JACK WOLLITZ Crowds go, fish remain

The crowds are gone, but the fish are still out there prowling the points and channel breaks in search of food to build their energy reserves for the cold months ahead.
Many anglers have put their fishing tackle away and redirected their attention to hunting and football, making room for those who can't resist adding another trip or two to their favorite waters for walleyes, crappies and bass.
Good in mid-autumn
One of the better places in northeast Ohio for mid-autumn action is Mosquito Creek Reservoir. Walleyes and crappies are the primary target for those who continue their fishing seasons through November.
The crappies are ganged up off shore around any brush piles still under the receding water level. Look for the biggest congregations on the cover at the south end of the sprawling reservoir. The best action often is with fish suspending around the brush piles and stump flats in eight to 15 feet of water. Crappies also can be caught by shore-bound anglers working the rip-rap walls in the state park marina and on the dam.
Tiny chartreuse jigs tipped with small minnows or maggots retrieved slowly around the cover will attract bites if the fish are in the vicinity. Live minnows and maggots under slip-bobber rigs set to suspend bait over the same areas also will produce.
Anglers looking for November walleyes also will find plenty of fish still to be caught at Mosquito.
Walleyes are feeding on shad and small perch on the stump flats and long, tapering points. Some nice fish are being caught by anglers drifting with jig-and-minnow rigs. It's also a good idea to try hopping Vib-E's, Cicadas and other metal jigging lures, because they enable anglers to cover more water to find schools of active fish.
Critical factor
The wind can be a critical factor for fall walleyes. Those who learn to work with the wind and the resulting currents it generates often are more successful than those who tuck themselves on the lee side of the lake. The breeze pushes the food chain into places where walleyes and other game species instinctively are positioned to take advantage of the baitfishes' movements.
Similar tactics also will yield good walleyes this time of the year at Berlin Reservoir. The lake's low water level has concentrated the walleyes in the lower end of the lake, where anglers find them around the points and channel edges.
Bass anglers continue to find some largemouths at Mosquito, where they can hook up on breezy or overcast days with spinnerbaits and small crankbaits bouncing around the shallow cover. If the sun is high and the wind calm, try pitching jig-and-pig combos around rocks or stumps.
Smallmouth and largemouth bass and hybrid stripers can be caught at Shenango Reservoir in Pennsylvania.
Your best bet for action will be around the numerous points and rip-rap areas. Look for rocks and stumps and hit them with crankbaits, spinnerbaits and jigs until you find bait the fish favor.
For smallies in any of the local waters, crawfish or chartreuse crankbaits often are all an angler needs to toss this time of the year. It is important to keep the bait bouncing off the bottom cover and structure.
Be advised, however, to hang on tight. Some of the biggest smallmouth bass of the season are up and active right now and a well-placed crankbait is one of the best ways to hook up.
jwwollitz@aol.com