09-24-2014, 09:32 PM
[#0000FF]Met up with SkunkedAgain (SA) at the Willard Bay north marina about 6:30. Air temp 60 and water temp 67 at launch. Water warmed to 73 by noonish.
We were both dragging minnows and casting plastic before 7. But the fish slept in and didn't get active for a while. Over an hour before I got a serious bite...and that was from a mosquito. Caught my first cookie cutter kitty right afterward.
We moved in and out and made S turns, trying to find some marks on our sonars that didn't have the upraised middle fins. As the water temp warmed a couple of degrees and the sun hit the water the bites started happening. But not all inquiries resulted in fish to net. Nay, not so. Many were the halfhearted munches of smaller fish or educated larger fish.
Then the radio soap opera began. I had to listen to one sob story after another on my walkie talkie, as SA missed bites, lost fish, had lines broken, etc. After about 3 hours of fishing he was living up to his name. Then the fish dieties showed him some love and he got in the game. Ended up with four decent cookie cutter kitties, an 11 inch perch and an 18.5 inch wiper that was his personal best. He was a campy hamper...or however that goes.
After scratching out a couple of kittens in 9 feet of water...and nothing else...I moved in shallower. Once I started working 6-7 feet of water I got into a couple of kitty condos and got several in quick succession. Kept a limit of 8 and released several more. Had one reel zinger that came unbuttoned. I say it was a wiper and the rule is that it can be anything you say it is unless someone else sees it and disputes your claim.
Still too warm for prime fall walleye fishing. But soon. Also saw a lot of crappie-lookin' sonar marks at middepth. They should get more active soon too.
The water was like glass most of the time. Don'tcha just hate it when that happens? Weather forecast said it would be 8-10 mph winds. Sometimes it is good when they are wrong.
Didn't see any surface activity at all...besides some tail slappy carp. Oh yeah, and a few small shad smacking the dead midges on the morning surface.
Good to fish with ya again, Jeff. Glad you could make it and glad you didn't smell skunky. You done jes fine fer yerself. Now to get you bendo on some BIG wipers and walleyes.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]
We were both dragging minnows and casting plastic before 7. But the fish slept in and didn't get active for a while. Over an hour before I got a serious bite...and that was from a mosquito. Caught my first cookie cutter kitty right afterward.
We moved in and out and made S turns, trying to find some marks on our sonars that didn't have the upraised middle fins. As the water temp warmed a couple of degrees and the sun hit the water the bites started happening. But not all inquiries resulted in fish to net. Nay, not so. Many were the halfhearted munches of smaller fish or educated larger fish.
Then the radio soap opera began. I had to listen to one sob story after another on my walkie talkie, as SA missed bites, lost fish, had lines broken, etc. After about 3 hours of fishing he was living up to his name. Then the fish dieties showed him some love and he got in the game. Ended up with four decent cookie cutter kitties, an 11 inch perch and an 18.5 inch wiper that was his personal best. He was a campy hamper...or however that goes.
After scratching out a couple of kittens in 9 feet of water...and nothing else...I moved in shallower. Once I started working 6-7 feet of water I got into a couple of kitty condos and got several in quick succession. Kept a limit of 8 and released several more. Had one reel zinger that came unbuttoned. I say it was a wiper and the rule is that it can be anything you say it is unless someone else sees it and disputes your claim.
Still too warm for prime fall walleye fishing. But soon. Also saw a lot of crappie-lookin' sonar marks at middepth. They should get more active soon too.
The water was like glass most of the time. Don'tcha just hate it when that happens? Weather forecast said it would be 8-10 mph winds. Sometimes it is good when they are wrong.
Didn't see any surface activity at all...besides some tail slappy carp. Oh yeah, and a few small shad smacking the dead midges on the morning surface.
Good to fish with ya again, Jeff. Glad you could make it and glad you didn't smell skunky. You done jes fine fer yerself. Now to get you bendo on some BIG wipers and walleyes.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]