| Fish That Bite
Kids like action. It’s always best take youngsters fishing for fish that don’t require much skill to catch and are fairly cooperative most of the time.
Here are best bets:
TOP CHOICE: BLUEGILLS
Bluegills and other small sunfish are abundant in freshwaters around the state. They don’t get big, but they are super competitive and almost always willing to bite a baited hook.
Best places: Shaded docks, shoreline weed beds, over hanging trees or other cover the fish can use to hide from larger predators.
The bite can be particularly fast when the fish are ganged up in spawning colonies in shallow water from June through August.
Best baits: Small wax worms, grasshoppers, crickets and earthworms. Berkley PowerBait Power Wigglers are a great manufactured bait.
Fishing tip: Use a small hook and small bait to accommodate the bluegill’s tiny mouth. A lightweight bobber like the Thill Shy Bite is a big help for detecting subtle bites.
SECOND CHOICE: CHANNEL CAT
Channel catfish tend to run in large schools and can be highly competitive when feeding. They are among finest eating fish around.
Best places:Channel cat are abundant in many reservoirs and rivers. They can be caught near shore or away from the bank around creek channels and in standing timber.
Best baits: Live shiners,grasshoppers, night crawlers, prepared cheese and punch baits.
Fishing tip: Channel cat feed largely by a keen sense of smell. Baiting a hole with soured grain like maize is a good way to spark a feeding frenzy. Souring grain is easy. Fill a 5-gallon bucket 1/2 to 3/4 full with grain, cover with water and the lid slightly cracked. A few days in sun will give the grain a very poignant odor.
Use a coffee can to spread grain up down the sides of the boat, but don’t use too much. The idea is to lure the fish in, not feed them until they get full.
THIRD CHOICE: CRAPPIE
Crappie spend most of their lives roaming in large schools away from the bank, usually in relation to cover and structure. Considered by many to be one freshwater’s best eating fish.
Best places: Standing timber, docks, bridge pilings and brush piles.
Best baits: Small jigs and live shiners.
Fishing tip: Crappie are prone to suspend in the water column. Once the correct depth is determined, suspend a bait at that depth using a slip cork or on a tight line and and wait for the bite.
FOURTH CHOICE:
WHITE BASS/HYBIDS
White bass and hybrids are a brawny fish with an attitude. They spend summers in open water, usually in large schools. The fish are super aggressive when the dinner bell rings.
Best places: Fast action often occurs away from the bank when the fish are schooling on the surface or grouped on underwater humps, points and roadbeds.
Best baits: Live shiners, cut shad, slab spoons, crankbaits, Rat-L-Traps and topwaters.
Fishing tip: Use the trolling motor to move quietly within casting distance of fish that are schooling on the surface. Outboard engine noise will spook the fish and could spoil a golden opportunity.