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A mixed bag on the Tusc

2K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  GMR_Guy 
#1 · (Edited)
Tuesday's bite was a fraction of Monday's bite and all species of fish were tight-lipped. I canoed out of Canal Fulton Canoe Livery, this time taking the trip from Clinton to Canal Fulton. The initial stretch was unimpressive. There wasn't hardly any decent spots until you get to where Chippewa Creek dumps into the Tusc, adding substantial volume to the flow. Nevertheless, within 10 minutes of launching, an estimated 20 inch pike creamed my bait, but managed to free himself within a second or two of getting hooked. The Chippewa was running a little bit muddy, having received a downpour from the night before. This slightly muddied the water and it had me rethinking my lure color choice. But regardless of lure color, the fish were not very cooperative. A 26 inch pike was my only catch for the rest of the canoe trip. Interestingly, a couple of anglers that I passed early in the trip also reported catching a small pike in that seemingly worthless initial stretch of the Tusc.

I went back to the hotel, got a bite to eat, put some dry clothes on, and headed back to the Tusc to do some shorefishing for bowfin. Catching bluegill for bait was super easy. Drawing upon my carping background, I chummed often with chunks of bluegill and this seemed to bring in the bowfin and the turtles. I only landed three bowfin in the 18 to 21 inch range, but hooked twice as many. The biggest snapping turtle I ever hooked, probably 15 to 20 lbs, fortunately unhooked himself as I tried to drag him onto the bank. The biggest surprise was when I caught a photogenic 20 inch northern on a piece of cut bluegill suspended a few inches above the bottom. While I am aware that pike are particularly vulnerable to whole, dead fish in the pre-spawn period, I have never heard of anybody catching a pike on a chunk of bluegill meat in summertime. Judging by the little bulges in its stomach, it may have ate some of my chummed pieces.
 

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#3 ·
Your the second one I've heard of ... LOL .... My son caught a 22" pike last week in the Tusc on a "cut bluegill" .... I read on-line its really no that uncommon. go figure
Maybe this could be the start of something. I do know that a lot of pike in the Tusc hug the shoreline. The pike that took the bluegill came about 18 inches from shore in about 2 to 3 feet of water. I'd really like to test the theory, but I live about 4 hours away from the Tusc and can't fish there very often. Maybe a live bluegill could be fished above and a "bed" of chopped bluegill. There is a lot of different stuff that could be tried.

Some carpers will chum 50 to 200 lbs of bait in a single day. I'm more conservative and probably hand out 10 to 20 lbs of freebies. If I were to chum for cats and bowfin, I would use several dozen bluegill.
 
#5 ·
Which river do you like better? The GMR or Tusc?

A few observations for you.

The Chippawa Creek is ALWAYS muddy. It's a dredged, channelized creek whose water level can vary by 10-15' (yes feet) a day depending on rainfall.

I have caught bowfin and northern all summer long in the Chipp on cut bluegill, cut shad, cut chubs, nightcrawlers and shrimp. Any kind of meat tightlined on the bottom.
I never chum my meat:eek:, but I do chum corn when fishing for carp on the Chipp and Tusc. I also chum various spots with corn from the garden that's too old or too tough to eat on a regular basis.
It's cool that you come up here to NEO and are having success.
 
#6 ·
Which river do you like better? The GMR or Tusc?

A few observations for you.

The Chippawa Creek is ALWAYS muddy. It's a dredged, channelized creek whose water level can vary by 10-15' (yes feet) a day depending on rainfall.

I have caught bowfin and northern all summer long in the Chipp on cut bluegill, cut shad, cut chubs, nightcrawlers and shrimp. Any kind of meat tightlined on the bottom.
I never chum my meat:eek:, but I do chum corn when fishing for carp on the Chipp and Tusc. I also chum various spots with corn from the garden that's too old or too tough to eat on a regular basis.
It's cool that you come up here to NEO and are having success.
I prefer the Tusc over the GMR. While pike are present in the GMR at and above Dayton, catching them is not a common event. Bowfin are not present in the GMR. The GMR, at least in the Middletown area has good flathead and channel cat fishing. Smallmouth and saugeye are available also. I guess I just enjoy the pike in the Tusc so much because I have never lived where there is a fishable population of pike. The strikes are so dramatic!

I will definitely being make one or two more trips to the Tusc before the year is over.

Chumming is something that really should be tried for bowfin - and pike. If I lived up there, I would take it to the extreme, chumming with several pounds of cut bluegill.

Thanks for the info on your success with pike on cut bait as this adds to the evidence that this can be a successful tactic. I may spend a day trying to catch one again using cut bait. If I do, my bait will be no more than 18 inches from shore. Then I will make sure to back far away from the water so as not to spook any shore roaming pike.
 
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