Tubing Willard Friday 6-23-06

[TubeDude]

[cool][#ff0000]NOTE: No boats were harmed during this fishing trip.[/#ff0000]
[#ff0000][/#ff0000]
[#0000ff]TubeBabe and I launched off the sand at Eagle Beach about 6:30 AM. Nice, with just a little south breeze. Water temp at launch 73. Bugs? Of course.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We worked all kinds of lures from 8 feet to 20 feet deep. No whacks. Weren't seeing many fish on sonar so I went north, toward the north dike and the outlet. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Started dragging a minnow on one rod while casting with the other. TubeBabe also rigged with bait. Only a couple of light bites until the sun hit the water after coming over the mountains...about 7:10. Then, we both caught several small cats in quick succession on the bait. We each kept one and released the rest. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The bitty kitties took both minnows and carp meat with gusto. But, couldn't buy a hit from a wiper or walleye. Finally, as I crossed a 12.8 foot hump, coming out of 18 feet of water, I had a pickup on a minnow that quickly ran several yards of line from my open bail. Hooked up to a freight train that turned out to be a 19" wiper. Yahoo.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]No more good hits on bait or lures until after I had kicked clear over to the north dike. Watched a couple of young rock chucks playing rough and tumble as I released several more small channel cats. Did not see any of the few boats pick up anything on the troll. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Tried dragging bait and casting lures along the dike to no avail. Turned to head back the other way and started seeing lots of shad at mid depth in about 17 feet of water. Somebody rang the dinner bell then and I had constant action on minnows. Before I ran out, I caught two wipers and lost a couple more. I also kept a couple more cats and released several more. I went through a whole pint thermos jar of chubs that I had brought from the previous day's bait expedition. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I had three wipers in the basket and three small cats. TubeBabe announced over the radio that she was not using up minnows very fast so she would be glad to "download" a few. She kicked over to where I had been scoring and handed off some new minnows. I pinned one on and got a quick pickup. This turned out to be my largest wiper, at 21" and 4#. Poor TubeBabe got quite a few cats, to 16", but missed the only wiper strikes she had.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]There were not many boats on the water early, but by the time we kicked back to shore the traffic was building. Fishing boats and power squadron alike were basically courteous and maintained a good distance from us. We had a good day on the water and there was no bloodletting...of the human kind.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[Theekillerbee]

That sure is a nice batch of fish there Pat. Nice to see you guys had a good day out on the bay. Are you sure that isn't a chunk of a hull laying there next to you????[]
[signature]

[Bassin_Blitz]

Hey T-Dude what size of chub minnow were you using? weightless?

Thanks
[signature]

[kastmaster]

Nice haul!! One of these days I'm going to make it up there. Just too many commitments right now. What's Willard like in July and August when it comes to wiper fishing?
[signature]

[chefwhofishes]

The wiper fishing is excellent July and August, better fishing and Bigger bugs!
[signature]

[lunkerhunter2]

Soubds like i should have called into work after all! Nice batch of fish youins caught! That area is where we did good last week right on the turn.
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]The wipers yesterday seemed to hit the 3" to 4" size better than the larger 5" chubs I also had in my supply. About all I caught on larger chubs were smaller catfish. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have experimented with using different sizes for wipers. When they are in a neutral mode, or being finicky, then a 2"-3" minnow on a small hook and lighter line will get more hits. Walleye also seem to like the smaller minnows.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Rigging and fishing technique is probably more important than minnow size at times. Wipers will pick up a dead minnow laying on the bottom, if they are hungry and foraging. But, they respond better if it is moving and looks more like it is alive and badly wounded. They are predators and you can sometimes provoke a reaction bite, even if they are not actively feeding.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I rig with 8# Excalibur line and then use a two foot leader of 14# Excalibur, to help reduce nicks and cuts from sharp teeth, fins and gill plates. I use a size 10 crane swivel to connect line to leader. It helps keep twist out of the line, both from the bait spinning and from the twists that develop when fighting larger fish on spinning gear (some of us dummies keep winding while the fish is running off line...or has us at a standstill).[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I don't use any weight. The swivel adds just a tiny bit of weight which can help offset the buoyancy of a minnow. Even if you pop the air bladder in a chub, it tends to float a bit. The swivel is just enough to help sink it slowly to the bottom.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I use a small size 4 or 2 ring eye bait hook, and I always touch the point up with a hone when tieing on a new one, or after getting free of a snag. I hook it solidly around the left gill collar of the chub. If you make a smooth lob cast, the minnow usually stays on the hook well enough to hold up through being dragged over the bottom and to get a hookup on a biting fish.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I prefer the gill collar hookup for two reasons. First, it seldom results in the hook turning inside the bait and covering the hook point on the strike. Second, it helps put spin on the bait when I lift it off the bottom.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]That last point is one of the little finesse "secrets" to fishing minnows from a tube or toon. You cast out a decent distance from your craft and let the bait settle slowly. Leave the bail open on your reel and hold the line with your forefinger. When wipers are active, it is not uncommon to have them slurp in the minnow as it sinks. Let them run off some line and then sock it to 'em.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The finesse part comes in once the minnow is on the bottom. You hope for a reasonably calm day, so you can more easily control your drift and speed. Rather than just kicking around and dragging the minnow, it is best to stop for a few seconds once in a while, and then use your rod tip to do a "shivver lift" on the minnow...raising it off the bottom with a jerky motion. Often, when a fish has been following and watching the bait, enticed by the scent, it will pounce when the bait suddenly "comes to life" and looks like it is trying to escape.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If you are holding the line with your finger, you will often feel a CHOMP, followed by a strong surge as the fish moves off while munching on the bait. Sometimes they just flare their gills and suck it down. In the latter case, hookups are seldom a problem. Yesterday the fish were touchy and you really had to let them take it and then time the hookset right to go bendo. We lost quite a few minnows by not guessing right.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Sorry about all the rhetoric. Just wanted to make the point for some folks that fishing with bait (minnows) is not a simple thing, nor is it a lazy man's fishing style. It takes almost as much art and science to properly fish bait as it does to fish lures. Heck, a lot of lures are known for being ideal for rookies. All you do is cast and retrieve and the lure does all the work. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Sure, there are plenty of fish caught by bait dunkers who just "chuck and chance it". It can be fun and very relaxing to just heave out a bait rig and wait for some fool fish to commit suicide on your line. I still do it myself on occasion. But, "flylining" bait behind a tube, with all the little tricks and tweaks is as much hunting as fishing, and it can make the difference between getting a bent rod and just collecting skeeter bites and sunburn.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[ironworker]

great report and pictures td
you and tubebabe are the masters. rock on
thanks for sharing [cool]
[signature]

[Frozenover]

Nice catch. Hope to be out there on Saturday and try my luck again on wipers. They were a blast on a toon.
[signature]