Waters Low at Spruce..........

[GetANet]

Went up this afternoon since I have had some what better luck in the evenings this year. With no herring to be had this weekend today I took another goose from Spruce! I have to say this has been an OFF year for me anyway as far as the Hybrids go. Had some pretty good days and caught a few nice fish but for the most part its been a real battle to consistently put together a good catch every week. They have been lowering the water for a while now and now have removed one of the docks and the remaining one is barely in the water as of today so I would expect it to be gone in the next week. Just wanted to get the word out for anyone planning on launching there. It's like it is in the late fall when you are launching from the shoreline.

[flatcreek]

Took a goose sat morning with herring. The low water can be a pain to launch but it does concentrate the fish. I've spent four years trying to figure these fish out and the only thing for sure is there real fun to catch. Anyway what's the deal with herring? I heard that they only got real small ones this week.

[Ratso]

Water is dropping in north jersey as well, it's been dry. No herring to be had up north of 80 either. Only good thing is it keeps your bait costs down.

[buzzbaiter]

Lower water = less watercraft traffic. This is always a good thing for fish & angler.

Concentrates fish too and more exposed cover(drop offs/rocks/stumps/sunken trees et al) to target. Only downside is weeds that were submerged are now on the surface and quite difficult to fish through/around.

[jimmythegreek]

Dows has 2 issues ....... first is the bait traps are on pvc poles that are max 20ft long, so they are never in more than 18fow, she usually places them near dropoffs so the herring can easily be brought into the lights. Well as of the last week or two, LH's herring are moving into the fall pattern already. Last week I trolled in 28-35fow and picked up all my fish there, there were guys working a point even deeper hooking up. Yesterday was slow I only got 2 fish in 3 hours, but the big one came in 40fow moving around an anchored 35footer, bait balls everywhere in the deep right now.

second issue is theres LOTS of young of the year herring, 1-2inchers, and the wholesaler has been getting complaints from bait shops who hear it from their customers, and it gets back to Laurie. Not sure if shes pissed or what deal is but they are NOT wholesaling for the time being. This means NO herring for a while, unless u wanna goto dows to get it from the source. Sucks for the bait fisherman, and for people that rely on the business to stay alive, hope the shops make it thru

[lunkertaker]

I have had my best days at the Spruce when the water is way down in the fall. Launching to the right of the ramp as you look at the lake is really no problem. Mainly fished for LMB, SMB, and the occasional pike and pickerel along the weed lines. When the level is down, the fish are more concentrated.