November fishing article

Check out my article in last weeks Gunnison Times!!

For many of us, the hunting season has come to a close or is almost done for the year. The hiking and biking trails are starting to turn white and our train of thought has turned to winter. It’s time to sharpen the skates, wax the skies and ready our fishing gear for the hard water. Or is it? Before we peel the braided line off our reels and traded the long rods in for short ones, maybe the lake is worth one more look.
Many anglers have already hung their hats up for open water season of 2010, but might be missing out on some of the best action of the year. In late fall, the water has cleared up after the large bodies of water have finished turning over and the fish are becoming active. Why? Well as many anglers know, the spring fishing right after ice out is perhaps some of the best fishing all year. This is due the large amount of oxygen in the shallower parts of big bodies of water which attracts fish.
It is not uncommon to hear spring fisherman talk about the lake heating up and the fish slowing down. This is because as the water heats up, it loses oxygen content and the fish move deeper to find water that is more oxygen rich not just to breath easier, but because their pray is following the same oxygen levels also. So what does this have to do with fall fishing? The fall turnover has the exact opposite effect of the spring turnover. The lake turns over because of changes in the water temperature. As the water cools in the fall, it pushes downward and forces the warmer water on the bottom to rise, bringing the contents up with it. This is where the mossy green water comes from and the fishy smell that is associated with it.
This mixing action of the water “folds” in large amounts of oxygen and allows the fish to again rise from the depths and come into striking distance of the angler. When the water clears enough for fish to regain good visibility is when fall fishing heats up. The brown trout are able to prowl the rocky shorelines looking for food and the rainbow trout can move onto the sandbars where food is more abundant.
To co-inside with the fall turnover is the lake trout’s annual spawn. The mackinaw move into shallower water to lay and fertilize their eggs. Until lake trout spawn, they are relatively inactive and feeding is held to a minimum. However, unlike the kokanee salmon, lake trout do not die after the spawn and start feeding heavily. Much like a bear puts on weight before winter, so does a lake trout. The last couple weeks before the lake freezes and into the first part of ice fishing, fish are very actively trying to increase their body weight to help with the oncoming winter. It is often overlooked that fish are cold blooded animals which means they stay relatively the same temperature as the water they live in. Slight water temperature changes have big effects on fish and their movements. As the water gets colder throughout the winter, their feeding slows along with their body temperature. The water becomes more dense and absorbing the oxygen from it becomes more cumbersome. Thus a fish’s movement continually slow until right before the thaw when the water moving in from the rivers and streams start to warm.
Fishing during the few weeks prior to ice on puts an angler in position to catch fish during some of their most active feeding times all year long. While each body of water will have slight timing differences due to things like altitude, depth and size, the trend will remain the same for each lake based on one thing, water temperature. Before changing to ice fishing gear, think about another trip to the big Blue or Taylor Reservoir. You might catch that fish you’ve been looking for all season.
On a side note, if you plan to fish from a boat, remember that the boat ramp hours have shortend for the off season. Before pulling your boat out of storage, make a quick call to make sure you will be able to get on and off the water with your schedule. Also, make sure to drain all the water from your boat with freezing temperatures everynight! Good luck and remember keeping your tips up doesn’t just apply to skiers.