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Fishing was kinda slow at Lincoln today. Cats were a little more picky and scattered. Found a few in front of first spring, one very ugly and battle-scared old male, but mostly cookie cutters.
No obvious sign of algae. South winds last night may have moved it northward. No other fishermen or boats observed. Morning was extended by good cloud cover until about 10:00.
Moved to shallow water at Benjamin Slough inlet (18 inches of water) and caught a few cats. Surprise catch was a 27 inch walleye caught on a chunk of white bass. Observed carefully during filleting autopsy, expecting to see baby wb or carplettes in stomach contents, but not so. Still, a good unexpected catch.
Fun day.
BLK
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Lynn,
That is one ugly, monster lookin Cat. But at 27 inches, I would have been happy to use it to bump my 24.5 inch on the contest.
On the other hand, that is a very nice 'eye. bet it made for a nice dinner.
I'm coming down that way this Sunday. Hope to be putting in at LB about 6 a.m.
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Nice eye Lynn. Maybe the lack of kitty action means the spawn is coming to a close. Now they may be leaving the the rocks and shallow water and heading to the deep cooler water temps.
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That's a good healthy looking eye!! I'll bet that made your grandson's day. And my vision isn't to good these day's but it sure looks like that cat's dorsal is missing? If so I wounded if he ran into a boat's prop LST year with the really low water. And I also agree with most cat's winding down from the spawn and seeking some cooler water.
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That wally was a good one -- with a side dish of new potatoes and some sliced cucumbers. (drool...)
I checked his stomach contents and could not see anything. Maybe that is why he was desperate enough to eat a chunk of white bass. Fun to catch even when you are targeting cats. TD and MSM are wally pros and they both seem to know how to take them consistently. Might have to target them myself... better tasting than catfish.
Forest, you need to stay up north if you want to catch a big cat. Sure seems like that is where all the 30+ cats are coming from. Maybe you can find a 30 incher the next time you are at UL. Always good to see you down this way.
That big ugly cat I caught yesterday was really beat up. Top dorsal fin was there but rubbed raw and red, big abrasions all over him and a big hole in his gut. He put up a good fight and I wish him well in his recovery.
Don't know how to figger out this spawn thing. We caught one female yesterday that unloaded a belly full of eggs in the boat. I guess the orgy goes on. Same with the carp -- they are thrashing around everywhere in UL. It is like a continuous spawn. Maybe they are trying to make more babies to replace all of the carp that have been removed from the lake??
Anyway, I'm waiting/hoping for cooler weather and hoping it will get them past the spawn and into serious feeding in deeper water. If the south team cannot come up with at least a couple of 30+ inchers we will never hear the end of smack from the north. Unbearable.
It ain't over yet. I expect to find my 36 incher soon.
BLK
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[#0000FF]You are well on your way to becoming an ex-spurt on walleye catchin'. I keep tellin' folks that the best way to catch them is to fish for sumpin' else. Sure 'nuff, if you fish only for walleyes you are more likely to catch the other stuff.
I often wonder if the old glory days of 30 plus walleyes in a day was a filament of my margarination. I wasn't half as knowledgeable about walleye stuff as I am these days. But it has been a long time since I really had much success with those toothy things. Maybe I just got too smart and outsmart myself.
About the prolonged spawn thing. It is not uncommon among all species. Somehow not all the fish mature to spawning stage at the same time. There are both males and females who develop earlier or later than the "norm". Seems to be nature's way of safeguarding against catastrophes of weather or water conditions that will adversely affect nesting success...and survival of the young.
On the other hand, it is also not unusual to catch egg-laden females past the ripe stage...past the normal spawn time. A few females apparently do not "hook up" with a suitable male in time to do the deed. Some overripe females just dump their eggs and get on with life. Others retain the eggs and reabsorb them.
It would seem that the higher water this year helped provide more nesting opportunities and we should see positive outcomes in the next few years.
Oh yeah, despair ye not about bigger kitties. I think I can safely assure you that there are some real contenders left in the lake...and your diligence and perseverance will be rewarded. Hopefully not quite as well as mine.
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Thanks Pat.. was hopin' you would chime in. You have rejuvernated me... I'm ready to hit the water again.
BLK
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"Forest, you need to stay up north if you want to catch a big cat. Sure seems like that is where all the 30+ cats are coming from. Maybe you can find a 30 incher the next time you are at UL. Always good to see you down this way"
Lynn, now you wouldn't just be trying to scare me off your home water, would you?
Well, no matter. Heading south in the 0-dark-30 tomorrow. [sly]
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Nice eye there Lynn, cats not bad either. I took my nephew and BIL out a couple nights over the weekend and things are slow up here for me. I'm getting too old for this 2:00 AM getting stuck on sandbars. But the temperature was nice for the wade and push the boat out. I think the fish are going deeper up this way. Found some action in the river, but they're not liking my frozen carp chunks though. Guess they want fresh meat. Well good luck on ole 36 and catch ya later. J
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Nice report! I want to see a slow day like that with a surprise in it. I guess I have to go fishing for that to happen though[:/]
Keep it up, that monster is coming!
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Awesome Walleye! My wife accidently caught a Walleye dragging shrimp on the bottom with a float tube. It was definitely a pleasant and exciting surprise!
Would love to catch one myself, but they continue to elude me.
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