maumee river report- 16 june 2020

Bass and catfish-on the feed right now. Hit the local ponds and lakes. Get out to the Maumee bay area for some big bass and maybe a pike.  Live bait is working well .

Leeches-$4.99 doz

Walleye and Smallmouth bass love leeches.  Anglers catch tons of walleye and bass every year ,shallow and deep from spring through fall on leeches.  As the water warms above 50 degrees, leeches tend to swim much better.  A lively leech is just asking to get eaten.Leeches are the most plentiful of all the baits. It seems that they are natural to all bodies of water including creeks, rivers and lakes. They can be left in a container of water for a long time without food.  All leeches have sucking disks at both ends, the mouth is located in the smaller disk at the head end and use the larger disk on the tail only for clinging to objects. Most leeches species eat dead animals.Fish eat many types of leeches, but only the ribbon leech is widely used as bait. A ribbon leech has a firmer body than a horse leech and body situations or grooves that are less pronounced with the color varying  from pure black to light brown.  Leeches are easy to keep alive as they are not as sensitive to temperature changes like minnows are , and they require relatively little oxygen.. Leeches that are held in stagnant water over long periods of time need to ride themselves of waste for instance if they were in a stream or pond they would burrow into the sand to clean themselves.    Walleyes love leeches almost all year round and they are classified as a universal bait for walleyes.   Some of the top smallmouth bass anglers learned that the regular-sized leeches tend to catch more fish and they catch big fish as well. A bobber and leech is very effective for smallmouth bass and walleye when these fish are in the shallows.  This rig works great from late spring through summer for bigger bass. You can also rig a spinner bait(like a Macks wedding ring  lure)  or any single hook spinner tipped with a leech .If you have never fished with this common fish bait , stop in the shop and we can teach you how to rig the leech and areas to target walleye and bass.

CRAWFISH-$4.99 PER DOZEN

Crayfish, also known as crawfish, make excellent baits for freshwater fishing. Crayfish can be fished whole or as cut baits, depending on the situation. A variety of rigs are used for fishing crayfish.

One of the most common crayfish rigs is the Carolina style leader. A simple Carolina rig can be made by adding a sliding weight on the line above a small swivel.

To complete the rig, a leader and hook is attached below the swivel. Some anglers add a plastic bead above the weight to help protect the rod tip from being damaged by the weight.

A small bullet style weight is usually all that is needed with the rig. Heavier egg sinkers are used when fishing in strong currents.

NIGHTCRAWLERS-$2.45 PER DOZ

These are definitely a staple worm in the fishing community. If you secure a night crawler to a hook with excess worm dangling off the hook, you are certain to draw all sorts of attention to your bait. These things are big, appealing and they wiggle like crazy. Bass fishermen know that largemouth and smallmouth bass will rarely pass up a chance to pounce on a wiggling nightcrawler. Earthworms or night crawlers are also a favorite meal for Walleye. Catfish who roam around the water’s bottom looking for an easy meal are sure to chomp at your night crawler before long. Night crawlers also work well for trout, although many fishermen cut the night crawlers in half to make the meal a little more manageable for their smaller mouths.

LEAF WORMS-$3.45 FOR 25 COUNT

Leaf worms also known as red worms are known to work particularly well for smaller fish like bluegills, crappie and perch because these fish have smaller mouths and are either afraid or unable to eat big night crawlers consistently.

WAX WORMS -$3.50 PER 50 COUNT

Wax worms are the larval stage of the Greater Wax Moth (Galleria Mellonella) or bee Moth Larva. They are excellent fishing bait especially when used as sunfish bait, perch bait, trout bait, crappie bait, bass bait, whitefish bait, and small channel catfish bait. Some days pan fish will hit nothing else.

 Milky white wax worms are not limited to winter fishing. They keep fish interested during the open water season, many  anglers are using wax worms during the open water season and  larger pan fish will often respond to these delicious worms because they are different from the usual bait they are seeing in heavily fished waters.

Wax worms are an ideal food for pets, reptiles, amphibians and both caged and wild birds. Just toss a handful in your bird feeder and watch the birds come.

These soft-bodied wax worms are high in protein and calcium they are also relatively fattening and should thus be fed as treats not as a sole diet. Animals absolutely love the taste of them. Wax worms are easily digested and a favorite food source of many pets and fish.

Fathead Minnows-(Cause Shiners are really tough to come by- 4th year in a row)-$2.99 per doz

Fathead minnows spawn repeatedly starting in May and continue into August. Males select the spawning site, usually under logs, branches or rocks in shallow water. They will also use artificial spawning sites in old tiles or pipes. Females lay adhesive eggs on the underside of whatever the male has chosen to spawn under. The male then aggressively defends the spawning site from other fish. Males also use the large spongy pad on the top of their body to clean the eggs the female has laid on the underside of the select object.Historically the fathead minnow was widely populated only in the western part of Ohio. They prefer small, low-gradient streams, as well as ponds and small lakes. They are very tolerant of a wide range of conditions in both water clarity and pH. The largest populations are found in streams or bog ponds where the conditions are rather poor for most other species of fish.- Very durable as bait

Have Fun , Be Safe and Good Luck fishing