# first time poster



## mrCROWLEY138 (Aug 1, 2007)

I'm pretty new to northern fishing. I kind of accidentally stumbled upon a good spot earlier this year when the northerns were shallow in bays, and it really peeked my interest. I fish from shore mostly, so my options are limited, but I was just wondering if there is still hope for fishing those same bays in the late summer months because the action has really slowed down lately, or would I be better off packin up and searching for a new place?

P.S. I live in La Crosse, WI (west central WI on the Mississippi) if anyone knows where that is. If you know some good spots near there and were willing to let me in on them I would appreciate it. Thanks a lot.


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## waterwolf (Oct 15, 2003)

> P.S. I live in La Crosse, WI (west central WI on the Mississippi) if anyone knows where that is. If you know some good spots near there and were willing to let me in on them I would appreciate it. Thanks a lot.


Great area, have not fished the area since I was little. I'm sure there are some on here that have and do fish your area.

Good luck and :welcome:


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

I'm sure your best bet will be this fall before it freezes as they are in eating-machine mode.


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## mrCROWLEY138 (Aug 1, 2007)

Thanks for the help. Just an add-on question: When fishing with spoons, what kind of retreive do you prefer? I like to let the spoon sink for probably 15-30 seconds then use a moderately slow retreive with the occasional jerk to give the spoon an erratic look. I used to just use a straight retreive which worked well until I was sight fishing a dogfish (bowfin) and it wouldn't react until one time I decided to give the spoon a little jerk and the fish basically doubled over itself to get at it. I don't know if the same thing holds true for northern but I would assume it does. Makes sense that it would anyway.


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## Southwest Fisher (May 14, 2004)

Usually if they are hungry and/or aggresive at all they will succumb to the straight retrieve, but I have friends that have coaxed bites by "jigging" spoons or throwing in jerks during retrieve. Maybe that's why the Husky Jerk Rapalas work so well on days when nothing else works - it seems like too easy of prey.
You can also try mixing it up with RedEye Spoons or Johnson Weedless, sometimes if I get nothing I just try a spoon with a different wobble.


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