Day or night, there’s good fishing to be found
Some of the best fishing at warm-water lakes in Arizona, including those near Yuma, is at night during the month of August, sometimes even during the day when monsoon thunderstorms provide good cloud cover.
A popular tactic for anglers is to use crappie lights when fishing for bass and catfish at night. This can be very exciting, especially for kids. But remember not to sit directly in the light or you will be fighting bugs all night long.
The light attracts zooplankton, which in turn attracts baitfish such as shad, which also attracts the predator fish such as crappie and bass, especially if other fish are feeding.
Years ago, Rory Aikens of Arizona Game and Fish Department, said, watching the summertime feeding frenzies around a crappie light can be as much fun as catching the fish. In fact, many find it so intriguing they sometimes forget to bait hooks or work jigs.
When using crappie lights, try live minnows or live shad. If you are working with two-poles, rig one up with a live bait, the other with a jig. Try different depths. As a general rule, once your crappie light has attracted the bait fish, crappie will feed from below the baitfish. Smaller largemouth bass will often feed from the bottom and large ones from the side.
You’ll want to find prominent points along the shoreline, especially those with adjacent reefs. Use any stinkbait, corn or even hot dogs (polish sausage also does the trick) for catfish, especially when fishing on mud flats or sandbars. A reminder that catfish have sensitive mouths, so use a treble hook well-concealed by the bait.
Aikens suggested setting up your pole parallel to the ground on forked sticks. Between the middle eyelets on your pole, loosely place a bobber on the fishing line. Then watch the bobber. When it starts jiggling, you will know the catfish (or carp) is nibbling, so get ready, grab the pole and get ready to set the hook hard. Don’t go too far from your pole. Sometimes a catfish will gobble up the bait and just take off, and your fishing pole could end up as a long-lost submarine.
When fishing from a boat, Aikens suggested looking for shad busting the surface of the water. Try topwater lures (clear works great) and sometimes even buzzbaits (large spinners worked across the surface of the water). Cast past the shad busting the surface (or past where they just busted) and work the topwater lure back over the disturbed areas. With something like a Pop R, give it a few jerks to simulate a wounded fish, then let it settle long enough for the disturbed water to smooth out. Bass will normally hit the lure after it sits still for five to 10 seconds, sometimes longer.
At lakes with striped bass, such as Havasu, there will be lots of topwater action throughout the day. Take a pair of binoculars to scan for busting shad, or just follow the congregating seagulls. Try getting on the lake before first light or before sunset.
Other baits to try in warm water lakes are bass assassins and sluggos. With the bass assassins, try a slow, steady retrieve. This erratic bait will often get you more hits than hook-ups. With sluggos, try a sporadic retrieve at first, then a slow, steady one. Experiment. Try tossing a topwater plug against a dock piling or a partly submerged tree or bush, into a bed of lily pads or into cover along the shore. Another good choice for topwater is a minnowshaped floater-diver lure. Cast to cover and once the water settles, retrieve with short sweeps of the rod tip, pulling the lure under briefly, then letting it float back to the surface like a wounded minnow.
The skittered (weedless) spoon also brings a lot of action. After you toss the lure into a thick clump of weeds, crank like mad, skittering the spoon across the surface.
At night, try working major points using rubber worms rigged Carolinastyle. Gitzits often pay big dividends. Pro bass anglers will usually use some type of scent on their soft baits at night. Remember, at night the general rule is the darker the lure, the easier it is for the fish to see. Black, purple motor oil, flametail and dark red are usually good choices.
Soft plastic worms can be used in all types of cover for bass. Bury the hook in the 6- or 7- inch long body Texas-style and weight it with a slip-sinker. Bass will also go after soft-plastic crayfish, salamanders, frogs and snakes. Trolling with deep diving plugs is another method to try for finicky bass. Be persistent if you catch a small bass — chances are big brother is not far off.
No matter what, fish still have to eat and that can be to your advantage. Be as quiet as can be and have plenty of patience. Pick your time when others aren’t on the water on low-light days. Work with the least amount of motor noise — use the lowest speed and think trolling motor.
Don’t be shy. Talk to other fishermen and at bait shops to locate a good spot to begin fishing. Fish with the fishing clubs in town where most members don’t mind sharing their knowhow — they are a friendly group and love to fish the same as you do.
Fishing clubs
• Desert Bass Anglers “the fun way to fish”: The next bass team tournament will be Sept. 9. Call Mac or Bobbi McDermott at 726-1984.
The club reminds all anglers, and so important in warm to hot weather: Be sure your livewell is working properly — it needs to be in top condition. Time to check your pump and screens and be sure there is maximum circulation in the well. Bobbie and Mac remind us to be sure to check fish you’ve caught several times during any day on the water. Be sure to carry a lot of water and sports drinks, towels, long sleeved shirts, sunscreen and hats to keep you cool. It’s hard to guess where the water levels will be this time of year. Be prepared for hot temperatures and a lot of boat and jet ski traffic. The sandbars have really moved around so be aware of your surroundings and be careful.
• ABA American Bass – Yuma division: If you haven’t fished the Yuma area ABA tournaments, they will begin when weather cools. Call Jeff Woods at (952) 824-0553 for information on becoming a member and get signed up to fish.
• Yuma Draw-Series/Pro-Am Bass Club is gone. A new club “Desert Draw Series Bass Fishing Club” is being formed by Michael Obney and will hold the first competition in January. He will hold a meet and greet soon — he’ll let me know when and where — or call Mike at (928) 750-7081.
• Yuma’s High School Bass Fishing Club: A great way for any youngster to learn all about fishing for bass. Members of both the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club and Desert Bass Anglers assist the kids in providing boats and equipment as well as guide the youngsters, both guys and gals, in gaining a good share of fishing know-how’s. Call Terry Hurt, school sponsor, at 580-6567 or visit StudentAnglerFoundation.com to get started. Any interested high school student will be a part of an exciting year for our next generation of anglers at Fisher’s Landing at Martinez Lake.
Shooting sports
• Yuma 4-H Shooting Sports: The 2017-18 training season for 4-H youngsters ages 9-19 will begin Sept. 21 at the 4-H extension office with a 7 to 8 p.m. class to sign-up and take a safety class with questions/answers about the year’s project. At that time the youngsters will pay a one time $10 fee for consumables. Actual training will begin 9 to 10 a.m. Sept. 23 at the west gate of the Yuma County Fairgrounds with other training times to follow. If you have a youngster who is interested in being a part of a 4-H club in order to get into their shooting sports program, call the 4-H office in Yuma at 726-3904 or Stanley Gourley at 344-0740 to learn what they offer.
• Renegade Archers of Yuma: The practice range at the Foothills Archery Range, east of Foothills Blvd., south side of I-8, is open (free use) daylight hours all week for your much-needed practice and enjoyment. Do what you can to prevent vandalism while at the range so all can enjoy. There will be a 3D trail of animals set up for shooting at 7:30 a.m. the 2nd Sunday of September. Let us know beforehand if there are other times you might like to shoot the trail by calling Jean Wilson at 247-4450 or Kevin Wilson at 7260953 so we can get it set up and ready to meet you at the range.
• Yuma Trap and Skeet Club: Anyone interested in trap and skeet can shoot 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays and Sundays. It’s summer hours still so no weekday matches until fall. Call Bob Avila at (928) 919-0622. Young people still in school (including college) who might be interested in getting together with the Yuma Young Guns and the scholastic clay target program, call head coach H. McNutt at 580-0918.
Plan to get in some great shooting practice for the dove season coming up during the pre-season shoot at the Adair Park range, sponsored in part by Sprague’s Sports on Aug. 29 at the range beginning at 7 a.m. until there are not enough shooters for a full squad. Prizes from
• Yuma Territorial Longrifles
at the Adair Park range, 1st and 3rd Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. Call Roger Bickel at 726-7453. Ask about .22 matches.
• Cholla Gun Club: A full schedule of shooting is offered at the Adair Park metallic silhouette range, beginning again this fall, and all open to the public with instructions available upon need. Call Rick Kelley at (928) 502-0736.
• High Power Rifle and Pistol Club of Yuma: Shooting matches at the Adair Park big bore (high power) range will begin again Sept. 10 with a 3X 1,000 yard long range match. The vintage rifle match will be Sept. 16. Pistol matches scheduled for 2017 are cancelled as of now but we may resume them in 2018. Call Joseph Murek at 627-4556, Paul Lerma at 580-7456 or Gerald Brooker at (858) 349-1311. Visit the club’s website at hprifleyuma.com or email Joe at umpire1@q.com or brookergerald@att.net. Ask also about summer practice matches.
• Yuma Matchmasters: A variety of matches are offered at the Adair Park small bore range, all open to shooters with 7 a.m. sign-up, shooting at 7:30 a.m. includes the steel challenge the 1st Saturday, multi-gun matches the 1st Sunday,. IPSC combat matches the 2nd Sunday, and the SASS cowboy matches the 4th Sunday. Call Larry Wiles at 920-2157 or Irene Snyder at (920) 613-4598 if you are interested.
• Southwest Bowhunters Archery Club: Archery is offered on Sundays with their practice range also open all week. Call Keith Parsels at 782-
Hunt happenings
• Become an outdoors woman Sept. 8: One way to describe BOW is by a YouTube video http://youtube/ Lic1kxCrJ1Y by Mike Rolfe. Also see what BOW is all about on Facebook Arizona Becoming an Outdoors Woman.
The Arizona Wildlife Federation (AWF) conducts Becoming an Outdoor Woman twice a year at Friendly Pines Camp outside Prescott, Ariz., in the spring and late summer. AWF also hosts a deluxe BOW in the desert at Saguaro Lake Ranch in January or February. The three-day workshops begin at noon Friday and end shortly after noon the following Sunday.
BOW gives women (18 and older) the opportunity to learn about hunting, fishing and related activities in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. Skills such as gun safety, shooting, angling (including fly fishing), camping, Dutch-oven cooking, map and compass reading, marksmanship with rifle and bow are taught. A complete list of courses which you may find at BOW can be found at BOW class descriptions.
In addition to the various classes, there are a number of evening events for women to enjoy that may include “hawk talks,” nature hikes, fashion shows, fly tying and wild game tasting. The weekend schedule would be similar to BOW sample schedule.
Instructors, who volunteer their time to teach these classes, are experts in their field. Some are employed in the fields they teach; others are experts in their subjects, including archery and rifle marksmanship. Still others are Arizona Game and Fish and U.S. Forest Service employees with years of experience in the flora and fauna of Arizona.
Registration for the Friendly Pines BOW weekends covers meals, lodging in a rustic cabin, and most miscellaneous expenses related to the workshops. Enrollees need only personal items, bedding, and/ or sleeping bags. The accommodations at the deluxe BOW are more upscale, as you would expect. Information and registration forms can be obtained from the Arizona Wildlife Federation Office, or on this website when they become available.
• Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club: Anyone interested in the outdoors is welcome to attend any club meeting for not only fishing but hunting and wildlife conservation information as well, at 7 p.m. 1st Wednesday each month at American Legion Post 19, 2575 S. Virginia Drive. Call Becky Mae Pope at 502-0121 or email maybhunting@gmail.com for club information. The Sept. 6 meeting will include information on dove and quail hunts as well as the youth quail and small game camp, open to all kids and parents coming up Oct. 13, as well as any other hunt activities.
Don’t miss out on the dove hunter’s barbecue being held Sept. 2 this year at the Cocopah Bend RV Resort, 6800 Strand Ave., with doors open at 4:30 pm., dinner at 6 p.m. Win guns, gear and more including a Beretta Silver Pigeon O/U, Champion gun safe and an outdoor camping package to name a few great items to be raffled. Meal tickets $20 (kids $10). Call Chris Mitchell at (928) 580-1461. All proceeds to benefit youth and wildlife conservation efforts.
• Family camp-out: Mark your calendar for Sept. 16 when there will be an Arizona family camp-out weekend at Cattail Cove State Park at Lake Havasu City. A great event for the whole family. Call the Game and Fish Region IV office in Yuma at 342-0091 to ask who to contact for further information.
Contact Jean Wilson at jeanrenegade@ gmail.com or call 247-4450.