Fishing tip of the week: – 06-03-20

Fishing Tip of the Week

Tuesday, 02 June 2020 13:31

Summertime weather and the bite
by Mike Gerry

As we move on into the summer season, everything we thought we understood about the effect of the weather, changes. The bass fishing changes, and weather patterns change. During the winter we dealt with many cold fronts with cold rain, followed by sunny days with water temperatures, generally, on the rise. In the summer, many things change. We have warm rain, bright, sunny, hot days along with thunder and lightning storms. All this changes from winter to summer and so do the patterns.

To me, the most notable change is the effect of the thunderstorms. Believe it or not, the loud thunderclaps and sizzles of lightning change what the fish are doing before the storms set in. You may have been out on the water, catching fish, in eight feet of water and run in to hide from a storm for 30 minutes. When you go right back out to the same spot as the storm passes – lo and behold – no bites. What changed was the storm.

The lightning drove the fish off the pattern they were feeding on and into deeper water to protect themselves from the noise and the lightning strikes. The bait moved, the bass moved, and you must start all over again to find a pattern. There are a couple of choices for you when this occurs. Often, if the weather stabilizes, after about an hour, the bait and the bass will move back to their respective feeding spots when you were catching before the storm. If the weather stays unsettled, and you are not getting bit, you best move deeper and look for where those fish you were catching moved to.

The winter sun is well known for grouping up the bass, so they compete for food during the mid-part of the day. Unfortunately, in the summer’s midday heat and sun my experience tells me the bright, sunny part of the day, moves them apart and they suspend and become lethargic. The sun depletes the oxygen levels, and they move to areas away from the thermocline and look for pockets of increased oxygen levels. If you are skilled with your electronics you can find the thermocline and find bass in the oxygen levels below it. Understand the weather and you will catch more fish!

Captain Mike

Fishing tip of the week

Fishing Tip of the Week

Wednesday, 27 May 2020 08:31

Safety first
by Mike Gerry

As we approach the busy time of year that loads the lakes up with pleasure boaters, jet skis, kayaks, fisherman and others, it’s time to revisit some of the common practices of safety.

It’s hard to believe that a lake of 69,000 acres can get so busy that it presents a safety issue, but it does, and understanding how to maneuver the lake and how to pass each other can make you a lot safer when out enjoying the water.

The first safety measure, and most important, is wearing a life jacket. As someone who was in a boat accident, and had a life jacket save my life, I can attest to how important it is. When the motor is on, put your life jacket on. If you have a child of eight years of age or younger in Alabama the law requires they wear a life jacket while in the boat – at all times.

Often, while out on the main channel, I get questions from my clients as to what the red and green buoys mean. It’s simple – they mark the deep water paths that you can navigate safely without the chance of hitting a shallow part of the lake.

You must stay between them. It’s that simple – unless you’re familiar with the lake, stay in between the markers while running.

The most common mistake is how to navigate on-coming boats. The navigation rules are very simple when approaching an on-coming boat – keep them on your left; it’s referred to as “passing port to port.” If you do this, your ability to safely get around on-coming boats is simple and safe. The tough maneuver is how to cross perpendicular boat traffic.

Who has the right-of-way? Just because you’re in a main part of the channel does not mean you are in the right-of-way. This explanation requires some detail of port and starboard side rules. The easiest way is to assume nothing. Slow down! Be cautious, and if you’re not sure give up the right-of-way; it’s a little safer that way. Most people, without training, have no idea how to determine the right-of-way in this situation and there’s no need to get in an accident just to prove your right-of-way!

Lastly, be aware, alert, and never take your eyes off the water. There are too many boats and too much traffic to not pay attention.

Captain Mike