10-5-12 – Connecticut River Panfish

I arrived to the boat launch around 7 am. The sky was just starting to brighten up as the fog was dense and it was suppose to be a warm, sunny day. I figured the fish would bite well will the weather conditions.

On my first pass through my fishing spot, I found good concentrations of bluegill and perch. The fish were holding tight to shore, under limbs of oak trees that were close to the water, and under only the largest lilypads. I didn’t find fish relating to any structure like they usually do at this spot. As I worked along I found pods of fish working minnows in the weeds on the surface in water less than 3 feet deep.

The water was running more clear than usual which was surprising because of recent rains. Usually water visibility here is less than a foot and no sight fishing is possible. As I drifted along I could see many of the fish I was catching but they were easily spooked. As the fog burned off the fishing got more difficult. Once the sky had turned to solid blue, the fish had shut off completely and I headed home shortly after.

I used night crawlers and “Live” Baby Shad by Lake Fork Trophy Lures all morning. I found that the fish were very finicky preferring only the bluegrass color pattern. I tried just about every color in my box with no luck. Most of the fish that I caught on worms were bass and perch. Using these plastics that are 2-1/4″ for bluegill, I catch only the largest fish that bite as their mouths are small . I get many bites that I miss but I prefer to catch the bull bluegills!

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