Fall fishing is in full swing at area waters. With the cool evenings the water temperatures have been going down and the fishing is really turning on.
The reports from the Fox Chain of Lakes are good, with nice catches of eating size walleyes coming from five to eight feet of water in the river and fair catches of crappie in Pistakee Lake and Bluff Lake.
A little farther away, but still easily reachable, the white bass have started their fall run on the Wolf River at Fond-du-Lac, Wis. The reports are catches in the 100-fish range for an afternoon of fishing.
This fall run only lasts a few weeks. If you are planning on going, don’t wait. The cooler water has turned on the bass in both Busse Lake and the Skokie Lagoons.
The fishing reports of quality catches on both waters have been coming in for more than a week now. If the Wolf River is a little too far, you might give these two local fishing holes a try.
Lake Michigan has been doing pretty well by me. I’ve been able to hook up with some nice catches of largemouth bass, a few bluegills and a few smallmouth bass along the way.
The lakes are about to go through the fall turnover period. As temperatures continue to stay on the cool side, this yearly transition is getting closer.
This weekend we were out on Lake Michigan fishing the shoreline for bass and began noticing the first signs of turnover, clumps of bottom debris floating on the surface.
There weren’t a lot of these clumps, but they are the first signs that by next weekend fishing on Lake Michigan and other area lakes could get tough for a week or ten days.
Turnover will occur on most lakes in our region, but it does not occur in rivers. If you want to fish during fall turnover, you might want to try the Kankakee, Illinois, or Mississippi rivers for some action. Until next time, keep a tight line.
Visit Dick at hookedonfishing@comcast.net.