No Hits,No Runs

Fished with John H. Temperature this morning was 17 degrees and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 20s. The wind was out of the south 5 to 10 knots which made for very little wind chill. We decided to try steelhead fishing in Ohio and I think we picked the wrong day. When we arrived at the river (8:15 AM) they had already caught 3 nice fish off the docks so we were pumped up. We got dressed and headed towards the falls and we had the whole river to ourselves. Fished with spawn sacs and minnows below in-line bobbers. Neither one of us had a bite but we both had a great time. All I can say is we gave it our best, we tried like hell and we survived the cold weather. A great trip but no fish.

Start of Ice Fishing

Fished with Doug S. Temperature this morning was 28 degrees and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 30s. The wind was light out of the west at 5 knots which made for a nice day fishing. The ice is 4 inches thick. We started fishing at Lake Erie Metro Park and only caught a few small perch. After a couple of hours we decided to try Grosse Ille. Fished the Trenton channel without a bite and then we went to Smitty's and figured the ice was unsafe so we headed to the apartments to fish the channel and the ice was unsafe there also. So the first trip of the year was a bust.

Fall Steelhead

Went steelhead fishing in Ohio with Daryl and Mark. The weather was over cast with a little rain and the temp was around 50 degrees. The wind was out of the northeast at 14 knots but that did not affect us today. We had wax worms and spawn sacs for bait and all the fish we had on came off the spawn sacs. All the guys that had shiners did very well. Another lesson learned. We were 2 for 5 for the day and the fish were not very large.

Nothing but Fog

Fished with Captain Dan. Temperature this morning was in the middle 40s and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 40s. The fog was so thick that the visibility was only 50 feet for the whole day. We heard that it was a nice day on land (sunny and in the upper 50s). The wind was out of the east northeast 10 to 14 knots with waves 1 to 2 feet. The water temp is 48 degrees. We started fishing just out side of Bolles Harbor in 14 feet of water, just wasting time waiting for the fog to lift. Caught a few small perch and we realized the fog was going to hang around for a while so we decided to head for the E buoy area. Fished there for 15 to 20 minutes without a bite so we made some moves into shallower water, without any luck. By this time we were close to the swamp so that is where we ended up for the day. The bite was slow but at least we caught some nice fish. Kept 16 perch for the day. The fog made for an interesting ride back to port and after a few attempts we made it back OK. This should be the last trip from a boat for this year.

Slooow Day on the Water

Fished with Captain Dan. Temperature this morning was in the middle 50s and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 60s. The wind was out of the southwest 5 to 10 knots with waves around a foot. The water temp is 48 degrees. We started out fishing in the swamp where we have been fishing the last couple of weeks. Made 7 moves in there and we caught some fish but not enough to keep us there. From there we headed out to the Toledo Light House where we found dirty water so we made a move towards the E buoy. Did not do any good in this area so we moved into shallower water in front of Toledo Beach Marina. Nothing to report from there so we moved in front of Bolles Harbor and caught nothing, again. Kept 5 perch for the day.

This Is It

Fished with Captain Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the mid 40s and when we quit it was in the upper 40s. The wind was out of the northwest 20 to 25 knots and the waves were less than a foot. It sure is nice fishing close to shore. We fished in 10 feet of water in front of the marina. We started catching some nice fish but after an hour the bite just quit. We stayed there a little while and then we moved to the point at Toledo Beach Marina in 10 ft. of water and finished out the day there. Kept 50 perch for our last trip of the year. The largest fish was 11 1/2 inches and we had 21 over 10 inches. Another nice catch and a great way to finish off the fishing season. We now have to winterize the boats and wait for next year. After it's all said and done, we had a pretty good year on the water. Now it's a matter of fishing off docks or hard water, unless I can find a small boat to use for a couple of weeks.

The October Chill

Fished with Daryl and John H. Temperature this morning was 31 degrees and by the time we quit fishing it was in the middle 40s, it felt like December weather. The wind was out of the west northwest at 10 knots (which made for a wind chill) and the waves were less than a foot. The water temp is 54 degrees. Fished the same area that we have been fishing. The bite was steady but the only problem was keeping our hands warm, one of the coldest perch fishing trips from a boat that I can ever remember. We kept 90 perch today with the largest being 12 1/2 inches. It was cold even in the fish cleaning station.

Doug's Birthday Trip

Fished with Captain Doug Sowa and Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the lower 40s and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 50s. The wind was out of the southwest 10 to 15 knots and the waves were 1 to 2 feet. Started fishing where we left off Tuesday and we caught some fish but the anchor would not hold. After a hour of fighting the anchor we decided to head back to marina and get the anchor off Daryl's boat, that did the trick. Went back to where we left off and were catching some nice fish but not very many so we made a move closer into shore. Fished in 7 feet of water for a half hour and only caught one fish so we made another move towards deeper water. That did not work out so we moved to where we fished 10 days ago. Very few fish there so we went back to our original spot, the spot that we should have never left. The catching was good but not what we expected. Kept 53 perch between 7 1/2 inches and 12 1/2 inches.

Cold and Windy Again

Fished with Uncle Dan. Temperature this morning was in the middle 40s and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 50s. The wind was out of the south 10 to 15 knots with waves 1 to 2 feet. The water temp is 57 degrees. Started fishing where we left off yesterday. Caught a lot of fish but we had to sort through them today and they were not as large as yesterday. As long as we were catching fish I was not going to move. Never leave fish to try and catch larger fish. Kept 60 perch between 8 and 11 1/2 inches but only 4 of them were over 10 inches.

Best Catch of the Year

Fished with Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the middle 40s and by the time we quit fishing it was in the upper 50s. The wind was out of the west around 15 knots with waves less than a foot because we were less than a mile off shore. When we arrived at Toledo Beach Marina this morning there was no hi-lo driver to put the boat in the water. We had to wait 1 1/2 hours for someone to show up so we were off to a slow start. Once we were on our way we headed back to where we fished yesterday. Today the fish were a little bit larger and a lot more aggressive. Every time I would start the motor and let it run the fish would just turn on and it was non stop action. We both had a lot of fun today. Kept 97 perch between 8 and 11 1/2 inches.

Cold and Windy Again

Fished with Joe. John H. could not make it today. Temperature this morning was in the lower 50s and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 50s. The wind was out of the west southwest around 20 knots. Because we were fishing only a mile off shore the waves were around a foot. Fished close to where we were the last trip but only a little closer to shore, in 9 feet of water. The water was a little dirty from all the high winds from this last week. Caught a lot of fish but we had to sort through them today. Kept 52 perch between 7 3/4 and 11 1/2 inches.

Felt Like Winter

Fished with Captain Daryl and Dale. Temperature this morning was in the lower 30s and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 60s. The wind was out of the west southwest around 10 knots with waves less than a foot. With the cool temps and the wind it made for a very cold morning. Started fishing right out in front of the beach. We caught a few fish but not enough to keep us in this area. After a few moves here we headed out to our hot spot, which is a 10 mile ride. When we arrived there the water was very dirty. After half an hour and only 1 perch we decided to head back to the beach and finish out the day. Got a report from a good friend that they were catching fish on the Michigan side of Turtle Island so we headed out there. The fishing was steady and the fish were all about the same size so it made for an enjoyable day on the water. Kept 79 perch between 8 and 10 1/2 inches with most of the fish around 8 1/2 inches.

We Lost Our Touch

Fished with Captain Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the upper 50s and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70s. The wind in the morning was out of the northeast at 15 knots which meant we had 3 foot waves for the ride out to the Turn Around Buoy( 11 mile ride ). About 10:00 AM the wind laid down to 5 knots and so did the waves. We just dropped the lines and the first fish was a 11 inch perch and we thought we were in for a good day. Well, it was all down hill from there. We moved a couple of times in this area without much more luck so we went to the north side of Sputnik and only caught a few more fish. Decided to go back to our hot spot and we caught a lot of white perch, sheepshead and 4 more perch. It was getting late so we called it a day. Kept 17 perch between 8 and 11 inches.

First Day of Autumn

Fished with Mike (Hi-Lo driver from the beach ). Temperature this morning was in the upper 60s and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 70s. The wind was out of the west southwest about 10 knots with waves around 1 foot. The water temp is 68 degrees. Started fishing 1/4 mile southwest of the Turn Around buoy. We never left this spot but maybe we should have. The catching was just good enough to keep us there and then about 10:00 AM the bite just quit for us. Took about half an hour for it to start again so maybe we should have moved. Kept 30 perch between 8 and 10 inches but most of them were about 8 1/2 inches.

Last Day of Summer

Fished with Big Booth. Temperature this morning was 70 degrees and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 80s, summer time weather. The wind was out of the southeast less than 10 knots and the waves were less than a foot. The water temp is 68 degrees. Started fishing by the N buoy and only caught one small perch so we moved out to the number 13 buoy. Had a few bites but no keepers so we headed out to our hot spot from last year. For the second trip in a row we caught no fish there. Moved 4 miles to the northwest and started to catch some fish. The catching was slow and the size was not very large but at least we were catching some fish and not riding around the lake. Talked to Daryl on the radio and they were fishing just west of the Turn Around Buoy and they had 35 keepers and they were still fishing. On the ride back to port we were hammered by a rain storm but by the time we arrived at port the storm was over. We kept 25 perch between 7 3/4 and 10 inches.

Super Slow Day

Fished with Daryl and Dave(from TBM). Dave was going to go fishing by himself so we invited him to ride along with us. Temperature this morning was in the lower 60s and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70s. The wind was out of the northwest in the morning at 10 knots with waves just over a foot and by the time we quit fishing the wind was out of the west at 5 knots with waves less than a foot. The water temp is 72 degrees. Started fishing at our hot spot and only caught a few dinks. Made 3 moves in this area and nothing else happened so we moved into Breast Bay( middle numbers 53/ 13 ). Caught some fish but they were not very large so we headed out to buoy number 5 on the shipping channel. Only caught some dinks there so we went to buoy number 13 on the channel. Had some bites and caught a few small fish but the catching was very slow so we called it a day. Kept 9 perch between 8 and 8 1/2 inches.

09-11-09, Busy Day On The Water

Fished with Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the upper 50s and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 70s. The wind was out of the southeast rotating to the east less than 7 knots. The waves were less than 6 inches and the water temp is 69 degrees. The algae bloom was pretty bad within the first 4 miles leaving the harbor but we were heading out to our hot spot so it did not matter for us. Our fishing spot is 2 1/2 miles north of the shipping channel. We were just fishing having a good time when we noticed this ship coming towards us. We were way out of the channel so we thought we were OK. As the ship was approaching us we noticed she left the channel and was taking a short cut to the Raisin River Channel and we were in her way. Most of the boats left the area because they were in its path but we stayed put. I cannot believe that this ship was going to drive through a small pack of boats perch fishing to make her route a little bit shorter but she sure did. The ship passed within 75 feet of us, close enough to throw a rock and hit it. Unbelievable. After it passed you could see where it was churning up the bottom from all the muddy water behind it. Anyways, we were fishing and the catching was pretty slow. Made 4 moves but we stayed in the general area. The talk on the radio was that fishing was very slow, so we did not bother to move too far. On the way back to the harbor we were pulled over by the United States Border Patrol. They were just wondering where we were headed and where we came from, must of been 9-11 related. Talked to them for about 5 minutes and away we went. Kept 35 perch today between 8 and 13 inches but most of the fish were 8 1/2 inches.

Larbor Day Weekend, Monday

Fished with Joe. Temperature this morning was in the middle 60s and when we quit fishing it was only in the lower 70s. The wind was out of the northeast around 10 knots and the waves were any where between 1 to 2 foot. The water temp is 68 degrees. The weather report called for light rain all day but we didn't see any of it. When we got to the bait store they were out of shiners but Joe (the owner), said that the minnow truck was on it's way. We only had to wait 5 minutes and we had some fresh bait so it was worth the wait. We headed out to the same spot that we fished on Saturday and we never had to move. The fish were not as large as we had hoped for but at least we caught some nice keepers. Kept 67 perch between 8 and 11 inches.

Labor Day Weekend, Saturday

Fished with Captain Doug Sowa. Temperature this morning was in the upper 50s and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70s. The wind was out of the north less than 5 knots with no waves at all on the lake and just enough breeze to keep the bugs away. Water temp is 69 degrees. On the way out to our fishing spot we saw a pack of boats halfway between Turtle Island and the Toledo Light House so we went over there to give it a try. Stayed there about 20 minutes and only caught a couple of small perch so we went out to the number 13 buoy on the shipping channel. Spent about 45 minutes there with only some small perch so we made the move to our hot spot from last year (41 51 900 / 083 11 070). Started catching fish right away - we still had to sort through them to keep what we had, but at least we caught some nice perch. Kept 42 perch between 8 and 11 inches. Our only problem was that once we found the fish we just ran out of time to fish for them. Today was just another beautiful day to be on the water.

Labor Day Weekend Fishing

Fished by myself today. It was just to nice to stay around the house. Temperature this morning was in the middle 50s and when I quit fishing it was in the lower 70s. The wind was out of the northeast at 5 knots with waves less than a foot. The water temp is 69 degrees. Started fishing by the number 13 buoy on the shipping channel and I never had to move. The perch today were all about the same size, just over 8 inches. Only a few were over 9 inches. Kept 30 perch and called it a day. Sure was a beautiful day on the water.

Day Three of Perch Jerkin

Fished with Uncle Dan. The temperature this morning was in the middle 50s and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70s. The wind was out of the northeast 5 to 10 knots with waves around a foot. The water temp is 70 degrees. We headed back to the number 11 buoy because we did so well there yesterday. Today the fishing was not as good, could have been the water( little more cloudy) or that the bait store had smaller shiners. We caught a lot of fish but the size was a lot smaller. I made the decision that since we were catching fish and some of them were keepers that we were not going to move. We kept 50 perch between 8 and 11 1/2 inches and the majority of them were 8 inches. Talked to a couple of boats that were fishing in close and they came back with very few perch and the ones that they caught were small.

The Making For a Great Perch Year

Fished with captain Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the middle 50s and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 70s. Just another nice day on the lake. The wind was out of the northeast 5 to 10 knots with waves around a foot. The water temp is still 70 degrees. We started fishing by the Toledo Light House and made 3 moves in that area with out any luck, only caught some small perch. Made a move out to the number 11 buoy and fished the south side of the buoy and we never had to move again. Once we were on the fish it was non stop action, but again we had to sort through the fish. Today we caught a lot more white perch, silver bass and sheep head, but we also caught larger perch. Kept 67 perch between 8 and 11 1/2 inches.

Perch Season 2009

Fished with Doug Sowa. Temperature this morning was 46 degrees and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 60s. The wind was out of the northeast 5 to 10 knots with waves less than a foot. The water temp is 70 degrees. Started fishing by the Toledo Light House on this side of the ditch and we never had to move. We caught a lot of fish and had to sort through them to keep what we did, but it made for a fun day of perch fishing. Kept 45 perch between 8 and 10 inches with most of them in the 8 inch range. We picked up our bait at Lake Erie Party Store and Joe had some nice shiners, which are now $3.50 per scoop.

2009 Salmon Fishing

Fished Manistee from 8-15 through 8-22 with Joe and John H. We also had captain Daryl's boat, the Lucky Strike with Dwayne and Mark. Captain John and his crew stayed at a different motel.

The weather made it one of the toughest salmon fishing trips that we have had for a long time. The wind was mostly out of the west at 10 to 25 knots almost every day. When we did get out, we fished south between the 1st set of nets and the second set of nets, in 140 to 200 feet of water.

The fish were very deep this year. We fished the downriggers anywhere between 95 and 130 feet down, running J-Plugs, cut bait rigs and spin doctors and flies. I only have 10 pound cannon balls and I should have had 14 pound cannon balls. It would have created less blow back and made for easier fishing - maybe next year I'll pick some up. Off the dipsy's we ran the spin doctor with glow squids and cut bait with hoochies or spin doctors back 250 and 300 feet. We kept 24 salmon for the week with the largest at 21 pounds. The average size was around 18 pounds.

Daryl must have caught a rogue net with his downriggers on Tuesday night so we had to tow him in about 4 miles. They had 3 downrigger cables break and some of the cable wrapped around the prop. They only lost the Wednesday morning fish because they had some great help getting everything replaced and put back together.

All in all, we all had a great time, excellent food at the restaurants, met some nice people and had a lot of laughs. Can't wait until next year's trip!

Salmon Fishing in Manistee

Well, Joe and John and I are off to Manistee, Michigan for our annual Salmon Fishing Trip! Will meet up with Daryl and Duane at the motel. Same place we stayed at last year. Looking forward to a busy and (hopefully productive) week of salmon fishing on Lake Michigan. Hope to have a few posts during the week, but if not, I'll post on Sunday, August 23.

Greenhouse Bash

Fished with Captain Eddie aboard Hollywood. We had a crew from one of the greenhouses that Joe Barson knows. Temperature this morning was in the lower 60s and by the time we quit fishing in was in the middle 70s. The wind was out of the northwest at 5 knots which made for no waves. The water temp is 76 degrees. Started fishing just the other side of the dumping grounds (41 48 600 / 083 18 900) trolling wiggle warts 90 feet behind the boards. The action was pretty slow so we put dipsy's set at 90 feet back with spoons on one side of the boat. Started to catch a few fish off this setup so we put dipsy's on both sides of the boat. The fishing was slow but we would catch enough fish to keep us in the area. Caught a lot of junk fish and quite a few weeds so we always had to tend the lines. Kept 20 walleye between 16 and 21 inches and 2 perch. Everyone had a great time fishing and then we went to Trappers for a walleye dinner. Joe and Debbie Barson host this party for the fifth year now and again they did a great job. I had the privilege of fishing with a great bunch of people which made for a nice day on the water.

The Cooler Smells Like Skunk

Fished with Captain Daryl and Doug. Temperature this morning was in the upper 60s and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70s. The wind was out of the southwest 20 knots and the water temp is 75 degrees. We started fishing in the swamp trolling dipsy's set at 30 feet back and wiggle warts set at 30 feet back. Marked a lot of fish and the water is clean, good conditions for the swamp. The waves were about a foot, which was not to bad. We caught only junk fish so we decided to fish by the dumping grounds. When we arrived at the dumps the waves were 2 to 3 feet, which made the fishing difficult. We trolled here for half an hour and called it a day. No keeper fish today!!

Mixed Catch

Fished with Joe. Temperature this morning was in the lower 60s and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70s. The wind was out of the west southwest 15 to 18 knots and the waves were 2 to 3 feet. The water temp is 75 degrees. Started fishing the other side of the dumping grounds and we stayed in this general area (41 48 100 / 083 18 700). We had wiggle warts set at 80 feet back on one side of the boat and dipsy's set at 80 feet back on the other. Started catching more fish off the dipsy's so we put them on both sides of the boat. Best spoon color was anything with pink on it. Had a few weeds in the area but it was not too much of a problem, the wind was the major problem. Kept 10 walleye, 1 small perch and 1 small muskie.

Perch Mouth

Fished with Daryl and Mike. When we arrived at the marina this morning there was a large mayfly hatch from last night. Temperature this morning was in the middle 60s and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 70s. It rained for a couple of hours in the morning and then it was overcast for the rest of the day. The wind was out of the northwest 10 to 14 knots with waves around a foot. The water temp is 75 degrees. Started fishing just the other side of the dumping grounds where we have been fishing the last two weeks and did not catch anything. Made a move into the swamp and trolled there for an hour and caught nothing. Made another move and we went 2 miles northeast of the E buoy where we caught a couple of walleye off the jet 20s set at 55 feet behind the boards. Made a couple of passes there and then we started heading towards the dumping grounds again, with out any luck. Finished the day with 2 walleye and 1 perch.

The Motley Crew

Fished with John, Joe and Kevin. Temperature this morning was in the lower 50s and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 70s. The wind was out of the west northwest 5 to 8 knots and the waves were less than a foot, just another nice day on the lake. The water temp is 76 degrees. We fished the same area as the last couple of trips. Started off using jet 20s set at 43 feet back and wiggle warts set at 70 feet back. Started to catch some fish off the jets so we took off the wiggle warts and put jet 20s on both sides of the boat. The fishing was slow for us today, we caught a lot of garbage fish and the walleye catching was not what I hoped for. We had to work hard for the fish that we caught. There were a few weeds in the area but it did not affect the fishing too much. We kept 17 walleye between 15 1/2 inches and 17 inches and 1 perch that was 11 inches and had 8 under size walleye that we put back.

Daryl Can't Count

Fished with Captain Daryl. When we arrived at the marina it was raining pretty hard and the wind was blowing so we figured we would not make it out fishing. After a half hour the rain slowed up and the wind laid down so away we went. Temperature this morning was in the lower 60s and when we quit fishing it was only in the upper 60s, and it's July!! The wind was out of the west and northwest 10 to 14 knots with waves around a foot. The water temp is 75 degrees. The algae bloom is starting to dissipate and I'm not sure why, maybe the temperature being so low. Started fishing where we left off on the last trip and we stayed in that general area (41 48 010 / 083 19 650). We ran jet 20s set at 43 feet back and dipsy's set at 60 feet back. Caught some fish off the jets so we raised the dipsy's to 50 feet back and that did not seem to work. We pulled off the dipsy's and put on wiggle warts and set them at 80 feet back, only caught a few fish off this set up so we put jet 20s on both sides of the boat. We caught 11 walleye pretty fast and it took us another hour to catch the last fish, or so I thought. Ended up keeping 13 walleye between 15 1/5 inches and 21 inches and 3 small perch.

Fishing the Dumping Grounds

Fished with Norm. Temperature this morning was in the middle 50s and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70s. The wind was out of the north and switching to the south, less than 5 knots all day. The water temp is 76 degrees and the waves were less than a foot. The algae bloom is starting to get thick, which is normal for this time of year. We started fishing just the other side of the dumping grounds trolling towards the Ohio border. Picked up a couple of walleye so we kept trolling towards the shipping channel. After an hour with no fish we headed back towards the dumping grounds and started to catch some more fish (41 48 600 / 083 18 550). We ran dipsy's set at 90 to 100 feet back and jet 20s set at 55 feet back. Tried running wiggle warts set at 80 feet back but they only caught a few fish and were more trouble than they were worth. Caught a lot of silver bass and sheep head and Norm caught a 10 lb catfish. Kept 9 walleye and only had 2 walleye that were under size that we put back.

Back in Michigan Waters

Fished with Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the middle 50s and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 60s, kind of cold for July. The wind was out of the West Northwest 15 to 20 knots. The waves were 2 to 3 feet and the water temp is 75 degrees. We started fishing just the other side of the dumping grounds in Michigan waters trolling with the waves to our backs. Made one pass and we caught a couple of small walleye and lost a nice one behind the boat so we pulled lines and headed into the waves to make another pass, but this time we went another 3 miles past our starting spot. Bad choice, we only caught one more walleye and did not start catching fish until we got by the dumping grounds (41 48 700 / 083 19 900). We trolled jet 20s 50 feet back and dipsy's at 80 feet back. Most of the charter boats were using wiggle warts 80 feet back and maybe that is what we should have done. Had a few weeds in the area but they were not too bad. Kept 10 walleye for the day. Talked to Dave in the cleaning station and they had 90 perch that they caught 1 mile out in front of the marina.

Windy But Fishable

Fished with Captain Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the mid 60s and when we quit fishing it was only in the lower 70s. The wind was out of the West Southwest 15 to 25 knots and the waves were 1 to 2 feet with the occasional 3 footer. The water temp is 76 degrees. We fished out in front of Sterling State Park in 19 feet of water (41 55 400 / 083 16 400). We trolled jet 20s set at 55 feet back on one side of the boat and mini disc's set at 80 feet back on the other side of the boat. Daryl got to use the jet releases for the first time today and he definitely likes them. We made one pass from the rocks in front of the Sterling State Park heading towards Stoney Point, made the turn in front of Detroit Beach and we had our fish. Kept 12 walleye and one nice perch for the day. Had 6 walleye that were under size and two of those were only 8 inches long. The wind was blowing pretty hard but we kept it to our backs for most of the troll.

2009 A.W.W.T.

Fished with John Hiltz and Doug Esch in the 9th annual A.W.W.T. out of Toledo Beach Marina. The temperature this morning was in the upper 60s and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 80s. The wind was out of the Northwest less than 5 knots and there were no waves. The water temp is 78 degrees and in the area we were fishing there were some weeds floating on the water. It was so hot today that on one of the boats fishing in today's tournament, the crew went swimming before they came back to the marina. Most of the boats fishing went northeast of Sputnik about 4 miles and started trolling towards the International Buoy. After a couple hours of fishing we started to separate and the majority of the boats were between West Sister Island and Sputnik. We stayed by the International Buoy as did Starfish. The reports on the radio were that Serenity had some nice fish drifting with crawlers between West Sister and Sputnik. Most of the other boats had a few fish but nothing of any size, we had some fish but nothing very big (largest was 17 inches). We were using dipsy's set at 120 feet back on one side of the boat and jet 20s set at 90 feet back on the other. Best spoons were the watermelon and blue huckleberry early on and then we put on a Mi-Hi and that became the hot lure of the day.The lake got flat and it was getting hot so you would think the fishing would slow down. Around 10:45 AM the fishing picked up for us and the size of the fish were improving. We stayed in the general area and started getting some larger fish. The crew felt better because we finally had some decent fish in the cooler. We kept our 18 walleye and had 11 walleye that we put back and decided to head for port for the "measure in". The official results for the A.W.W.T. are as follows.

1st place - Team Bird's Nest - 69 2/8 inches

2nd place - Team Serenity - 63 7/8 inches

3rd place - Team Starfish - 60 5/8 inches

4th place - Team Lucky Strike - 56 3/8 inches

5th place - Team King B

6th place - Team Wally Widetrack

Big fish was caught by Team Bird's Nest - 25 5/8 inches

I want to thank everyone who fished today's event and hoped they all had a great time. The weather was great and the lake was calm, something we have not seen for a while.

Prefishing

Fished with Doug Sowa. Temperature this morning was in the upper 60s and when quit fishing it was in the lower 80s. Summer is finally here. The winds were light out of the North Northeast with waves less than a foot. The water temp is 73 degrees and the Mayfly's are at their peak. We started fishing about 3 miles northeast of Sputnik trolling towards the International Buoy. Did not mark very many fish but we started to catch some so we just stayed in that area (41 51 700 / 083 09 300). Ran jet 20s set at 90 feet back on one side of the boat and dipsy's set at 120 back on the other side. Used the new jet releases that I picked up from Jim at http://www.lakeeriesportfishing.com/ and they worked just great. Best spoon colors were watermelon and blue huckleberry. Kept 9 walleye today and had to return 5 because they were under size.

The Mayflys are Coming

Fished with Captain Daryl and his hunting friend Tony. Temperature this morning was in the upper 50s and it only made it to the lower 60s on the water. The wind was out of the Northeast at 10 knots for the better part of the day. It was cool enough that I had a flannel shirt on most of the day. When we got back to shore the temp was in the lower 80s. The waves were around two feet and the water temp is 67 degrees. The mayfly hatch is starting, which is going to make the fishing tough. We started fishing about two miles east of Sputnik trolling with jet 20s and spoons set from 80 to 90 feet behind the boards. We were marking a few fish but were not catching anything so we trolled towards West Sister Island. It took awhile to find some fish but we finally caught a few walleye northwest of the Island (41 46 115 / 083 07 100). We set the leads back to 95 and 100 feet as we were fishing in deeper water and then we started to catch some fish. Kept 6 walleye for the day.

Damn Northeast Winds

Fished with Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the upper 50s and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 70s. The wind was out of the Northeast in the morning at 14 knots which made for a bumpy ride out and then it started to switch to the North and the lake laid down. Waves were 2 feet for the ride out and after a hour they were less than a foot. The water temp is 68 degrees and the water is very clean all the way from the harbor to Sputnik. Started fishing about 2 miles east of Sputnik trolling with the waves. We caught a few fish this way and then the lake laid down and we were able to troll where ever we wanted too. Started catching fish at 41 48 700 / 083 09 500 and we just worked that area. We fished with mostly jet 20s set at 85 feet back with spoons that had purple and green. Once we found the fish we caught them pretty fast. Except for the ride out it was just a great day of fishing. We kept 12 walleye between 15 1/2 and 23 inches.

North of West Sister

Fished with Captain Doug. Temperature this morning was in the middle 50s and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 70s. The wind was out of the West Northwest 10 to 15 knots and the waves were 1 to 2 feet. The water temp is 66 degrees. Started fishing about 3 miles East of Sputnik trolling with the waves using dipsy's and spoons. Caught the first walleye this way and then we changed over to crawlers and started drifting. Picked up 3 more walleye drifting but we also caught a lot of sheep head and white perch. Decided to troll back towards port long lining with spoons. Had one walleye on but lost it so we called it a day. Kept 4 walleye and 2 perch.

Thought We Had a Chance

Fished the Walleye Smackdown Tournament with Captain Daryl and Doug. Temperature this morning was 56 degrees and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 60s. The wind was out of the Southwest at 12 knots in the morning and then started switching to the Northeast and the lake laid down. The water temp is 67 degrees. We fished the same area as yesterday because of the nice fish that we caught there. We ran the same program as yesterday, jet's on one side of the boat and dipsy's on the other. The fishing was just great and by 7:15 in the morning we started to throw back fish that were 17 inches long. As the morning went on we started to throw back fish that were 19 and 20 inches long hoping to catch that one big walleye. We already had 5 nice fish to weigh in but we needed that one big fish to put us over the edge. We never got that big fish but we were happy with the catch that we had. To make a long story short they changed the rules as we were weighing in the fish and it totally screwed us. We only weighed in 4 fish and everyone else weighed in 5 fish. We would not have won the tournament but we would have placed in the top 5. We finished in 12 place out of 20 teams. Oh well, lesson learned. We kept our limit of 18 walleye and we threw back 22 walleye between 17 and 20 inches and two little ones that were under 15 inches. Just a great day of fishing.

Prefishing for Tomorrow

Fished with Daryl and Doug. Temperature this morning was in the middle 40s and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 60s, kind of cold for this time of year. The winds were out of the Northeast for the ride out but then it started to switch and the lake laid down, it turned out to be a nice day on the water. The water temp is 68 degrees. We started fishing just the other side of Sputnik 41 49 250 / 083 10 026 and started catching fish so we just stayed in that general area. We ran dipsy's set at 120 to 130 behind the boards and jet 20s set at 75 to 85 feet behind the boards. Best spoons were cat/dog, boy/girl and Mi-Hi. Once we found the fish it was just great fishing. We kept 18 walleye between 19 and 24 1/2 inches and had only one that we had to put back because it was under size. We have the right spot and the right lures so maybe we will do OK in tomorrows tournament.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Fished with Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the lower 40s and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 60s. The wind was out of the East around 10 knots. the waves were around 2 feet for the ride out and started to lay down as the day went on. The water temp is 65 degrees. Started fishing in the same spot as the last trip. We ran dipsy's set at 120 back on one side of the boat and jet 20s set at 75 feet back on the other side of the boat. The fishing was not fast and furious but we caught enough fish to keep us in this area. The second fish that we caught swallowed the hook and it bled all over the place. About two fish later another fish did the same thing, it was starting to get ugly on the boat with fish blood all over the place. About a half hour later Daryl cut his finger on the gills of one of the fish, and it would not stop bleeding. Now we had fish blood and his blood on everything. Not to be out done by Daryl, I cut my little finger the same way he cut his but probably a little worse. Now we had a bloody mess. My finger hurts so bad that I'm typing this report with one finger. Today we kept 10 walleye between 16 and 24 inches and one walleye that we put back that was under size.

Windy but Nice

Fished with Captain Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the middle 50s and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70s. The wind was out of the West at 12 knots and the waves were about a foot. The way the wind was blowing on shore I thought we would never make it out fishing. The water temp is 64 degrees. We started fishing straight out in front of the two stacks in 23 feet of water, and I do mean straight out in front of the stacks. When we looked on the GPS we were in the River Raisen shipping channel. 41 51 100 / 083 15 470. We trolled with spoons and dipsy's set at 90 to 100 feet behind the boards. We stayed right in this general area fishing the mud line. Took most of the fish on a spoon called the Pirate, black and dark purple combination with a copper back. We kept 12 walleye between 15 and 22 inches and threw back 10 walleye between 8 and 15 inches.

Michigan/Ohio Boarder

Fished with Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the upper 30s and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 50s. We had a frost this morning! The wind was out of the North rotating to the East throughout the morning. The waves were less than a foot and the water temp is 63 degrees. Started fishing on the Michigan/Ohio boarder just the other side of the dumping grounds 41 49 900 / 083 18 130. Caught two walleye right off the get go using jets at 65 back and spoons. Picked up one more gator in the next 1 1/2 hours so we went back to our starting spot and started trolling with crawlers. Picked up 5 more walleye along with a lot of silver bass and white perch. Kept 8 walleye and one perch for the day.

First Trolling Trip of the Year

Fished with Daryl. Temperature was in the lower 50s all day and the wind was out of the North 10 knots. Waves were about a foot and the water temp is 60 degrees. The lake is very clean and that is probably from all the Southwest winds we had the last 2 days. Started fishing on the East side of the dumping grounds drifting with crawlers with out any luck. Made a move over to the S Buoy and drifted with no luck so we headed towards Turtle Island and drifted with crawlers and jigged with minnows, still nothing. Made a move towards the center of the dumping grounds and started trolling with crawlers on one side of the boat and Jr. thunder sticks on the other. Picked up a walleye off the crawler so we switched to all crawlers. Caught 5 more walleye this way but two of them were under size. (14 1/2 inches). Kept 4 walleye and 2 perch for the day.

North East Winds

Fished with Captain Doug Sowa. Temperature this morning was in the upper 40's and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 50's. The wind was out of the Northeast 10 to 20 knots. When I left the house this morning the flags were blowing pretty good so I knew the lake would be rough. I tried to talk Doug out of going but he was ready to fish, so away we went. We headed out to Maumee Bay in 2 foot waves, which was not too bad. The lake was very dirty compared to Saturday but we fished anyways. Never had a hit so we moved towards Turtle Island. Now the waves were 2 to 4 feet and building. Fished there about 10 minutes and decided to call it a day. No hits, no fish and no pictures. Just a bad day of fishing.

Still Jigging

Fished with Captain Daryl, John and Pete. Temperature this morning was in the lower 40s and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 50s. The wind was out of the South Southwest 10 to 15 knots with waves around 2 feet. Started fishing at the West end of the dumping grounds without any luck so we moved to the pack of boats by Turtle Island. Made 4 drifts through there and caught one fish using the blade bait so we headed across the ditch and fished there. Nothing happening so we moved towards the pack of boats up in Maumee Bay. Made 3 passes through there and we caught 5 walleye jigging with minnows. Should have caught more but the wind started to blow pretty hard and is was difficult to get a nice drift. Caught 6 walleye for the day.

Report From Grayling, MI

Doug called from Grayling, MI, Sunday at 5:19 p.m. His report is as follows: "Not a very impressive start to the Trout Season Opener. The weather has been just crummy, it finally stopped raining late Sunday afternoon. Besides the weather, the fishing has been terrible too, only 3 fish as of Sunday afternoon. Hopefully things will improve for Monday and we'll head for home on Tuesday."

Trout Season Opener

Joe, John and I packed up the camper and left early Friday morning for Grayling, Michigan for a weekend of trout fishing on the Little Manistee. Hope to send some updates while we're here, but if not, we'll be back Tuesday. Hope everyone enjoys the warm weather this weekend!

What a Difference a Day Makes

Fished with Doug and Chico. The temperature this morning was in the mid 40s and by the time we quit it was in the upper 60s. The wind was less than 10 knots out of the Southwest with very little waves. The water temp is 50 degrees. Another nice day on Lake Erie. Heard a report this morning that everyone was catching fish last night, so we headed back to Turtle Island to give it a try. Must have been 200 boats fishing by the island. Slowed down and made a pass through the pack of boats and did not even mark a fish and never saw anyone catch a fish, so we headed out to the radar buoy. Marked a few fish but never had a hookup so we left there and went to the East side of the dumping grounds. Nothing happening there so we headed over to South Otter Creek and Chico caught a nice Smallmouth Bass and that was it. Decided to fish the West side of the dumping grounds and we finally marked some fish. We had a few hookups but only caught one walleye. A tough day fishing but a least the weather was nice.

First Trip of the Year

Fished with Daryl and Doug. Temperature this morning was in the lower 40s and by the time we quit fishing it was in the upper 50s. The wind was light out of the Northeast with hardly no waves. The water temp is 46 degrees. Today was the first trip of the year and I had a very rough time trying to start the boat. It just would not turn over. Got it started and away we went, just a beautiful day to be on the lake. Coming out of the harbor we saw some boats by South Otter Creek so we headed there. Did not see any action so we went to Turtle Island just over the Michigan line in 10 feet of water, 41 46 060 / 083 21 790. The water was dirty but that was OK because we were using blade baits and hair jigs with minnows. Marked a lot of fish and on the first pass we caught a couple. We stayed in the same area all morning and would catch at least one walleye on each drift. The only problem was we lost a lot of fish. We went 8 for 18 for the day with all the fish being males. A good way to start the year.

All Done Shore Fishing

Fished with Doug Sowa. Temperature this morning was in the lower 40s and by the time we quit it was in the middle 50s. The wind was out of the Southeast less than 10 knots, just a nice day to be near the water. Today we made the Grosse Ile tour for the last time this spring. We hit all the usual spots and the fishing was slow. We caught a lot of perch at Smitty's but the fish were all small. We managed two keepers for the day but we let them go. Next trip will be from the boat.

Dippin' the Net

Fished with Daryl. We did the Grosse Ile tour today. Temperature was in the mid 30s this morning and by the time we quit fishing it was only in the lower 40s. The wind was out of the Northwest 10 to 15 knots but because we were fishing from the docks it did not bother us too much. Fished the same areas as the last trip using the perch rigs tipped with shiners. The fishing was great but the size of the fish was disappointing. We easily caught over a hundred perch but we only kept 14. All the fish that we kept today were females. It's still early and the bigger fish may yet show up.

Spring Perch Jerking

Fished with Doug S. Temperature was in the lower 20s this morning and by noon it was in the middle 50s. The wind was light out of the East and the sun was out most of the day. We started fishing at Lake Erie Metro Park and did not catch a fish. From there we went to the Trenton Channel and fished off some docks and did not catch any fish. Made a move to Elba Mar Marina and we never got a bite. Made one last move to another Marina and we finally caught some fish. We were just using our perch rigs fishing off the bottom with minnows. Caught a lot of small fish which kept us very busy but the weather was nice so it made for an enjoyable day. Kept 29 perch for the trip.