Busse discharge status?

2841 Views 9 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Augy, Jan 13, 2006

BravesFan

Discussion Starter · Jan 11, 2006

Anyone fish the discharge lately? Also, does anyone think it would be hopeless to try to catch bass there this time of the year with artificial baits? I just want to avoid the hassle of having to get minnows. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

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· #2 · Jan 11, 2006

I'm heading out there this afternoon. I am going to get some minnows. I'll let you know how it goes.

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JasonN

· #3 · Jan 11, 2006

Hey Fan...

I have indeed caught bass at the discharge in winter on artificials. However, it can be a difficult task. Fish SMALL! Use tiny twister-tail jigs. Cast them out, let them sit, twitch, etc. Make them immitate a dying creature. I would recommend Berlely Powerbait twistertails. Get the 2" crappie ones and rig 'em on a red jighead.

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toothdoc

· #4 · Jan 11, 2006

I was out there for several hours this afternoon and could only catch some bluegills. I didn't end up getting any live bait. Just used jigs and plastics instead. The were some bass there, but I couldn't get them to bite.

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Augy

· #5 · Jan 12, 2006

Yup. Them bass at the discharge are sobs. If the bait ain't alive and kickin, the bass won't even glance at it. They have to be alive with lots of energy dancing around.

I lost a pretty big bass last time out. She was about 15 inches. I was after her for a good 45 minutes with minnows and finally got her to take one only to have her pop off. I kicked myself pretty good for not setting the hook properly. Didn't see her come around the rest of the day.

Do you guys use polarized glasses? If not, get a pair. They are a must have.

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toothdoc

· #6 · Jan 12, 2006

I didn't have polarized glasses, but I could see some bigger bass about 1/3 down from the discharge swimming around. I need to get some polarized glasses.

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JasonN

· #7 · Jan 12, 2006

You don't see a lot of articles in the fishing magazines about fishing for bass in open water during the middle of winter.

The Busse wwd and the northshore channel are excellent spots for bass fishing in the winter. And basically, you can throw the book out the window when it comes to "regular bass fishing tactics".

Most warm water discharges have unique ecosystems - and I mean EACH one is unique! The bass in these locations are "strange" to say the least. The best baits seem to be small plastics/jigs or small jigging spoons (sweedish pimples), or minnows. And all these baits need to "entice" the fish. You'll need to make the baits seem like they are dying or injured.

I find that catching bass in these locations in the winter makes us better fishermen during the regular season when conditions are slow. You HAVE to work for them and thus, learn new techniques for getting the bass to bite.

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BravesFan

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jan 12, 2006

JasonN said:
Hey Fan...

I have indeed caught bass at the discharge in winter on artificials. However, it can be a difficult task. Fish SMALL! Use tiny twister-tail jigs. Cast them out, let them sit, twitch, etc. Make them immitate a dying creature. I would recommend Berlely Powerbait twistertails. Get the 2" crappie ones and rig 'em on a red jighead.

Thanks for the tips Jason. I was out there today for about an hour, throwing mostly small jigs, including one with a twister-tail on it like you mentioned. The only thing I managed was one bite from a small (about 6 in.) bass but didn't set the hook properly and it got away.

You're definitely right that it's a challenge fishing with artificials during the winter... especially when you can SEE all of those bass (and zillions of sun fish) there by the discharge. When I first saw all the fish at the discharge, I thought to myself, this is going to be too easy. But then I quickly realized how hard it actually was to hook one (at least with artificial stuff)

By the way, I noticed a white colored fish about 8-10 in. by the discharge today. It was kinda fat, with a little more girth than bass with similar length. It might have had a few orange spots on it also. One passer-by said it looked like either a goldfish or a koy (sp?). My guess is either one of those, or a genetic mutation (sort of like an albino). Just thought I'd share that and see if anyone else has seen this special fish or can ID it.

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will

· #9 · Jan 12, 2006

My best guess on the mystery fish would be a Goldfish or Koi, people who don't own toilets or don't want to make their kids cry when they get too lazy to keep a fish, let em go there and all long the creek, some people even use Goldfish as bait. Both are illegal and not ethical. Goldfish and Koi are almost identical to Carp, they are just bread for color, all can live in almost any waters and are nearly impossible to remove from any waterway. They are responsible for killing native fish eggs and lowering water quality when present.

Not sure why I don't like carp, they sure are fun to catch!

(will steps off soapbox)

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Augy

· #10 · Jan 13, 2006

I've seen that goldfish everytime I've been there. It may not be too long before a pretty fish like that gets snatched up by a northern or harrassed by horny bass come spring.

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