We are in the early winter fishing transition 2021

 

ShakaOG here! I wanted to write a little blogpost about the late fall into winter transition right now in the Heartland USA. In our area we've got four seasons.  Right now we are right in the middle of the late fall into early winter transition. I am learning that the water temperature truly effects the fish behaviors. I have one neighborhood pond near us that produces the most bass through the spring, summer, and fall.  But, right now that pond is "lifeless".  The Lil' Shaka and I are trying everything to catch some winter bass in that pond and we cannot even manage a bite. I will say, that pond has little to no cover or structure for fish.  It is a standard oval pond with a fountain in the middle, and it also serves as a storm drain retention pond. So, I keep wondering if the fish are in a very dormant state and out deep in the middle of the pond.

In one of our other favorite ponds to fish, we are getting bit during this fall into winter transition! Here are some of the lures we doing really well on:

Jigs

    Black and Blue Craw

    Pumkin and Watermelon Craw

Jerkbait

    5-6 inch 

    White Shad, Chartreuse Belly, Orange Mouth

Lipless Crankbait

    White Color, Yellow stripe, Red Eyes

    Gold Shiner Color, Red Eyes

We are going to continue to fish and have fun during this winter. Take a look at the video below for some of the action. The last year and half has been great fishing with my son. We will continue to learn this game because it is fun to be outside spending it together.  Stay committed, Stay Driven!

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A look back at our Everglades Fishing Trip November 2021

 

Just a little inside joke in that picture between Lil' Shaka and me. We had a couple days in South Florida to fish while we were on vacation. We fished the Everglades, and specifically "Alligator Alley" off of highway 75. We also hit up the Holey Land wildlife management area to fish on one of the days.  Here is a quick snippet of the google map where we were fishing.

I will say the fishing is definitely not the same in November compared to when we were fishing in April.  Way different, even for Florida were the temperature and seasonal changes are more subtle than back home in the Heartland USA.  Here is a quick breakdown of our sessions.

1st day fishing Alligator Alley on foot

When we visited and fished in April of 2021 we were met with thousands of fish that you could literally see swimming around in the canals.  This time, the water was way up in the canals and the fish were not so easily visible.  On the first day we got SKUNKED.  What?!? ☺ Yah we tried everything in our aresenal to get bit.  But it did not happen.  That is fishing...and you have to learn from your outings which I think we did.  Definitely NOT the same conditions as in April of 2021.  Water was a bit colder, the water was up in the canals, and I was told by local anglers that the bass were located up in the flats, which you would need a boat to get to.

2nd day fishing Alligator Alley by boat

Out of the three days that we fished, I'd say the most successful day was when we were on the boat with a local pro named Captain Brett Isackson.  He put us on fish by 9am in the morning! Capt Brett is a great guy, great fisherman, and my son and I highly recommend him as a guide.  We will be back fishing with him on future fishing excursions down in South Florida.

There's nothing like doing 80mph in a bass boat in the Florida Canals rockin' out to Five Finger Death Punch. LOL 😂 El Capitan Brett put us in some great spots to have success.  I think we caught 20 total Peacock bass that day.  It was a lot of fun to pick his brain and learn more about fishing in the Everglades.  It is a very different bass fishing experience.  The rules of home don't apply down there.  You have multiple bass spawns per year, and many different species of fish that are competing. What a memorable time with my son that I will never forget!

3rd day fishing Holey Land Wildlife Management Area

This day was from the bank. Lil' Shaka and I did more exploring on this day.  Not a ton of luck on this day.  I caught a couple of dinks on a jig, but other than that I did not get bites. Lil' Shaka had about a 4 LBS Bowfin take his Chatterbait, but the Bowfin jumped in the air and spit his hook.  Damn!!!!  I was going to get the net when that happened.  So no picture.  I also noticed some of the canals in this area were super flooded and the water was flowing as hard as a stream or river.  I never knew the current got that fast in these canals. 

All in all, what a fun couple of days getting a chance to fish in South Florida.  We will be back soon!  Take a look at the video of Day 2 below.  Stay committed, Stay driven.

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November 14 2021 Fishing Chronicle

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It was a cold Sunday that we returned from South Florida last weekend. The weather in South Florida was warm.  The temperature was around 75-80 degrees on most days that we were there.  So, to come back to the heartland USA and feel the 35-40 degree weather with the wind chills was definitely a big change.  But, of course it did not stop us from fishing.

The Lil' Shaka was able to catch a few bass on this day on a jig! I did not catch anything but didn't care. He caught them for both of us.  I was happy to see him catch some bass on a new lure that he has not used before.  Everytime we catch fish on a new lure, it is confidence gained, which opens up new possibilities to put bass on the bank or in the boat.  This is a documented memory now or progress!  Stay Commited and Stay Driven my Ohana.

 

Having fun with the Jig Bite in October 2021

 

Articles that I have read about the jig bit in the fall...well, they are true it is a real thing.  I am enjoying the jig bit as well, and I continue to learn the different ways to present a jig to the bass in order to get bites. So far it feels like bass like these jigs at different depths, and they also like to see these jigs in different presentations. I am having luck at the present time skimming the jigs and hopping the jigs on the bottom.

The end of October 2021 has produced some nice fish with these different jig presentations. I am really enjoying the entire experience of figuring out a new lure. I've also tried out a couple types of jigs with different craw presentations. I was using some of the smaller mini jigs which I've had a lot of luck with.  I really like how the lighter jigs fall slower with specific types of craws like the Zoom Speed Craw. But, then I tried some larger jigs, like the swimjig with a larger craw trailer you see in the below picture. I definitely had larger bass hitting this lure! It was a lot of fun, and definitely was something I think the bass had not seen in awhile in the specific neighborhood ponds I was fishing.

I definitely have great confidence in tying on the jigs right now. Jigs will definitely continue to be something I tie on first before I do anything else.  With so many types of jigs, and so many combinations with trailers coupled with the different ways to fish them...I think it creates endless possibilities to be creative and try to get the fish to bite! Stay committed, Stay Driven.

The difference between two days in October 2021

I went out to the neighborhood pond on two consecutive afternoons after work.  It was amazing what happened between these two days.  I must of hit a very crucial 24 hour period between these fishing sessions in the fall transition.

First Day

I noticed that the water was cold. The water clarity was also not that great.  It wasn't completely chocolate milk like it had been a day or two before this day due to the rains, but it was still dingy.  I used several types of baits.  I was using a dropshot with a worm, dropshot with tiny fluke, spinnerbait, tiny swimbait....you name it I probably tried to find a pattern with it. LoL!  

It wasn't until almost the end of the fishing session that I was able to get bit on my little black and blue Strike King Bitsy Bug Mini Jig with a Zoom Speed Craw trailer. It this was the only fish I was able to catch that day. So, fishing conditions were fairly tough on this day. I looked at the experience as positive though...at least I was able to catch a fish. And just maybe, this is a pattern that I could exploit the next time.

Second Day

The second day was a wonderful experience. I was able to exploit that same pattern with the mini jig and craw trailer. I caught two nice bass at the far end of the pond. Some things I noticed about the pond were:

• Water clarity was very clear, 2-3 feet of visibility
• Water was still cold, definitely fall now
• Grasses and Algae dying off on the banks almost completely
• Wind moving towards the back of the pond were I caught both bass

I think that last bullet point was key in this fishing session. The way the current of the water reacts with the type of mini jig I was using...and the "floating action" the craw trailer provides I think presented to the fish really well. It almost looked like the bait was hopping and floating just over the bottom like a real crayfish might do. And, I got bit twice by some really nice bass!

In summary, it is amazing just how the pond conditions can change within a 24 hour period during the fall transition. Water clarity is key to the success of several baits that I use. The water temperature is continuing to drop.  I am seeing less baitfish on the banks. I am still catching fish on the bank, but I am noticing I am catching fish also at a deeper depth off the bank. Tight lines to you!