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The Bite - Mauch Chunk is a PA Fall Hot Spot
By Michael Harvan
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September
brought
warm
temperatures
and
winds
from
all
directions,
but
with
some
simple
patterning
techniques
the
fish
were
located,
boated
and
released.
Myself,
and
a
good
friend
Scott,
started
out
at
Mauch
Chunk
Lake
just
west
of
Jim
Thorpe.
Our
original
plans
to
fish
Beltzville
Lake
were
doused
because
it
had
major
water
control
problems
due
to
the
floodwaters
North
of
us.
Mauch
Chunk
is a
relatively
small
impoundment
with
a
variety
of
structure
including
weed
beds,
rocks,
stumps,
grassy
areas,
shallows
and
some
deep
waters.
This
is a
perfect
bass
lake!
By
the
way,
this
lake
is
limited
to
use
of
electric
motors
only,
so,
make
sure
your
batteries
are
charged.
Two
boat
launch
areas
are
available.
One
is
located
on
the
western
end
and
the
other
at
the
main
park
area
at
the
east
end. |
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Let’s get to
the good
parts, the
facts about
the bite!
Any good
fisherman
knows
structure;
wind
direction,
temperatures
and a
multitude of
variables
will be
evaluated to
bring fish
in the boat,
if you learn
how to
pattern
them.
Where to
start? Well,
we like to
launch
Scott’s bass
boat at the
Western end
of the lake
since the
majority of
interesting
structure is
close by.
Also, if the
wind is
coming from
the west,
the bite is
generally
better, and
boat
handling is
easier.
Shallow
waters are
sometimes
hard to
fish, so we
would
position the
boat out
some
distance
from the
shore in
approximately
4 to 6 foot
of water,
casting in a
fan cast
pattern
towards both
the
shoreline
and the
middle of
the lake.
Each of us
would start
by using a
different
lure and
presentations.
Working as a
team is more
productive
then
competing
against each
other. More
fish will be
caught and
your time
together
will be more
enjoyable if
you practice
sharing
information
and ideas.
The “bite”
is the most
important
part of
fishing. You
may see them
swim by, but
if you can’t
get them to
bite the
game is
over! Don’t
make the
mistake by
starting off
the day by
copying what
your buddy
is using. Be
creative,
select
something
you have
confidence
in, be it
hard or soft
baits. This
time of the
year the
fish are
slowing
down, so
don’t
overwork
your bait.
Slow down.
Work an
area.
Present
natural
looking
baits. |
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What
are
some
variables
that
control
the
bite?
Here
are
a
few
in
an
order
of
concern
to
me;
1. Cloud
cover
(if
the
sky
is
void
of
clouds,
your
boat
will
be
void
of
fish)
2.
Wind
direction
(this
part
of
the
country,
Northwest
wind
is
prevailing,
if
it
comes
from
other
directions
fishing
will
be
harder
to
pattern)
3.
Water
color
(is
it
clear,
stained
or
neutral,
these
will
all
determine
lure
color
selection)
4. Time
of
year
(what
are
the
natural
food
sources
that
should
be
available
to
predators
such
as
large
and
small
mouth
bass,
and
other
species?
5.
Pressure
(other
fisherman,
recreational
boaters,
wind
direction
and
overtake) |
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As you can
see THE BITE
is more then
wishing a
fish will
take the
bait! |
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Thousands of
lures are
available to
the
fisherman,
but when
making your
purchase,
buy
something
that mimics
natural bait
in the
waters you
are fishing.
A Salty
Spider Jig
produced an
18 ˝” (2#
6oz.)
smallmouth
in three
foot of
water off
shoreline.
Mini Smelt
on jig or
hook
produced
many bass in
the 12” to
16” class on
both bodies
of water.
Worked
through
weeds, grass
or open
water it did
well.
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All
lures
had
to
be
presented
in a
straight
line
fashion
or
else
didn’t
do
so
well.
The
white
fluke
did
well
on
pickerel.
In
fact
I
was
calling
Scott
the
“Pickerel
King”
because
he
had
caught
so
many
pickerel
that
I
lost
count.
The
fluke
on a
small
1/8oz.
jig
or
00
hook
fished
slowly
was
a
killer. The
Wacky
Worm
seemed
to
be
the
ticket,
fished
Texas
Style.
In
reddish
and
purple
colors
it
brought
quantities
of
largemouth
bass
in
the
boat
with
several
over
a
couple
pounds.
Scott
fished
it
both
ways
while
I
strictly
used
it
on
00
True
Turn
worm
hook,
tied
to 6
lb.
test
green
line.
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The
white
spinner
bait
smacked
some
nice
fish
for
Scott.
He
had
the
boat
controlled
in
such
a
way
that
he
could
cast
out
in
front
of
the
boat,
retrieved
it
at a
medium
to
fast
rates
of
speed
and
made
the
hook-up,
using
a
trailer
hook
attached.
Several
sizes
of
rubber
worms
in
darker
colors
of
reds,
browns
and
blues
caught
several
fish
but
nothing
over
12
inches.
Small
jig
heads
with
5”
twister
tail
grubs
produced
a
handful
of
small
largemouth
bass
for
me.
Overall
white,
natural
patterns,
blues
and
reds
were
the
best
colors,
on
both
lakes,
within
a
two-week
period.
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“I
wish
fish
didn’t
swim”,
because
today’s
HOT
SPOTS
most
likely
will
be
cold
as
ice
tomorrow.
But
I’ll
give
you
a
starting
point,
so
you
can
develop
your
own
conclusions,
in
what
works
best
for
you.
One
fisherman’s
method
may
not
be
ideal
for
another. |
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Much
Chunk
–
From
the
boat
launch
dock
at
the
western
end
of
the
lake
head
toward
the
middle,
look
for
water
about
6 to
8
feet
deep,
make
casts
to
both
sides
of
the
boat
as
you
proceed
west
to
the
backwater
areas,
watch
carefully,
this
section
of
the
lake
has
many
old
stumps,
and
the
weeds
can
be
heavy
at
times.
If
you
have
no
luck,
then
depending
on
the
wind
direction,
choose
the
shoreline
sections
working
either
with
or
against
the
wind
and
wave
direction.
If
you
decide
to
head
down
the
lake,
work
the
southern
shoreline
slowly
with
weightless
baits,
be
extremely
careful,
for
there
are
rocks
along
the
shoreline
that
come
out
a
good
distance,
in
depth,
and
could
cause
damage
to
your
equipment.
Take
notice
to
your
boats
position
and
bite
success,
if
nothing
is
happening
in
these
areas,
once
you
get
close
to
where
the
point
juts
out
from
the
northern
shoreline
just
east
of
the
launch,
head
to
the
cove
section
on
the
north
shore,
making
your
way
east.
Keep
your
boat
in 6
to 8
feet
of
water
making
casts
to
shoreline
structure
and
mid-lake.
This
area
holds
larger
fish
both
largemouth
and
smallmouth.
Depending
on
your
equipment
condition,
proceed
down
the
lake
or
make
your
way
back
to
dock
area
and
repeat.
The
fishing
is
usually
good
all
year
at
these
spots
of
the
lake
until
the
weeds
start
to
die,
reducing
the
quality
of
water
PH
and
o2
levels
dwindle,
look
for
cleaner
waters
and
structure,
the
fish
will
be
there!
Beltzville
Lake
– A
totally
different
type
of
lake,
water
depth
varies
greatly,
coves,
points
and
long
fingers
of
feed
waters,
grass,
weeds
and
a
few
submerged
stumps
hold
the
fish.
This
lake
is a
high
pressure
body
of
water,
heavy
fishing,
recreational
boats,
ski
area,
picnic
areas
and
two
major
launch
areas,
influence
fish
movement.
Water
levels
are
regulated,
so
shoreline
structure
may
change
greatly
throughout
the
year.
One
interesting
method
of
fishing
this
large
body
of
water,
is
to
slow
down
your
presentations,
the
weeds
are
dying
off,
so
work
pockets,
edges
and
structure
such
as
rocks
and
wood,
again
seek
out
cleaner
water.
The
last
week
of
September,
and
the
first
two
weeks
of
October
had
provided
us
with
some
varied
weather
conditions,
but
the
best
fishing
believe
it
or
not
was
during
those
heavy
rainstorms.
Rain
always
seems
to
bring
fish
up
to
feed.
The
Pine
Run
boat
launch
was
our
daily
starting
point,
and
the
fish
weren’t
far
from
there.
Largemouth
Bass
ranging
from
12”
to
18
˝”
became
the
normal
catch
of
the
day.
Only
a
few
pan
fish
decided
to
bite,
and
several
nice
size
pickerel
were
landed.
Since,
Scott
was
my
guide
for
those
weeks
of
September
and
October,
I
can’t
divulge
his
prime
spots
because
a
vow
of
secrecy
was
given.
I
can
tell
you
that
the
lures
mentioned
above
seduced
some
good
fighting
fish,to
bite.
Fishing
is
an
exciting
sport,
and
if
you
can
share
the
thrills
and
disappointments
with
a
family
member
or
friend,
it
is
all
that
more
fulfilling.
Plan
a
day’s
trip
on
one
of
these
lakes,
try
to
relax
and
enjoy
what
Nature
brings
your
way.
Not
all
things
that
Bite
are
bad!
Good
Fishing… |
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Editors
Note:
Author
and
avid
angler
Michael
Harvan
sent
this
article
along
to
help
and
inspire
fishing
interest
among
our
younger
generation
and
other
handicapped
adults.
Please
visit
Michael's
personal
website
for
a
compilation
of
Michael's
interesting
and
educational
articles.
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