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General => General Discussion => Topic started by: jmatheny9 on 01/27/14 19:07 UTC

Title: Warm water discharge
Post by: jmatheny9 on 01/27/14 19:07 UTC
As the temps get right around 10 degrees I've been itching to get fishing. I've been thinking about how and drawing a blank until now. There is a warm water discharge that goes into the river close to my house and there has to be fish huddled up there! I just need to know how to catch them this time of year... Any ideas?

P.s. The warm water is coming from a smaller power plant


                   -Jeremiah
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: MO QWACK on 01/27/14 19:27 UTC
I know that some times they can be rather shallow in the discharge. I use a 2.5 fry under a slip float that way you can fish any depth. I toss it in the current flip my spinning reel bail open and let the bait float in the current as natural as possible. Some time I have to hand feed it line to get the perfect drift. This tactic is great for bass, crappie stripers and about everything else . Don't be scare to fish 2-6 foot deep
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: matt on 01/27/14 19:33 UTC
This time of year you can't ask for nothing better
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: jmatheny9 on 01/27/14 19:35 UTC

I know that some times they can be rather shallow in the discharge. I use a 2.5 fry under a slip float that way you can fish any depth. I toss it in the current flip my spinning reel bail open and let the bait float in the current as natural as possible. Some time I have to hand feed it line to get the perfect drift. This tactic is great for bass, crappie stripers and about everything else . Don't be scare to fish 2-6 foot deep
do you fish the fry with a jig head or just a hook?


                   -Jeremiah
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: DobynsTriton on 01/27/14 19:52 UTC
i caught about 35 Tennessee Tarpon (skipjack herring) from a steamplant using the 2.5'' fry in chartreuse pepper. depending on how the water is movin you might have to use a heavier head
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: MO QWACK on 01/27/14 19:54 UTC
do you fish the fry with a jig head or just a hook?


                   -Jeremiah
I like the 1/8th minnow in current but I have caught a ton tossing 32 and 16 heads without a float on a slack line letting it tumble in the current. The key is finding what current line the fish are holding on. I find most the fish are in the second slowest current on the discharge but you never know. Watch the foam bubbles or leafs and they will help you see what the current is doing. A dead current spot or eddy among strong current can be killer!
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: matt on 01/27/14 20:38 UTC
I need some cat fish bait DobynsTriton you can sent me some hahah :P
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: DobynsTriton on 01/28/14 01:57 UTC
I need some cat fish bait DobynsTriton you can sent me some hahah :P

Lol youd have alot. They were all about 10"-12" except a few
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: jmatheny9 on 01/28/14 10:58 UTC
I must suck at winter fishing. Third try and still no fish haha, can't wait til spring


                   -Jeremiah
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: DobynsTriton on 01/28/14 11:27 UTC
I must suck at winter fishing. Third try and still no fish haha, can't wait til spring


                   -Jeremiah

try 8-10 lb fluro on it . personally i cast & hop it kinda on the fall before it gets carried off
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: Partycrasher on 01/29/14 08:52 UTC
I'm not into fishing through a hole in the ice either, so I look for any open water I can find in the Milwaukee Harbor.  The pictures are from Sunday 1-26-14.  Caught and released 5 nice Browns.  It was 6 degrees with a west wind at 28 mph and sideways snow coming down.  Wind chill factor was somewhere around -25 degrees.  I got 2 on crankbaits, one on a pearl white blade bait (Style ZV), and two on a pearl white 3" Carrot on a 1/4 ounce Darter Head jig.  Urban fishing at it's best.  Downtown Milwaukee, WI.
(http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo209/twinsplusoneDIS/IMGP4619.jpg)
(http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo209/twinsplusoneDIS/IMGP4620.jpg)
(http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo209/twinsplusoneDIS/IMGP4615.jpg)
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: Denny Welch on 01/29/14 09:08 UTC
Way to go, Marc.
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: Partycrasher on 01/29/14 10:26 UTC
Thanks Denny.  I'd love to tell you how tough I was but I am warm as toast under all that gear.  My recipe for warmth is Cabela's ECWCS polar weight base layer, Simms Winter pants, polar fleece or a heavyweight hoodie, and then a good down filled hunting jacket and bibs.  Oh and good old pair of circa Korean war Mickey Mouse boots.  On my head (below my Do-It hat) is a critical piece that keeps your head/neck warm which is the Carhartt  A-267 helmet liner.  Its the best $18 you will ever spend if you fish in the cold.  With this gear on I can fish down to about -10 for 3-4 hours.
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: ctom on 01/29/14 11:04 UTC
Great looking fish Marc.

That snoopy liner is the clear thing. I have a friend who works for one of the utility companies here and he slips me one each year....thinsulate. Warmer than warm. I can not wear that liner if I am working regardless of how cold it is. I love mine for stand hunting when the wind comes up or the temps go down. Keep the head, the hands and the feet warm and 95% of staying comfortable in the cold is taken care of. The other 5% comes from keeping any breezes off the area of your kidneys. They lay close to the skin's surface and if they are getting chilled the blood going thru them is getting chilled and you get cold.
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: Denny Welch on 01/29/14 11:08 UTC
Marc...those Mickey Mouse boots sure bring back memories.  I spent almost a year at Fort Sill, OK in the mid-60's followed by a couple years in Germany.  Often times those Mickey Mouse boots were part of the uniform of the day.  Solid rubber.  We'd pour out the sweat at the end of the day, but they sure kept the feet warm.  It looks like you were on the fringe of frostbite with that one ungloved hand.
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: Botanophilia on 01/29/14 11:45 UTC
Very nice!  I've been thinking about driving down to the Port Washington harbor and trying in the warm outflow there.  I'd probably only find trout though and no trout stamp. 
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: Partycrasher on 01/29/14 12:51 UTC
CTom, I didn't know that about the kidneys.  Good tip. 

Yes, the Mickey Mouse boots are heavy and don't breath, but for a few hours at a time they are the warmest thing I have found.  My father-in-law reported the same thing you mentioned.  SWEAT!  I wouldn't want to wear them all day although a lot of the construction guys I worked with did.  Either your legs would get very strong or it would wreck your knees. 

I only had the glove off for the photo.  Then right back on.  Insulated waterfowl hunting gloves have worked best for me over the years. 

Botanophhilia, They should be hitting at Port.  The problem there is that there are a lot of spawn dunkers there.  Hard to cast lures and not foul with other lines. 

Thanks,

Marc
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: susquehannasean on 02/03/14 19:23 UTC
When fishing a warm water discharge, water temp is the key.  If the discharge water is over 45 you can use anything from jigs to jerkbaits.  I've seen warm water discharges over 55, at that temp you could even throw spinnerbaits.  We fish the breaks where the warm water meets the main cold stem. 
Title: Re: Warm water discharge
Post by: Jerry V on 02/03/14 20:06 UTC
That's some solid info Sean.

I thought we've been missing something around here lately.  It's good to hear from you again.   :)