August is a good time to land a big fish

By Bill Bartusek

Warm weather is here and it's August. That means big fish time. I say that because in all my years of fishing, I've seen a lot of big fish caught during August.

I'm not exactly sure why these big fish start to show up at this time of year. And it's not just one species either. Pike, bass and big walleye have all been in the picture during this month. Big pike start hitting in the shallower water, where you couldn't find them in July. Why they leave deep water. I'm not sure. Walleyes too, especially big ones, start sneaking around in shallower water. Of course, this makes them more vulnerable to anglers.

Bass are completely recovered from the spawn and have been doing some major feeding for some time now. They weigh about as much as they will this summer. So an old bass is usually at its optimum weight.

When I head for the water this month, I'm throwing my heavy gear in the boat. I will also throw larger profiled lures than I would earlier in the year. These fish want to see something bigger. Keep that in mind when you head for the lake in August.

Back at the Kid's fishing clinic last winter, Dennis Palma gave away a guided fishing trip. The lucky winner was Carter Solheid. So this past weekend Dennis met with Carter and his dad Joel for a day on the lake.

They headed for Lake Marion near Lakeville. The weather looked good, though the wind was brisk. The first one to land a fish was Carter. He hooked and landed a nice pike. As the day wore on a few bass came to the boat. The action slowed after that and the boys finished the day with just a few fish. The Solheids had a super time despite the slow action. Carter said he learned a lot while fishing with Dennis.