Frank Hyla BlogEntry for July 09, 2008
Hi Everyone ~
We finally made it up to the Yahara River to fish some high water. We launched our boat at Babcock Park at the southern end of Lake Waubesa. The Madison Chain is still very high and and still no wake. A very short idle from the launch is the lock that leads to the lower Yahara River. I had fished this area many times in tournaments but the water levels have been so low the last few years that it has been impossible to access. The look of the Yahara is completely different from the Madison chain.
In about five hours of filming we had one other bass boat and a bunch of people in canoes and kayaks, that's it...and it was a weekend. We had the place all to ourselves.
Because of the high water the current was moving pretty fast but that's exactly what you want. The bass were holding at the base of the cattails and were more than eager to jump out at our moving baits. This area of the Yahara has always been one of my favorite places to fish. This isn't the place to catch the fish of a lifetime, but it is a place were you can catch a bunch of 1&1/2 - 3lb. fish. Its also a place to catch a good pike or even a walleye or two.
Give the Yahara a try, just don't tell everyone...
http://www.youtube.com/user/waterlionmedia
Our next filming trip will either be Evergreen lake near Bloomington or one of the Cook County forest preserve lakes. You guys will know first.
This time next week I'll be at ICAST looking at next fishing tackle for 2009, count on Shimano to have a bunch of show winners.
Again thanks to all of you that have come to Riverview Marine in Spring Valley, it's been great helping all of you.
Thanks again!
Frank Hyla Time on the Water Comcast SportsNet Chicago Sunday at 10:30am MyOutdoorTV.com Madison UPN 14 Sunday at 3pm
Publication Date: Jul-09-2008 Entry for July 04, 2008
Hi Everyone ~
We filmed at a pretty neat location last week. We were allowed to film some promotional video on a body of water that will open to the public on August 9th of this year...Whalon Lake located on the Bolingbrook /Naperville boarder. What a neat facility, when it opens there will be a concrete boat ramp and parking for about 20 vehicles. Whalon has every kind of structure possible; grass, rock, slop, drop-offs and wood and it's loaded with bass and they will be stocking more! Whalon will be a great place to go after work or early morning. There aren't that many places close to home to catch your limit and be home for brunch.
I'll have more information before it opens, but here is a sample of the bass fishing it has to offer.
http://www.youtube.com/user/waterlionmedia
I have been catching a bunch of smallies lately on topwater baits. The interesting thing is that it's happening in the middle of the day with bright, sunny skies. If anyones heading to Geneva or Delevan soon give it a try. You'll get some funny looks but it's worth it.
I've seen some of the new Shimano gear coming for '09, you're all going to want some of the new stuff! I'll have more information after ICAST.
Thanks again to all of you that have stopped at Riverview Marine to see me. Its always great to hear your comments and suggestions. I'm also very happy that I was able to save some money for a few of you on new boats.
I'm in the process of putting an "On the Water Bass School" together for next year. More on that to follow.
We'll be filming in the Madison area over the weekend, say hello if you see us! Have a happy and safe 4th of July weekend!
Thanks again!
Frank Hyla Time on the Water Comcast SportsNet Chicago Sunday at 10:30am MyOutdoorTV.com Madison UPN 14 Sunday at 3pm
Publication Date: Jul-04-2008 Entry for June 25, 2008
Hi Everyone ~
Two seasons ago we filmed on a strip pit in Will County. That show produced more response from our viewers than any other show! At that time the property was acquired by the Will County Forest Preserve Dept. We have received many inquiries about when the pits would be open to the public. I've been communicating with the Will County guys for a while, the bad news is the pits might not open for another couple of years. There is a lot that has to be done to the property before it can be ready for the public. But here's the good news, they have another property that's scheduled to open on August 9th of this year. I'll have a chance to view the property this week. This one looks like another winner.
Will county has installed a beautiful concrete boat ramp that will be open to the public. There will be trailer parking for about twenty vehicles. This lake will be trolling motor only and will have plenty of shore access. I will let you guys know more real soon.
This Friday and Saturday I (along with a bunch of boats from Riverview Marine) will be at the Sportsman's Outdoor Expo in Bloomington, IL. Jimmy Houston will be one of the main stage speakers along with many other fishing and hunting guys. Stop by and say hi!. www.jeremiahsportsmen.com/index.html
The high water continues to complicate our filming but it looks like we will be able to get out this week.
You guys will be the first to know!
I was out on some Northern IL pits last week. The topwater bite is in full swing. It looks like we will be having another week of cloudy days. Don't forget to try top water baits.
In the next couple of weeks I will get to see all of next years products from all of my sponsors at the ICAST show in Las Vegas; I will try to let you guys know first about the new products.
Thanks again to all of you that have sent messages. We will have our best year yet in 2009!!!
http://www.youtube.com/user/waterlionmedia
Frank Hyla Time on the Water Comcast SportsNet Chicago Sunday at 10:30am Madison UPN 14 Sunday at 3pm
Publication Date: Jun-25-2008 Entry for June 17, 2008
Publication Date: Jun-17-2008 Entry for May 28, 2008
Hi Guys ~ Time on the Water Comcast SportsNet Chicago Sunday at 10:30am MyOutdoorTV.comMadison UPN 14 Sunday at 3pm Publication Date: May-28-2008 Entry for May 21, 2008
Hi Everyone ~
This is a very good time to fish in our area. Depending on where you're located in our viewing area the bass have either just spawned, are now spawning or will be very soon. The bottom line is that they are all shallow (where we like to catch them) right now. This can also be a very frustrating time to fish as well. This is the time of year when the giants that you wonder about are cruising the shallows looking for a place to bed.
There has always been a stigma attached to bed fishing. I cannot lie, I've done it in tournaments but I always try to catch them either coming in or going out. First, largemouth aren't that easy to catch off beds, you can waste a lot of your fishing day trying to catch a fish that will turn out to be smaller than you think anyway. I've always found it easier and more fun to catch them on moving baits. So here are a few tricks that I use at this time of year.
Pre spawn baits have always consisted of Rattlin raps, spinnerbaits, and now chatterbaits. But once they are in the shallow water and spooky I always go to a wacky rigged trick worm or senco. Something about that slow fall seems to turn on the most spooky fish. Soon after they are done spawning it gets even more fun, this is when I start using the fluke. After the bass spawn they rest a while before returning to there summer home. When they are ready to move they start feeding up in what I think is the best bite of the year. At that time a fluke twitched in front of them is hard to beat. Also this is the time to start throwing top-water baits.
The next month is a great time to fish, get out and enjoy it.
We have had a lot of great response's from our youtube clips. We are going to go back to the beginning of our season for a few. This is a clip from Coffeen Lake earlier this year:
http://www.youtube.com/user/waterlionmedia
As you read this we will be filming with some friends at a couple of new lakes in Wisconsin, I'll include those clips next week.
Our e-mail list continues to grow. Tell your friends to send us a message and we will include them.
I've enjoyed meeting a lot of you at Riverview Marine and no I don't mind when you bring your lake maps!
Talk to you next week, go spend some time on the water!
Frank Hyla Time on the Water Comcast SportsNet Chicago Sunday at 10:30am MyOutdoorTV.com Madison UPN 14 Sunday at 3pm
Publication Date: May-21-2008 Entry for May 13, 2008
Hi Everyone ~
Just a few days ago we filmed our 6th show for the '09 season. Our plan was to fish Lake Como in southern Wisconsin. I have only fished Como one day in my life and that was 25 years ago. I know that Como is a big fish lake and even though I was going there blind I thought that there was a good chance at getting a show.
We launched the boat at 7:00 am. It was an absolutely gorgeous spring day, 70 degrees, light winds and not a cloud in the sky. While it was a beautiful day it's not necessarily a perfect fishing day. I fished for about an hour and a half and caught one small bass and three pike. While I knew that the potential was there, I had stuck in the back of my mind that Lake Delavan was 10 minutes away. I couldn't resist, we put the boat on the trailer and headed north.
We were there on a Tuesday morning. I figured I would be the only boat on the lake but Delavan in the spring time is different. The parking lot was jammed. The word is out, it's a fish factory but there are plenty of fish for everyone.
The main lake temp was still in the low 50s. I could see big bass cruising everywhere but they were real spooky. I threw everything in my box at them without even a look. I went into a marina that we had filmed in a couple of years ago. During the last show the wind was blowing and the sky was all clouds and I threw a spinnerbait over shallow grass and creamed them. This day was different, the water was like glass and not a cloud to be found but the fish were still there.
I had to use my spinning rod and a wacky rigged senco but I caught them again. These bass were even bigger than the last trip. Everyone was a big fat prespawn female. We were able to get a show full of great fish in three or four hours.
Get to Delavan right now. Call in sick, use vacation time, whatever you have to do...right now it's easy. Check out this video link of one of the bass that I caught.
http://www.youtube.com/user/waterlionmedia
We now have all of last years shows available on our site www.timeonthewater.com thanks to www.myoutdoortv.com. Myoutdoortv.com is the future of hunting and fishing shows, watch them anytime from anywhere you can get on-line.
Our next trip will probably be back in southern Wisconsin but we haven't given up on Illinois and Indiana, it's just hard not to hit the Wisconsin lakes in their prime.
A lot of you watched our youtube clip of the lake Michigan smallmouth, wait till you see the rest of the show.
Remember you can stop in and see me anytime at Riverview Marine in Spring Valley. Frank Hyla Time on the Water Comcast SportsNet Chicago Sunday at 10:30am MyOutdoorTV.com Madison UPN 14 Sunday at 3pm Publication Date: May-13-2008 Entry for May 07, 2008
Publication Date: May-07-2008 Entry for April 18, 2008
Hey Everyone ~
We're two for two. Our second trip of the year was Lake Sangchris.This show should be just as good as Coffeen. Sangchris is another power plant lake located in south central Illinois . Like Newton and Coffeen Sangchris is a coal plant with a 25 horse power restriction. After all of the fun we had with our new little Triton aluminum on Coffeen we were ready to go again.
From the water, Newton and Coffeen look a lot alike. Sangchris was different, while both of the other lakes were stained from all of the spring rain, Sangchris remained pretty clear. Both Newton and Coffeen had an occasional stump or lay down located along their banks but Sangchris was absolutely loaded with shoreline cover. Buck-brush, stumps, lay downs, grass or Lily-pads, Sangchris has them all and lots of it.
We started on a bank not far from the ramp, the wind had been hitting this shoreline pretty good stacking up the shad. It didn't take long to trick a few with the same Terminator bait we had used on Coffeen. The action was pretty steady for a while. I caught 7 or 8 good bass between 14 and 20 inches. I even got another one in the 5 pound class off a brush pile near a point. When the fish hit I saw a long flash and at first I thought it might be a pike but when I got a good look, it was another big Illinois bass.
The bite faded and I spent the next few hours struggling for a fish. It wasn't until I picked up a white swimming jig and made a few passes through a pad stem field that I figured them out again.
Sangchris is another great Illinois lake; Its worth a try right now!
Our next trip is this weekend. This time we will be crossing the boarder east in to Indiana .
I will let you all know how we did.
We are only a few weeks from the Wisconsin opening. With the late spring, I think we'll have a great chance at big pre-spawn fish up there.
I've got a few trips in this year using my Shimano Cumara rods. They are the lightest, most sensitive rods I've ever used. Make sure that you check them out.
Very soon, all of the 2008 season will be available on www.myoutdoortv.com; We're working on getting the last 3 seasons on as well, check in for updates.
Frank Hyla Time on the Water Comcast SportsNet Chicago Sunday at 10:30am Madison UPN 14 Sunday at 3pm Publication Date: Apr-18-2008 Entry for April 09, 2008
Hi Guys ~ We made our first filming trip of the year to Coffeen lake. Coffeen is a power plant lake in south central Illinois near the town of Litchfield. Its a coal plant much like Newton and fishes very much the same way. Before heading down I was very concerned about the lake with all of the rain that has been falling down south. There are no conditions harder to fish in than cold, muddy water. Luckily we had neither. The water did have a little color to it but not enough to stop the bass from biting. As far as water temps go we found temps from the high 50s to the high 60s. This was the first time I have fished Coffeen so I was pretty much fishing blind. I had tied on all of the traditional springtime baits. Sugar Shads, Spinnerbaits, Jigs and worms. But since this is a power-plant lake I also had top-waters and buzz-baits handy. I started with a spinner-bait and started covering water. In the first hour or two I caught a couple of 15 inch bass but nothing consistent. I made the decision to travel back toward the hot water discharge to see if the warmer water might have them more active. As I moved up lake I found a series of points with the wind blowing on them. Not only did the wind break up the surface but it pushed a lot of shad near the shore. The next hour or two produced one of the best shows that we have filmed. I caught about 15 fish from 15 inches to one giant about 6 pounds (attached picture). Everyone on a Terminator white and chartreuse double willow spinnerbait. The cool thing about the area was using Side-Imaging sonar to pinpoint the lay-downs on the points.All of the fish were located near them. Coffeen has a 25hp motor limit. You can fish it with your big boat using just the trolling motor but a little boat is the way to go. Wait until you see my pimped out 17 foot Triton aluminum, there was no doubt that we were the kings of the lake. Go to Coffeen right now, You wont be disappointed. Next trip Sangchris, I'll let you all know the results! Frank Hyla Time on the Water Comcast SportsNet Chicago Sunday at 10:30am Madison UPN 14 Sunday at 3pm
Publication Date: Apr-09-2008 |
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