Fishing Forum

Small Mouth Bass Northern Pike While Panfishing

With a Late spring season, snow just 2 weeks ago, I test the chilly waters of my “Home” for the bite. Historically I should be tagging multiple species at this time including many warm liking panfish including Blue Gills… water temps ranging into the low to mid 60’s. water temps have struggled to remain above 50 with winter temp like nights and below normal temps in the fore cast.
The reservoir has been on a -9 ft drawdown for repairs since November 2018. My local haunts are on the upper reaches of the reservoir leaving just a shallow river system thru half of the year.
Levels are returning to normal levels slowly but the fish have been slow to return with slim-picking numbers. I at times beg for the lowly N.Pike bite where more than 50% incur bite-offs.
I tag a large N.Pike that bites me off after a battle that settled with me trying to pull him out of a sunken laydown.
At the end of the Major.Period I finally tag a lunker Small Mouth Bass on my U-lite tackle while seeking the crappie/B.Gill bite…. What a battle!
Thanks for viewing!



https://youtu.be/7-2lUyBp_s8
https://youtu.be/7-2lUyBp_s8
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Quote: I at times beg for the lowly N.Pike bite where more than 50% incur bite-offs.

Know the feeling after going biteless for so long. Do like the challenge of catching decent size bass on light tackle. When I hooked into a powerful bass and got it to the boat, I found it amazing how the size shrunk from 3 lbs to 2.25 lbs. - the imagined weight vs actual weight. Of course some anglers I know insist the imagined weight is real, never actually weighing fish and recording the weight.

The rains are less heavy or often where I am and I hope the bite will be good in the near future. (By the bite I mean finding groups of fish that bite - period.)

Good luck fishing your seasonal pattern. Got to be tough when the water drops to a level forcing fish to relocate.
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