigan and had a rod in the car. Was told that there was a lot of trout/salmon and smallmouth in the river but did not catch anything. Always fish in unsure situations, you never know.
April 2
Rock River
Rig: River rig with minnow
Fish: 1 keeper walleye, 3 shorts
Early evening
Pretty good day, hopefully a sign of things to come.
With the blizzard we are currently experiencing, I thought I’d discuss the approach necessary to fish in cold, snowy conditions such as these. When it is as cold as it is outside right now, fish get sluggish. Fishing lures really fast is not a good way to get bit during conditions like this. Methods such as live bait or slow-moving lures is your best bet. Another concept to think about is the size of your bait. Fish want a big, slow-moving meal during cold conditions, so present a larger offering than you normally would. Fish can be caught in the cold.
This sauger was caught in snowy conditions on a fairly large crankbait. Fishing isn’t the best in snow, but it is doable.
Hello Home Waters folks,
You are probably wondering why I have been so shabby at posting. Fishing is something that I am very passionate about, and for that reason, I also have very strong feelings about it. With that being said, I have been having a really tough time on the water lately. For a variety of reasons, fishing has been really tough. For one, it is hard to cultivate a consistent bite when the weather has been as weird as it has been. There has been days where I have been out an been comfortable, and there has been days where I have had to leave because of frostbite. I’d say that right now, we are in a weird purgatory between ice and the spawn and it is not ideal. However, from now on I will try to report more frequently instead of hiding, Fishing is a tough sport and that is what makes it great. I will continue to cast and cast because it is what I do. You cannot catch fish on the couch.
Got out yesterday for the first time of the season on the Rock River in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. February 23rd probably stands as the earliest I have ever goten out in a season to open water fish, which is pretty cool. I fished for a couple of hours yesterday with nothing to show. My roommate was fishing minnows on a river rig that I outlined before. I used the same rig, but also spent some time throwing a BFishN Tackle Moxi plastic on a 1/2 oz. orange jighead. The Moxi jig is posted just below:
I have had good luck with the moxi jig, as well as other BFishN Tackle products over the years. If you re interested at looking at their products more, here is the url to their website: (http://customjigs.com/bfishn-tackle/). The color I used yesterday was the same one as the picture, chartreuse with orange core. That is a great color combination when the water has a tea-like color to it. What was really interesting was that the water level and current was not typical of the early season. Usually, snow melt causes high water and high current, but as you may have noticed, we just did not get the snow this year. As rainier weather moves into our area as spring goes on, that will change.
There is one rig that I use 95% of the time in river systems in our area. It is an effective rig and it is also fairly inexpensive to compile. It has three components: a sliding bell sinker, a small split-shot sinker, and a panfish hook.
1. The first component that you put on the line is the sliding bell sinker. The sinker will slide down the line, this is okay. These sinkers usually come in 1/8, 1/4, and 1/2 ounce sizes, and I decide which one to use based on current. If there is little to no current, you won’t need to use much weight, so a 1/8 or 1/4 will do. If the current is really ripping, like it will be during the spring walleye run as the ice melts, a 1/2 ounce will likely be your best bet.
2. The second component of the rig is the split shot sinker. split shots are also sinkers, but they don’t slide freely. They are built to be crimped in the center in order to hold on the line. Their purpose in this rig is to keep the bell sinker from running down straight to the hook. To do this, crimp the split shot 12to 18 inches above the hook after putting the bell sinker on the line.
3. The final component of the rig is the hook. I look using smaller panfish hooks because they aren’t too bulky and usually kept well-hidden from fish.
Purchasing the three components of this rig should cost you no more than five dollars. While you don’t need to use Water Gremlin and Eagle Claw products as I have, I do recommend them based on their price and their quality. I use this rig for everything from walleye to catfish. For bigger fish like catfish, you may want to consider bigger hooks, but otherwise the rig has proven to be solid.
Hello all,Read the story here
Welcome to mid-February, or as I like to call it, the beginning of the end for ice fishing season. Ice fishing is a very popular winter sport in our region, and people like to utilize as much time as they can in the winter months out on the hard water. Unfortunately, this time of year poses risks for many ice anglers, as warming temps cause ice quality to deteriorate rapidly. Many have gone out on the ice and have not come back off. Just a couple weeks ago, an angler lost his life after falling into Lake Geneva. Read the story here (http://fox6now.com/2017/01/25/town-of-linn-man-drowns-in-geneva-lake-while-ice-fishing/). With that in mind, here are some tips that will keep you safer on the ice as spring nears.
1. NEVER go ice fishing alone
2. Be aware of your surroundings (other people on ice, open water spots, other hazards, etc.)
3. Dress Appropriately (base layers, waterproof layers, etc.)
4. Do not drink excessively on the ice
5. Let people know where you will be
6. Don’t push it-do not go onto unsafe ice, do not drive atv’s or vehicles on ice that is not thick enough. A few fish are not worth your life.