Don’t Give Up

June, 2008

                                                                                                            by Tom Raschke

That was Carl Kaufmann’s biggest theme when he spoke to our fishing club on May 13th. Carl, of Woodstock Il, often guiding on Lakes Geneva and Delevan. He said that to be successful you need to keep you boat in the water, and to keep looking for the prime fishing pattern. That means looking for the right place at the right time with the right presentation.

He gave the example of a recent trip on Lake Mendota. He had only modest success in places like University Bay, where the water temperatures were in the low 50’s, but finally found a lot of fish near inlets where the water temp was 56 degrees. He said that sharing ideas with the fishing club was the best way to learn this kind of information. Carl then went on to share many specific tips or suggestions:

• Use a standard weightless Senco rigged wacky style (hooked in the middle).

• Spool with yellow Power Pro so you can see the line move when a fish hits, and set the hook right away. He suggested tying the Power Pro to a fluorocarbon leader such as the Yozuri Hybred to make the line disappear. The line weight he uses is a 10 lb superbraid with a 2-4 lb mono diameter. He uses a double uni knot to tie the lines together.

• Fore picking up Bass, he skips a wacky-rigged Senco, Tiki stick, Yum Digger or Gulp bait under trees and twitches the bait back to the boat. He looks for docks, trees, boat cradles, lots of wood and 2-3 feet of water. Just lift up on the rod a bit and let the bait fall.

• With the superbraid you need to lift up before reeling to prevent a snarl. He suggests that you only spool 50 yards of the expensive line and backs it with mono.

• When he uses mono, and is fishing regularly, he will respool every two weeks. Soaking mono in hot water will take the memory out.

• The superbraids require a less aggressive hook set. You will lose a lot of fish if you fish the same way you fish with mono.

• In spring look for rocks, sea walls, off-color, silty or incoming water, all which should indicate warmer water. Two degrees can make a big difference.

• The Senco baits sink more slowly than Yamomoto. (I hope I got this right, editor)

• This time of year he fishes Delevan from 11:00 to 2:30, as the water will be too cold earlier in the day.

• He recommends using the drop-shot technique, where you tie a light wire hook to the line above the sinker using a Palomar knot. He often uses a Birkeley power worm, or “Chomper” bait that has a garlic smell. He will throw the bait out 10-15 feet, let it sink, then retrieving it slowly, while twitching shaking. He will go down to 20 feet with this method.

• Another technique for smallmouth is to use a snakehead jig with a small brown Robo Worm.

• For tying a conventional hook to the line he uses the improved clinch knot. He closed by taking a lot of questions, and there were many members up front with follow-up questions and to check out his gear up front after he finished. I can see why he is a good guide.