Storm Front Northerns

When I was a kid I had a neighbor who closed up his auto repair business on those hot humid summer days when you could hardly breathe so he could go fishing. Those big black thunder clouds would be building in the west and he’d head out for the Wisconsin River bottoms with a little 10 foot wooden duck boat with an old guy who rowed the boat for him while he cast Daredevils.

I don’t think he ever came home without at least 4 or 5 big toothy northerns sloshing around in the bottom of that little boat and to a kid who was used to catching bluegills, they made quite an impression.

Many years later when I acquired a little john boat of my own I began doing the same thing and the results have almost always been the same. The only difference is that I very seldom keep a northern but choose to let them go after I’ve caught them. The catching part is the same and the action is usually fast and furious.

There is something about the pressure change when those storm fronts move through that makes northerns go crazy. Many times you will get a strike on every cast you make. If you miss a strike, slow down and often you’ll get another hit before you get your bait back to the boat. I’m not sure of what makes them so crazy or angry but it sure is a lot of fun. The only thing you must do is keep an eye on the storm. The wind can get pretty serious and it’s not a good idea to be waving a graphite rod around in the air when lightning is flashing.

If you ever get the chance to fish just before a summer storm, do it. I guarantee it will be an hour of fishing that you’ll long remember.

Dan Bomkamp - author and host of the radio show "How's Fishing"