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Don't hang up the fishing rod yet  Share
A lot of anglers out there are thinking of the hunting season in October. Deer just opened, waterfowling in the north zone opens on Saturday, Oct. 17, and upland game will follow in a few more weeks. Many outdoorsmen and women have been in the fields for dove, some in the woods for squirrel, and more recently for deer. But for avid anglers, great fishing is here and it's definitely not time to put the boat away or to hang up your fishing rod for the season. Many boaters begin to make arrangements for winterizing their boats right after their last day on the water during the Labor Day holiday weekend in early September. Serious anglers are finally seeing some relief from hot summer days and heavy boat traffic here on local rivers and lakes. Now they will enjoy going after their favorite specie of fish at times when they can have the water to themselves. Think about it. It's a lot cooler out now and there are fewer pesky bugs. Sure, the days are shorter, but we can still have a full day on the water. And the best part of all, the traffic and wakes from pleasure boaters and personal watercrafts is way down. What a great time of year this really is!
Fall is a great time of year to return to the favorite crappie hole. With cooler nights and shorter days, the crappie action will increase and larger fish will be caught. During the summer you may have found a crappie spot with smaller fish. But now bigger ones will school up and you'll spend less time searching for them. The Calumet River and Lake Calumet are great spots to search out crappie hiding spots. They're plentiful and you will be surprised that your catch will be of bigger fish than those you would ever expect to see out there. My favorite bait for fall crappies is black or white Cubby Mini Mite. Most often, there is no need to tip it with a minnow, but if the bite is really slow, putting one on won't hurt. I'll fish it below a slip bobber and seek out places where crappies can relate to structure such as piers, pilings, downfalls, etc. Vertical structure is the name of the game. Find it and you'll find fish. Another fish that will be getting more active as the water cools down is the muskie. Muskie hunters all over the state look for cooler temperatures and rainy days to get some of these elusive ''fish of a thousand casts.'' Look for water temperatures in the upper 50s. Lakes like Shelbyville and Evergreen are just a couple that have produced a number of good-sized muskies. But let's not forget the Fox Chain of Lakes. Many muskie hunters are happy when they have a follow or by chance having one swirl on their bait. It is this time of year that follow or swirl might just turn into a boated fish. As the water gets colder and colder, muskie anglers will move from artificial baits to live bait. They'll drift over the edges of weed beds that have a nice drop-off near by. I have to tell you, muskie fishing at this time of year is fantastic. Muskie action can continue through November and even into December. River anglers will find stripers and saugers getting more active, too. On the Illinois River, tournament anglers are trolling crankbaits like Rapalas, about 30 to 45 feet behind the boat. This will pick up some nice sauger and walleye. It will work on the Mississippi, other rivers and lakes that hold good populations of walleye. Again, let me mention the Fox Chain. On the rivers, a striper may jump on your trolled baits once in a while, but for them, try tossing a blade bait or an in-line spinner towards shore if you are a boater. From the banks, fan cast in all directions. Live bait to the tune of jigs with a minnow can't be beat for the stripers, and don't be surprised if a sauger finds its way to your boat, too. Three-way rigs are also good. Labor Day was the first sign of fall. But it seemed like the fall colors in the trees just started around here and the season has just arrived. For me, it is all a signal that a lot of great fishing is yet to come. Don't put the boat away yet. There's a lot of fishing to do before the ice comes, and it's a great way to pass the time while waiting for the November upland game season to arrive. With the rivers, the lakes, and even the local ponds cooling down, fall fishing is getting better every day. There is no need to travel far either because ... great fishing is not that far away. Thanks for reading my articles every week. If you want to share some comments, reports or photos, please send them to iloutdoors@comcast.net or send them via U.S. mail to Illinois Outdoors, PO Box 713, New Lenox, Ill. 60451. Don't forget to visit my Web sites, www.IllinoisOutdoors.com and www.FishingLineRadio.com. Russell Publications prints several community newspapers each week, serving Will, Kankakee and Cook counties.
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