~ Papa's Baits Pro Staff Fishing Tips ~
 Joey Fisher ~ Papa's Baits Pro Staff
Dealing with Summer Heat and Schooling Fish
Without doubt summertime has made it way to the Arkansas River valley with both area anglers and the fish feeling the effects. Summer heat takes it toll on both anglers and fish alike and there are some ways to avoid overheating.
First for the fishermen you can never have enough water and ice in your boat and it is important that you take frequent breaks and maybe even find a shaded area to fish in from time to time.
A towel that you can dip in cold water from time to time and use to wet your head and face is a also a great idea. I have even seen some anglers the last few years with tubes that you can keep in the ice chest that lay around your neck to keep you cool. As the tube heats up you simply place it back into the ice chest let it cool back down and then use it again later.
As for the fish the biggest problem this time of year created by the extremely hot temperatures is fish mortality. Most tournament fishermen do their very best to keep fish alive and return them to the lake to be caught again, but this time of year losing fish is going to happen occasionally despite our best efforts.
Even if you are keeping your fish to take home to eat, it is still important to keep them cool and on ice until you are ready to clean them.
There are some precautions we can take to help keep fish alive. The single most important thing we can do as fishermen is to start each day with well-charged batteries and a good aerator system in your boat's live-well. This time of year it is important to keep your aerators running at all times, not on a timer, but actually running. As I stated earlier you can never have too much ice and it is wise to add a little to your live-well occasionally to keep the temperatures down. Avoid putting large amounts of ice in the live-well water at one time, as this will cause fish to die as well.
A little trick I borrowed from a friend a few years ago is to freeze some water bottles the night before a tournament and place the bottles in your live-well periodically throughout the day. This does a great job of cooling your live-well and also keeps the chlorinated water out of your live-well as well.
In the past couple of weeks I have heard of a few areas where schooling fish are starting to come to the surface on Lake Ouachita and Greers Ferry and there are several other lakes across the state that when the temperatures rise the schooling action gets quite intense.
This time of year can provide tons of fun and fishing excitement for all types of anglers from the seasoned professionals to beginners. When fish are in the feeding frenzy mode and schooling on top of the water they are simply a blast to catch.
Schooling fish can provide non-stop heart pounding action. Top water baits are usually the bait of choice, but many anglers use a variety of techniques to take advantage of these more than willing schooling fish.
Schooling fish can also be very frustrating. They tend to come up in short bursts and timing is everything. A good high speed trolling motor that is well charged is a must. Patience is also nice as inactive periods leave you standing around waiting for the next minute of excitement.
It never fails when you leave a school of fish to chase down another, the one you just gave up on will start to churn the water again in the very spot you just left.
Whites, stripers and Hybrids are the most common and easiest to locate schooling fish in the natural state, but they look so much alike that it is extremely hard to tell the difference; the surest way is by checking out the teeth on the fishes tongue. Whites will have teeth in a single patch on the back of their tongue. Stripers will have teeth in two parallel patches on the back of their tongue, as will the hybrids, making these two even harder to separate. Stripers will usually be bigger and the Hybrid's will have breaks in their horizontal stripes.
White Bass are usually the easiest to distinguish due to its single tooth patch, less distinct horizontal stripes on its bottom half, and it's deep body.
Contrary to popular belief, Whites are very good to eat if filleted properly. They also come with a very generous daily limit of 25 fish per angler.
The best time to go right now is from daylight until about 8:30a.m or in the evenings from 7:00 until 9:00 p.m. It may take a little time easing around the lake to find a school, but once you do you will be rewarded quickly and often.
For those of you who are truly brave at heart I have seen days on Lake Ouachita that the best time was between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00p.m., but you definitely need to be prepared for the heat if you are out on the lake at that time of day.
Whatever your summer fishing plans are remember that caring for yourself is the top priority and that a bit of good planning will keep you on the lake for many years to come.
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Papa's Baits
P.O. Box 111255
Memphis, TN 38111
(901)489-4183
PapasBaits@yahoo.com |
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