Northwoods Bass Fishing Report – Late August / Early September 2022

Summer 2022 has come and gone. It never really got too hot, air and water temp wise. Not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing for autumn’s impending arrival and upcoming transition. Didn’t get to fish as much as I would have liked to this summer, but that’s why we prioritize fall hero fishing.

This fishing report is dedicated to my wife Amanda. She is Mrs. Northwoods Bass, and the enabler and permission-slip signer of the operation that requires my time away from her and home. We’ve spent lots of time on the water recently. The secret to any long-lasting relationship and marriage is taking your spouse or significant other fishing. Let her choose the lakes, each day’s intended species, and allow her to catch everything. This has always been our typical vacation week.

Keep reading and you’ll see we caught (she caught) lots.

Summer is closing, and fishing will improve slowly. Summer patterns for both smallmouths and largemouths are still persisting. As of late, we’ve had some very good days on the water, and some poorer days on the water. This has all been a product of each day’s weather, yet also relative to lake choices, preference of species, and fishing style. Unless sunny with some wind chop and heat, smallmouth have been belligerent and uncooperative for the most part, while largemouth bass have been more reliable in the sloppier conditions. You just got to take what the fish and lakes will give you each day, and do not settle for anything.

Most recently, we’ve gone about taking what the lakes give us. Bass outings turned into walleye trips, or pike bonanzas. It’s very fun fishing for surprises when the day’s intended plans don’t work out the way you want them to.

Amanda got to experience the northwoods grand slam, catching each of the major species.

So this here is the pattern right now –

On warm, sunny days, fish early and late. We definitely missed out on these bites last week due to cabin and boat chores instead, and nights out. Presently there is an obvious morning bite that has lasted from sunrise thru late morning. Midday thru afternoon hours has been near worthless unless air temps remain cooler midday and the sloppy weather or moon triggers activity. Midday fishing does improve when there’s been weather changes though. Then the fishing picks back up again during evening to sunset hour.

We are past summer peak, and many of our bass now live offshore. Most fish will be living offshore now thru fall turnover, but will revisit near-shore areas if the food is present.

We’re finding fish in a lot of lake locations. If the first hour on one lake is a struggle, jump to the next nearest. No point in being stubborn to force feed for bites. Each day we’ve been committed to 1-2 lakes per day until we meet a satisfactory bite. My daily strategy has been committing to 1 lake only from sunrise to late morning. When bite slows, try another. By 1-2pm shut-off time, retire for the day. And if seeking additional time, select 1 more lake and commit to it for the evening thru sunset.

I’m finding the best fishing taking place on the larger, deeper, cooler and clearest lakes. On these waters, the better smallmouth fishing is happening. Many lakes now have thermoclines averaging between 22-25ft, while in some down to 16-18ft. If your electronics isn’t displaying a distinct visible color line, trust me it’s down there though not obvious like it normally would be in most years. In my opinion, there is no need to fish that deep quite yet unless fish are roaming and suspended in pursuit of ciscoes and other baitfish. Most bites are happening in the magical 8 to 15ft zone right now, and on some lakes much shallower, wherever the best rock and wood is located. There is also no need to fish depths greater beyond the thermocline either. Most fish contacted are relating to structure and contour; as shallow as 5ft during lowlight conditions, to as deep as 20 midday. On some lakes, fish have been feeding heavy on crayfish, while in other lakes they’re favoring cisco and yellow perch where these baitfish dominate the biomass.

Fish have taken up residence along deep rocks and wood 10-15ft depths. Mid-lake rock bars and humps (topping off at 5-10ft with rock and boulder) have been money spots, and we have been finding fish loaded on a few of these locations on some lakes. So too are ledges that go drop down from the shallows towards the lake’s deepest basins. On hot days when nothing is going, check out the basins and sand grass beds if your lake has them. They hold baitfish, preyfish, and gamefish of all species. In the low-light morning and evening hours, a push of feeding fish are being found atop shallow rocks and shoals.

Most bass, daily, have been located in wolf packs, and if one is caught, the potential for several others nearby is often a strong possibility.

For timely, real-time, up to date and almost daily fishing reports, PLEASE LIKE AND FOLLOW me on Facebook at NORTHWOODS BASS FISHING ADVENTURES. You will get the daily scoop delivered there!

Bass Bling

Hope you’re all carrying a diverse tackle box, because a lot of baits and presentations are working for both species. On some waters, you might run into very picky fish and bites. Just ask my wife about that, as one day last week she caught 5 fish on the day with her tube, to my 35 on an assorted Z-Man neds and Ticklerz.

Buy packs of this one, below.

Also, stock up on 4″ and 5″ Z-Man Scented Jerk Shadz in smelt. Moping is still ongoing, and I will be running the program through the end of October.

Smallmouth Bling – Right now, prioritize crayfish. Leech bites are still in play on warm, calm days, but not as favored like crayfish. Most smallmouth lakes have one or the other currently going.

I have not observed much crayfish activity in the shallows, and this is likely a result of the weather and cooling temps. They should be molting. On my decks, you almost always see a heavy dosage of craw imitating plastics and crankbaits. All are working depending on your lake selection and venue. Bizz Baits Baby Bizz Bugs worked as jig trailers or by their own are on fire. These little cuties are my preferred football jig trailer of choice, along with the Killer Craw.

Keep it stupid simple. Rig your tubes and craws on ned heads, swinging head jigs, tokyo rigs, or with a simple tube insert. For the leech bites, a wacky rigged drop shot has been unbeatable. And when everything fails, an AR ned won’t.

On some waters too, ciscoes smelt and perch are preferred forage, and you see a few swimmers below.

AND

With fall patterns quickly coming on, football season is on deck. Now’s about the time I start to religiously cast and jig a variety of football jigs. My picks are Freedom Tackle’s FT Series football jigs (1/2 oz. for shallows), (3/4 oz. for depth) and their swinging football jigs. Others are 3G Smallmouth Solutions hand-tied by Gregg Kizewski, and Motion Fishing football jigs.

Oh yah, do not fish without a few bags of assorted Z-Man finesse baits.

Buy Victory Spinning Rods – https://stcroixrods.com/products/victory-spinning-rods

Buy Legend Tournament Spinning Rods – https://stcroixrods.com/products/legend-tournament-bass-spinning-new-for-2022

I love September fishing and the aforementioned lure choices THAT WORK!……

Largemouth Bling – I might have a few more largemouth outings in me (if situational or the day calls for them), but trip-wise we are done with them for this year.

Patterns haven’t been very distinguishable lately. Catching a few here and there on swim jigs, a few more on creatures, then the reliable jig/wacky rig produces, and so too have been paddletails. Try everything on every lake until confidence and identified patterns settle in. I wish I had more to share and showcase, but there just hasn’t been any fine-printed winners for my boat.

What’s Happening Now

• Fall transition and pre-turnover is nearing (1-2 weeks out).
• Water temperatures are warm for this time of season, 75 to 77 depending on lake type.
• Lots of smallmouths in shallower structure early and late in the day.
• Largemouths continue to be most active in bloom waters with reduced visibility.
• Weed growth remains good, but some slight dying is evident.
• Smallmouths feasting on smelt and ciscoes. Shallower fish focused on crayfish.
• Be flexible to fish plan-B options if the day’s intended species or strategies fail.
• Where are the yellow perch schools at?

In September, here’s how we go about targeting trophy smallmouth:

• Going ONLY to places where big fish live in
• River systems and their flowages (for wintering)
• Yellow perch schooling – and following them
• September Sand
• Deep weedline fishing
• Flats fishing with paddletails and swimbaits
• Lipless crankbaits and squarebills
• Fish cribs on gloomy, cranky days
• Deep water rigging and jigging
• Indian Summer finesse and topwaters
• Football jigs

This month the tackle box will remain open and anything goes. The first major coldfront of the new season is welcomed as well.

I always look forward to this time of season as more bass will be moving into the shallows and feeding on baitfish until turnover period (55-58 deg range). A pattern I like to capitalize on for this time of season is locating migrating schools of yellow perch along the deep and still green weedlines. Usually I find this dynamic in depths from 5 to 15 feet.

As the waters cool, smallmouths will be setting up in areas with deep structure in preparation for late fall and winter. These fish will be located in small schools along shallow and mid depth humps with access into deep water, main lake points and secondary points, flats, and deep offshore points and rock humps.

To catch them, give ned rigs, leech pattern jig worms, deep diving crankbaits, football jigs, hula grubs and tubes, and swimbaits each a shot.

For those of you who will be targeting early fall smallmouths, if you find the right lake where prey and predator are both active together you will enjoy extraordinary fishing once dialed in. If one lake is poor and lifeless, jump on to the next.

Whether seeking trophies, or looking for a challenging experience in learning new water, early autumn until fall turnover is my favorite time of year for giant bass. We have a fair number of crappy days to look forward to and deal with. But then we actually catch some of my biggest and best bass of the year during warm’ish sunny indian summer days in late September and early October. My boat got to enjoy almost a full week of warm fall days last year that proved HOT for mega largemouths, so hopefully we get blessed by a few of them later this month.

Even though water temps are too warm for where they should be (75-77), things are looking great for our fall trips starting in just a few quick weeks from now.

Fall Trips – Remaining Dates

Here’s what I’ve got available for the remainder of the year. The greatest 2 months of the year!

September 2022, Open Dates
20, 26, 28, 29

October 2022, Open Dates
1, 2, 4, 5 (and additional dates could be coming)

Andrew Ragas
Northwoods Bass Fishing Adventures, LLC
Licensed and Insured
Specializing in Northern Wisconsin inland bass fishing

tel: 708-256-2201
email: andrew@northwoodsbass.com
web: www.northwoodsbass.com