Although the river is still too high to fish, there are still a lot of great opportunities to get out and wet a line this weekend!
Bass fishing in all the local lakes and ponds has started to pick up quite a bit, with reports from Fiorito being the best for size and number. Although it’s best to have a small boat on these lakes, you can still do well fishing from the shore. Stay away from fishing top-water if it’s windy, but for the most part bait fish patterns and larger profile streamers have been doing the trick. Throwing poppers in the evening has the possibility of producing fish, but we haven’t heard of anyone being too successful yet.
Just remember to stick to casting in structure, and don’t be afraid to cast parallel to the shore. If you don’t see/hook anything after a couple casts in one area, move on. Other places like Tjossum Ponds and Mattoon also off a lot of places to cast a fly from shore. We don’t have too many big bass in these lakes and you’ll find a lot of 10-12 inch fish, but some larger 3 pounders have been reported.
Most people are targeting the trout in the lakes and ponds and you can have some very successful days just throwing woolly buggers on a sink tip or intermediate sinking line. Just remember to try not to stick to just one spot and cover as much water as you can. With a couple clouds and a little bit cooler weather, this weekend could be great for still water.