Thanks
Thanks to the area dealers stocking Luck E Strike, the GRDA for keeping the lake safe and for its water-ecology work, KGVE, Williams Guide Service, Owen Williams with Grand Glass Cleaning and Patricia with VIP on Monkey Island. Give them a call, and Jeff doesn't think you'll be sorry.
Transition starting
It's mostly the same old same old, but the water is cooling. As fish move shallower they'll feed more heavily and aggressively. Haydn with Williams Guide Service still sees a lot of fish deep on main-lake humps, but he's starting to catch a few in shallow brush around 10 feet. During this transition, Crappie often move off the minnow bite they've been stuck on through July, August and September and onto artificials.
Scrounger tip of the week
Jeff gets a lot of questions about the Scrounger. Bass anglers have used it for years, and Luck E Strike sells sizes from 1/16 oz up to 1 oz. It's the brand's number one seller to Tackle Warehouse, and the sales numbers made Jeff figure out why. On the Fish Lucke YouTube channel he catches Catfish, White Bass, Crappie and Bass on it at Grand Lake. For Crappie fishermen who like to cast and drag, a 1/16 or 1/8 oz Scrounger is unbelievably effective, and White Bass schooled on the bottom destroy it. Tip it with a Lucky Bug: the flat tail works better than a curl tail. Use the 2-inch Lucky Bug on the 1/16 oz Scrounger and the 2½-inch on the 1/8 oz. It's great for casting over brush, to the bank or into dark slips, though not so great for trolling. Crappie and White Bass haven't seen many, and Jeff may be one of the first to target them with Scroungers on Grand Lake. Day in and day out, his color is the Moonshine Lucky Bug (chartreuse and white). Find Scroungers at the Grove Walmart, or ask area dealers. "Toby Keith would be so proud of you for giving that a try."
Catfish
As the water slowly cools, more Blue Cats move deeper. Drift from 25 to 50 feet and pick up fish accordingly. Keep the boat under 0.75 mph, with about 0.5 mph on GPS the optimum, especially for big fish, which don't want to chase a fast bait across a deep bottom. Use a drift sock or control your drift with the trolling motor.
Paddlefish
Guides are tremendous at targeting Paddlefish year-round. Lots of fish are coming from the Bernice Bridge area, believe it or not, and from upriver toward Three Fingers and the mouth of the Elk River, historically one of the best places on the lake.
Bass
There were some big Bass tournaments, but as always nobody posts anything about them. Enjoy the lake this weekend. There won't be much traffic.