Steelhead Fishing in winter is never easy, not even during the good times. But when the mid-season doldrums set in around February, things can get downright tough. The big runs of hatchery steelhead that provided such good fishing in December and January have tapered off to a trickle in most rivers. And the large wild fish that will cause so much excitement at the end of the season haven’t yet arrived. On a coast-wide average, there simply aren’t nearly as many steelhead in our rivers and creeks during February as during the rest of the season.

The fish may be fewer and farther between, but not the fishermen. A steady stream of boat anglers casts to every inch of likely looking holding water, and the shores of popular rivers are crisscrossed by the muddy trails of bank anglers. The fish available in most streams get pounded hard on a daily basis. And it doesn’t help when prolonged cold weather results in cool, clear water and spooky, sluggish steelhead.

Those are just a few of the reasons why many steelhead anglers refer to February as the “mid-season break” in fishing, and others call it the “dog days of winter.”  February is a excellent time of the year for fisherman to take advantage of discounted guided trips.  The fishing is challenging, but still worth it!

Things I would use to catch Steelhead in the winter would be: Hardware (Plugs, large spoons or Spinners). Flies like Black Stones, Hex Nymphs, Bead heads, and Egg flies. Other methods, such as spawn, Drifting wax worms are also used.

Rainbow Trout can be caught on small stick baits, Tiny Spinners, Wax Worms, and Fly Fishing with Nymphs.

Make sure to check the hatch charts for the river you are fishing to understand more about the bugs under the surface of the water, this will give you a base to purchase or tie the right bug. Always remember winter fishing must be done slow and patiently.

I encourage you to experience a guided fishing trip for steel head on the Muskegon River in Newaygo, Michigan, which is less than an hour from Grand Rapids, Mi.  The Muskegon River boasts some of the absolute best Steelhead, Salmon, and Trout Fishing in the Great Lakes Region! With expansive gravel bars, slow deep holes, runs and over fourteen miles of spawning gravel, it’s no wonder the Mighty Muskegon is home to so many trout and game fish species. Be sure to take your favorate Fishing Reels, I prefer one of the following brands Penn Fishing Reels, Shimano Reels or Daiwa Reels.

Enjoy your day on the water.

Article provided by Mike Marsh: Marsh Ridge River Guide Service & Evolution Sport Fishing Charters www.MarshGuideService.com and Sherri Russell: Hess Lake Rentals www.Hesslakerentals.com.

by Brent Vanderstelt

Bend Oregon is better known for its Trout Fishing but it also supports a few lakes that have good populations of Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass. The bodies of water within a one hour drive from Bend that hold bass are Crane Prairie Reservoir, Wickiup Reservoir, Davis Lake, Prineville Reservoir, Haystack Reservoir and Lake Billy Chinook (Round Butte Reservoir).

Crane Prairie Reservoir is better known for its large Rainbow and Brook Trout. However it is full of stumps, standing and downed trees. It is a Largemouth Bass heaven. It is a relatively shallow body of water with reeds and lily pads as well as lots of wood cover. The deepest part near the dam is 16 to 20 feet deep depending on how much water is in the reservoir at any given time.

The reservoir sits in the Cascade Mountains southwest of Bend. It is surrounded by pine trees and supports a healthy wild life population. You can always count on seeing countless Ospreys, a few Bald Eagles and numerous water fowl. Osprey and Great Blue Herons both nest at Crane Prairie.

Crane Prairie is not a year round lake and it often freezes over in the winter. Since it is a trout lake the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife closes it to fishing at the end of October and opens it back up on the third Saturday in April. There are years where it is partially ice covered on opening day.

The belief is that Largemouth Bass no not bite until June or July,” when the water warms.” However, some of the best bass fishing on Crane is in May. The author has caught many bass over five pounds in late April and May. The place to fish is the shallow North side of the reservoir where the water temperatures can be in the low to mid fifties in 2 to 6 feet of water.

Early mornings in April and May are not the time to fish for bass. Early afternoon is the best time to start. The water in Crane is crystal clear this time of year and it is hard to get a bite if the sun is out and the wind is calm. The silt and mud bottom with plentiful amounts of wood cover soak up the heat on these cool spring days.

If it is calm and sunny you are better off to put your rod down, your trolling motor on high and start looking for fish. Often times they will be laying on top of fallen logs sunning.
There are also many root balls from blown over trees that will hold fish. You will not see any small fish this time of year. It will be strictly pre-spawn females.

Once you start seeing fish slow down and start looking more closely. You will find several fish in the same area and don’t want to spook them too much. Once you have found a few areas that hold fish be sure and mark them so you can come back when the wind picks up and puts a little chop on the water.

It is not necessary to mark every fish. Just keep track of the general area where you saw concentrations of fish. Go back to those areas and fish the lay down logs and the root balls. Black weedless jigs with a trailer or 6 inch black worms are the ticket this time of year. The author’s favorite jig trailer is a 5 inch black with blue flake twin tail grub.

Crane Prairie bass are big for Oregon standards. The largest bass caught by the author was 6.5 pounds. He has seen Largemouth caught and released in excess of 8 pounds in some local bass tournaments. These are not your normal run and gun bass tournaments however because there is a 10 mile an hour speed limit on Crane Prairie Reservoir.

In the early 1990s the average spring time bass was in the 3 to 5 pound range. Now the average is 2 to 4 pounds with a few 5 pounders thrown in. Crane Prairie Largemouth usually spawn around the full moon in late June. Spawn and post spawn is usually when the fish “start to bite” for the general public and anyone can catch several small males that bite aggressively.

After the spawn the large female bass drop back to deeper water around the channels and become harder to catch. Crank baits and spinner baits come into play at this time of year. The water also starts to take on some color and is not as clear. Aquatic weeds and moss also start to grow making it more difficult to fish jigs and worms.

Fall and late fall are difficult time to catch fish as the water is low from irrigation use and it starts to clear up again. Spring is definitely the best time to catch Large Mouth Bass on Crane Prairie Reservoir.

Jim Johnson
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/bass-fishing-in-crane-prairie-reservoir-bend-oregon-126178.html

Deerfield River Geography

The Deerfield River is located in Vermont and Massachusetts on the East Coast of the United States. The Deerfield River starts in Vermont, where it then flows through the state into Massachusetts, eventually joining with the Connecticut River. In all, the Deerfield River flows for 73 miles (649.7 total miles including streams of its complete watershed) from its head source in Vermont until it meets with the Connecticut. During this route, it drops about 2000 feet, starting at about 2800 feet above sea level all the way down to about 120 feet above sea level.

One of the most distinguishing facts of the Deerfield River is the many dams throughout the 73 mile length of the river. On average, there is a dam about every 7 miles on the river, making the Deerfield one of the most heavily used rivers (for electrical power purposes) in the nation. There are 10 dams in total on the Deerfield River, and they are all owned by three different utility companies. All the dams are primarily used for generating hydroelectric power that many of the towns and cities in the surrounding areas rely on for power. The natural river flow of the Deerfield has therefore been changed since the introduction of all of the dams. The dams help control foods in the basin regions and augment flow in the Deerfield River during low-flow periods. Many Deerfield River rafting outfitters and recreational facilities rely on a constant flow of water for their business survival. Even with all the dams and use of the river, 78% of the basin is still forested, and only about 3% is urbanized.

The watershed for the Deerfield river ranges from Stratton Mountain in Southern Vermont all the way to Greenfield in Massachusetts. In total, the drainage area for the Deerfield and its streams is about 655 square miles. There fore 49 lakes the come from the Deerfield watershed, and 649.7 river and stream miles in total from the river. The major tributaries of the Deerfield are the North, South East and West Branches in Vermont, the Cold, Checkley, Bear, South and Green Rivers in Massachusetts. The river is home to native and stocked trout and also Atlantic salmon.

Deerfield River History

The Deerfield River was named after the town Deerfield, MA in Franklin County. Originally, the area was inhabited by the Pocumtuck nation, with a village by the same name as the town. European colonists settled the town in 1673 and later named it Deerfield, incorporating the town in 1677. Disputes between the local natives, revolutionary war and other problems lasted through the next time period, eventually calming down and becoming a popular town for incoming immigrants.

The first dam was built on the river in 1910 when the New England Power Company formed to acquire the water rights to the Deerfield River. The largest dam on the whole river was built not too long after, in 1920. Since then, a total of 19 dams have been built on the river. The last dam was finished in the 1970’s. Since then, the dams have controlled the flow of the water through the whole river, making the river a very popular destination for tourists and wildlife enthusiasts.

Deerfield River Rafting and Recreation

The most popular activities on the Deerfield River are whitewater rafting, camping and hiking. Because of the steep descent of the river, there are plenty of short tributaries and sections of the river the offer excellent class IV – V whitewater rafting trips. Kayaking is also popular on the sections of the Deerfield River as well as the many side tributaries and large streams that stem from the river.

Fishing is also another recreational activity, with great trout and fly fishing opportunities. Atlantic salmon is also found in parts of the river.

Ryan Hutchings
http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/recreational-guide-the-deerfield-river-460541.html

Fishing crappie in NC can produce some real winners, especially in the spring, when large crappie are beginning to spawn and are readily available in shallow areas of the lakes. What are the best locations in North Carolina, and during what months of the year do each produce the best catch?

During the spring, there are few lakes, ponds, rivers, reservoirs, or any other body of fresh water where crappie are not in great supply. During the pre-spawn run in early spring and the spawning season throughout the rest of spring, you’ll find an incredible amount of action on any area lakes. Crappie fishing, however, is best in particular areas of the state.

Lake Wylie is a 13,000+ acre impoundment off Catawba River that is on the border between South and North Carolina. Fishing here can produce two-plus pound crappie even on a bad day. Year after year, avid anglers return to this spring crappie hot spot and catch their limits daily. However, even in the winter, Lake Wylie has begun to produce an excellent crop of fish. Year-round crappie fishing is a huge sport in the area; know that the best spots in the winter and early spring are the deep docks in the lower half of the lake around the mouths of the major creeks that break off the lake.

Another popular location for crappie fishing in NC is Buggs Island, which is officially called John H. Kerr Reservoir. Spread out over more than 50,000 acres, this impoundment contains an incredible crappie population and can be fished, as well as south of the border in some places. The crappie here are large and well fed, and you’ll always find a great catch regardless of the fact that there is no limit. There is a tremendous amount of cover along the banks that crappie prefer as a hiding and resting place. In NC, fishing is still excellent in the winter, when trolling should be used to achieve the best possible results. Beware of changing water levels, though – while the change strikes movement in crappie that stirs up activity, it also means inconsistency in the level at which you’ll find your best catch.

If you plan to participate, you’ll want to read up on the most appropriate techniques by season. In most lakes, if you choose to spend some time in winter, you’ll want to attempt trolling, as this is the only real way to catch the eye of the somewhat languid fish that are practically hibernating on the bottom of the lake.

Daniel Eggertsen
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/north-carolina-crappie-fishing-101459.html

A Short Video on how to Rig up for Steelhead Float Fishing.

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If you can use bait I would try roe. It is sold in the sporting good store in the freezer usually. Use a roe knot and 12 to 15 lb. leader.

Have fun!