Fishing along the St. Louis for this Fall Season

anybody got any fantastic secret spots that are worth sharing?

testing forum

-andy

St. Louis River, north of Jay Cooke is certainly dead.  Went there again this morning - lots of jumping catfish, flying geese & ducks...but not a fish biting.   Tried worms, chubs and leeches - nothing.

I did have one thought though - Chicken Livers.

hmmm... chicken livers, cane polls and a lawn chair. Sounds like the fixin's fer a real good time! Seriously though, after a short bit a looking about on the internet, I have formulated two theories. One is that it might be getting too cold and any bullheads present wouldn't be moving around much; and the other is that, given bullheads are bottom feeders, any bait not directly on the bottom will not attract fish. A bobber may have kept the bait up too high. Looks like the rig of choice is still a plain baited hook and a sliding sinker sitting on the river bottom. I also wonder what the low barometer this week will do to fishing. On a side note, I'm beginning to look into fly fishing the tributaries up the shore from Duluth. From what I've read, now is the season for steelheads.

I got the chicken liver idea from walking over that steel bridge over the creek - there were empty chicken liver tubs under it. 

Water's heat capacity is 75.327 Joule/mols K, compared to something like aluminum with a heat capacity of 24.2 Joule/mols K.  It is not a direct comparison (water is transparent and light-energy can penetrate deeper into it), but you get the idea and I think you get what I am aiming at...   In the middle of the channel, the depth is at least 15 feet, probably more in places where the current has carved out gouges - it will take a bit of time for that depth to cool off more.  However, there is the moving water to help that out.

Bullheads like bottom feeding, but they also like water movement and a craggy substrate to reside on.  If we do feel game, we may want to study up on catfish fishing.  I understand that they tend to feed at night.  I will send you something I just got (I cannot post it - it is copyrighted material).

 

I was also wondering -- were the fish I was watching jump on Saturday bullheads or blue catfish?  Not sure.

I'm wondering about what they were feeding on if they were jumping so much. Baitfish maybe? Perhaps small chubs that were themselves rising to take advantage of a particular insect hatch? And, one could postulate, that, although cats are opportunistic feeders, it may have been more likely that blues were feeding closer to the surface given that bullheads and largely only bottom feeders.

The best way to find out is to probably catch one and see what it is!

I am guessing blues.  Bullheads are really bottom dwellers as you pointed out.

Given the size of the cats jumping last Saturday morning, they had be feeding one something substantial - schools of something.  Definitely not insects - it was too cold for insects to be very active.

 

Previously Andy Baldwin wrote:

I'm wondering about what they were feeding on if they were jumping so much. Baitfish maybe? Perhaps small chubs that were themselves rising to take advantage of a particular insect hatch? And, one could postulate, that, although cats are opportunistic feeders, it may have been more likely that blues were feeding closer to the surface given that bullheads and largely only bottom feeders.

The best way to find out is to probably catch one and see what it is!

 

One more attempt on the St.Louis and more conclusions drawn. No cats, or very much activity of anything. Though there were a few fish splashing when we first showed up. After trying new baits and presentations as recomended by catfishing literature, I think I have a new conclusion-- the fish are not in the area--or more specifically, not feeding in the area. It may be that simple. If there were fish there, they would have had every opportunity to sample half a dozen bait presentations. Perhaps we were trying too early in the evening, or we're just fishing in the wrong place all together. I suppose that now I'd try a new place next, but keep fishing with the same setup. On a different note, I think your right about that spot on the river. It really is a little gem of solitude and peace. Thinking back over this summer, of all the lakes and woods and wild places I've been, I like it there best. Its a nice spot to end the year in.

I will be making a full posting in a bit; but just as a sampler  - Melissa and I went to "the spot" twice this weekend.  First was at sunrise on Saturday.  She caught a perch.  However, we talked with a guy who walked down the trail with a couple of rods, a pack of smokes and a sack of bait.  What did he say?  You will have to tune into the full posting later.