Our Outdoors: Five Tips to Finish Out
By Nick Simonson

Late summer brings with it fast fishing, but it can provide challenging conditions as well.  Gearing up for the home stretch of the season and the start of fall, which produces some of the biggest and fastest bites of the year, requires anglers to rethink some strategies, remain persistent on others and focus on the weather and moon factors that influence fishing this time of year.  What follows are some tips to get the most out of the last couple months of openwater angling, before hunting seasons take over the calendar.
1. Go Aggro.  Offer fish up what they’ve been seeing this season – big baits and full-size cranks that imitate larger bluegills, crappies, minnows and perch that have matured over the summer – to trigger a bite. Work them with authority, quickly and erratically in those areas where fish have established their summer homes and feeding spaces. If the weather is rough, consider slowing things down or switching up baits, but in those warm stretches, a strong presentation often pays off.
2. Stay Sharp. Just like at every other time of the year, make sure gear is in top condition.  Sharpen hooks with a few slips down a file, especially on those baits that have been solid performers all season.  If a hook point is too far gone, consider replacing the entire treble to provide a more solid connection.  Additionally, take the time to check terminal tackle like swivels, snaps and bottom bouncers to make sure all is in order. Now’s not a bad time to respool with new line that’s strong and clean for the final stretch of the season.
3. Weather Watcher. It hasn’t been a traditional August thus far.  Instability, cold fronts and cooler temperatures have been the tale of the first half.  Keep an eye on the weather and what’s coming up in the forecast and try to get out ahead of it.  Remember also that cooling conditions aren’t always a bad thing, as they can set off movement from fish into fall feeding patterns and bring cool-water predators like pike and trout back up shallow after a long warm summer of lurking in deep, colder water.  Know how big pre-fall fronts affect targeted fish species in area waters, and plan accordingly. When the warm-up comes after those systems move through, fish will really start to feed, having received their first hint that autumn is on the way.
4.  Monster Moons.  This month’s second full moon falls on a Thursday, and September and October’s full moons set up for a great weekend bite. Keep track of these dates and take advantage of them when possible, noting the three days leading up to the full moon and three days or so after it will generally produce better fishing, especially as autumn settles into the region.  Full moons can also generate incredible night fishing, so don’t be afraid to slip out after work and make an evening of it under the white light of those harvest moons either.
5. Pack a Rod. Be ready for fish wherever they’re biting this time of year.  Countless times the tip for a hot bite has come while in the middle of a dove hunt or an early grouse trek.  Having a travel rod and a stash of tackle handy in the back of a rig will allow for flexibility, or if the hunting is slow, the opportunity to ply streams and lakes from shore for late season pike, walleyes, bass and trout. Stash a handful of jigs and soft plastics and spoons and spinners that work universally across a variety of species and see what action comes on a moment’s notice, or in between walks with the dog.
By exploiting the hungry nature of fish at this time of year, offering up baits that match what they’re eating, keying in on the conditions that drive their movement and being ready for whatever action is to come, it’s easy to add a little “cast” to the upcoming “blast” portion of the calendar and finish the openwater season strong…in our outdoors.

Our Outdoors: Sensational Slime

By Nick Simonson

While unhooking my second pike of the morning, the two-pound fish slipped quickly out of my wet hand and back into the water with a splash.  All that was left as evidence that I had even caught it was a chewed-up plastic tail and a small coating of slime ringing my hand between my thumb and forefinger.  I righted the curly-tailed grub on my jig and wiped my hand on the back of my jeans and fired off another cast.

As I worked the offering through the weeds and landed a few more fish from the dock at the lake I got to thinking about pike and one of their many hallmarks, which along with their aggressive nature, makes them a notable species.  That being the slime coat which serves to keep the fish healthy and has earned them several unflattering nicknames such as “snot rocket” and “slimer.”  And while all species of fish have some sort of protective slime coat that keeps infection at bay and regulates their bodies’ natural processes, some fish like pike, muskies, catfish and bullheads are better known for their slimy nature. And their notable coat may be one reason for their prevalence in the waters of the upper Midwest. 

The slime coat found on fish is a protein-based mucous lining that acts as the first line of defense through a combination of enzymes and antibodies which repel bacterial and fungal infections and parasites which otherwise might infect a fish.  This coating also works to keep chemicals, such as electrolytes which regulate the fish’s body functions, in and on the fish, keeping it in good health.  It has also been hypothesized that the slime coating acts as a transference point for chemicals related to breeding. Below the slime coat are the scales and the skin of the fish, forming a total of three protective layers which keep in what needs to be in, and keep out those things which may sicken or kill the fish. 

There are many factors which can influence the health of a fish’s slime coat, including water quality, water temperature, dissolved oxygen levels in the water, stress from evading predators or reproducing and most notably physical damage from a variety of sources.  Even on species like pike and catfish, where there appears to be an overabundance of the protective slime coat, the removal of just a portion of it due to dry hands, an abrasive net, or being set on the floor of a boat can cause life-threatening damage.  For these reasons, anglers should take care of their quarry when handling them, as damage to the slime coat can turn a healthy-appearing release into delayed mortality. 

When handling fish which are to be released, some guidelines are necessary to prevent damage to the slime layer.  First, land fish with a non-abrasive net such as one made of rubber or rubber-coated nylon.  Large mesh cradles are also effective in preventing damage to the slime coat of big fish like pike and muskies.  Second, when handling fish, due so with damp hands.  Dry fingers and calluses will pull slime off whereas the presence of water between hands and fish will reduce the coefficient of friction and preserve more of the coating.  Third, do not drop or set the fish down in the boat as carpet, sand, dirt or other common in-hull debris can act as an abrasive which would effectively remove slime when a fish is out of the water.  Finally, use the proper release tools at boatside in the water to reduce stress and time out of the water.  If you’re just looking for a quick release, there’s no need to take the fish out of the water.  If you want a photo of your catch, make it a quick one and have someone ready with the camera.   Keep the fish out of the water as little as possible, as stress can make slight slime coat damage from landing even worse after the release. 
These tips will help you get a feel for what fish need to protect one of their best-evolved assets.  Healthier fish after the release are what keep great catch-and-release fisheries around our area filled with quality specimens.  Beyond pike, muskies and catfish, remember that all species have a slime coat that proper handling can protect – further preserving the fish for another outing.  Take care this season to handle your quarry properly and help keep the slime off your hands and where it belongs…in our outdoors.

Our Outdoors: Feeling Froggy
By Nick Simonson
The midsummer migration has begun. With more and more regularity, I’m seeing young-of-the-year salamanders, toads and frogs making their movements between their rearing grounds, which are usually small oxbows along the waters I fish, or seasonal pools such as the retention and stock ponds around our neighborhood. In the morning under the lengthening light of the streetlamps ahead of dawn, these soft-skinned creatures look to wrap their nocturnal forays into the great big world around their birthwaters with a shady place to hide and avoid the summer heat.
For many, this journey ends in a relocation nearer to larger waters such as lakes and rivers and the cool, dense grasses along their edges. Thus, it’s not surprising to find frogs at the water’s edge in great abundance at this time of year. For anglers, this sudden appearance of a new forage base can change the game for all species and adds an edge to explore in the fishing equation. As this year’s crop of newly-mobilized froglets and their relative inexperience with the dangers lurking in bigger waters provide an easy meal for bass, walleyes, pike and catfish, it’s important to consider targeting those areas for better success.
A late July outing in my journal stands out from many years ago for just that reason. I had returned home from taking the bar exam to get my law license and sweat out the six-week waiting period to see whether or not I had passed. Turning to my favorite stress reliever, my buddy and I paddled upstream the following morning to explore some favorite spring fishing haunts and see how the heat of summer had changed them. My buddy dropped me off on the far bank of the river and positioned the canoe upstream from me. As I stepped through the dense cover and found my footing on the grassy ledge over the water, a dozen young frogs sprang forth from the cover, with a number of them hitting the water and scooting back to the edge of the bank. All except one, that is.
A large boil spun up to the surface and I took note that it was unlikely that little frog made it back, consumed by the whatever-it-was lurking in the break off the ledge. I pitched my jig and twister parallel to the shore and worked it back over the spot where the swirl came from. While my offering didn’t look like the brown and green northern leopard frogs taking the risky plunge, it didn’t matter much as a sudden strike had me setting the hook on a sixteen-inch walleye that quickly came to hand and into the five-gallon bucket beside me. It would be the first instance that I’d experience hungry summertime walleyes keying in on such an odd place, and what seemed like a nontraditional food source – but it wouldn’t be the last.
For the rest of that morning and in seasons to come, we’d find many fish in that river along similar stretches and in other waters as well, keying in along those spaces where enough water depth along the bank provided a spot to position, and summer’s natural pattern provided the unwary forage. In addition to walleyes and smallmouth bass, northern pike, and catfish key in on these places and any fish big enough to inhale these amphibians likely will as well.
Now, as the heat and humidity build once again and summer comes roaring back to the region, consider these early morning sightings and those you make in the grassy stretches along your favorite water. Wherever frogs, toads and salamanders make contact with their first big water experience, you’ll likely find your favorite game fish waiting for their appearance as well. Along with the sweat of summer and the tinny buzz of mosquitoes, it’s quite possible you’ll also get that froggy feeling this time of year and turn it into some exciting angling…in our outdoors.