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Tough conditions call for ‘power fishing’
By Jim Blassingame
Contributor
Published October 22, 2009
Start with the high water in our area lakes. Add in some days of blue-bird fall skies and one cold front moving in right behind another. throw in an east wind, and then more rain and what you get is really tough fishing. So how do we deal with these conditions?
There are several things we can do. First of all, keep in mind that on any lake, even in the worst conditions, there will be some aggressive fish to be found somewhere. All we have to do is find them. To do this we have to cover as much water and as many depths ranges as we possibly can. Yes, we could use finesse baits, but with finesses baits we would be limited to very little water. The answer is really simple — “power fishing.”
Select baits that you can “burn” or “rip,” such as lipless crank, buzzbait, jerk bait, 1/2 to 3/4 ounce spinnerbait, chatterbait or spook. With these baits, you can cover water faster. Yes, you will pass over lots of fish, but remember, your target fish are only the aggressive fish. Those non-aggressive fish will require you to spend too much time to get them to bite and in most cases they still won’t.
With a 1/2 to 3/4 ounce spinnerbait or lipless crankbait, you can burn them over and through the grass. This will trigger the fish to bite, because this is a reaction bite. Selecting a bait for power fishing does require a heavier lure because with a lighter weight lure, fishing that fast will cause the lure to roll. When using the jerk bait, or even the chatterbait, don’t just chunk and wind — rip the bait and burn it back to the boat. Be sure and keep in mind that power fishing becomes a simple equation of how many casts you can make into a potentially productive area.
One of my favorite ways to rig a chatterbait for this type of fishing is to remove the skirt and replace it with a live magic shad, Berkley Glup shad or a fluke. This will require a drop of super glue to hold the shad body on the lure. When using the Zara Spoook, I completely forget about “walking” it. I rip it. Make a long cast followed by a quick but steady jerking action that literally causes the lure to jump or twitch rather than “walk” on the surface of the water.
In order for you to use this power fishing technique, your reel needs a fast ratio. I prefer a 6.3:1 ratio and since sometimes the strike is so aggressive, you need a heavier pound test line. I like a 20 to 25- pound test or even a good braid will work.
I didn’t say this was an easy way to fish. It turns into a battle of willpower because it is hard for you to convince yourself to keep casting and reeling hour after hour. The rewards, though, are worth the effort because this technique has proven time and time again to be successful. This method of fishing works year-round, and depth is not a factor. If you have schools of shad, it will work. The fast moving bait will trigger the natural predatory instinct in a bass because it represents something trying to escape and the bass will eat it before it can get away — that is what the bass is programed to do.
With the conditions the way they are — high, stained water and cold fronts moving in right after another — now is the perfect time to go “power fishing.”
FISHING REPORTS
Pay Mayse Lake: As we have reported in the past few weeks, the lake is high but the fish are still active and feeding up for the winter. A number of baits are working in the shallows. To find the fish, I recommend covering as much shallow flats as possible and you will have success. Water color is great for fishing and with your typical fall baits, you will be able to put a good stringer of fish together.
Lake Fork: Water levels are high here also, but the Sabine River Authority is pulling water from the lake and this makes for a slow bite. There is a fairly good topwater bite early in the shallows over green grass, and at midday, the bite really gets slow. Just put your trolling motor on low speed and get to power fishing, covering as much water as possible, zig-zagging from shallow (3 to 12 feet) then 14 to 20 feet deep. By using this pattern, you can cover lots of water and this will increase your chances of having a successful day.
Hugo: The action has been behind the dam with crappie and catfish.
McGee Creek: Bass are good on blue-black and pumpkin seed sinkos in 15 to 28 feet of water. Crappie are good around cedar brushes on minnows and jigs.
Sardis Lake: Bass here are on spinnerbaits or soft plastics. Crappie are excellent on pink grubs or green and black around cover and off the Jack Ford Bridge, half bridge and tower using live minnows and in timber on east side of Bohanan Ridge.
All of our area lakes are full and with fronts coming in as fast as they are, conditions are about the same on all the lakes. The tip of the week is just go and fish and enjoy the day.
Fish smart, be safe and I’ll see you on the lake!
Jim Blassingame is a Paris resident and an avid angler.
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