jojo's Fall Fishing Article 11/1/12

[jojo wilczewski]

FYI For those who would like to read my article in true Shmoeze. Our Editor took pieces for the newsletter so most of it you half seen. jojo out

 

Good Day

Lets talk fall wishing. In the fall it is truly WISHING, because the last fish you caught maybe

the truly the last fish you catch of the year? On the river in the fall we usually have two conditions 1) Guacamole ( kind of green water) 2) Chocolate Milk ( muddy water). Sometimes we can have better conditions but rarely. Sometimes we have to drink chocolate milk for months on end, due to the changing climate and fall winds. As I right this the weatherman is predicting 40-50 mile a hour winds (and he was right). Which brings to mind a few things. First is Shmo Rule # 14

" never let the weatherman tell you if you will fish, only let him tell you what to wear". Second is Tony’s rule that" the best time to fish is when you can". Luckily, in the river, we can always find a lee side of an island to wish and there is always a ramp down river in an emergency. If the west wind is ripping white caps onto the ramp ,when you get to Sheridan, go down to Niawanda and be out of the wind.

Another tip to remember especially in Chocolate Milk is Shmo Rule #5- "never pass up a beautiful figure 8, it is not the end of the last cast but the beginning of the next". I actually start mine 20 feet out with a surge or burst of speed as the lure come into view or I can tell where it is. Then I slow it down back to normal speed but never stop it. ( It will turn the teeth the other way. I feel that is the kiss of death, to stop it. To stop it is completely unnatural. A bait fish will never stop to die when being foollowed by a big set of teeth. Would you???) After the slow down I will jig or bounce it next to the boat then I go into a beautiful figure 8 or circle. Remember that the less visibility in the water or in colder water, the longer you should do the beautiful figure 8. Still do your beautiful figure 8 when trolling, if the water is clear a few L turns will do. A repeated beautiful figure 8 will lead to one or two fish more a year. I already have an extra one this year, my last fish is do to extra lure action next to the boat . I also use the motion of a beautiful figure 8 to load my rod for the next cast at the end procedure sending my lure back into action immediately.

Next tip for fishing either in very cold water or Chocolate Milk is the 8 S’s of fall fishing.

1) Shallow in depth of water , 2) Shallow in the water column, 3) Solid body lures, 4) Size, larger, 5) Straight, reeling and trolling, 6) Slower, reeling and trolling, 7) Sound, use lures with rattles, 8) Sassy, use bright colors. Some of these you might already know, Sassy and Sound are obvious in Chocolate Milk, you cannot catch what you cannot see or hear. Others you might want to try ,Straight and Slower make your lure easier to find ,hear, feel and catch. Solid and Size give off more vibration and push more water for the fish to feel and hear. Shallow, both in depth and water column is because the fish move higher and shallower to feed in Chocolate Milk. It is easier to find and catch dinner in less water. Most stream fishers know this already.

Another tip to remember is the grass is always greener on the other side, of the river. The west river is usually greener , clearer then the east. If you get tired of drinking chocolate milk sometimes you can find pockets of greener water. Creek outlets, up the creeks, behind break walls, and back eddies. Always work the mud lines as if they were and they are structure on the greener side.

Some other quick tips are: trash your leaders and retie your knots. They have probably been there most of the season, if not all year. It is a small price to pay for a lost lure or a lost fish.

Extra pairs of gloves and hats. I also like to keep extra dry clothes and boots in the truck. You will get wet and dry stuff is warm stuff. In my boat you need the dry stuff, my so called friends call my boat the "SS Car Wash"??? I have found that food service vinyl and latex gloves work very well despite being so thin. Casters especially, since our reels throw a lot of water on our hands. You will be surprised how much warmer your hands stay just being dry. I will use vitamin E under a band aid to help heal my cracked hand, skins and cuticles. It is a tremendous accelerant to healing any external cut or dry skin.

Most of important is DO NOT FORGET THE PFD. Weather you can stand the sit suit, I mean float suit, or a preserver wear it. I find that a Stearns PFD winter jacket is the most bearable.

I also keep a throw cushion with a extra large loop tied in the rope near the cushion connected to the boat. The loop needs to be large enough for an arm ,a shoulder, or a body to go though because your hands will not be able to hold on in very cold water. Leave it in the rear tied to the boat, so all you have to do if someone falls over board is pick it up and toss it at them. Seconds may count. Be careful out there boys.

ALA BALA BALA jojout