It Was a Short Day

Fished with Joe, Daryl had to cancel. Temperature this morning was in the lower 60's and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70's. The wind was out of the southwest around 10 knots when we started fishing and then it laid down to almost nothing. There was hardly any waves. The water temp is 71 degrees. Started fishing at (41 48 800 / 083 20 100) with wiggle warts set at 75 feet back on one side of the boat and 65 feet on the other side. The first two fish we caught were sheep head and from then on it was all walleye. We moved the one side of the boat to 75 feet back because that was the most productive side. We had to sort through a lot of short walleye but after it was all done it was a short trip. Kept 12 walleye between 15 and 22 inches, put back 27 short walleye ( between 8 and 14 3/4 inches ) and two sheep head. We had to wait for the gas dock to open this morning to fuel up but we were back to the harbor in a very short time.

Fishing with the Fish Flys

Fished with Daryl on fathers day. Temperature this morning was in the middle 60's and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 80's and getting hotter. The wind in the morning was out of the southwest about 10 knots with waves just over a foot and then the wind started to switch and the waves were less than a foot. The water temp is 70 degrees. Started fishing were we left off yesterday and we were only catching short walleye. We had mini disk and spoons set at 100 feet back and jet 40 and spoons set at 75 feet back. Started to head towards Middle Sister Island with the waves and we would catch an occasional walleye but nothing to keep us in one spot. Started to switch lead lengths but nothing really worded for us. We just motored around looking for some walleye but we had no luck. The one good thing was there were no little bugs today, just a large fish fly hatch to deal with. Kept 5 walleye, had 5 short walleye that were put back along with 4 sheep head.

The Mayfly's are Hatching.

Fished with Joe. Temperature this morning was in the lower 60's when we started fishing and it was in the lower 80's when we quit fishing. The wind was light and variable with just a little chop on the lake. The water temp is 69 degrees. Started fishing on the southeast side of the dump trolling wiggle warts set at 65 feet back and mini dipsy's and spoons set at 75 feet back. We were marking some fish but had no takers. The lake was full of fish fly carcasses that we had to remove off the lines every ten minutes and there was also a hatch of small bugs, a lot of small bugs. We finally pulled lines and headed out into Ohio waters. We set up at 41 48 000 / 083 08 100 with jet 40's and spoons set at 75 feet back and mini disk and spoons set at 100 feet back. We finally found some fish but we were running out of time. Fished here for a little while and we kept 6 walleye, had five short walleye that we put back and two large sheep head. The day turned out really nice once we got away from the bugs.

The Fish Are on the Move

Fished with Joe. Temperature when we started fishing was in the lower 70's and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70's. The water temp is 66 degrees. The wind was out of the southwest very light when we started fishing and it turned to the east less than 10 knots towards the end of the trip with waves about a foot. We went fishing after Joe had his dentist appointment and I had therapy and a doctors appointment, different going fishing this late in the day. Got a report from Daryl that the fish were just the other side of the channel half way between McDonald's and Sputnik. We set up here (41 48 700 / 083 12 500) with mini dipsy's and spoons set at 75 feet behind the boards. It did not take very long and we were into the fish. The catching was steady and we were catching all walleye. Everything was going great until we needed one more fish to finish our day. We spent over a hour trying to catch the last walleye, very frustrating. Kept 12 walleye, had 8 shorts that we put back and we only had two silver bass.

Still Fishing in Shallow

Fished with Captain Daryl and Mark. Temperature this morning was in the upper 60's when we started fishing and it was in the upper 70's when we quit. The water temp is 64 degrees. The wind was out of the north northwest less than 10 knots with waves less than a foot. Just a beautiful day to be on the lake. Started fishing by the S buoy trolling junior thunder sticks set at 65 and 85 feet behind the boards. Started catching some fish off the 85 feet set up so we switched both sides to 85 feet. Caught the first four fish pretty quick and then it slowed down. Started trolling towards Turtle Island and we started catching some more walleye but we also caught a lot of short walleye. We stayed in this area sorting threw the small walleye and a few silver bass. We lost count on how many short walleye we put back but it was close to 30, any where between 8 and 14 3/4 inches. Kept 12 walleye for the trip and we are having a fresh walleye dinner tonight.

Memorial Weekend Trip

Fished with Joe and Dan. Temperature this morning was in the lower 70's and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 80's. The water temp is 63 Degrees. The wind was out of the southwest for most of the trip, less than 10 knots and there was just a little chop on the lake. Started fishing by the S- buoy trolling about 2.2 MPH with thunder sticks 65 feet behind the boards. Caught 4 quick walleye and lost one behind the boat and then they just shut down. Made four more passes through the same area and we did not catch a keeper walleye. Started trolling towards Turtle Island (41 46 925 / 083 21 900 ) and we found some active fish again. We stayed in this area and caught the rest of our fish. Kept 18 walleye, caught and released 16 short walleye ( between 10 and 14 1/2 inches ) and only caught about a dozen silver bass. Joe and I worked on the boat last week replacing the power assist unit and everything worked great today.

Good Day of Fishing

Fished with Captain Daryl and Joe. Temperature this morning was in the lower 50's and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70's. The water temp is 53 degrees. The wind was out of the north very light when we started and switched to the east about 12 knots with waves around a foot. Started fishing at the S buoy trolling towards Turtle Island. We did not get very far and we ran into dirty water. Turned around and headed back towards the S buoy trolling junior thunder sticks 80 and 100 feet back. We would catch a walleye every once in a while, just enough to keep us in the area. Both sides caught fish so we left things the way they were for the whole trip. We caught 7 small walleye between 10 and 14 1/2 inches that we put back and we caught very few silver bass, which made everyone happy. Kept 10 walleye for the trip.

First Trip Out On The Birdnest This Year

Fished with Joe and Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the lower 50's and when we quit fishing it was in lower 60's. The water temp is 52 degrees. The wind was out of the east about 7 knots when we started fishing and picked up to about 14 knots when we quit. There was a small chop on the lake when we started and when we quit fishing the waves were 1 to 2 feet. Started fishing the humps on the dumping ground trolling junior thunder sticks set at 55 and 65 feet back. Caught silver bass, not just a few silver bass but a lot of them. Made the move close to Turtle Island fishing in Michigan waters. There was a mud line there so we tried to fish the edge of it. When we first set up we caught a walleye and then we had a long dry spell. Change the length of the leads to 80 and 90 feet but the catching was very tough. Kept 3 walleye and we caught a ton of silver bass, Joe even caught two on one lure.

First Trip of The Year

Fished with Captain Daryl and Tom. Temperature this morning was in the lower 50's and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 50's. The water temp is 53 degrees. When we started fishing the wind was out of the southwest about 10 knots with waves less than a foot. The wind did a slow switch to the east and we went from a flat lake to waves about one foot when we quit fishing. Started fishing at the S-buoy trolling towards the E-buoy with Thunder Sticks set at 55 feet on one side of the boat and 65 feet on the other side of the boat. Made the pass through the dumping grounds and we caught no fish so we pulled lines and headed to the edge of the swamp. Set up here with worms and bottom bouncers set at 40 and 45 feet behind the boards. Trolled around here trying to find some fish and we finally caught a walleye (41 47 350 / 083 23 400) off the 45 foot side with a plastic worm. Couple of minutes later we had another walleye off the 45 foot side with a plastic worm. Made about 4 passes through this area and had no more luck. By this time the wind was out of the east with one foot waves. Switched to wiggle warts and we caught one more walleye and then we called it a day. Went to Trappers and had a walleye dinner and everyone was happy.

Trout Fishing 2016

Opening day of trout fishing had us fishing at Spring Mill Pond. I watched Joe and John fish. We have been going up north for the opening day of trout fishing and had a trout camp since 1980. Camping on the river, catching and eating fish and having a great time. This year I tore the rotator cuff in my right shoulder (twice), so going up north was out of the question. We decided to stay local and do a one day trip close to home. Temperature this morning was in the lower 40's with the wind out of the northeast about 10 knots. They used wax worms and shiners casting out into the lake with a bobber. We fished the west side of the lake and the catching was pretty slow. Caught some small bluegill and a couple of bass that we put back. Joe finally caught the only trout of the day and it was a nice one. It was a 19 inch brown trout. We went back to John's house, cleaned the fish and had corn, potatoes and grilled trout for dinner. It's not the same as our usual trout camp but at least we made it fishing together. And yes, Joe is the Trout King for 2016 with the 19 inch brown trout.

Pretty Good Bite Today

Fished with Joe and Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the lower 50's and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 50's. The wind was out of the west northwest 7 to 15 knots with waves less than a foot. The water temp is 57 Degrees. The wind chill was cold in the morning but around 10:00 am it started to warm up. Turned out to be a great day on the lake. We bought our bait at Anglers Landing and again they had emerald shiners from Wisconsin that were really nice. When we came out of the harbor the lake looked pretty clean so we headed for the swamp. We set up in the same spot that we fished the last time we were in the swamp in 10 feet of water. Had some nice marks on the graph so things were looking good. Started catching a few fish right out of the gate and the catching was just steady. We were keeping some nice fish so we just stayed put for the rest of the trip. We would have a flurry of bites and then it would quit for a few minutes. Finished the day with 110 perch with the largest one measuring just over 11 inches. Caught only three white perch and no small walleye today.

A little Better Than Yesterday

Fished With Joe and Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the lower 60's when we started fishing and it was in the lower 70's when we quit fishing. The wind was switching from the northwest to the southwest less than 10 knots with a little chop on the lake. The water temp is 60 degrees. The water cleaned up a lot from yesterday. We picked up our bait from Anglers Landing and they had nice shiners again that were trucked in from Wisconsin. Started fishing in our old spot in front of Brest Bay and there was a pack of boats when we arrived. We hung around here for a little while and we only caught a couple of small perch. Decided to head to Sputnik and we set up just north of Sputnik in 28 feet of water. Started to catch some nice fish but the action was pretty slow. I did not feel like moving again so we just stayed put and picked away at the perch. By the time we quit fishing there was a pack of boats around us. Kept 50 perch and the largest one was 10 1/2 inches. We also caught seven small walleye between 6 and 8 inches. When we were coming back to the harbor there was a large pack of boats around the W Buoy.

Fishing After the Big Blow

Fished with Captain Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the lower 60's and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 60's. The wind when we started fishing was out of the northeast 10 to 14 knots with waves around two feet. By the time we quit fishing the wind was switching and the waves were laying down, and we quit fishing fairly early. The water temp is 58 degrees. Made the ride into the swamp and the water is very dirty. We rode around and tried to mark some fish but we could not find any. Left there and headed out in front of TBM and setup and fished by Huey. Had no bites here so we moved again out to the E Buoy. Caught a hand full of white perch and a couple of small perch. Things were not looking very good in this part of the Lake Erie so we went and gassed up Daryl's boat and winterized it. We just had a major blow out of the east for the last 5 days and the lake is pretty torn up. We saw a 55 gallon drum floating and a few logs. Hopefully some calm weather will clear the lake up.

Fishing the Swamp

Fished with Joe and Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the upper 60's and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 60's. The cold front was just starting to come through when we quit fishing. The wind was very light out of the northwest and we had no waves. We had to fish in a little drizzle a couple of times and one time it rained for about 15 minutes but besides that the weather was pretty nice.The water temp is 71 degrees. Started fishing in the swamp in 10 feet of water about a quarter mile off Woodtick Peninsula ( 41 46 950 / 083 26 350) and we never moved. Had to sort through a lot of fish but we kept some nice perch. Kept 63 perch between 8 and 10 1/2 inches and we also caught 3 walleye from this years hatch that were almost 7 inches. Looks like the rest of the perch fishing will be in the swamp.

A Tough One Today

Fished with Catfish Joe. Temperature this morning was in the upper 60's and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 80's. Hard to believe for this time of year. The wind in the morning was out of the south around 12 knots with waves 1 to 2 feet and by the time we quit fishing it was not even blowing. The water temp is 71 degrees. Started fishing where we have been and we caught a whole lot of small perch, we call them smerch. Made a couple of moves around here and the catching never got better. Made the move out to Sputnik and we started to catch some perch but the catching was very slow. Made a move to the turn around buoy and we had the same results. Made a few more moves in this area and then we called it quits. Put a lot of miles on the boat for just a few fish. Kept 22 perch between 7 3/4 and 11 inches. Oh, did I mention that Joe caught 3 catfish today, his personal best.

The Perch are Still There

Fished with Captain Daryl and Joe. Temperature this morning was in the upper 50's and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 70's. The wind was out of the East 10 to 17 knots. The waves when we started fishing were about 2 feet and by the time we were done fishing they were 2 to 4 feet. The water temp is 68 Degrees. We picked up our bait at Anglers Landing because they had a truck load of emerald shiners shipped in from Wisconsin. Why we cannot get shiners from around here I don't know. We went back to the same place we fished yesterday and had the same results. We kept 71 perch and all but one of them were between 8 and 10 inches. The largest one was 11 inches. Joe also caught a 7 inch walleye. Speaking of walleye, the Ohio DNR finished their summer trawls on the western basin on Lake Erie and it's good news. This will be the best walleye hatch since 2003.

Perch in the Bay

Fished with Captain Daryl, Mark and Joe. Temperature this morning was in the upper 50's when we started fishing and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70's. Just great weather for this time of year. The wind was out of the northeast 8 to 12 knots with waves around a foot. The water temp is 68 Degrees. We bought our bait at Anglers Point and we got the last that they had. Started fishing out of Brest Bay (41 52 860 / 083 13 480 ) in 26 feet of water and we never had to move, which makes for a great perch trip. The bite was not steady but just good enough to keep us put. We caught mostly perch that we had to sort through and we caught just a few junk fish. Kept 109 perch between 8 and 10 inches. After we cleaned the fish Joe and I went to Trappers for a fresh perch dinner. That's the best way to end a fishing trip.

Still Struggling

Fished with Joe. Temperature this morning was in the upper 50's and when we quit fishing it was in the lower lower 70's. The water temp is 68 Degrees. The wind was out of the northeast 5 to 10 knots with waves 1 to 2 feet. The lake was bumpy because of the east winds yesterday and last night. Started fishing on the west side of the W Buoy and we only caught a couple of small perch. Made one move here and we still had no luck. Started heading East hoping to find some clean water and we saw a pack of boats in front of Bolles Harbor. Stopped to fish here and we caught a couple of small perch. Made the long run to the turn around buoy and we started to catch some perch. The catching was slow and the fish were not very large but at least we were keeping some perch. After catching enough small perch we decided to try and find some larger fish knowing that you should never leave fish to find fish. We stopped by Sputnik and fished for a while with no luck so we headed towards a pack of boats by buoys 5 and 6. We were watching the boats around us and they were not catching any fish. We only caught a few small perch so we moved towards an old perch way point from 2013 and set up. Again we only caught throw back perch so we called it a day. Kept 38 perch and most of them were around 8 inches.

Perch Fishing

Fished with Joe. Temperature this morning was in the lower 60's and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 70's. Stopped at Joe's Bait store and bought our minnows. They had shiners but they were very small ones, actually too small for perch fishing.  The wind was out of the south southwest 12 to 17 knots with waves 1 to 3 feet. Because of the lake conditions we decided to head south and fish Maumee Bay. We started fishing just the other side of buoys 23 and 24 in 14 feet of water. We were on the fish right our of the gate but they were all small fish. Made 4 moves in this area and we could not get away from the small perch. We would catch a few keepers but not enough to stay put. Made another move to the radar buoy and we caught a couple of keepers but again, a lot of small perch. Decided to run out to the gravel pit and we only caught small perch. Made a move into the swamp and again we caught small perch. Made 3 more moves in the swamp and then we called it quits for the day. Kept 16 perch and we had no large ones. Around 10:00 am the wind started to lay down and the waves were less than a foot.

The Start of Perch Season

Fished with Joe. Temperature this morning was in the lower 70's and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70's. When we got back to shore the temp was in the upper 80's. We had a nasty storm come out of the west and when it hit Lake Erie it went south and followed the shore line so we missed the storm but we had the wind effects. The wind was out of the southwest 5 to 15 knots with waves between 1 and 2 feet. The water temp is 75 degrees. Started fishing by the number 1 Buoy off the River Raisin Channel. We were catching some perch but not enough to keep us happy. Started moving towards Brest Bay and we had no luck. After 3 or 4 moves we went back to the River Raisin Buoys. The catching was slow but at least we were on some perch. We were fishing and watching the storm knowing it was going around us. Kept 47 perch and most of them were around 8 inches with the largest measuring 11 inches. We went to Lake Erie Party Store but they were not open so we bought our bait at Rose Harbor Marina and they had golden shiners. Not the best shiner but better than most of the other bait stores in the area.