The September Chill

Cooler weather always makes the AP phone ring, particularly after a scorching summer-like 2011. The first cold front actually arrived in August and brought some much-needed rain. Water temp dropped from 94 to 87 almost overnight. While the fishermen reveled in the cool temps, the fish were not so stirred up.

Fishing had been great til that 1st blush of northern air, and remained good til the second push arrived in September. Not only did the fish get finicky, but the active fish could only be found in certain areas of the lake those areas changed almost daily. One day we found fish in the west end of Beaver Hut Cove, turned the corner & headed south for 2.5 hrs w/o a bite. We picked up 2-3 fish as soon as we returned to BHC, and continued to catch fish there on every pass.

As usual, when the bite gets tuff, the big fish start to turn up w/ greater frequency. I fished with a couple of friends on Saturday, we only boated 4 fish, but one weighed 6.5 lbs.

Currently, the lake is about 8″ below full, the water is slightly stained, and the surf temp is ~ 67 degrees. I expect the fishing to continue to rise and fall with each approaching/passing cold front.

Don Kentner