Let's Go Fishing With Bradley Stringer
by Bradley Stringer,
Professional Fisherman
October is here, and you can smell the cool breeze coming off the water at daylight. It’s the time of year we all look forward to after another summer of heat and literally miserable conditions. Now is the time to relax and put yourself in a slower gear to enjoy nature and being in the water.
As you are idling to your favorite spot to start fishing, you will notice the old gray herons sitting on stumps or logs from the main lake to the backs of the pockets. Why are these birds sitting there? Well the answer is that they are the best fishermen on the water. These birds lead us to bait fish (shad) that in return lead us to the Bass. If you do a little bird watching it will pay off big time in your production if catching, and pattering the Bass.
Now is when you want to focus on the middle to the backs of the creeks. As the water cools, the lower temperatures will push the shad to the backs of the creeks and so the Bass will follow. This is the natural food supply of the Bass so they will enjoy morning, noon and evening times of chomping on the shad to fill their belly’s and get fat as we head into the fall months.
A Stanley Spinnerbait is a great search bait along with a simple 1/2 oz chrome black or blue back rattle-L-trap. If you will pay attention to the shad flickering and the Bass busting the water you will key in on prime areas to catch fish. Once you find an area that you are getting bites and catching Bass, you can opt to throw a Texas Rigged worm, or flip a Stanley Jig, to creek bends or stumps along the sides of the creeks.
A two fold option is also throwing a hollow body frog and working it in and around vegetation. You will catch a fish of a lifetime doing this as well. Your options are endless. The key is just figuring out where the fish are located. Pay attention to the surface feeding and the bites you do get and then you are well on your way to a productive pattern.
Timing is everything as I always say. Figuring out the correct timing and places, you will with knowledge of the lake be able to jump and move from place to place if you so desire to catch Bass in multiple areas on the same pattern.
The lake level is just hovering around 161.00 MSL as if this writing. So that is really an excellent level to operate. It’s really not too low and it’s not too high for right now. The lake levels really do the same from year to year. If you pay attention to the past you will see the trend.
I always say a fact is a fact. If you have caught fish on a consistent basis over the years in a certain area at a certain time of year, on certain baits, then most likely when the stars realign you will again catch fish in those same areas or particular spots.
October also starts the new season of the Deep East Texas High School Fishing Tournaments. October 13th is the Stanley Frog Fight Series out of Jackson Hill Marina. This year the tournaments will be capped at 100 teams. Meaning no more than 100 boats will be accepted. We will have a great showing this year as our Huntington High School Fishing team will represent almost 20 of those spots to continue to prove to all the other schools that Huntington are the teams to beat in these events. I will give full Tournament results each month moving forward to highlight our schools success in the High School Series.
Obviously I’m excited as Adyson Stringer and Abram Boles, whom I Captain, take the water for another exciting season. It’s going to be fun and exciting as all the teams are very competitive. So good luck to everyone and remember your sportsmanship on and off the water. Edict is among the highest priority at all times.
So be careful and good luck to everyone young or old. We all share the same love for the outdoors. See you all on the water !!!!!!