Posts: 13
Threads: 0
Joined: May 2004
Reputation:
0
It is about that time of year for the night bite to start popping for walleye and wiper. We usually hit Boyd, Boedecker, Barr and Pueblo this time of year and catch some really nice fish. Wondering if any of you guys get into them after dark as well.
Pueblo is by far the best at night this time of year, I am planning on making a trip down there once this weather blows through and we get some stability back. Anyone know what the water levels are like down there?
Here is a testimonial of the wiper nite bite at Pueblo I attached. Nothing like hooking into one of these freight trains in the dark to get the old ticker palpatating.
[signature]
Posts: 1,614
Threads: 0
Joined: Jun 2003
Reputation:
0
[  ] Nice fish! When you fish wipers at night, do you use a light to attract the shad to attract the wipers? Or just fish 'em in the dark? I really enjoy night fishing, but I can't say that I've had great success in Colorado - a few walleyes now and then.
I grew up in Kansas and we did a lot of night fishing - for bass, channel cat, crappie (with a Coleman lantern suspended over the water), and walleye. I really enjoy the night sounds!
[signature]
Posts: 133
Threads: 0
Joined: Mar 2004
Reputation:
0
I mostly fish Pueblo during the day but stay after dark if its been a good bite, especially if the wipers are hitting. The water level has been at the same level now for over a month, but you never know when they'll start the draw down. I've been out a few times and have caught a few walleye and bass but still haven't hooked into a wiper or had a great day but they should really start tto turn on soon. I'd like to try doing more night fishing later this month, what tactics work better trolling or bouncing the bottom with bait.
[signature]
Posts: 127
Threads: 0
Joined: Mar 2004
Reputation:
0
I also grew up in Kansas, and night fishing was very popular at Lake Of The Ozarks for white bass.
I have fished Cherry Creek countless times at night over the years with little success. I caught a couple of nice walleyes at Glendo at night though.
What are the best lures to use at night for Wipers?
[signature]
Posts: 13
Threads: 0
Joined: May 2004
Reputation:
0
Flat lining plugs works best for us, running them over 15-20 feet of water. This is easy to do on the plains resivours because they are so bowl shaped and its easy to keep a pretty steady depth. We like running the deeper model shad raps, and suspending rogues, something that will get you running about 8 feet deep. As far as color, anything with a white belly works. I think it must give off a little flash from ambient light. We do it really slow with the troll motor, just fast enough to feel the wobble of the lure. We also don't use rod holders because we give the lure slack about every 5-10 seconds. It seems the pause and than subsequent start triggers fish.
We're not running that long of lines either, 100 feet usually. With just the troll motor on low setting you don't really have to worry about spooking fish. We'll do slow S turns starting at 15 feet and going out to 20. If one depth or bait seems to be catching most of the fish we'll focus on it. The wiper seem to be pretty random though. You might catch one in 20 with a rogue, the next in 15 with a shad rap. I have a feeling these fish are just suspended off the bottom a bit at night, and when you run a bait over them they come up to smack it. The walleye are a bit spottier, and to be honest it's not a big numbers thing at night, but the average size seems to be better than trolling harnesses during the day.
Now Pueblo is a whole different animal, at least the areas I fish, which is the north marina cove, Hoby Cat, and some of the other smaller coves along the north shore. It is tough to troll, at least when the lake has some water in it because most of those 15-20 foot areas are in the backs of coves, or are just brush choked. We know some areas that are pretty clean, and we'll troll those, but at Pueblo you really have to cast unless you want to spend a fortune, and a lot of time on snagged lures.
We use strictly floater model shad raps and rogues there. The thing is with these baits if you feel a lure tick brush, you can just stop the retrieve and it will float up and out of trouble usually. You just can't do that trolling. So we just drift and fan cast. The backs of the coves can be really good, and you never know what your gonna catch. We had a night a few years ago there where we caught 12 wiper, 8 walleye, a bunch of smallmouth and 2 really nice lgmouth all in the same night.
Also moonlite nights seem the best, especially if it is full or close to full.
PS.
Don, I have tried using lights here, in fact I have a really nice submersible, but I have never had much success. I think I might not be patient enough. I have a hard time sitting around for hours waiting for the fish to show up. For some reason I can sit all day in a duck blind without a problem, but I'm lucky if I can hack a couple hours sitting in a boat. I could see it working though later in the year when the shad hatch is starting to get bigger and using open water.
[signature]
Posts: 127
Threads: 0
Joined: Mar 2004
Reputation:
0
Actually the lure I have had the most luck with at night is the 3/4 oz Rattle Trap reeled slowly.
Have you had a chance to use the new generation of soft plastic swimbaits yet?
[signature]
Posts: 13
Threads: 0
Joined: May 2004
Reputation:
0
Neal I've never really fished with Traps all that much. Had some success in the day using the smaller ones at Pueblo, but to be honest those times were during the prime bite in late May and June and the fish were hammering just about everything. I can see them working well though. You can cast those big 3/4oz models a mile and they have good vibration and profile.
To be honest I have'nt really tried any new baits in years. I've got my Shad Rap box, my box with Rogues and Long A's, a topwater box, and some fat free shad. That is all I have used in years.
It is just a confidence thing I guess, I know how to fish those baits, and how they behave. I honestly could'nt imagine doing much better with other baits, and thats what it comes down too. Confidence.
Same goes for soft plastics. I used to have bags of them in every shape and color under the sun. Now all I ever use is brown fleck, pumpkin seed, black, grape, chartruese, and smoke. Only 5 models too. Yamamoto grubs, senkos, zoom straight tail worms, french frys and zipper worms. I have a couple sizes of worms and grubs, but over the years I've realized that keeping it simple catches more fish. Finding biters is more important than anything else IMO.
Not saying those are the only things that work, but those are the ones I have confidence in, and when it comes to fishing that is what keeps you casting and focused. At least it is for me.
[signature]
Posts: 133
Threads: 0
Joined: Mar 2004
Reputation:
0
The rattle traps definatly work, I like to have the 1/4oz to 3/4oz with me. For whatever reason some days they'll key in on one particular size and that size will out catch the other sizes 5 to 1. I think it depends on what size of shad group they've been feeding on and of course some days it doesn't matter what size your throwing out. Also try some rainbow rapalas, after they stock the Pueblo Res, the wipers really key in on those rainbow patterns and thats also when the top water action starts up. Well boys I'm burning day light I'm actually going out this evening so I'll let you know.
[signature]
Posts: 13
Threads: 0
Joined: May 2004
Reputation:
0
Good luck tonite Oats.[ ]
[signature]
Posts: 133
Threads: 0
Joined: Mar 2004
Reputation:
0
Thanks Bill.
Game on, caught around a dozen smallies most were small but a couple were around 14" and those gave me a little drag smoke. Also caught two under size walleye around 17" two trout around 13" and one wiper that was 17" and very fat and had another wiper on that spit the hook. I caught 6 smallies jigging and the rest were caught trolling a silver and black rapala and a shallow diving shad rap. There were also around a dozen boats staying late. The most productive spots were around the west end, especially when trolling over shallower spots between 10 and 20 feet.
[signature]
Posts: 13
Threads: 0
Joined: May 2004
Reputation:
0
Way to go Oats[ ]
How far west were you fishing? I've never really fished much further west than the cove after the big cliffs on the north side. Fished the Rock creek cove some as well.
Keep it up and good luck!
[signature]
Posts: 133
Threads: 0
Joined: Mar 2004
Reputation:
0
I went as far as turkey creek but run off from the Arkansas is making that end murky so from the North Shore to the dam will be a better bet until things clear up. The weekends are already a zoo, so try to avoid if possible. Take care and let us know how you do the next time out.
[signature]
Posts: 13
Threads: 0
Joined: May 2004
Reputation:
0
I will, planning on going tommorrow, and at least a couple more times next week now that this weather has cleared out. I might even give the largemouth a shot, they should be up shallow and on the beds by now, although God knows what this cold snap has done.
I don't make it down to Pueblo as much as I would like living in Denver. It is a long haul and I feel like I need to spend at least a couple days down there to make it worth it.
[signature]
Posts: 4,139
Threads: 0
Joined: May 2002
Reputation:
0
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Great info for wipers, guys. I hear the wiper fishing in Colorado rock. What is the normal mature wiper size? We have one impoundment in Utah that holds wiper and I'm hooked.[/size][/font]
[signature]
Posts: 1,614
Threads: 0
Joined: Jun 2003
Reputation:
0
BLM-
We have several lakes, including the ones out on the plains, where 4-6 pound fish are fairly common with the potential for much bigger fish. NeeNoshe, NeeGronda, Pueblo and John Martin all have decent populations of sizeable fish.
They really are fun, aren't they?
[signature]
|
