No Wind, No Waves and No Bugs

Fished with Joe. Temperature this morning was in the middle 60's and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70's. There was no wind and there were no waves. There was a nice cloud cover which helped the fishing. The water temp is 78 degrees. Started fishing by the C buoy trolling wiggle warts set at 80 feet back. Made a pass by the buoy and we caught one walleye so we turned around and headed back. We picked up a couple more walleye so we decided to go back to where we fished on the last trip. We trolled our way out there and when we were close to the back side of the dump we started to catch some fish. Once we figured out that anything with orange on was catching fish we put orange on all the poles. Made a pass down and we only needed three more walleye so we turned around and caught the rest of the fish. Kept 12 walleye, 1 perch, released 5 short walleye and we lost 4 walleye behind the boat. Just a beautiful day on the lake.

Slow Go Today

Fished with Joe. Temperature this morning was in the middle 60's and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 70's. The wind was out of the northwest at 15 knots when we started fishing and it laid down to less than 5 knots by the time we were done fishing. Waves were around 2 feet when we started and by the time we quit fishing there were no waves. The water temp is 77 degrees. Started fishing about 2 miles past the Toledo Light House heading towards the Water intake. We ran wiggle warts set at 80 and 90 feet back. Only caught 1 short walleye and 1 keeper so we put on bandits set at 65 feet back. Caught 1 walleye off that set up and that was it. Made a move to the back side of the Michigan dump and set up with bandits set at 65 feet back. Started to catch a few walleye but we also had a few weeds to deal with. Made 3 short passes and then we called it a day. The fish are there, it was just a combination of weeds messing up the lures and the calm water. Kept 7 walleye and 1 perch.

Broken Equipment

Fished with Joe. Temperature this morning was in the middle 60's and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70's. The wind was out of the southeast around 12 knots with waves about 2 feet. The weatherman called for light south winds. The water temp is 80 Degrees. We set up close to Turtle Island trolling with the waves heading towards the S buoy running wiggle warts set at 75 feet back. We were not marking very many fish and the catching was slow. When we got close to the S buoy we caught a couple of walleye. We pulled lines and headed towards Turtle Island again but this time we trolled through the swamp with the warts set at 60 feet back. Picked up two quick walleye and then we only caught one more in the swamp so we starting trolling towards the C buoy. When we were getting close to the C buoy we started to catch some walleye. Things were looking good and then the planer board line snapped on the starboard side. We marked a way point and then we started to pull lines to go and retrieve the planner board. As we were getting close to the way point there was a large boat coming from Toledo Beach Marina heading right towards our way point. With the 2 foot waves I don't think the captain saw the planer board floating and he just missed it, probably by 5 feet. We picked up the planner board and decided to call it a day. Learned a lesson from this. The clip that attaches to the planer board broke so from now on I will replace the clip every two years.

A Little Tougher Fishing Today

Fished with Joe. Temperature this morning was in the lower 70's and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 80's. The wind was out of the southwest around 10 knots with waves less than a foot. The water temp is 81 Degrees. We set up in the swamp trolling with wiggle warts set at 65 feet back and we only caught a few junk fish. Started trolling towards the dump and we were catching a few walleye but we also caught some large sheep head. When we got to deeper water we set the lines back to 75 feet and when we got close to the S buoy we started to catch some walleye. Kept 12 walleye, released a couple of keeper walleye, caught 4 short walleye and about a dozen throw back fish.

Another Great Morning on the Lake

Fished with Joe. Temperature this morning was in the lower 70's and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 70's, it was a very short trip. The wind was out of the southwest around 15 knots with a little chop on the lake. We fished the same area as yesterday running the same set up and the fishing was fantastic. Not much to report except Joe is having a tough time displaying the fish in different arrangements, but he is doing a good job!

Just a Beautiful Day on the Lake

Fished with Joe and Daryl. Temperature this morning was in the middle 60's and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 70's. The wind was out of the west around 10 knots with a little chop on the water. The water temp is 79 Degrees. Started fishing in the swamp and we did not have to leave. We set up with wiggle warts set at 65 feet back on one side of the boat and 75 feet back on the other side of the boat. The 65 feet started to catch some fish so we put the 75 feet side to 60 feet back. It was a steady pick but we did find one pod of fish that we kept trolling over. Kept 18 walleye, put back one keeper walleye, caught 2 short walleye and 2 white perch.

Rain Delay

Fished with Joe. Temperature this morning was in the lower 80's and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 80's. The wind was out of the west around 10 knots with a little chop on the lake. The water temp is 78 Degrees. We set up in the swamp running wiggle warts set at 70 feet back. As we were setting lines Joe saw some lightning on shore and then we received a call from another fisherman about the storm so we both headed back to the marina for our safety. Waited the storm out for about 40 minutes and when the rain quit, away we went. The lake was calm and the fish were hungry. We could not even set lines and the fish were biting. Kept 12 walleye, 1 perch, put back 4 short walleye and only caught 1 silver bass.

Little Bumpy

Fished with Joe and Doug. Temperature this morning was in the lower 70's and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 80's. The wind was out of the east around 15 knots with waves less than 2 feet. The water temp is 73 Degrees. Started fishing in front of the marina in 16 feet of water trolling towards Turtle Island. We ran jet 40's with spoons set at 25 feet back and wiggle warts set at 75 feet back. With the wind and waves we were having a tough time with the jets so we pulled them off and put on wiggle warts. We were catching some walleye but a lot of them were too short. We were just picking away at the fish and we were getting very close to the island. Made a turn and we tried to follow our track but it was difficult with the wind and waves. We finally caught our last fish and when we pulled lines we had a couple more fish on. Kept 18 walleye, caught a few white perch and only one sheep head.

Fishing is Good

Fished with Joe. Temperature this morning was in the upper 70's and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 80's. The wind was out of the southwest about 15 knots in the morning and it laid down very quick. The waves were less than a foot. Fished by Turtle Island trolling jet 40's and spoons set at 25 feet back and Jr. thunder sticks set at 40 feet back. The jet's were catching more fish so we put both sides to the jets. Only caught a few garbage fish and the walleye were just snapping. Kept 12 walleye, released a few keeper walleye and caught about 6 short walleye.

Starting to Get a Little Hot

Fished with Joe. Temperature this morning was in the upper 70's and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 80's. The wind was out of the south around 10 knots with waves about a foot. The water temp is 77 Degrees. We went towards the s buoy and just motored towards the dump but we did not mark any large fish so we went back to where we fished on our last trip. We set up and we did not mark very many fish but we caught a walleye pretty quick so we just stayed here for the rest of the trip. We ran jet 40's and spoons set at 70 and 75 feet back. Both sides were catching fish and it was just a steady pick. Caught a lot of under size walleye, a few silver bass and Joe had the last laugh, I caught a catfish today. Kept 12 walleye and we beat the heat. Temperature is supposed to be in the upper 90's today.

Nice Day

Fished with Joe. 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 northwest 10 to 15 knots with waves around a foot. The water temp is 75 degrees. We headed out towards the River Raisen channel towards the Michigan/Ohio line and set up. We ran jet 40's and spoons at 70 feet back and tru trips and spoons at 50 feet back. Started catching more fish off the jets so we pulled off the tru trips and put on all jet 40's. Had a few weeds to deal with but it was not too bad. Kept 12 walleye and 1 perch.

Tough Fishing Today

Fished with Captain Daryl and Tom. Temperature this morning was in the lower 60's and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70's. The wind in the morning was out of the southeast 15 knots with waves about 2 feet and the wind was switching to the southwest 15 knots with waves less than 2 feet. The water temp is 73 degrees. Yesterday the wind was howling around 30 knots out of the east and it tore up the lake pretty good. We headed out to the dumping grounds and the water was very dirty. We motored for about 5 minutes thru the dump and we did not mark any fish. We headed out to sputnik and we were marking a lot of fish and the water was a little cleaner so we set up to fish. We ran jet 40's back 75 and 80 feet and made one pass up the lake then turned around and headed back towards sputnik. We had no bites so we pulled lines and headed towards West Sister Island. We were fishing the northwest side of the island trolling with jet 40's set at 80 and 90 feet back. We started to catch a few walleye but the mayfly hatch was very bad and it was hard to keep the lines clean. We pulled lines and headed back to port. It was Tom's last walleye trip for the year. Kept 4 walleye. We had a little bit of everything today. Wind, waves, dirty water, mayfly hatch and rain a couple of times.

Few Minor Problems

Fished with Joe. Temperature this morning was in the lower 80's and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 90's, it was a hot one. The wind was out of the southwest 15 to 20 knots with waves about 2 feet. The water temp is 73 degrees. When we were at the harbor the GPS would not work, I thought I would be able to get it going out on  the lake. Well, I got it working but it took a while and come to find out we were trolling to fast. It was hard to judge the speed because of the wind and waves. Once we figured that out we started to catch some walleye. We started out by the S Buoy and we only caught a couple of walleye and when we moved in towards the C buoy the fishing was better. The best set up was the jet 40's set at 50 feet back. We lost a few walleye right behind the boat, like they were not hooked very good. Kept 12 walleye and 1 perch.

Had to Make a Move Today

Fished with Joe. Temperature this morning was in the lower 60's and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70's. The wind was light out of the east with waves less than a foot. The water temp is 69 Degrees. Started fishing by the River Raisen Buoy #1 trolling with jet 40's set at 50 feet back and tru trips set at 35 feet back. Started to catch some walleye and things were looking good but then the bite just quit for us. Pulled off the tru trips and put on bandits set at 50 feet back, caught one more walleye and that was it. We pulled lines and headed out to where Daryl was fishing and we caught the rest of our fish. Kept 12 walleye and Catfish Joe came through again today.

The Fish Are on the Move

Fished with Joe. 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 out of the northwest 10 to 15 knots with waves less than 2 feet. The water temp is 71 Degrees. We set up just past Sputnik trolling with the waves, running jet 40's set at 60 feet back and a large dipsy set at 34 feet back. We were on the fish right out of the gate and then the bite slowed down. We pulled lines and made one more pass and we were done fishing. Kept 12 walleye and we put back quite a few short walleye.

A Little on the Rough Side

Fished with Joe and John. Temperature this morning was in the lower 60's and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 70's. The wind was out of the northeast about 15 knots with waves 2 to 3 feet. The water temp is 70 degrees. We ran a little further out to the east today hoping to make one pass with the waves to catch our fish. On the first pass we only caught 5 walleye. Ran back into the waves and set up again and this time we were on the fish. Used the same set up as the last trip. Kept 18 walleye and we also caught a couple of large sheep head.

Did the Mid Day Fish

Fished with Joe. Temperature at 1:00 PM was in the middle 70's and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 70's. The wind was out of the southwest less than 5 knots with just a little chop on the lake. The water temp is 69 degrees. The wind was blowing pretty good this morning so we waited until it laid down before we went out, a smart choice by us. We set up on the back side of the Michigan dump trolling east with jet 40's set at 50 feet back and the tru trips set at 32 feet back. It took a while to catch the first fish but when we did it was game on. We put back 5 keeper walleye and 6 under size walleye. Only caught 2 silver bass. Kept 12 walleye on a nice day on the water.

Steady Pick Today

Fished with Joe and Ed. Temperature this morning was in the middle 50's and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 60's. The wind was blowing pretty good out of the northeast this morning so we left the dock a little later when the wind started to lay down. When we started fishing the wind was out of the northeast 10 to 13 knots with waves less than 2 feet and then the lake calmed right down. The water temp is 67 degrees.We started fishing where we left off yesterday and the catching was slow. Started trolling towards the east and we started to catch some walleye. We ran jet 40's and spoons set at 50 feet back on one side of the boat and mini disk and spoons set at 80 feet back on the other side. The bite today was steady which made for easy catching. Caught a lot of under size walleye, one was only about 4 inches long. We got the fish cleaned up and went to Trapperz for a fish lunch. Kept 18 walleye and catfish Ed had a good trip.

Fishing is Still Hot

Fished with Joe. Temperature this morning was in the lower 60's and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 60's. The wind was out of the northwest 10 to 15 knots with waves less than a foot. The water temp is 66 degrees. Started fishing in the same location as the last trip running the same program and we were on the fish right out of the gate. I did pull off the tru trips and put on the mini disk on one side of the boat set at 80 feet back. Everything caught fish. Kept 12 walleye and 1 perch. Put back a lot of under size walleye and we caught about 6 junk fish. Just another good day on Lake Erie.

Long Day on the Water

Fished with Captain Daryl and Mark. Temperature this morning was 70 Degrees and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 70's. By the time we got back to the harbor it was in the middle 80's. The water temp is 64 Degrees. Started fishing just past the c buoy trolling jet 40's and spoons set at 45 feet back. It did not take long and we were into the fish. Daryl wanted to cull the fish today so we were putting back a lot of walleye. After a while we realized that all the fish were about the same size so we just started to keep them. We were done fishing at 8:15 and were heading in when we saw a boat waving an orange flag. We headed over to see what their problem was and it was just a dead battery. We had no jumper cables so Daryl pulled out one of his batteries and was going to give it to them to start their boat. By this time we drifted apart so Daryl went to start his boat and it would not start. The guys we were helping had some oars so they paddled over to us and got the battery and started their boat. Our boat was trying to start but it was like it had no fuel. We borrowed a small cup of fuel from our new friends and when we poured the gas in the throttle body the boat would run for a little while and then quit. Well, as it turned out the guys that we helped ended up towing us back to the marina. Go figure! I rode back in the tow boat with Mickey and his Dad. Got to b/sing with them and as it turned out they were some great guys. Mickey pulled Daryl's boat right up to the dock like he has done it a thousand times before. Just perfect. We could not thank them enough and we met some new friends. Daryl worked on his boat and he believes the fuel pump is bad. Should have it figured out by tomorrow.