here is the way i get each of these sp. in the states...also i will explain my "off the bottom rig" in the first fish and will just reference it as so in the future fish....
lake sturgeon- i use a slip sinker on a lindy rig off the bottom...i have a colored #4 octopus hook with a 1-2" leader from the barrel swivel and the weight...i use night crawler for bait and normaly 1/2 a crawler is more then enough...i catch hundreds over the years...check my sturgeon thread for current numbers and fish pics...
common carp- mainly i use the "off the bottom rig"...the hook is normally a inch long j-style hook, like a gold aberdeen hook...i like to get the frozen gold and white curnnel corn...fill the hook and toss it out...they can't help but to eat it...i also go to a inlet tube off a dam and will put so bread in a ball around my hook...then i put the bait 1-2" below the surface...then bunjee the rod to the rail...carp come up due to the minnows eatting at the bread and eat the bread...if you don't bunjee your rod you will lose it i know first hand...another of my top ways is to use oatmeal...make a paste with it put it on your hook and let it sit, use light weights or the oatmeal will get ripped off...this works extremly well in pressured waters...
northern pike- spinner baits and crank baits are always the best for pike...i love topwater bites so i tend to use them when i can...white with a green trailor or black with orange blades and a orange trailor are good all water color combo, but experiment with you waters and see what they prefure...also if you just want to kick back...throw a med. sucker on a float that is just able to hold the sucker up and crack a beer, good times good times...
sunfish/bluegill- ultralites and small tube jigs never fail...do a slow retrive with a small tube or minnow jig and you are sure to get some...also, slip bobbers with small flu flus/ flies and waxies, worms, leeches or minnows are a sure thing...
crappie- same as sunfish...if you can get in a boat focus on the reefs and weed patches in the middle of the lakes...i get limits of 14"+ at 12 noon on blue bird days off of reefs...
muskie- i am partial to larger baits, but my dad goes with smaller baits...we do simmilarly well...on heavy pressured lakes go way bigger or way smaller to produce fish...target rock piles weed edges both inside and outside...i can't begin to count the number of 50"+ fish i encounter in 3" or less at ALL times of the day...most real active bites are at dawn and dusk...if you can do it, try night fishing with black stick baits on clear full moon nights...if it is cloudy you can still get some, but the full moon is best...same as norther pikes if you want to kick back throw a sucker on a float and crack a beer...
walleye/ sauger- bottom bouncers and crawler harnesses are a go to in all situations...i also like small minnow jigs...focus on rocks and sand next to weeds for best numbers...10-15' is a good depth for most of the year...if you are looking for some fun go to weed shallow flats in the spring and throw you ultralite rig for panfish with tubes, minnow jigs or drag a crawler, leech or minnow through them for monster females ready to spawn...
white bass- small silver spoons on ultralites are fantastic...i have also started using minnow jigs with some great results...find fish busting the surface and minnow jumping...then throw to them with the spoon or jigs and slow retrive...they are agressive and smack the bait hard...cover is not all that important for them, but i do well drifting the river and throwing into the deadfall and i get them just off the dead fall...
yellow perch- in summer you will find them mixed with the sunfish, but more on the edges of weed beds and drop offs...use the same baits and rigs as with crappies and sunnies...in winter find snad flats in 20-40' of water... use tear drops and jigging spoons with minnows and waxies...best times are early and late ice( use common sence on the ice conditions PLEASE, every year i see way to many idiots out on thin or water logged ice...DON'T DO IT THEY ARE NOT WORTH IT)
small mouth bass- rocks and sand flats will hold smallies...you will often find them with walleyes...crank baits and spinners work well...stick baits/ jerk baits also are great for suspending smallies...
large mouth bass- hit the weeds and pads with plastic worms and spinner baits...when they are deep jig'n'pigs work well...top water is another of my favorite ways to get them...i get alot of bass when i am casting spinner baits for northerns and muskie aswell...
catfish- off the bottom rigs with liver, suckers, crawler and stink baits are great for them...go on the hottest, humidest nights and you will be rewarded...
redhorse suckers- off the bottom rigs with crawlers, just like the lake sturgeons...i get lots of suckers as entertainment when i go for sturgeons...they are also great off the smoker...
fresh water drum (sheepshead)- same as the redhorse...i have not eatten any, but i know of some people that have and they have said they are good eatting...
hope this helps some of you catch some more fish...if you would like some other fish let me know i can write something up for them...
lake sturgeon- i use a slip sinker on a lindy rig off the bottom...i have a colored #4 octopus hook with a 1-2" leader from the barrel swivel and the weight...i use night crawler for bait and normaly 1/2 a crawler is more then enough...i catch hundreds over the years...check my sturgeon thread for current numbers and fish pics...
common carp- mainly i use the "off the bottom rig"...the hook is normally a inch long j-style hook, like a gold aberdeen hook...i like to get the frozen gold and white curnnel corn...fill the hook and toss it out...they can't help but to eat it...i also go to a inlet tube off a dam and will put so bread in a ball around my hook...then i put the bait 1-2" below the surface...then bunjee the rod to the rail...carp come up due to the minnows eatting at the bread and eat the bread...if you don't bunjee your rod you will lose it i know first hand...another of my top ways is to use oatmeal...make a paste with it put it on your hook and let it sit, use light weights or the oatmeal will get ripped off...this works extremly well in pressured waters...
northern pike- spinner baits and crank baits are always the best for pike...i love topwater bites so i tend to use them when i can...white with a green trailor or black with orange blades and a orange trailor are good all water color combo, but experiment with you waters and see what they prefure...also if you just want to kick back...throw a med. sucker on a float that is just able to hold the sucker up and crack a beer, good times good times...
sunfish/bluegill- ultralites and small tube jigs never fail...do a slow retrive with a small tube or minnow jig and you are sure to get some...also, slip bobbers with small flu flus/ flies and waxies, worms, leeches or minnows are a sure thing...
crappie- same as sunfish...if you can get in a boat focus on the reefs and weed patches in the middle of the lakes...i get limits of 14"+ at 12 noon on blue bird days off of reefs...
muskie- i am partial to larger baits, but my dad goes with smaller baits...we do simmilarly well...on heavy pressured lakes go way bigger or way smaller to produce fish...target rock piles weed edges both inside and outside...i can't begin to count the number of 50"+ fish i encounter in 3" or less at ALL times of the day...most real active bites are at dawn and dusk...if you can do it, try night fishing with black stick baits on clear full moon nights...if it is cloudy you can still get some, but the full moon is best...same as norther pikes if you want to kick back throw a sucker on a float and crack a beer...
walleye/ sauger- bottom bouncers and crawler harnesses are a go to in all situations...i also like small minnow jigs...focus on rocks and sand next to weeds for best numbers...10-15' is a good depth for most of the year...if you are looking for some fun go to weed shallow flats in the spring and throw you ultralite rig for panfish with tubes, minnow jigs or drag a crawler, leech or minnow through them for monster females ready to spawn...
white bass- small silver spoons on ultralites are fantastic...i have also started using minnow jigs with some great results...find fish busting the surface and minnow jumping...then throw to them with the spoon or jigs and slow retrive...they are agressive and smack the bait hard...cover is not all that important for them, but i do well drifting the river and throwing into the deadfall and i get them just off the dead fall...
yellow perch- in summer you will find them mixed with the sunfish, but more on the edges of weed beds and drop offs...use the same baits and rigs as with crappies and sunnies...in winter find snad flats in 20-40' of water... use tear drops and jigging spoons with minnows and waxies...best times are early and late ice( use common sence on the ice conditions PLEASE, every year i see way to many idiots out on thin or water logged ice...DON'T DO IT THEY ARE NOT WORTH IT)
small mouth bass- rocks and sand flats will hold smallies...you will often find them with walleyes...crank baits and spinners work well...stick baits/ jerk baits also are great for suspending smallies...
large mouth bass- hit the weeds and pads with plastic worms and spinner baits...when they are deep jig'n'pigs work well...top water is another of my favorite ways to get them...i get alot of bass when i am casting spinner baits for northerns and muskie aswell...
catfish- off the bottom rigs with liver, suckers, crawler and stink baits are great for them...go on the hottest, humidest nights and you will be rewarded...
redhorse suckers- off the bottom rigs with crawlers, just like the lake sturgeons...i get lots of suckers as entertainment when i go for sturgeons...they are also great off the smoker...
fresh water drum (sheepshead)- same as the redhorse...i have not eatten any, but i know of some people that have and they have said they are good eatting...
hope this helps some of you catch some more fish...if you would like some other fish let me know i can write something up for them...
