Posted By Terry Curtis in
Northumberland Today, the Novemeber 9th, 2007 issue.
Terry Curtis can be reached at
tcurtis@sympatico.ca .
The article can be viewed @
http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=770198&auth=Terry+CurtisThe news paper can be found @
http://www.northumberlandtoday.comTime to fish from the shorePosted By Terry Curtis
Well... I asked for it and I got it! Maybe even a little more than I bargained for.
I've been hoping for some colder weather to get the fish biting better, but I didn't mean I wanted it to snow. I just wanted the temperature to dip down around the freezing mark for a few days, a walleye chop on the water, and no rain until the end of the season. Instead, I've gotten snow, sleet, rain and high winds nearly every day the past week or so. Tough fishing conditions for late-season anglers for sure, and some days I haven't been able to get on the water at all.
But, all is not lost!
Instead of fishing from a boat, now's the time for a little late-afternoon or nighttime fishing from shore.
Walleye, especially, move into easy casting distance from shore at this time of year and there are lots of them being caught in the Kawartha Lakes.
The key to catching them seems to be planning your outing when there's a northwest wind blowing if you're fishing from the south shore, or a southwest breeze if you choose the north side of the lake.
Most of the Kawartha Lakes have a few public access boat launches or docks and Rice Lake is no exception, with those at Bewdley, Harwood, Gore's Landing and Sander****'s being the best-known. There are also a couple on the north side of the lake marked on maps and, although not as popular as the ones on the south side, they offer less crowded fishing and can be real hot spots, especially later at night. Don't overlook them; you'll often have those two spots all to yourself.
The hot bite right now?
Black or chartreuse and orange bucktails are tough to beat, as are live minnows. Not that they're at the top of my list this week, though.
There are a couple of hot baits whacking walleye left and right and they've been a closely guarded secret by a few local guys for a while now. Count me as one of them!
Many readers will recall me mentioning I like to throw clown colour Floating Rapalas in the fall when I'm fishing from shore in the Bay of Quinte.
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Well, guess what? They're hotter than a firecracker on Rice Lake at this time of year, too. Maybe I, er, ah, forgot to mention that little fact in previous years, but a guy's got to have some secret baits! What can I say?
For those who don't know, clown pattern is chartreuse with an orangey-red splash on the nose of the bait, very close in colour to the jig I mentioned earlier.
The other hot bait right now?
This one is a killer and I debated whether I should spill the beans yet, but here goes. A number twelve Rapala X-RAP in a colour called Hot Steel.
Not many anglers are onto these baits yet and the ones who are sure aren't 'fessing up, but these lures are something you want to invest in soon. And, surprise, surprise, the best colour is also chartreuse and bright orange.
Coincidence? I think not!
Something about those two colours together are driving walleye nuts and my suspicion is it's because they so closely match the colours of the perch the walleye are eating. Think about it. Green backs and sides, bright orange fins at this time of year .... it all fits together.
Dress warmly, pick a location according to the wind direction and get throwing those Rapalas. The clock is ticking down towards the end of the season.
Don't stay home cursing the wind, sleet and snow. Take a Clown fishing!
