GREAT NIGHT TIME BITE GOING ON RIGHT NOW!!!!

Greetings All:
Well, with this heat wave we have been experiencing here in the Midwest, I, along with other anglers I know have turned to the night bite fishing on the Mississippi River. With high humidity and a scorching Sun, fishing during the day has become a big no-no for me. Heading out at dusk and fishing into the wee hours of the night has produced some great catches this last week. Excellent numbers of catfish along with some great bass fishing was well worth losing some sleep over. 

Fish those backwater areas along with the channels that lead to them with dip bait and you will catch a bunch of tasty catfish. For you bass anglers, try tossing top water lures near structure and hold on. Frog type lures working very well when fished slow on the surface. 

Give it a try, night fishing the Mississippi, it's a wonderful way to beat the heat and catch some great fish.

Regards: Lastcast   Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com  

WEEKEND LOOKING GOOD ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER!!!

Greetings All:
If your planning on doing some fishing on the Mississippi River this weekend, look for some good fishing available. Lots of white bass from Pools 10 to 13. Hit those steep tapering rocky shorelines by casting jigs. White hair jigs have worked well for me this week in the 1/4th. Ounce size. I have also been working the flooded sand flats with excellent results. 

For you catfish anglers, hit those backwaters with that stink bait. Lots of cats hitting well.  Bass anglers using plastics are doing well also. Fish weed edges and also downed timber. Spinnerbaits also catching some nice bass. 

Weather looking good this so hopefully you can get out and enjoy.

Regards: Lastcast   Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com 

NIGHT TIME CATFISHING A REAL BLAST!!!!

Greetings All:
If you have never fished for catfish at night you are missing a real treat. With the hot weather here the night time bite has been very good. Get into those backwaters that you would normally fish and you will be surprised at how much better the action is after dark. One thing I want you to keep in mind though is that after dark, everything will look different as you make your way into these areas. No matter how well you know an area, it looks completely different. With that in mind, use caution and run slow. 

As far as the catfishing, use a good quality dip bait and the cats will love it. I have been getting out the last few nights to beat the heat and have done very well with many nice catfish being caught. Keep your bait on or near the bottom and the catfish will find it. One last thing, bring along some bug spray if there is no breeze to help fight off the bugs. I have been using one of those buckets that contain repellant. You simply lite the wick and set it on the floor of your boat. The smoke it produces works well to deter the skeeters and gnats. 

If you have never tried night time catfishing, now is a perfect time. Once you try it and see the results you will be hooked on it.

Regards: Lastcast   Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com

UPCOMING HOLIDAY WEEKEND FISHING ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER

Greetings All:
Well, here we are on the door step of another Fourth of July holiday. Many folks are hitting the road for their favorite recreation areas along the Mississippi River. For you folks planning on doing some fishing this holiday, you can get a few fish even though the river is high and dirty. 

Look for some excellent catfish action in the many backwaters and slough areas on dip baits. G&S Cheese bait has been doing well for me with many nice cats coming in. Get deep into the flooded areas and fish near flooded structure laying in the water. If you do not get a bite in 15 minutes or so, move to another snag location and try again.

For you bass anglers, both small mouth and largemouth bass are hitting topwater baits early and late in the day. Work the weed areas with a varied retrieve for best results. Another method working well is both plastic worms and lizards fished weedless in heavy cover areas. 

One last thing, bring along bug spray as the Buffalo Gnats are terrible. Also the ticks and skeeters.

Happy Fourth of July to all. Enjoy the holiday weekend and stay safe.

Lastcast   Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com 

MISSISSIPPI RIVER CURRENTLY DANGEROUS!!!!

Greetings All:
If you are making plans to fish the Mississippi River this upcoming weekend, you might want to reconsider. From Pools 6 through 16, the river is very high and at flood stages throughout. 
Dangerous conditions exist on the river and for all practical purposes, fishing is at a standstill. Boating is not advised due to the river conditions. Recent heavy rains, up to 10 inches in some locations has turned the Mississippi into a very dangerous river to be out on. 

So if you are making plans, better think of scraping them for another time. This is a very dangerous situation that should not be taken lightly. 

Regards: Lastcast   Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com

HEAVY STORMS CAUSING VERY TOUGH FISHING ON THE MISSISSIPPI!!!

Greetings All:
 Well, with the very heavy rains and storms which still continue, the Mississippi is rising and very dirty. Almost looks like chocolate milk at this time. Also much floating junk in the water. Everything from whole trees to docks can be seen floating away. 
Best bet if you want to get out is to hit the backwaters. You can still catch a few catfish on dip baits. Most other species are off the bite due to the tough conditions. With more rain forecast and the river rising again to flood stage, look for very tough fishing to continue for a while. 

Keep checking back here for updates as I will try to keep you informed of the latest happenings on the Mississippi.

Regards: Lastcast   Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com 

GREAT BACKWATER CATFISH ACTION!!!

Greetings All;
Spent the earlier part of the day backtrolling nightcrawlers in the Mississippi River backwaters of Pool-13. What a great time it was. Was using a simple, homemade spinner rig with a small salmon egg hook. Attached some of my "Homegrown" nightcrawlers and the catfish were eating this rig up. Hook the crawler once through the nose end and as you troll it the crawler stretches out and the catfish seem to love this setup. Try and troll with the bait a few feet off the bottom for best results. Simply troll the backwater areas near structure and hang on. The catfish hit this rig very hard so make sure you are holding your fishing rod tight. You can also use rod holders if you prefer but I like the hands on method myself. 

There is a great catfish bite going on so hopefully you can get out and enjoy it. By the way, the above mentioned method will work in all pools of the Mississippi and other rivers that contain catfish. 

Well, the deep fryer is up to temperature and the fillets are breaded and ready to fry so I have to run for now. Bet you can guess what I'm having for supper, LOL.

Regards: Lastcast   Mike Cyze   Lastcast13@yahoo.com

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