Hey everyone, Captain Anthony Awgul the Lake Nockamixon fishing guide here! As part of my mission to help people catch more and bigger bass, I post free Nockamixon fishing reports at the beginning of each month from April through November as I guide on this lake full-time 5-7 days per week. Also, if you're interested in extra detailed daily Lake Nockamixon Fishing reports and monthly livestreamed Nockamixon fishing seminars, be sure to subscribe to my, "Nockamixon Fishing School" by visiting www.awgulfishing.com/nockamixonfishingschool
October 2024 brought a unique and challenging month of fishing. With over a month of unusual weather conditions, usual patterns were shaken up keeping fish behavior unpredictable. The larger sized bass proved elusive, with just three fish over 5 pounds caught this month. However, our guided trips consistently averaged 3-5 fish per trip (5-10 fish daily across 2-3 trips), with most catches in the 1-2 pound range.
Water temperatures remained relatively stable throughout October. We began the month in the mid-to-upper 60s, gradually cooling to the upper 50s and low 60s by month's end. Despite occasional cold spells, abundant sunshine and a few warmer days have helped keep the water surprisingly warm for the season.
We're in the midst of a record-breaking drought, and Lake Nockamixon’s water levels show it! After an unusually dry September, levels were already low, but October’s even drier conditions have brought the lake down to extremely low levels. The lack of rainfall has also led to remarkable water clarity, making fishing on Lake Nockamixon even more challenging than usual.
Despite the low water levels, we started the month with a burst of shallow-water action. During the first week, we saw consistent catches in shallow vegetation using the Awgul Fishing 5" Silly Stick. Also, the fish were choking the Awgul Fishing Freaky Frog as well! However, after that first week, the shallow bite dropped off entirely!
As water levels continued to drop, many of my favorite shallow spots either dried up completely or barely held any water, pushing me to adjust and move to deeper areas. By mid-month, we refocused our efforts entirely on deeper cover and structure. To my surprise, the deeper bite came alive right away! The Awgul Fishing Dirty Deep Diving Crankbait proved incredibly effective, hooking several big bass around deep laydowns and steep bluff walls. Meanwhile, a drop-shot rigged Awgul Fishing 3" Finesse Fry delivered steady catches of quality largemouth and smallmouth bass from deeper waters.
As the month went on, I continued to rely on deeper cover and structure to keep fish biting for my clients. By mid-month, I had to move away from the banks entirely, targeting offshore cover and structure in much deeper waters. To my surprise, we found consistent action in depths of 20 to 30 feet. A Damiki-rigged 3" Awgul Fishing Finesse Fry became essential for enticing tough bites from this deep offshore cover.
While the deep offshore bite was delivering strong results, I held onto my faith in the shallow-water pattern, as most of our fall bass traditionally come from shallower areas. Every day, I dedicated at least an hour or two to shallow waters, hoping to find fish moving up to feed for fall. For much of the month, these efforts came up short. But in the final week, we finally started locating some shallow fish! We covered shallow flats with an Awgul Fishing 1/4 oz Alive Swim Jig and a 3/8 oz Alive Spinnerbait, then slowed down in key areas with an Awgul Fishing 5" Silly Stick to maximize our chances.
During the final week of October, I began noticing signs of fall turnover in the mid-lake areas. Fall turnover occurs when the top layer of warmer, less dense water cools down, mixes with the cooler, denser bottom layer, and brings decomposing organic matter to the surface, dispersing it throughout the lake. This process typically leads to significantly reduced water clarity, a distinct odor, and sometimes a visible "slick" on the surface. I believe this turnover effect was what prompted more fish to move up shallow.
I’m excited to share that at the beginning of the month, the Pennsylvania DCNR installed 40 new artificial fish habitat structures! These structures appear to have been placed together in the middle of the lake, south of the Tohickon Boat Launch and east of the Marina, at depths of 30 to 40 feet. The state will be releasing an updated structure map soon.
As we move into November, the forecast shows little sign of substantial rain, which may lead to further declines in water levels. Based on what I experienced this past month, this could pose continued challenges for the shallow bite while potentially enhancing the deep bite. With water temperatures still hovering in the upper 50s, there are still plenty of great fishing opportunities left this year!
Although I'm fully booked for 2024, be sure to sign up for notifications for 2025 bookings on the top of my website at www.awgulfishing.com. My 2025 calendar will be finalized soon and I'll be announce when 2025 bookings will be accepted shortly (Likely sometime in January 2025). In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to The Nockamixon Fishing School at www.awgulfishing.com/nockamixonfishingschool where I'll be doing weekly deep-dive topic specific seminars to help you prepare for a successful year on the water next year!
Tight lines and I'll see you out on the water!
-Captain Anthony Awgul
Comments