WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2024   |   SUBSCRIBE    ARCHIVES   
Red tide, in part stimulated by runoff from recent hurricanes, is now plaguing Florida's west coast again, with fish kills reported from numerous locations.
The inter-institutional study is funded by $1.75 million that was awarded to BTT by the State of Florida through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to research the scale and scope of the ongoing mortality and disease event in Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay, and the Florida Keys.
Sailfin Catfish, established by pet owner releases in many Florida waters, turn some shorelines into cottage cheese with their "condo's".
Adult Channel Catfish will be stocked across the state during the first two2 weeks of November as part of the Get Out & Fish! Program.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reminds boaters to be on the lookout for manatees as they start their seasonal travels to warmer water sites around the state.
For boats kept at the dock, an annual haulout is money well-spent, avoiding serious problems before they get started.
With a simple tug of the CO2 activation handle, the device instantly inflates into a US Coast Guard-approved Type V PFD.
Coastal Conservation Association’s REEF Louisiana Program, in partnership with Chevron, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Danos, and Reefmaker-Walter Marine, completed construction on the South Timbalier Block 63 Reef this week.
Halloween may be over but the real “treat” is for outdoor adventurers as Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel announce free preview events with two leading providers, Hulu Live and DIRECTV/DIRECTV Stream.
NOAA Fisheries is hosting a recreational fisheries constituent roundtable on November 14th from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. The event will take place at the Hilton Providence in Providence, RI.
The team at THAW has developed the perfect solution with their new 10K Hand Warmer, a three-in-one device that functions as a hand warmer, power bank, and light.
DAIWA is the clearcut leader in producing saltwater gear for the newest, most sophisticated techniques, like jigging with lighter equipment. And the SALTIGA Star Drag 15 serves as a shining example.
Yamaha Marine Precision Propellers, a division of Yamaha Marine Systems Co., Inc. (YPPI), announces the promotion of Batuhan Ak to General Manager, Site Lead, and David Harner to General Manager, Operations Lead, at its newly-expanded facility in Greenfield, Ind.
How to find 'em, how to fool 'em--and how to stay warm with Whitewater Gear right up until "hard water" time.
Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) today revealed another record-breaking performance at the 2024 Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS), with continued outboard engine market share growth and record unit sales for several of its premium brands.
GSM continues its rapid expansion with another acquisition, this time of well-known multispecies brand Northland, known for producing premium-quality jigs, live bait rigs, spinnerbaits and spoons.
Smart Drift™, a game-changing new function that eliminates the guesswork when drift fishing, is a key highlight of LightHouse 4.7, the latest update to Raymarine’s acclaimed LightHouse operating system for Axiom MFDs.
Striker Brands has introduced the new Tournament Pant and Barricade Hoody, designed to provide anglers with unmatched comfort and protection during long days on the water, no matter the conditions.
When fishing turns tough in October and November, the legendary Ned Kehde downsizes his offerings, shifting from classic finesse baits to the next scale of micro.
With a variety of rigging options and the flexibility to fish it at any depth, the Berkley PowerBait Unrigged CullShad leads the way for big bait enthusiasts.
Every Tuesday night beginning at 6 p.m. ET, tune in for “Fresh Water Tuesdays” featuring fishing adventures from coast to coast.
This project consists of deploying 870 oyster reef balls and 60 tons of fossilized and recycled oyster shell along the northeastern shoreline of Fantasy Island.
While this year's improved return of approximately 170,000 A-/B-Index summer steelhead passing Bonneville Dam (about 40 percent higher than forecasted preseason) is still below historic averages, it is an improvement over the very low returns since 2016.
The discovery is the first known occurrence of golden mussels in North America. The species poses a significant immediate threat to the ecological health of the Delta and all waters of the state, water conveyance systems, infrastructure and water quality.
Researchers are particularly focused on cold-water patches that provide refuges for migratory fish as they move up and down the river. Climate change could result in fewer, warmer cold-water refuges.
The EGO S2 Slider net is built around a “universal system” that features an extendable net handle for reaching boat-shy trophies—and offers a twist-on & -off system that allows interchanging net frames and net sizes/materials to match exactly what you’re fishing and where.
Using the Bird Mode function, available in select radar scanners, captains can identify sea birds in-flight at greater distances – often several miles away -- and use that information to locate the hottest fishing activity.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has confirmed the presence of zebra mussels in Long Lake, near Little Sauk Township in Todd County. Boaters are reminded to "Clean, Drain and Dry".
A toothy big game flyrodding target that can swim over 50 mph, leap higher than a tarpon and grow to over 200 pounds!
The CSH10 is an 83.5 kHz high-frequency sonar with a sharp beam width, perfect for detecting schools of fish or individual pelagics near the surface and improving long-range detection.
The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) is proud to announce that the second annual El Gouna IGFA Red Sea Championship will take place in El Gouna, Egypt, from February 12-15, 2025.
The new Veritas line of rods feature a wide variety of lengths and actions that are applicable for today’s most prevalent techniques; Veritas now features Winch crankbait and moving bait models, BFS, hover/mid-strolling, as well as predator and swimbait models.
Alabama Power Company recently teamed up with the Alabama DCNR to take end-of-life concrete poles and tower segments to build a new reef in the (Conservation Commissioner) Christopher M. Blankenship Reef Zone that covers 65 miles of Gulf of Mexico bottom between 10 and 20 miles off the Alabama coast.
Heavy tackle, lots of muscle and dependable lines and leaders from Seaguar put tasty tuna in the boat.
 

Most of us can’t call our shots when we head for a bass lake. Sometimes you’re in the right spot at the right time, others you can’t buy a bite.

That’s not the case on bass lakes across the Southeast right now, as the fall threadfin shad bite is at a peak. Threads, a smaller cousin of gizzard shad, are bass candy, and right now there are countless millions of them making shad ripples at the surface across hundreds of lakes. Drop a lure through any of these ripples—especially in the last 90 minutes of daylight—and you’re almost sure to get bit.

If it’s not a largemouth, it will be a spotted bass, or a white bass, or a crappie, or a hybrid. Almost everything that eats fish comes to these bait schools at this time of year. Even blue cats occasionally get in on the action.

Threads are only about 1 to 2 inches long at the beginning of October, and maybe a little over 2 inches by the end of November. You’d think they would be too small to interest a sizeable largemouth, but especially this month, the bigger fish will show up to stuff themselves, just as the 12-inchers have been earlier in the season.

The threads come to the surface to eat zooplankton and make an easily seen “shad ripple” when they do. The action is most intense when the surface is warmest, the last 90 minutes or so before sunset. In fertile lakes like those in the Tennessee River chain, they sometimes cover many acres on the feeder bays.

Fish attacking the bait first show themselves with swirls and bow waves, but as the attack goes on you’ll see fish doing flips and high jumps. Get in range of one of these attacks and put a shad imitation in front of them and you’re almost sure to get hooked up. Diving gulls can be a key, so keep your eyes peeled.

Lipless crankbaits like the Redeye Shad are among the many lures that work well when bass are feeding on threadfins. (Frank Sargeant)

Lures that work well include small Rat-L-Traps, Cordell Spots and Redeye Shads, the Heddon Tiny Torpedo, Mini-Spook, Rapala Skitter V and all sorts of spoons about the size of the bait or a little larger. 

The spoons work better than anything I’ve found—light-weight spoons 2” long of thin stainless steel with a single size 2 treble is all it takes. Some from Al’s Goldfish series also do a good job. Let this flutter down through the bait school and watch the line. When it jumps, set the hook and you’re on. 

Vibrating lures about 2 to 3” long are one of the better offerings for bass feeding on shad. Work them in a zig-zag, pull and drop motion. (Frank Sargeant)

It’s best to use spinning tackle with braided line, with a rod’s length of mono or fluorocarbon leader to “stiffen” the line so the hooks don’t tangle. The braid floats so you can see the bite, and also allows a more solid hook set than filament lines.

On those occasions when the first drop doesn’t get hit, raising the spoon or lipless crankbait about 5 feet off bottom and then letting it flutter back usually does the job. Lather, rinse and repeat, all the way back to the boat.

While most of the bass that hit on top will be fish of 12” to 14”, those you catch near bottom are more likely to be 2 to 3 pounders and occasionally a 4 or 5.

In between you’re likely to catch an assortment of crappies, hybrids and white bass to keep things interesting.

There are usually crappies, hybrids and white bass mixed in with the largemouths attacking shad. A small spoon works as well as anything to fool these fish. (Frank Sargeant)

It’s a bit of a movable feast, and the shad might be in one spot this evening and a quarter mile down the lake tomorrow night, but find them and be there at the right time with the right lures and it’s game on. The bite continues until the first serious cold fronts, when water temperature drops down near 50 at the surface, driving the bait and the bite deep for the winter.

— Frank Sargeant
Frankmako1@gmail.com

 
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