Articles : Talking to a Walleye to Catch a Smallmouth

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THE GENEVA CONNECTION:
?? TALKING TO A WALLEYE TO CATCH A SMALL MOUTH ??
By: Steven James Rusteberg

The key to Lake Geneva SMALL MOUTH bass fishing, like any fishing, is finding out who is “in the know” about what is going on in the lake. If there is one thing I have learned over my years of fishing this lake, it is that talking, before fishing, is the key to unlock this mysterious body of water. If you are like me, Lake Geneva is not exactly in your back yard, in fact, from my vantage point it’s not even in my state. How do I know when the smallies are on the move?

To find the SMALLIES, I talk to a WALLEYE! Before you pass over this article, thinking this guy has made one too many casts, remember, the best way to find out what’s going on in a body of water is talking, before fishing! I have found that one of my best sources of information is Walleye’s Unlimited for local Lake Geneva SMALL MOUTH information. This club provides me with several phone numbers (an INTERNET of sorts), for my fishing success. Talking to a Walleye, has put several seventeen, eighteen, and even some nineteen inch smallies in my boat.

Guys like Mike Norris (radio personality/porfesional fisherman), Jerry Goc (local), and Tom Parker (local), practicably live on this lake and can tell you what exactly has been jumping over the past several days. All have their phone numbers listed in the Walleye’s Unlimited club directory. Direct hook up to the lake is literally at your finger tips. Most fishermen in the club will welcome your call. These guys live to fish and if all you get is the answering machine, you will know where they are.

Walleye’s Unlimited has a long history of providing the fisherman with up to date knowledge on where, when, and how to be a successful angler on a regular basis. Membership is thirty-five dollars and will increase your productivity on Geneva, not to mention several other bodies of water in the States and Canada. A fisherman’s directory comes with the membership. If you’re like me, it can take as much as thirty-five dollars just to get to Lake Geneva, and that’s before I launch the boat. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the ability to make a few phone calls to see what is biting, before you make the trip? Perhaps, Lake Geneva smallies are not “on the move” and another body of water near by is a better choice. Once again just one of the many benefits of talking to a Walleye before SMALL MOUTH bass fishing.

A good fisherman will use all sources of information to his advantage. Networking as one would use to get a job, here too, can apply to successful fishing on Lake Geneva as well as any other body of water. Use your sources wisely, in order to make a last minute fishing trip, into a memorable bassin’ afternoon. And always remember, to talk to the Walleye before you fish for the SMALL MOUTH!