but they’re often marked by tough bites.
Planning a trip around the weather
It won’t take you long to notice how weather patterns affect your kind of fishing. Several years ago, I caught some of my biggest blue catfish from the Ohio River while fishing on hot, cloudless days — exactly when I would not have expected a bite! But when I noticed this pattern, I fished more of those dog days. As a rule, though, cloudy, overcast days make for better fishing than sunny, bright days. Some anglers are uncomfortable fishing in the rain, but a steady rain can trigger ferocious feeding.
If you’re planning a trip a week or two in advance, how can you predict the weather? You can’t. Just go and make the most of it. You might find, though, that shifting a day trip by a couple of hours in either direction could make a big difference on that day.
Reacting to changing weather while fishing
The old saw about “If you don’t like the weather in __________, wait five minutes and it will change!” seems to be told in every state in the Union. You know the weather will change, and sooner or later, a fishing trip will be affected by a sudden development overhead. Will this turn the fish on or off? It’s impossible to say, but you need to be prepared. Your safety should come first. Some anglers have found that an approaching storm triggers the best bite of the day, but you'll find it inconvenient to be struck by lightning just because you’re unwilling to leave a hot bite. Be prepared for weather changes because although you can’t predict what it will do to the fishing, you know it will affect you. (For advice on how to prepare a foul-weather bag, turn to Chapter 2.)
Chapter 4
Putting a Face on the Fins: Common Freshwater Fish
IN THIS CHAPTER
Wherever you are, chances are you’re close to some fishable water: mountain streams, Great Lakes, little lakes, farm ponds, deep reservoirs, or mighty rivers. Freshwater fishing is so popular in large part because of this incredible wealth of habitat, which is home to some pretty amazing fish.
You probably have — or will soon acquire — a favorite species of freshwater fish. And you might already have a favorite place to pursue that fish. Although traveling long distances to fish is one of the greatest joys and challenges in angling, most people usually fish in water close to home. Either way, getting to know various species of fish (and their habitats) is the first step toward discovering your favorite quarry, or your next piscatorial challenge. Anglers find themselves drawn to particular fish for various reasons — they like the way a smallmouth bass leaps when hooked; they love the quiet streams where brook trout live; they enjoy catching perch because they taste great; or they simply like the action of casting large plugs for northern pike. The more fish you know, the more fish you begin to understand and appreciate, the longer your list of options for fishing on any given day.
Sunfish
Odds are, more people's “first fish” are caught from the sunfish family than from any other group of freshwater fish. Consisting of 30 species, the sunfish family includes the widespread and feisty bluegill, the sporty crappie, and the highly prized largemouth and smallmouth bass. These are the most popular species from this family, and they appear throughout North America. They likely wait near your house to offer you great sport and table fare.
Bluegills: America’s spunky little sweetheart
Sometimes known as bream in southern locales, bluegills range in color from dark green to yellow to almost white. (The habitat they reside in can influence their color — in clear water, such as that found in a quarry, they tend to be lighter, for example.) These hand-sized fish love ponds and lakes, and appear in running water, as well. They eat a variety of insects and crustaceans, and bite willingly on a variety of baits. Bluegills rarely exceed 15 inches in length, and they are often much smaller. They seek quiet, weedy water where they can feed and hide. They like shade during the hottest parts of the day and usually remain near some kind of cover (like docks) because they are common prey for fish such as largemouth bass. Bluegills adapt well to a variety of habitats, and are often stocked in retention ponds and community lakes. Bluegills fit easily in the hand, but take care with the dorsal fin, which consists of spines that can deliver a painful stab. Bluegills fight fiercely with every ounce when hooked, similar to a lightweight boxer bouncing around the ring. You can see a bluegill in the color section.
Crappies: A little bigger, and a bit sportier
Crappies fight well on light tackle and can taste great. They tend to school, so catching one is a good sign of things to come. Crappies might grow to nearly 20 inches and 5 pounds, but that would truly be a monster specimen. There are white crappies and black crappies, and although both are common, the white crappie is more widespread. Both species are popular with anglers all over North America because they bite eagerly on all kinds of bait and small lures (see Chapters 11 and 12 for more on bait and lures). Minnows work well for crappies because adults usually feed on small fish, although they won’t pass up insects and crustaceans. Crappies do well in a variety of waters and prefer the silted, slow-moving water found in ponds and reservoirs throughout the country.
If you catch a crappie, you can quickly tell which kind you have by looking at its dorsal fin. Check out Figure 4-1 and consider the following:
Black crappies have seven or eight dorsal spines. They prefer cooler, clearer water. As the name suggests, they’re a little darker, and the speckles on their sides are spread throughout, not in noticeable bars.
White crappies have a maximum of six dorsal spines. White crappies also are more barred on their sides.
© John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
FIGURE 4-1: Notice the subtle differences between the black (a) and white (b) crappies.
Largemouth bass: The most important gamefish in America
Largemouth bass appear all over the country, and are pursued with feverish intensity. Bass tournaments are high-dollar affairs, with professional anglers chasing down fish from gleaming boats bristling with arsenals of gear. Many lakes, rivers, streams, and brackish coastal waters have
