Skunked!!

Fished with Sherrill, Kevin and John H. Temperature was in the upper 60s with the wind out of the South/Southwest around 15 knots. The waves were 1 to 2 feet and the water temp is 78 degrees.

Because of the wind and the crew we had today we decided to just stay in the swamp and try our luck. Trolled with warts and crayfish for 45 minutes and then we switched over to crawlers and trolled with them for another 45 minutes without even a hit. Tried drifting with the crawlers and Sherrill caught 2 sheephead. Decided to try some perch jerking and after moving 3 times without any fish we called it a day. Not a very good day in the swamp. I heard some reports that the fish are being caught by Sputnik and the Water Intake.

Another Slow One

Fished with Daryl and Dale. Temperature was in the upper 60s with a slight breeze out of the South. The waves were less than a foot and the water temp is 72 degrees in the lake and 75 degrees in the swamp. The weather made for beautiful boat ride on the way out and a nice and laid back boat ride on the way back in.

Started fishing by a pack of boats just North of Sputnik. Trolled around for about a half hour without any fish so we pulled lines and headed to where we fished last week. 41 47 700 / 083 09 000. Set lines and we had a double in the first 5 minutes (lost one of them) and it just went down hill from there. We tried trolling with crawlers, then switched to jet diver's but nothing seemed to work. Picked up three more walleye and a few garbage fish. Made a move into the swamp and tried fishing there for a half hour and all we caught were two 8 inch walleye. Saw the storm coming so we pulled lines and headed to port. Just got to the gas dock and it started to storm. We waited that storm out, put some fuel in the boat ($54.00) and headed to the rack and launch. The wind was starting to blow pretty good and another storm was approaching but we timed everything just right and missed that storm also. The mayfly hatch is going pretty good right now and that could account for some of the slow fishing.

Next planned trip: 6-29-08 With John, Sherrill and both Kevin's.

Nice day fishing.

Fished with Captain Daryl. Temperature was in the upper 60s to the lower 70s. The wind was out of the South/Southwest 3 knots. The waves were less than 6 inches. Just a nice day on the water.

Started fishing by the Water Intake trolling with spoons with out any luck so we switched over to crawlers. Started catching sheephead and silver bass and one walleye so we decided to move to the North side of West Sister Island. 41 47 700 / 083 09 000. We set the dipsy's back 80 and 90 feet and caught a couple of walleye real quick and then it just died. Trolled around for another 1 1/2 hours and called it a day. Kept 5 walleye between 18 and 21 inches. Marked a lot of fish on the bottom but we had very few takers.

A.W.W.T.

Fished with Joe and John Hiltz in the 8th annual A.W.W.T. The temperature was in the upper 60s to the lower 70s. The wind was out of the South/Southwest from 12 to 22 knots. As the day progressed the wind speed picked up. The waves were 1 to 2 feet when we started and were building pretty fast. The water temp is 72 degrees.
It seemed nobody knew where they wanted to fish as everyone went different directions from the harbor. Some boats went to Stoney Point, some went to the Toledo Light House, some stayed by the E- Buoy and we went to the Water Intake. The fishing was tough and the weather conditions made it even worse. As we were talking on the radio every so often a boat would catch a fish. We tried trolling with spoons for the first hour and then we switched over to trolling with crawlers and that seemed to work for us. We started to catch some fish and then the waves got too be to much so we called it quits. We kept 8 walleye for the day. The official results for the A.W.W.T. are as follows.

1st place - Team Bird's Nest - 63 6/8 inches
2nd place - Team Walley Wide Track - 59 2/8 inches
3rd place - Team Lucky Strike - 57 6/8 inches
4th place - Team Scotty Bowman - 17 4/8 inches
5th place - Team StarFish - No Fish
Big fish was caught by Team Bird's Nest - 21 6/8 inches

I want to thank everyone who fished today's event and to let you know the weather man owes us a nice day for next year.

Nice Catch

Fished with Daryl. Temperature was in in the lower 60s and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 70s. The wind was light out of the South/Southwest 5 knots with waves less than a foot. The water is starting to clear up again but now the female cottonwood trees are starting to drop their seeds. Time to put the beads back on the main lines.

Started fishing where we left off yesterday and we kind of hung in that general area. 41 49 400 / 083 18 120. We trolled with spoons set at 65 feet back for the first hour and we caught 5 walleye. The bite was kind of slow so we went to the crawlers for the rest of the trip. We ran the crawler rigs back 75 feet using 2 ounce bottom bouncers and slowed the troll to 1.5 MPH. Caught the remaining fish this way. The purple harness was by far the most productive. We had one walleye that was 14.5 inches that we put back. Kept 12 walleye between 18 and 20 inches.

Next Planned Trip: Tuesday, June 17, for the 8th Annual A.W.W.T. 8:00 a.m. Start Time

Bumpy Ride Today.

Fished with the famous Wally Widetrack (Booth Purkey). Temperature was in the lower 60s with the wind out of the North/Northwest 13 to 20 knots. Waves were 2 to 3 feet which made the fishing very difficult. The water was a little dirty but there was a mud line out where we were fishing. Water temp is 62 degrees.

Started fishing where we left off last week trolling with spoons 65 to 70 feet back. Caught our first walleye at the 65 foot range so we set all the poles to 65 feet. We trolled for 1 1/2 hours and it just was too much to do so we tried to drift with crawlers for a while. After drifting for 15 minutes we caught one silver bass and it was getting pretty bouncy so we called it a day. Kept 5 walleye between 18 and 21 inches. The weather man was a little off today!!! Best spoon was the Monica Lewinsky.

Next planned trip: 06-02-08 with Daryl.

Short on Bait!!!!!

Fished with Captain Daryl. Temperature was in the middle 50s for most of the day. The wind was out of the West/Southwest with waves less than a foot. The water was a little stained and the water temp is 61 degrees.

Started fishing the other side of the dumping grounds trolling to the south with spoons and dipsy's set at 40 and 60 feet behind the boards. Caught two walleye but we were marking a lot of fish so we put on some crawlers with bottom bouncers and put them back 70 feet. Started catching some more fish but we ran out of worms. I grabbed two containers this morning from the fridge with out checking them and one of them was empty. Not a good thing when your out 5 miles on the lake. We decided to call it a day. Kept 7 walleye between 18 and 20 inches. We caught the fish at 41 49 250 / 083 17 610.

Nice 3 Days of Fishing.

Fished with Captain Dan Black. We trailered his boat to Toledo Beach Marina and launched from there. The temperature was in the upper 50s to the lower 60s. The wind was out of the South/Southwest about 5 knots with waves less than a foot. Don't have a water temp because the Captain forgot his graph.

Started fishing where we left off yesterday trolling with crawlers/bottom bouncers and we caught 3 walleye in the first 1/2 hour and from there it went all down hill. Switched to wiggle warts for a while and then spoons behind jet divers without any luck so we went back to the crawlers. We ended up fishing 1 mile Southeast of where we started. Boats were catching fish around us so we were fishing the right area but we just did not run the right program today. We kept 5 walleye between 17 and 22 inches and one perch. All of our walleye were caught trolling with crawlers.

Good Catch

Fished with Joe and John H. Temperature was in the lower 50s in the morning and by the time we quit fishing it was in the lower 60s, kind of cold for this time of year. The wind was out of the North 10 to 15 knots in the morning with waves around 2 feet and then it calmed down to 5 knots out of the North and started switching towards the East. The water is not as clear and the water temp is still 60 degrees.

Started fishing where we left off yesterday trolling with crawlers and the wind made it very difficult to control the planer boards so after an hour we started casting and drifting. We caught two fish this way and then we went back to trolling with spoons and dipsys for the rest of the day. We stopped using crawlers because we caught too many white perch.The dipsys were set at 60 feet back on one side and 70 on the other side and the 60 feet back caught the most fish. The hottest spoons were the Monica Lewinsky and the red with a copper back. Kept 11 walleye between 15 and 23 inches and one perch. We caught most of the fish 1/2 mile Southwest of where we started.

Next Planned Trip: Sunday, May 25 with Captain Dan

Start of a Good Weekend

Fished with Captain Doug Sowa. Temperature was in the middle 50s for the day and the wind was out of the East 5 to 8 knots. Waves were less than a foot. Water temp is 61 degrees and is still clear.

Started fishing the dumping grounds trolling crawlers. We caught a couple of walleye and a lot of junk fish so we pulled lines and headed back to where we were fishing last Tuesday and started catching mostly walleye. Kept 8 walleye between 18 and 22 inches.

Next planned trip: 05-24-08. Fishing with Joe and John H.

Nice Catch

Fished with Daryl and Doug S. Temperature was from 50 degrees to the middle 50s. The wind was out of the Northwest and switching to the South with waves less than a foot. The water temp is 60 degrees and the lake is very clean, probably from all the west winds the last 3 days.

Started fishing where we left off last week (41 49 125 / 083 18 680 ) which is 5 miles out and 130 degrees from the harbor. We ran spoons 65 feet back on one side and crawlers 60 feet back with 2 oz. weights on the other side. Caught one walleye off a spoon and two off the crawlers so we put worms on both sides of the boat. Just stayed in the general area trolling about 1.5 mph. We caught 15 walleye between 17 1/2 and 22 inches, 3 perch between 8 and 10 inches and one silver bass. I think the spoons would have worked but we were trolling too slow and on the turn the spoons would drop down deeper and pick up zebra mussels. Most of the fish we marked were on the bottom. It's hard to believe that we only caught one garbage fish and that came off the spoon!

Next planned trip: 05-23-08 with Doug S. and Louie.

Still Tough Fishing!!!

Fished with Doug S. and Ken W. Temperature was in the lower 50s in the morning and it made it up to 60 degrees by the time we quit fishing. The wind was out of the NW 12 knots and was switching to the South less than 5 knots. Waves were less than a foot and as the wind started switching the lake laid down. Water temp is 59 degrees and is still a little dirty in front of the harbor.

Started jigging with minnows in front of the harbor on the Southwest corner of the dumping grounds and we caught a lot of sheep head and white perch. Doug caught one walleye using a green jig and minnow. Made a move to the East about 2 miles and started trolling with body baits with out much luck so we changed over to all spoons. We were running the mini divers 60 feet back using mostly green and orange spoons. Caught a lot of silver bass and white perch and an occasional walleye. Kept 5 walleye between 20 and 21 inches. The further east we went the cleaner the water was.

One Is The Lonliest Number

05-13-08. Fished with Captain Daryl, Dale was a no show today. Temp was in the middle 50s for the day with clear skies and an ESE wind around 10 knots. The waves were 1 to 2 feet and the water temp is 55 degrees.

We decided to drift today so Daryl left the trolling poles in the truck. Started fishing in the dumping grounds by the E-Buoy without any luck so we moved further out to 23 feet of water and started drifting with crawlers and we only caught white perch. Made a move to a small pack of boats in front of TBM (2.5 miles from the harbor) and started drifting there. We started catching only white perch again until we put on some shiners and Daryl finally caught a walleye. We had a few other good hits but no hook-ups so we only caught one walleye 22 inches long for the morning.

From the reports on the radio the fishing was pretty slow on Lake Erie today. I talked to the first mate Matt when we got back to the harbor and they only had two fish for the day. When I got home Louie called and said they limited out on the Detroit River this morning fishing the Canadian side of the River. I think it's time to bring out the trolling gear.

Nexted planned trip: 05-16-08. With big Doug and Ken(Starfish).

Tagged Fish

Fished with Captain Daryl and Tim, Tony Bell's grandson. Temps were in the mid 40s to the lower 50s. The wind was west/southwest 5 to 10 knots with hardly any waves and the water is still dirty.

Started fishing in the dumping grounds by the S Buoy jigging and blading without any luck so we made the move towards Turtle Island and fished in 10 feet of water (41 46 020 / 083 21 510). It took us a while to get the first fish but once we figured everything out we did OK. We tried jigging with minnows, drifting with crawlers and blade baits and the jigs caught 90% of the fish with the blue jig being the most productive. We also caught a lot of sheephead and white perch today, first time this year. Kept 12 walleye between 19 and 21 inches and one perch that was 11 1/2 inches. We caught one walleye with a tag in the upper jaw that was released in Michigan. When I get the information back from the DNR I will post the details.

Next Planned trip: 05-06-08 with Daryl before work. Daryl cancelled todays trip.

The Fish Are There

Fished with Captain Daryl. Temps were in the lower to mid 40s with a southeast wind 10 to 15 knots. Waves were less than 2 feet. The water is still on the dirty side but it always seems to be this time of year.

We fished just south of the Radar Buoy in 6 feet of water. We tried jigging with minnows, drifting with crawlers and blading. Four of the fish were caught jigging and one was caught drifting with a crawler harness. We kept 5 walleye between 19 and 20 inches and we lost 5 other fish. Need to start using stinger hooks on all the jigs. The only other thing we should have done was put out the drift sock when the wind started blowing a little harder.

Next planned trip: 05-04-08. Fishing with Daryl and Tim.

Opening Day Trout in Grayling, MI

This is Doug's Big Fish so far, 17.5. We left Friday morning for Grayling. The fire they had in Grayling Thursday has been put out. The fire affected over 1000 acres, but was East of town. We are about 15 minutes West of town.

The weather is absolutely crummy! It was 55 Degrees when we got up for the morning fishing but by 10:00 am, it was already down to 42 Degrees. It is cold with gusting winds - very tough weather for fishing. We only caught three fish today.

Weekend over view: We have been fishing on opening day now for 30 years and this was by far the worst we have ever had. We were able to have our traditional Opening Day trout dinner but we had to go into town on Sunday to get dinner, the first time ever. The fishing was so bad we decided to cut our trip short by one day and come home. The last night night there (Sunday) the temp was 24 degrees and they were calling for temps in the upper teens for Monday night, just too cold to fish when the fish are not biting. We kept four Brown Trout between 12 and 17.5 inches for the weekend. I won big fish for the two days and big fish for the weekend.

Slow Morning

Fished with Daryl before he went to work, I'm still on a layoff. Temp was in the middle 50s with an east wind 10 to 15 knots. The waves were about a foot and the water temp is 55 degrees.

We fished the same area as Sunday but we were not having any luck. Thought of moving to the Radar Buoy where their was a small pack of boats but we just stayed in the general area. It was a good choice that we stayed because the pack of boats by the Radar Buoy all left. Saw one boat catching fish by us and the only thing different was they had no drift sock. We pulled in the drift sock and we started catching some fish, the only problem was we were running out of time. Kept 5 walleye between 18 and 24 inches. All the fish came off hair jigs tipped with a minnow.

Next planned trip: Opening day of trout fishing in Grayling for 5 days with Joe and John

First Limit This Year

Fished with Joe and Daryl. Temp was in the lower 50s all morning and the wind was out of the Southwest less than 10 knots. Waves were less than a foot, just a nice day to be on the Lake Erie. The water is starting to clear up finally and the water temp is 54 degrees.

Started fishing by Turtle Island (41 46 104/083 21 605) in 10 feet of water. Joe and Daryl started off using blade baits and I was using a purple jig tipped with a minnow. I hooked a fish and we lost it at the net and I started thinking of the last trip where the same thing happened and the fishing went down hill after that. Daryl then switched to a blue hair jig and minnow and he started to catch some fish. Finally Joe put on a jig and he started catching some fish. We kept working that same area and we caught or limit of walleye. Kept 12 males between 19 and 22 inches. The fish are starting to stack up pretty good in this area now so the fishing should be good for the next couple of weeks. On the way back to the marina there was a pack of boats in front of Otter Creek, so they must be catching some fish there too.

Next planned trip: Tuesday with Daryl and Dale

Tried, But No Luck!

Fished with Louie. Temp in the morning was in the upper 40s and when we quit it was in the mid 50s. The wind was out of the SSW 10 to 15 knots with waves 1 to 2 feet. The water is still very dirty and the water temp is 51 degrees.

Started fishing the same location as Tuesday, between Turtle Island and the Toledo Light House. After 15 minutes of jigging I had a fish on and we lost it right at the net, so we thought the fishing was looking pretty good for the day. That would be the last fish on for the day. Louie had a couple of quick hits but no fish. I jigged with the blades all morning and he used the blades and a purple jig tipped with a green plastic worm, which he had the two hits on. Saw a few boats netting fish and as we were getting ready to leave the boat behind us hooked 3 fish real fast. I have reports of people catching fish but we just cannot get them to go yet.

Next planned trip: Sunday with Joe and Daryl.

First trip on the Birds Nest for 2008

Fished with Daryl and Dale. Temperature for the day was between the lower and mid 40s. The wind was out of the southwest 5 to 10 knots with waves less than a foot. The water temp was in the upper 40s and the lake is very dirty.

Started fishing by Turtle Island and we did not catch anything so we made a move towards a pack of boats by the Radar Buoy. Fished here for an hour with out a hit so we moved back towards Turtle Island and spent the rest of the morning there. Dale caught his first walleye using a blade bait and now he is a believer.

The catching was slow for us all day and we only saw a few boats net fish. We were 3 for 6 and Dale caught 2 of the fish. The walleye were males between 19 and 22 inches. All the fish were caught using the blue blade baits. I tried a purple jig with a minnow for a while and never had a hit.

Next palnned trips: Thursday with Louie and Sunday with Joe.