WolfyBrandon's Fishing 2016 [Update: Day 5]

[WolfyBrandon]

[ February 03, 2016 ] (Day 1)

I've been wanting to try some early season fishing ever since I learned that the lake was currently in "Ice-Out" status from the previous day I logged. Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse with freezing temperatures, and snowing up to a 1/2 inch. I was hoping to get a day of fishing in before the coming new moon on the 8th, so I kept an eye on the weather. I saw today as a possible window for fishing as a cold front will be moving through tomorrow...



It was far from ideal conditions, as I was hoping for pretty much the polar opposite of what was received the past few days. Looking at the forecast I could see if I didn't go today the earliest I might go again would be around the 10th, so at noon today I loaded up all my gear and began my trip out to the lake...



I was in high spirits as I came prepared due to a project I had worked on for my 2016 log. The idea was to design a day box (ahead of time) specific for the next day of fishing with baits tailored to the current season, conditions, and bass habits. This would give me hopefully a good selection of "high probability" baits to focus on that day. When I arrived at the lake and started putting my said "Day Box" together... I was approached by one of the marina employees with information I did not want to hear - "The lake froze over again yesterday..." to which I replied "There is some open water now, isn't there?" Luckily his answer was yes, so I finished with the day box and headed down to the docks...



Looking at the conditions could I see the lake was open, but every part of the marina that had calm water was now covered by a tin layer of ice. The lake had come up a bit, the water had dirtied from 3ft clarity down to about 2ft clarity, and the water temperature had dropped from 36F down to 34F. Oh and I'm also limited to fishing the marina as the boat is not in the water yet. Yeah... time to get to work.

So I brought two combos with me, a baitcaster rigged up with a Blade Bait, and a spinning rigged up with a Tube. When I saw that the water was 34F, I decided to start with the Blade Bait.



I fished with it for about an hour in depths anywhere between 5-40ft with various retrieves and only landed some green slime and about a 4ft long stick, before eventually getting it hung and breaking it off. (It was missing a piece of the lead weight on one side anyway.)

I then decided to try the tube for a while, jigging it next to deep pilings and fishing it around deeper areas that I usually catch bass...

An hour or so later... nada.

It was time to break out the day box...

 
It consisted of some baits good in cold stained water, as well as baits I've been successful with in the past during the early season. Seeing that the water was 34F with ice around, my best bet is probably vertical jigging a spoon or bucktail jig out in deep water... however I already kind of did that with the previous two baits, so I opted to try "ol faithful" Lipless Crankbait which is the bait I caught my first bass of the past two years on.



I decided to commit to both the Lipless and the Tube and fish from one side of the marina to the other.



With all the ice I found myself a bit limited on where I could fish, having to skip a few locations along the way that I would have liked to try...



When I reached the other side of the marina things looked pretty bleak, I hadn't even got a nibble all day, and I was starting to get cold from the wind coming out of the south. I made my last cast with the Lipless and decided to call it a day. I grabbed my camera and headed out the last dock to take the remaining pictures for my log, when passing one of the boat slips something caught my eye...

I could see a Yellow Perch floating near some debris in the slip.

It was also... Alive.

Looked like a pre-spawn female full of eggs and turned out to be 7 & 1/2" long, and weighed 04oz. It was sort of in the middle of no where, so it's unknown if it was from around the marina or floated in from somewhere else. Nevertheless, it at least shows some indication on bait size... I released the perch back where I found it, but it was too lethargic from the cold to really swim away...



Now that my fingers were completely numb from the cold water and wind, it was time to leave. I can say even though I didn't catch anything or get a bite, it was a highlight just to see a living fish (let alone hold one) in these conditions and was unexpected. I knew going into this day that my chances were extremely low and it was more about gathering information and logging the current lake conditions. I still had fun getting a few baits wet, and also getting back into the rhythm of things (casting & retrieves), which is always nice after a cold winter.



All in all, it was a good experience (minus the feeling of my hands). I headed home to await the coming storm which is already here now as I type this, with a 1/2 inch of snow already on the ground. Looks like it's going to take some time and a good warming trend to improve the conditions before I try again, so it might be a while until my next trip - which is fine... it is only February.

WolfyBrandon
 

[Nitrofreak]

3/4 of the battle is learning something new and doing so under various conditions, that's a good report and thanks for sharing it with us !! 

[bonzai22]

This is a very interesting report I have open water where I'm at right now. I'm just hoping it is still that way when the weekend hits so I can go for a few hours.

[jbw252]

Great report.  Loved the pic of the 2 baits on the icy surface.  Gives you that "Woe is me" feeling.

[WolfyBrandon]

13 hours ago, Nitrofreak said:

3/4 of the battle is learning something new and doing so under various conditions, that's a good report and thanks for sharing it with us !! 

You're welcome, and thanks for the kind words. I'm always pushing myself to catch a bass as early and as late in the year as I possibly can. If the weather will cooperate, I believe I have a good chance of surpassing my current record again this year. The current forecast looks good other than the lows dipping below freezing, I just hope it holds up...

 

12 hours ago, bonzai22 said:

This is a very interesting report I have open water where I'm at right now. I'm just hoping it is still that way when the weekend hits so I can go for a few hours.

Thanks & Good Luck!
 

12 hours ago, jbw252 said:

Great report.  Loved the pic of the 2 baits on the icy surface.  Gives you that "Woe is me" feeling.

Thanks.

If you guys enjoyed this style of report I will update with a similar one after my next trip...

WolfyBrandon
 

[Derekbass02]

When are you going to be able to fish again? I enjoy reading your reports.

[Evan K]

Great write-up, really enjoyed reading it!

[WolfyBrandon]

3 hours ago, Derekbass02 said:

When are you going to be able to fish again?

Next Fishing Trip: Tomorrow! (February 10, 2016)



I've been waiting for some warm weather to hopefully increase the lake water temperature to around 40F. It's been a solid seven days since my last trip, and the weather has been clear with highs in the mid-to-low 40's, and lows still dropping below freezing at night. I also have to deal with cold runoff from snow melting up in the mountains. Tomorrow is forecasted to be the first of the "warmer" days so far this year. It is two days after the new moon with only 3% moon at night, and is also two days before a possible front will be moving in with rain.



I plan to at least fish tomorrow before the possible rain, and then again a few days later after it rains (depending on what conditions I find tomorrow). If it does rain, I hope it's during the day as warm rain should warm the lake faster than warm air temps. I'm currently working on my day box idea's... so far I plan to possibly - vertical jig a Sweedish Pimple Spoon, bottom fish a Blade Bait, Yo-Yo a Lipless Crankbait, and throw a Suspending Jerkbait if the water is near 40F or above. Also considering fishing a wacky stick bait or finesse jig. What I decide to throw will depend on what conditions I find tomorrow.

WolfyBrandon
 

[Derekbass02]

Good luck!

[WolfyBrandon]

[ February 10, 2016 ] (Day 2)

As mentioned in my previous reply, I planned on fishing today as it was forecasted to be one of the warmer days following a seven day warming trend. When I checked the weather again early this morning, it showed a few changes...

     

Today's forecast was updated to be overcast instead of only partly cloudy. The high was lowered to 49F (only got up to 47F), and the approaching front was predicted to arrive tomorrow instead of the day after.

I was planning on using a variety of baits, so I left early to arrive at the lake around 10:00am to give myself about 6 hours to fish as it starts getting dark around 4:00pm.



I was hoping that the seven days of warm weather would increase the water temperature near 40F, but with the nights still dipping below freezing, and the cold runoff from the mountains - I had my doubts. When I arrived at the lake and checked the conditions... my worst fears were confirmed.







I was a bit surprised to see the lake still had some "hard water" after the warm days, though it was only in one specific part of the marina. The water temp had only increased by two degrees, and dropped in clarity to around 1.5ft. I could also see the lake level had dropped about 1ft as well.

Ugh, I was really hoping for better conditions than these... Oh well, it was time to give it a try and see what happens so I began looking over my equipment.



I decided to start with the Tube since I already had it rigged up from the previous day. I began casting it around, working it slowly along the bottom with twitches and long pauses. Nothing, so I started working my way out the dock jigging it at various depths around deep pilings to see if I could locate bass or even baitfish like perch & crappie that are known to hold in those areas during other times of the year.



An hour later, still nothing. I decided to switch baits to the Sweedish Pimple spoon, something slightly smaller with some flash and color unlike the natural colored tube in this murky water.



Another hour fishing the same areas as the tube, and still nothing. I was getting the feeling the spoon might be on the small side, not prospecting for fish very well and being harder to find. It would be great if you already had fish located and could just drop it down on them or around them. I decided to switch to the Wiggle Wart - a deep diving search bait with a wide wobble and erratic action to it. The color is natural and similar to the water color, but also has a bright orange bottom with orange accents on the bill making it stand out. 



I was making good contact with the bottom, crawling it over rocks slowly and pausing it during the retrieve while keeping a tight line trying to minimize it from floating up as much as possible. The only problem was... it would constantly get fouled up with green slime a lot. 



It was now past noon, so I decided to fish the entire marina with both search baits, the Lipless Crankbait & the Wiggle Wart. I also added what was left of my YUM Shad Scent (which washes off), to hopefully mask any of my scent and possibly add a little something to the baits as it is tough conditions.



Still had to "Mind the Ice"... 



While fishing with the Wiggle Wart I was trying different retrieves with it. One of them I would slow roll the bait, and every few turns when the handle would reach the top I would quickly turn it to the bottom to twitch/pop the bait during the retrieve. It was on one of these casts I had just lost contact with the bottom (as the bait was moving into deeper water), when I went to pop the bait like that I felt the bait hit something which caused me to set the hook. When I inspected the bait there was no sign of anything on it. I was fishing in an area with just open water and could not replicate that again, even fishing with the Lipless at a deeper depth. I can't confirm or deny if it was a possible strike, it's really an unknown. 



One thing to mention is being a natural lake, with the water level so low it exposes all of the shoreline cover that can hold fish. The bottom of the lake is mostly featureless, so if fish have moved shallow... there isn't much to hold them there. I guess this would cause them to roam? I know there are docks and vertical pilings around the marina but the pilings don't provide much to the bass, and most docks are over 30ft+ of water.



It was now about 3:00pm, and I only had an hour left. I know the water is still very cold, and the clarity is murky, but with the unknown on the Wiggle Wart I wanted to try something I could pause during the retrieve - so I changed to the Suspending Jerkbait (+Scent) which is in both dark & bright colors to help it in the murky conditions.



An hour later after fishing it, nothing...



It was now 4:00pm and getting late, so I decided to head out. One thing I noticed was around 2:00pm the wind started to blow North to South, then when I finished fishing at 4:00pm the wind had switched direction to South to North, so I could tell fronts were swirling around. Then just when I started walking up the hill to my car it started to rain...



It was just a quick shower, lasting only 15-20min.



So that concludes my second day of the 2016 season. Looks like I'm still going to have to wait a while longer for the conditions to improve. The current forecast looks pretty mixed, will wait and see what happens with the coming rain before I decide to go again.



WolfyBrandon
 

[everythingthatswims]

I'm pulling for ya!

[Derekbass02]

Hope you catch one next time

[Derekbass02]

Are you going to be fishing again soon?

[Catch 22]

Wow, you are a trooper. Nice write up,I enjoyed it too.

Keep in mind that  the wt down deep is going to be around 38/39 deg. Might I suggest trying some 1/8 oz hairjigs and to work on those jerkbaits some more

C22 

[WolfyBrandon]

11 hours ago, Derekbass02 said:

Are you going to be fishing again soon?

Next Fishing Trip: ~ February 20, 2016 (Depending on Weather)



It has rained off & on every day since the last time I fished, I'm just waiting for the weather to clear up before my next trip. The temperature has not dipped below freezing since, and with all the rain, I think the lake temperature should have increased a few more degrees by now. I'm just curious if the lake level has come up with it, and if so... what the water clarity will be. I was planning on fishing possibly today or tomorrow, but with the rain today and possible thunderstorms tomorrow, I have moved it to the 20th - provided the forecast for the 20th holds up. I think I would have a better chance if I had a few days of nice weather before I fish again, instead of fishing around these frontal conditions... however it has been enough time (10 days on the 20th) that I should try again, and at least get an update on the current conditions for my log. It will also be close to the full moon, as the full moon is on the 22nd.
 

10 hours ago, Catch 22 said:

Wow, you are a trooper. Nice write up,I enjoyed it too.

Keep in mind that  the wt down deep is going to be around 38/39 deg. Might I suggest trying some 1/8 oz hairjigs and to work on those jerkbaits some more

C22 

Thanks,

I do keep in mind that the water temperature can vary a few degrees depending on location and depth. The idea is to just get a number somewhere so that I have something to start with - instead of being completely blind. Funny you mention Jerkbaits, because I actually updated my day box a few days ago to include this for my next trip...


     Rapala Shadow Rap (Blue Ghost)


During my last trip when I was using the Luck-E-Srike RC STX Jerkbait... (Since the water was so cold and dirty) I felt one of the problems with it was, since it's only a shallow diver and suspends really well... it might not be getting down deep enough to be effective given the current conditions. The nice thing about the Rapala Shadow Rap Jerkbait is that it slow sinks, and from my testing with it last year I found that even the shallow diver can bump the bottom in 8-10 ft of water on a slow retrieve (because it slow sinks). This will allow me to fish more of the water column, and might be better as the bait will sink down to the fish vs making them come up to the bait in this cold dirty water.

Thanks for the suggestions (they are welcome). I will also make it a point to give the hair jig a try the next time I'm out (I believe the ones I have are 1/8th oz).

WolfyBrandon
 

[Nitrofreak]

Your doing a great job, keep getting after it and keep us posted with the awesome reports !!!

[Paul Roberts]

Keep at it. It sure is a fun game, eh?

Being so cold -and the turbidity adds to it- your fish are not likely to be cruising around. There are some key winter spots. Trick is to find them.

[WolfyBrandon]

3 hours ago, Paul Roberts said:

Keep at it. It sure is a fun game, eh?

Being so cold -and the turbidity adds to it- your fish are not likely to be cruising around. There are some key winter spots. Trick is to find them.

Thanks for the great reply Paul,

One of the biggest questions I've had is - If i'm fishing around fish, when I'm limited in location during the early season. The marina is fairly large, and gives me access from 0 to 40+ foot of water... however I question if bass hold around that specific area during the winter. Lake Coeur D'Alene has a surface area of 48.9 square miles, so the fish have plenty of area to move around. I am planning on getting into electronics sometime this year, it's a project that I am currently still working on...

It is nearing the end of February, and the season is beginning to transition into spring. As the water warms the bass will also be transitioning from their winter haunts into the Pre-Spawn phase, and move up to feed before the upcoming spawn. This is the second part to my first question as if i'm not fishing around fish - finding when they do move into the area that i'm fishing. I caught my first bass of both 2014 & 2015 when the water temperature was exactly 48F, so I have a pretty good idea when I can expect to start catching something. One thing I noted about both fish was that they were dark colored, so it's possible that they could have been up shallow long before I started catching them. I found a good article about seasons & temperatures - "KVD's 6-Season Bass Guide", and so far my catch results for the past two years mirrors the 48 degree number mentioned in the article. I do have murky water conditions that might help me catch one early, I just need to find a bait that they might react to in this cold water.

It rained again today, and tomorrow is currently still forecasted to be partly cloudy... It's looking like I will give it another go tomorrow, and get an update on what effect all this rain has had on conditions...

WolfyBrandon
 

[Paul Roberts]

That's often the big question: Are there fish in front of me? Or are they just not interested?

Without a boat and sonar you are going to have to go chip away at it the old fashioned way. Talk with other experienced anglers, search the internet, and your area warmwater fisheries biologist to see what you might glean. Someone fishes bass there in the winter and may give you some info on wintering depths. Then there’s simply casting. But you need to be smart about that, chip away at the odds, make some good bets:

Water clarity will factor in greatly. If your water is clear (or normally clear) it may be a deeper water fishery, even moreso in winter. If it is normally turbid then it is almost certainly a shallower water fishery although the bass will most probably be at their deepest of the year during winter.

If your lake is normally clear, but you've got turbidity from rains, I would probably fish elsewhere for the time being. Fish can go a long time without eating, esp in winter. While we like to say that anytime you can get out to fish is a good time to go that doesn't mean you can't alter your plans due to conditions. And cold muddy water in winter when it's normally clear is about as bad as it gets.

Classic winter habitat: In winter you are usually looking for lack of current and steep contours in “main lake” (large mass of water) areas. In a big lake a large cove may fit the bill, as well as the main lake.

If there are any fish from 40ft in at your location they are probably related to cover: chunk rock, maybe the deepest docks, pier walls, rock walls, .... . I'd concentrate on bottom mostly, despite the floating docks and boats I see in your pics. You say featureless bottom… then I’d be hoofing, looking for steep shorelines, esp those outside of spring/summer areas (maybe like your marina), with chunk rock. A transition from rubble to chunk rock could be the ticket. If that kind of stuff isn’t in your marina, start hoofing.

You say you are approaching spring, and it's true in some waters some fish are known to start moving at ice-out, or even just prior. So... it's coming. However, that 48-50F number is a rare lone number -one that does hold some biological relevance for bass in terms of activity level. But by the looks of your water you aren't quite there yet. The sun has just started to get high enough to start warming things. But water takes heat slowly and that is a big body of water to heat.

In terms of presentation, the trick to really cold water appears to be greatly reduced horizontal movement. I like the look of the bladebait there, and the lipless if fished in pumps and falls -slowly in terms of forward speed. The tube (as rigged) and jerk look like they're too shallow yet -just a guess.

The bottom line is, all is moot if there aren’t any fish in front of you -yet.

[WolfyBrandon]

[ February 20, 2016 ] (Day 3)

The temperature dropped last night to around 32 degrees as a front moved through the area. When I woke up this morning I could see that a bit of frost was still on the ground. I checked up on the weather and could see that the lows were forecasted to drop below freezing again for the next four days with the highs remaining in the 45-50 degree range. 



I decided to leave early again around 9:30am to give myself 6-7 hours to fish as I was planning on trying a variety of baits again.  



When I arrived at the lake I was surprised to see that the lake level had risen from 4-5 ft low, all the way up to normal summer level from the rain and runoff received over just the past week. The water also had a bit more color to it, with the clarity being right around 1 ft max.



With the lake already at summer level - it's looking like there is a possibility for flooding conditions when the snow pack up in the mountains melts. When I checked the water temperature I could see that it had risen to 39F, three degrees higher than the last day I fished.



With the lake conditions logged, it was time to start fishing...  



I had already rigged up both the Hair Jig & the Jerkbait as suggested by Catch22, prior to arriving at the lake, and decided to give these baits a fair try before switching to something else. I added some of my new Baitmate Classic Bass Scent to both baits so that I could test it out and compare it to the YUM Scent that I've used for the past year. I began fishing around a steep rocky bank with good sized boulders mixed in with smaller rock...



I began tossing the hair jig around, letting it sink to the bottom and then slowly working it back to me. I tried twitching it, lifting it off the bottom and letting it glide back toward me, Yo-Yo-ing it vertically, and swimming it slowly near the bottom. I later fished it around the deeper pilings, but all resulted in nothing. I switched to the Jerkbait and began fishing the same area with light twitches and long pauses, sometimes just sweeping the rod to one side to pull the bait slowly... still nothing. After checking my baits, I believe I already like the Baitmate scent better, as I can still smell the scent on the baits after fishing with them for a good amount of time.



It actually turned out to be a pretty nice day to be at the lake, except for the cold wind that was blowing out of the south... My plan was to use the two baits and fish the entire marina before trying another bait.



There was a constant stream of geese flying overhead today, two of them decided to land within the marina.



There is a dock that sits in about ~25 ft of water, and below it is a large tree limb. It's a spot that during the summer I can usually catch a few Smallmouth Bass off of. I started vertical jigging the Hair Jig around it and would then lay the rod down on the dock to watch for a bite...



It didn't take long to get that first bite...
 

Whatever it was had to be small since I couldn't get a hookset after multiple bites. I'm guessing it was probably just some small perch or crappie. Nevertheless, it's good to know that there is some type of fish activity within the area. I decided to move on and continue fishing the rest of the marina.



I recorded a short video while fishing the Rapala Shadow Rap Jerkbait...
 

Four hours after I started fishing today, with no luck on the Hair Jig or Jerkbait, it was time to switch baits. Since the water was high, and murky, I opted to throw some some noisy search baits, to see if I could possibly trigger a reaction strike. I tied on both the Storm Wiggle Wart & Rapala Clackin' Rap Lipless Crankbait.



I decided to switch to the Rapala Clackin' Rap to see if the Clackin' One Knocker style sound would work any better as it's something different. I also like that it has a slower rate of fall from the larger profile body, and also has a wandering action on the fall.  I chose the Wiggle Wart since the water is high and murky, as it's a deep diver with a wide wobble and good rattle.  



Two hours later after trying various different retrieves with both baits, and still nothing. On the positive side of things, I am happy that the lake level is up to the shoreline cover so that there are more targets to cast too. Now all I need is for the water to warm up a bit.
 

Though the fishing was slow, the lake atmosphere this evening was great. The wind had died down, and the moon was out and bright. There was a nice sunset with geese talking in the distance, and the smell of a campfire in the air with it's smoke lingering just above the lake... 



It's only a matter of time until the fishing starts to pickup... It was now 5:00pm and getting late, so I called it a day and headed home.



WolfyBrandon
 

[Derekbass02]

Nice report! At least you got a bite. When will you fish again? I went fishing for my first time of the year at a power plant in town. I was fishing for trout but I didn't catch anything. The only thing I have caught this year is a few tiny trout. The biggest is probably 5 inches.

[WolfyBrandon]

On 2/21/2016 at 9:25 AM, Derekbass02 said:

Nice report! At least you got a bite. When will you fish again?

Thanks, I've been looking over my log for both 2015 & 2016 and comparing them, and currently plan to fish again around ~February 25, 2016... but I believe it might still be a little early. It is looking like I will have a better chance somewhere around ~March 08, 2016. I'm expecting the water temperature to be 40F or above on February 25th, and hopefully 45F or above around March 08th - give or take a few days...

Current Forecast


WolfyBrandon
 

[Derekbass02]

Did you fish yesterday? 

[WolfyBrandon]

[ February 25, 2016 ] (Day 4)



I planned to fish after the recent full moon on the 22nd, as I made some predictions on the moon phases early this year. The weather looked to be clear with high barometric pressure, warm, and two days from an approaching cold front. 



I arrived at the lake, and headed down to the docks around 11:00am. I checked the conditions to find the water clarity had improved to around ~2-3ft, but the water temperature had only increased by one degree in the past five days making it now 40F.



Here is a look into my selected gear & baits for today...



I started off fishing with both the Bitsy Jig, and Wiggle Wart. After about an hour fishing with the jig with no results, I decided to switch back to the 1/4oz Hair Jig - since the water was still very cold.



I decided to stick with both the Wiggle Wart & Hair Jig for the first half of the day, and felt it was a good combination to fish areas with two very different presentations. 



When I arrived at the location where I was getting bites during my last fishing trip, I was still getting bites on the hair jig... so I tied on a small crappie jig that I had included in my day box to try and confirm the species of fish for my log. A few seconds later I had my answer...



First catch of the year, a 7 & 5/8'', 04oz - Yellow Perch (Non-Target Species). It was a pre-spawn female full of eggs. After the release - I tied the hair jig back on, and continued fishing both baits up to around 2:30pm.



With no results, I decided to switch baits... 



I tied on both a Blade Bait & Fish Head Spin - baits that I could fish slow along the bottom or even yo-yo to look like a dying bait fish.



I fished the two baits for around 2 hours, but had no results. It was now past 4:30pm, and with the sun going down - I decided to call it a day. 


 
All in all, it was a good day... With bait fish starting to move shallow, and the water continuing to warm... the bass should soon follow. This will be my last trip for February, my next trip will be sometime early March.

I need to mention that as much as I enjoy making these reports, it does take a lot of time to create... so if you enjoy them please leave a like so that I know. My schedule will getting more busy, and when the fishing season speeds up I may have to create smaller reports, or delay them due to lack of time.

WolfyBrandon
 

[Derekbass02]

Nice trip. I wish I could catch a perch that size. I went fishing again at the power plant in town. My brother said he saw a bass in the water but we didn't get any bites. Good luck next time you fish whenever it may be.