Just a little while back I had occasion to stop by Mogadore Bait & Tackle to leave off a trolling motor in need of repair and get some line machine-spooled, a service I am now spoiled on insisting on after years of seeing the benefits of so doing back in our family's Tackleshack days (1985-2001).
While there I asked the unfailingly honest staff there for the current fishing news, since I'd be sending it in to the Record-Courier with all the others for that Friday's edition of our popular "Area Fishing Report." My ears perked up when I received the news that the top water bass bite had just broken loose across the lake. No angling news gets my antennae up quicker than hearing that this most special time of the fishing season is indeed upon us. Now don't get me wrong, bass-particularly largemouth- may engulf a top water offering at different times during the open water season. Smallmouth in particular seem far more inclined to do so on a warm autumn day than any other, no question. There is little doubt though that when it comes to maximizing ones chances at the precious top water frenzy, the primo calendar period for bass runs from approximately mid-July to mid-October, remembering the water temps cool after the air temperature does. Just as angling knowledge references the "spot on the spot" when considering the narrowing down of a promising area, it is similarly necessary for the savvy angler to try to narrow down a calendar period to the best possible day in a given promising week. After all, fishing days for some are sadly limited by such intrusions as work and family. How unfortunate. However, if you're able to manage some scheduling flexibility, here are some tips for maximizing your top water bassing success; first, after a cool front and/or rainy period, try to fish the third or fourth stable, warming day of the comeback stretch. This will provide the time for the fish to fall back into preferred patters while at the same time allowing a lake , pond, or reservoir to clear up sufficiently to allow the bass to forage successfully. Lakes and streams may take a little longer, based on the severity of the preceding storm and the sheer amount of precipitation , particularly upriver of where you might plan to try your luck.The very best days are very often those that exhibit a grey "ceiling" or "low sky" combined with high daytime temperatures. The bite will almost certainly peak at dawn and dusk because these are "low light" conditions that facilitate the widening of the predator's "strike zone". Ongoing conditions of such a nature can conspire to provide a bite that lasts all day. After spreading the promising news to fellow "Buckeye Angler" Kirby Romesberg of Cuyahoga Falls and our friend , hard-core Portage County basser Dave Hutson,
we set out for Mogadore, arriving just prior to four p.m. and were in and loading up by nine p.m. or so.We launched from the Rt.43 ramp on this venerable and aesthetically pleasing electric-only fishery in two "bantum " style boats provided for us by the Sun Dolphin Company of Muskeegee Michigan. These plastic wonders are perfect for electric-only fisheries.
we set out for Mogadore, arriving just prior to four p.m. and were in and loading up by nine p.m. or so.We launched from the Rt.43 ramp on this venerable and aesthetically pleasing electric-only fishery in two "bantum " style boats provided for us by the Sun Dolphin Company of Muskeegee Michigan. These plastic wonders are perfect for electric-only fisheries.The good news is the three of us caught a number of fish on our topwater offerings, highlighted by Dave's two 22-inchers and one 20 incher and a bonus 17'' and 14'' to round out his catch.Kirby contributed a dandy 19'' beauty on one of those new Lucky craft spinnerbaits and my four best were a 14'', a 17'' and two fat 18'' lunkers, and I'll refrain from telling you just how many we missed amidst the additional smaller specimens we brought in.yours truly forgot the weigh scale but I'm pretty good at fish weight approximations after many years of doing so for customers and tournament anglers.Dave's fish may well have both been six-pounders , but I'd rather err on the side of team modesty.
Most of our fish were nailed around the islands and along the underfished (the we did see some slop fisherman trying their luck along Rt.43's southernmost ends) south and southeast areas.
Many thanks to the gang at Mogadore Bait & Tackle (330-628-9872) for another great tip and here's hoping you might run into us on our next journey out to Portage County's ''Great Grey Lady". I can assure you this wasn't our last trip out there this season-by far. -Jack
Many thanks to the gang at Mogadore Bait & Tackle (330-628-9872) for another great tip and here's hoping you might run into us on our next journey out to Portage County's ''Great Grey Lady". I can assure you this wasn't our last trip out there this season-by far. -Jack
