FALL FAVORITES ON THE GREAT LAKES - PART 1

Author's note: I have written about drift fishing in previous blogs, because this is one of my favorite ways to work the Great Lakes in the fall season. This blog details a variation of drift fishing rigs that has worked well for me. Watch for part two of this blog tomorrow.

By: Ray Hansen

Surprises. In a word, that is what makes fall fishing on the Great Lakes so much fun. You may wish for walleyes, plan for pike, or want some white bass, but you never know for sure what you might catch. In this article I’ll pass along some strategies and locations that can produce just about anything that swims in these waters. Try them and you’ll get some new stories this autumn.

START WITH CURRENT INFORMATION
I’m going to recommend a few tactics that require live bait in this article, and the place you stop to get this bait is also a good place to ask about places to use it at the current time. Local baitshops have given me plenty of great tips over the years.

USE A WIND-POWERED DRIFT
One of the most productive ways I’ve found for covering water in search of active fish is to drift with the wind along some structure that extends in the direction (or close to the direction) you will naturally drift in.

On the Great Lakes, the land points with deep weed edges nearby, long drop-offs running parallel to shore, and the flats up on the shallow sides of these drop-offs are proven spots for this approach.

SET UP A PROVEN DRIFT RIG
I like to rig a seven-foot spinning rod with eight pound test monofilament, pass my line through a one-quarter ounce egg sinker, and tie on a barrel swivel as a stopper. To the remaining free end of the swivel, I tie a four-foot leader of six-pound test monofilament. On this leader, I slide two bright orange plastic beads up the line, before tying on a size two, four, or six chartreuse colored hook. This is the basic drift rig. Use smaller hooks for panfish, and larger hooks for gamefish. Rig up for what you want to catch.

HAVE A BAIT SELECTION READY
It’s tough to beat a lively two to three inch minnow for all-around fall success, but you cannot ignore the potential “crawler bite” at this time of year. I like one third to one-half a medium sized crawler threaded on the hook. You will find the water is never too cold for this common bait to work its magic.

Stay tuned for part two of this blog tomorrow!

Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008