RED HOT STRIPER ACTION ON THE MISSISSIPPI!!!

Greetings All:
Well, even with the goofy weather we have been having, the action for big stripers continues to get better. With the high water I have been finding the fish on the flooded sand flats where they are schooling shad and other baitfish to eat. Cast right tight to shore and bring lure back into water. Best lure presentation has been a 1/4th ounce bullet style jig head tipped with a 3" plastic shad body. If you can, get the twister tail style shad bodies as the fish seen to prefer them over the standard paddle tale style. Another hot lure is an all white hair jig in the 1/4th ounce size. Cast these lures on some 6 lb. test line with a long, fast action rod and you have the perfect setup for this type of fishing. 

Lots of really nice stripers in the close to 3 lb. range are available with many smaller fish also. 
This fast action is happening from pool 9 all the way through pool 13. If river conditions stay fairly stable, look for the excellent bite to continue. This morning took 30 huge stripers in less than 45 minutes with lots of little ones caught and released. 

If you have the time, check the weather and head out to the Mississippi for some "Hot" striper action.

Regards: Lastcast  Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com

IT'S CATFISH TIME ON THE RIVER!!!!!

Greetings All;
What a great catfish bite that is going on right now on the Mississippi River. Best part is you do not need any fancy tackle or an expensive boat to enjoy the action. All you need is some nice juicy nightcrawlers, and your in business. 
Right now those hungry cat's are cruising the side sloughs and backwater areas in search of an easy meal. Suspend a crawler on a slip float rig about 2 feet off the bottom near downed structure laying in the water and hang on. The catfish are hitting this rig hard so be ready for a violent strike. Because of this, always have your rod in a rod holder or be holding on to it tight. If you leave it lay loose, the fish might just jerk it overboard.

The upcoming weekend weather is not looking to bad so it's a perfect time to get out and enjoy some of the great catfish action that is available on the river right now. 

Note: While running your boat on the river there is still floating debris just under the surface in many locations. Be extra careful and run slow. Always wear that PFD when the boat is in motion.
 So get yourself a mess of crawlers, head out to your favorite backwater area and enjoy. It's just that simple. 

Regards:  Lastcast  Mike Cyze  lastcast13@yahoo.com  

DON'T LET THE HIGH WATER KEEP YOU HOME!!!

Greetings All:
Well, after a very wet Memorial Day weekend, there is still lots or rain in the forecast. With that in mind, I want to mention that even though the Mississippi is high you can still catch a nice mess of fish with some planning. When the water is high it is still very fishable. As long as the water levels are not constantly going up and down you can go out and pattern the fish. It's that quick rise or drop that scatters the fish making them hard to locate. Right now, with high, stable river levels many species are available to catch.

Good catfish action is available on both cut bait and dip bait. Pan fish, both bluegill & crappie are hitting in the flooded backwater areas near structure. One of my favorites, the stripers are schooling baitfish onto flooded sand flat areas and you can catch them on white hair jigs or plastic shad bodies in the 3" size. Match the color to the forage. For you walleye and sauger anglers, pitch and flip jig/minnow rigs into the flooded willows near the main river side cuts. Some very nice fish available there.  Look for good bass action in the backwaters on top water baits near weed beds and downed timber.

All in all, don't let the high water keep you home. The fish are still there. Search out the locations I talked about and have yourself a ball.

Regards: Lastcast   Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com   

MEMORIAL DAY 2013

Amongst all the picnics and other festivities, LET US NOT EVER FORGET!!!

May God Bless them all...........

Lastcast   Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 2013 OUTDOOR UPDATE!!!

Greetings All:
With the Memorial weekend upon us, may folks will be traveling to their favorite outdoor activity. Fishing, camping or boating, the choice is yours. 
If your going fishing, look for some good action starting on lakes, rivers and farm ponds. All species are in the biting mode and this should make for an enjoyable fishing adventure. For you campers, it's a great time to be outdoors at your favorite camping location. One thing though,,,BRING THE BUG SPRAY!!!  Ticks and Skeeters are out in full force. If your walking through grass, check for ticks. Before heading out it is a good idea to spray your cuffs and socks to help repel them. You boaters?, well just be safe. There will be a lot of boat traffic so stay alert. Don't drink and drive that boat. Last but no means least, wear those PFD's when in operation. 

In closing, lets not forget what the true meaning of Memorial Day is. Say a prayer in your own way for all those that lost their life's defending our freedom and all those still doing the great job our military does to keep us safe. While we enjoy our freedoms here, it is because of all those brave Men and Women that served and continue to serve in the military. 

THANK YOU ALL AND MAY GOD BLESS.

Regards: Lastcast   Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com 

I ASK FOR A MOMENT OF YOUR TIME!!!

Greetings:

I ask all of you that visit this board to, each in your own way ask the Good Lord to shine his blessings on all of those folks in Oklahoma that went through the horrific tornado that caused such death and destruction. It seems like we all, myself included sometimes have a tendency to take things for granted, not realizing how fast our life's can be turned upside down when an event like this happens. May God bless all the living and deceased of this horrific tragedy and may he give them the strength to carry on. You are all in my prayers.

   Lastcast   Mike Cyze    lastcast13@yahoo.com

GREAT FISHING WEEKEND AHEAD ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER!!!

Greetings All:
Well, with another weekend upon us it looks like the fishing on the Mississippi from Pool-9 through 13 is really taking off. Lots of nice white bass available and also some great catfish action starting up. Walleye are spotty but the sauger are cooperating. Jig/minnow rigs for walleye, sauger and also those huge white bass. For the catfish, cut bait still doing their thing. Canned sardines working well also for catfish. In the many backwater areas, look for good panfish action for crappie and bluegills. Crappie tight to timber and gills near emerging weed and grass beds. For you bass anglers, plastics fished in the backwaters doing well. Dark color plastic worms taking many fish. 

There is a chance of some showers on Sunday but Saturday looks great. Hope you can get out and enjoy some great Mississippi River fishing. Have fun, be safe and save a few for me.

Regards: Lastcast   Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com 

COOL TEMPS AND STRONG WINDS,,,BUT HOT FISHING ON THE MISSISSIPPI!!!!!

Greetings All:
Well, not the best weekend weather wise but some hot fishing action on the Mississippi river. Was out the last two day enjoying the fast action for some big white bass (Stripers). With the water levels very high the fish were using the windblown shorelines to school shad and other bait fish to eat. They were pushing this forage very shallow and in depths of 1 foot or less. Casting a white 1/8th ounce hair jig tipped with a white 2" twister tail was the ticket this weekend. Cast the jig right up on to the shoreline and bring it back into the water with a nice steady retrieve. You can add some twitches to the retrieve also. Experiment to see what the fish are looking for to hit. When you get into one of these heavy feeding schools the action is really fast. 
Look for great striper action to continue as the waters warm this coming week. Good action should be available into June before the fish head to their Summer depths which makes them harder to locate. Right now you can have a ball catching these true fighters. Use a light tackle set up for some extra fun. Good luck and enjoy.

Regards: Lastcast,  Mike Cyze,,lastcast13@yahoo.com

RIVER FISHING COMING ALIVE!!!!

Greetings All:
Well, with the warmer temperatures here in the Midwest, the Mississippi River fishing is coming alive. All species of fish are biting and I look for it to only improve as we go through the month of May. One of my favorites during May are the huge white bass that are available. With the high water you can find them schooling small shad and other bait fish onto flooded sand flats. Cast jig/minnow rigs tight to shore and retrieve back to the boat. The fish will attack your offering with muscle. If fishing from shore, cast out and retrieve while changing actions to see what they are hitting. Either way, look for some huge white bass during May and into June. With the river high, hit those flooded areas and enjoy the great fishing that's starting to really turn on.

Regards: Lastcast   Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com  

FARM POND BASS ARE STARTING UP!!!

Greetings All:
 
Finally with some warm weather this last week the fishing in those farm ponds is picking up. I have been checking some of my favorite farm ponds here in the Midwest and the bass fishing it actually quite good. Was out yesterday evening and started throwing a 6" purple plastic worm and the bass were eating it up. Was casting at a 45 degree angle to shore line and retrieving with slight twitches in my retrieve. As the worm was entering the shallows the bass were hitting it hard. In less than an hour, caught and released 13 nice chunky bass in the 3 pound range. 

With cooler weather forecast for the upcoming weekend along with a cool rain, look for those shallow bass to move to deeper water as the cold front arrives. All weekend predicted to be below normal in temperatures and this will drive those fish deeper once again. You can still catch then though by making long casts to the deeper water and working the worm very slow. This will take some fish, even in the cooler conditions. 

I'll tell you folks, the farm ponds are starting to come alive again so if you can, get out to your favorite one that has bass and enjoy some great fishing. 

Note: If you are catching those egg laden female bass, handle then gently and release them to complete their spawn. 

Regards: Lastcast   Mike Cyze,  lastcast13@yahoo.com