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September brought warm temperatures and winds from all directions, but with some simple patterning techniques fish were located, boated and released. Myself, and a good friend Scott, started out at Mauch Chunk Lake just west of Jim Thorpe, since, Beltzville Lake had major water control problems due to the floodwaters North of us.
Mauch Chunk is a relatively small impoundment with a variety of structure, from weed beds, rocks, stumps, grassy areas, shallows and some deep waters, a perfect Bass Lake! By the way this lake is limited to electric motors only, so, make sure your batteries are charged. Two launch areas are available one on the western end and the other at the main park area east.
Lets get to the good parts; I mean the facts about the bite! Any good fisherman knows structure; wind direction, temperatures and a multitude of variables will be evaluated to bring fish in the boat, if you learn how to pattern them.
Where to start? Well, we like to launch Scott’s Bass Boat at the Western end of the lake, since; the majority of interesting structure is close by. Also, if the wind is coming from the West the bite is generally better, and boat handling is easier. Shallow waters are sometimes hard to fish, so we would position the boat out some distance from the shore in approximately 4 to 6 foot of water, casting in a fan cast pattern towards both the shoreline and the middle of the lake, each of us using a different lure and presentations.
Working, as a team is more productive then competing against each other, more fish will be caught and your time together will be more enjoyable, sharing information and ideas. The Bite is the most important part of fishing, you may see them swim by, but if you can’t get them to bite, the game is over! Don’t make the mistake by starting off the day by copying what your buddy is using, be creative select something you have confidence in, be it hard or soft baits. This time of the year fish are slowing down, so don’t overwork your bait “Slow down, work an area, present natural looking baits”.
What are some variables that control the bite? Here are a few in an order of concern to me; cloud cover, if the sky is void of clouds, your boat will be void of fish. Wind direction, this part of the country, Northwest wind is prevailing, if it comes from other directions fishing will be harder to pattern. Water color, is it clear, stained or neutral, these will all determine lure color selection. Time of year, what are the natural food sources that should be available to predators such as large and small mouth bass, and other species? Pressure; other fisherman, recreational boaters, wind direction and overtake.As you can see THE BITE is more then wishing a fish will take the bait!
Thousands of lures are available to the fisherman, but when making your purchase, buy something that mimics natural bait in the waters you are fishing. Salty Spider Jig produced 18 ˝” smallmouth 2# 6oz. in three foot of water off shoreline. Mini Smelt on jig or hook produced many bass in the 12” to 16” class on both bodies of water. Worked through weeds, grass or open water it did well. Lures had to be presented in a straight line fashion or else didn’t do so well. The white Fluke did well on pickerel, in fact I was calling Scott the Pickerel King, he had caught so many I lost count. On small 1/8oz. jig or oo hook fished slowly, it was killer. The Wacky worm seemed to be the ticket, fished Texas Style or as recommended, in reddish and purple colors, brought quantities of largemouth bass in the boat, several over a couple pounds. Scott fished it both ways while I strictly used it on oo true turn worm hook, tied to 6 lb. test green line. The white spinner bait smacked some nice fish for Scott, he had the boat controlled in such a way that he could cast out in front of the boat, retrieved it at a medium to fast rates of speed and made the hook-up, using a trailer hook attached. Several sizes of rubber worms in darker colors of reds, browns and blues caught several fish but nothing over 12 inches. Small jig heads with 5” twister tail grubs produced a handful of small largemouth bass for me. Overall white, natural patterns, blues and reds were the best colors, on both lakes, within a two-week period.
“I wish fish didn’t swim”, because today’s HOT SPOTS most likely will be cold as ice tomorrow. But I’ll give you a starting point, so you can develop your own conclusions, in what works best for you. One fisherman’s method may not be ideal for another.
Much Chunk – From the boat launch dock at the western end of the lake, head towards the middle, look for water about 6 to 8 feet deep, make casts to both sides of the boat as you proceed west to the backwater areas, watch carefully, this section of the lake has many old stumps, and the weeds can be heavy at times. If you have no luck, then depending on the wind direction, choose the shoreline sections working either with or against the wind and wave direction. If you decide to head down the lake, work the southern shoreline slowly with weightless baits, be extremely careful, for there are rocks along the shoreline that come out a good distance, in depth, and could cause damage to your equipment.
Take notice to your boats position and bite success, if nothing is happening in these areas, once you get close to where the point juts out from the northern shoreline just east of the launch, head to the cove section on the north shore, making your way east. Keep your boat in 6 to 8 feet of water making casts to shoreline structure and mid-lake. This area holds larger fish both largemouth and smallys. Depending on your equipment condition, proceed down the lake or make your way back to dock area and repeat. The fishing is usually good all year at these spots of the lake until the weeds start to die, reducing the quality of water PH and o2 levels dwindle, look for cleaner waters and structure, the fish will be there!
Beltzville Lake – A totally different type of lake, water depth varies greatly, coves, points and long fingers of feed waters, grass, weeds and a few submerged stumps hold the fish. This lake is a high pressure body of water, heavy fishing, recreational boats, ski area, picnic areas and two major launch areas, influence fish movement. Water levels are regulated, so shoreline structure may change greatly throughout the year. One interesting method of fishing this large body of water, is to slow down your presentations, the weeds are dieing off, so work pockets, edges and structure such as rocks and wood, again seek out cleaner water.
The last week of September, and the first two weeks of October had provided us with some varied weather conditions, but the best fishing believe it or not was during those heavy rainstorms. Rain always seems to bring fish up to feed. The Pine Run boat launch was our daily starting point, and the fish weren’t far from there. Largemouth Bass ranging from 12” to 18 ˝” became the normal catch of the day. Only a few pan fish decided to bite, and several nice size pickerel were landed. Since, Scott was my guide for those weeks of September and October, I can’t divulge his prime spots, a vow of secrecy was given. I can tell you that the lures mentioned above seduced some good fighting fish, to bite.
Fishing is an exciting sport, and if you can share the thrills and disappointments with a family member or friend, it is all that more fulfilling. Plan a day’s trip on one of these lakes, try to relax and enjoy what Nature brings your way. Not all things that Bite are bad! Good Fishing…
Michael Harvan |
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