Starvation Report

[walleyebob]

Got to the reservoir about 7:30 A.M. It's completely froze over, but some spots don't look real safe.

Drove around alot. Only the main roads are plowed. Decided to fish where access was easiest. East side of the dam. Drilled holes from 7' out to 60'. Found a 15' dropoff, from 32' down to around 47'. Fished and looked with camera.

Kept changing lures, bait and depth. Nothing.

Finally about 3:30, I got a bite, then another bite, then caught a fish. PERCH!
My buddies and a guy that had gone out and fished by the island moved in by me and started fishing. I was in 34' and my friend Scott was in 42', right next to me. In about an hour and a half, Scott got 6 walleye, Brad got two, the guy that set up next to our ice houses to avoid wind got four and I got,,,,,skunked!!! Lots of bites, just couldn't hook em.
The guy(never got his name) caught one eye in 62' just a little while before I caught the Perch. We think they were slowly moving up from deep water and we should have had more holes ready to move the ice houses shallow as the bite slowed down.
Wanna know what they bit best? Sorry,,,not telling.
OK,,,, Scott got one on a 1/4 oz. dark green fuzzy grub and crawler, his others were all on a 1/4 oz. chartreuse and orange fireball, stand up jig and crawler.
Not sure what Brad had on. The other guy was using a crippled herring(chartreuse/white) and a crawler, and I was using a nills jigging shad (perch pattern) and crawler.
We tried kastmasters,ratfinkies(with and without droppers),swedish pimples,buckshot rattle spoons etc.
Seemed like when they finally decided to turn on, it didn't matter what was down there, they bit it.
Scott was just dropping to bottom,letting it sit for a few seconds, then taking up slack and jerking. Worked best.

Ice on the west side of the island is still thin. If the weather stays cold, we should be able to take wheelers out in a few days.
Oh, by the way, ice is about 4" thick and all the walleye were small. Biggest fish was about 16". Perch was maybe 9".


walleyebob
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[AFDan52]

[font "Arial"][red][size 2]Thanks for the great report on your Starvation trip. Sounds like I am going to have to find my way up there and do some serious Walleye fishing this winter.I have never been up there, but I think I'm going to change that.[/size][/red][/font]

[font "Arial"][#ff0000][size 2]Do you fish there in the warmer months and would you mind me picking your brin off and on?[/size][/#ff0000][/font]

[font "Arial"][#ff0000][size 2] AFDan52[/size][/#ff0000][/font]
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[PREDATOR]

Nice Bob! I am making my preliminary attack next week.

Hopefully we will have some better ice, and some luck.

My best lures down there have been the chartruse and green fuzze's and chrome fireballs. But the chrome fireballs tend to catch a lot of chubs as well. But tip either with half a crawler, and its walleye time.

The dam area seems to be the most popular ice spot down there, seems like every time I have been there in the winter thats where the crowd is.

Thanks for the report. If you are interested in making another go round this next weekend, let me know.
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[Curtisfish]

Thanks Bob. I'm just loading up to head over. I wanted to get Predator a report before he headed up. I will be fishing the dam also. I'll report later tonight on how it goes. Thanks for the tips on what to use. I've ice fished over there often and had no luck. From the sound of it, I've been fishing too shallow for the afternoon. I'll move out a little deeper and see what happens. I should be fishing from 3:00 until the girls say they are too cold to stay any longer. We will have four on the ice. Hopefully to day is the day I'll finally pull an eye out of the ice. Thanks again, and I'll report later.
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[tomegun]

[size 2]The rangers don't get upset about fishing at the Dam, damn! Must be friendly rangers up there. I may have to give it a try during midweek.[/size]

[size 2] I never targeted Walleyes through the ice before. What are some of the tactics, lures,and baits? Time to get some eyes... [/size]
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[wiperhunter2]

Thanks for the report Bob, I've been wondering what happened to you, it's been a while since your last fishing report. How has that new fish finder been working? If I remember right it has been almost a year since you got that vexilar. WH2
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[walleyebob]

Hey WH2, I've been fishing, just haven't caught much the last few weeks. Deer Creek skunked us the last couple times. We caught some big bows, but no Walleye.
This Starvation trip was the first time I've really used the Vexilar since I got it. It's AWESOME!! And I'm not even sure how to adjust it and read it,, but I did get it set close enough that I could lift my jig off bottom and watch fish come up after it. Too cool.Now if I can just find the instructions for it(you're right, I bought it about a year ago)I'll figure out what all the settings are and how to read it right.
Are you coming up to Starvation Saturday? Me and Brad decided we needed another trip up there while we were driving home.
Sounds like Predator and a bunch of folks are going up. Try and come up if you can.
Gotta go, my nephew is instant messaging me.

C-ya,
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[wiperhunter2]

Later on today, I'll find out if I'm going to Starvation on Saturday but I should be there unless some major weather comes in. With that Vexilar I'm surprised you didn't catch more fish than everyone. I used one at Schofield a while back and they sure are nice, it won't be hard to learn how to use it and I'd be glad to show you on Saturday if you need help. Have you been over to Lincoln beach lately for those white bass? Last year about this time we were slaying them by the spring. WH2
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