Walleye Express

Gary Parsons weighed in 43 pounds and change today jig fishing the Saginaw to take over 1st place in the AIM tourney. Check out this video from the weigh-in today. http://www.aimfishing.com/video.asp?id=1534

For those of you who missed it via the live stream today, be sure to tune in tomorrow at 5:00pm. It was a very, very nice weigh-in. My hats off to Keith Kavejeck for Pre-fishing, then fishing hard the first day, and then doing the whole stage show weigh-in himself. Only very few glitches with the live streaming, but all in all very nice indeed. And the really nice thing. Of the 301 walleyes the 46 teams actually held for any extended time to measure and take pictures of today, all are still very much alive and swimming around in the Saginaw Bay or River. Great format, great tourney so far.

For those interested the AIM Bay City/Saginaw Bay tourney will be streamed live at 5:00pm eastern time for the next 3 days at http://www.aimfishing.com/live3.asp

With the new AIM tournament (offspring of the old PWT) being held out of Bay City starting this Friday, I helped out both a friend and a Pro find some river fish this morning. Here's the post I made on my board. O.K., Here's the poop. And some may not get much info from what I'm about to post, as the Pro I fished with today wasn't wild about having his picture taken with any of the 9 fish we ended up catching. I never met this Pro until today and was doing a very close friend of mine a favor for showing him a few river spots. I liked this guy almost immediately and we hit it off pretty good. But being I was on his boat as his guest, (rather I was helping him or not) I can and will respect his wishes about no names or revealing pictures right now. I will (if asked) give out a little more info about our day after the AIM tourney is over, and I will say we caught fish from Smith park ramp all the way to the Grain towers, upstream of the Zillwaukee Bridge running lead core and cranks. The first thing we did was take an 11 mile (no wake) ride upriver from the ramp, and I pointed out the better spots to troll and jig fish to him. We hammered down on the way back but stopped and trolled in four of what I/we thought were the better places and caught a walleye or two in each one. I was given permission to post this one picture when cropped of our big fish. Can't really say how big it was, (I'm thinking 25 or 26 inches) as none of our fish were netted, measured or weighed, but simply keel hauled over the side, unhooked and set free immediately. The mission was to find fish and establish a technique for catching them. Mission accomplished!! And I'm sorry, but that's the best I can do right now.

Wulp, Got a call from the Gatorbait this morning wanting to try some of his new Lead Core Rigs out on the Saginaw River fish. We decided we'd troll form the Smith Park Ramp to the Mouth and if nothing hit, we'd pull the core and keep right on sailing out to 17 FOW on the east side of the Center Spark Plug. Well, we never left the river and had us a ball. 8 to 15 FOW. 2 1/2 colors going with the current and 3 1/2 going against it. Trolling 2.3 GPS with current and 1.9 against. Most fish came on #5 Firetiger and Silver/Blue/Orange Belly Shad Raps with the core, and a few on Thunderstick Juniors running in-line boards, 40 back on shalllow side 55 back on channel side. How many you ask? We stopped counting at 6. Lots of monster Sheepies as well. Hanging onto the core rods, adjusting and just keeping them ticking bottom, and feeling those thunderbolt hits was prety damn cool.

I'm embarrassed to say that I played Hooky way to much to go hunting or fishing. Would spend all day casting for Pike of Walt's Cabins dock on the Kawkawlin. Or take my buds 12 footer down the Kawkawlin, out into the bay to hunt ducks in the pot holes on one (of the then 2 islands) at the mouth of the Saginaw River. Got stranded there on day during a storm and had the State Police looking for me and my bud. The ending to that story is to painful to discuss. I guess I'm trying to say to keep things like playing hooky in the proper perspective for both you and your son. As I lost and squandered away a lot more in my young and early adult life by putting hunting and fishing always first and above many of lifes real obligations.

Alex. What I meant was the other hole you fish in, not somebody else. We can now use 3 rods to fish with, but most all ice fishermen cut 2 holes right next to each other to jig in.

Alex. I've concluded since that day, (and only because I went back a few times and fished where the burg was), that it was as much about the bottom dynamics that was holding the burg where it was as any of the other things.

No, but it makes good sense. Many of our ice walleyes the last few years when initially coming in to inspect your jiged offering, seem to be induced to strike better when that lure appears to be swimming up or away and trying to escape. The flying lure with it's natural gliding away action when jigged and allowed to fall on a slack line, would probably mimic this action on it's own quit well. Only problem I could see is that it would probably tangle a lot with the lure in the other hole next to it, that we usually cut and fish in.

Jason. We could kick this can down the road 40 miles and it would not change my mind about what I've seen during my life and how I see it. Like Spock would say, "The needs of the many outweigh the wants of the few".

Good point Nailer. Myself and many of the first Saginaw Bay Waleye Club members donated a lot of our time back then to the early planting, feeding and harvesting of those first Bay planted walleye fingerlings, as well as a couple of seasons helping with the tagging and egg taking efforts on the Tittabawassee. Nothing is ever helped, sustained or restored by those who only take and never give back. It's a harsh statement, but IMV Netters only take from the resource.

Jason. Heres a little more Walleye/Bay history for you to read. http://bay-journal.com/bay/1he/places/fish-sagbay-manyen.html

Jason. Your opinion when comparing charter boat captains with commercial fishermen is not that surprising to me. There's this reputation that us captains seem to have gotten, that runs from raping the resource to having rolls of Fifty dollar bills in every pocket. I addressed that fabrication before and tire of it's telling. Let's just have a side by side comparison. The commercial netter pays for his license but that's where his public, state or federal monitary contribution ends. I pay for my federal license, my state inspections, my TWIC card, my liability insurance and may run as many as say 30 trips per summer. 4 people per trip = 120 people coming to our state or immediate area eating at the resturants, buying licenses, staying in hotels/motels and maybe shopping in the malls or our mom and pop stores while here. And the fish carnage may look bad on film, but each fisherman only takes home 5 fish if he's lucky enough to catch a limit. But these total charter caught fish kills would pale when compared with just the numbers of casual mortality of wasted dead walleyes in the netting process. They do now (I and others have seen it) and they are not even targeted. I was told that there are literally miles of licensed and unused nets not being set on the bay. The commercial fishermen monitor themselves in this reguard. But open this windfall can of worms and it will be over.

To compare the revenue of commercial fishing license money brought in per year, versus lost revenue in personal license, boat, equipment, marina, hotel, motel, bait shop and resturant revenue, is like comparing my Tomato Garden canning with Heins Catsup. And being this is a law Suit, we are legally restricted as to what we can do. But I sent this E-mail off this morning. To: Kelly Smith. Chief of Fisheries. This is Capt. Dan Manyen of the Walleye Express Charters. I and my fishing board members have just received news about the law Suit filed against the DNR to allow certain and specific people to commercially harvest walleyes from the Saginaw Bay. We want you to know that many of us are willing to stifle our anger over this outrage and add calmly either our written voices of reason, or (if need be) add our physical presence to testify concerning this Law suit. Please keep my E-mail address handy and feel free to contact me/us (if and/or when) something like this would or could help keep what is now a 70 year moratorium of netting walleyes off of Lake Huron. Thank you, Capt. Dan.

My main worry would be the "What about Me's" that would fallow from the other licensed netters on the Bay as well as the indian tribes from Linwood to the Makinac Bridge. And once allowed, theres no going back.

I declined to post an answer to this on their link http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2009/05/commercial_fisherman_sues_to_c.html as I am known to well by both Sag Bay commercial fishermen and anglers alike. And my use of several 4 letter words would probably not be the best way to enrich my reputation or get my point across. But feel free to post yourselves. Commercial fisherman sues to catch Saginaw Bay walleye by Tom Gilchrist | The Bay City Times Tuesday May 12, 2009, 9:38 AM State officials say Dana Serafin hopes to do something commercial fishermen haven't done "in recent history" on Saginaw Bay - catch walleye. Serafin, a commercial fisherman from Bay County's Pinconning Township, has filed a federal lawsuit seeking permission to do just that. Serafin proposes to "harvest walleye in certain concentrated areas to avoid further overpopulation in these pockets" of Lake Huron, according to the lawsuit, filed in April. He alleges Michigan Department of Natural Resources employee Tammy Newcomb ignored his request - in September 2008 - for a three-year study allowing a "controlled commercial harvest" of walleye on the bay. Serafin maintains the controlled harvest's goals would include increasing the density of walleye in the bay, and to expand the walleye fishery until the species increases its natural reproduction. Newcomb, manager for the Research Section of the DNR's Fisheries Division, denies she ignored Serafin's request, but declined further comment. Newcomb declined to address any of Serafin's claims from his lawsuit. In his lawsuit, Serafin claims the DNR "has continued to limit and/or eliminate" species of fish Serafin may fish for commercially. He alleges the state agency, through its continuous and arbitrary actions, and by not allowing him to be heard, violates his constitutional rights. The Times could not reach Serafin for comment. DNR documents tell of a commercial harvest of walleye in Saginaw Bay in the early 1940s, but Newcomb said commercial fishermen no longer are allowed to catch the popular sport fish. Such a commercial harvest hasn't occurred "in recent history," she said. The population of walleye in Saginaw Bay hasn't recovered to targets DNR officials have set, but a "crash" of the population of alewives - predators and competitors to walleye - has helped the walleye fishery, according to the DNR. "The fishing is very, very good for walleye in the Saginaw Bay right now. ... As word has gotten out, people are starting to harvest more walleye," Newcomb said. "They're taking advantage of that recreational opportunity, and that's a help to the entire bay area." During the early 1940s and earlier, commercial fishermen took walleye from the bay, according to a DNR special report from 2004. The study found the bay's walleye fishery collapsed in the mid-1940s, however, principally due to degradation of spawning habitat "brought about by a series of human activities." The opportunity for recovery began in the 1970s with improving water quality, according to the study. "Historically, Saginaw Bay supported the largest commercial walleye fishery in Lake Huron," with walleye noted in commercial fisheries' catch records as early as 1858, according to the study by David G. Fielder and James P. Baker. The study didn't blame commercial fishermen for the collapse of the walleye species in the bay in the 1940s. It does, however, maintain that "intensive exploitation by the (commercial) fishery no doubt hastened the demise of the population and left it vulnerable" to failure of young walleyes to survive at that time.

And life is like a box of chocolates. And that's all I have to say about that.

Wulp, I think we would have done pretty good tonight if the water/current had not increased substantially almost immediately after we started to fish. I started things off with about a 19 incher not 20 minutes after we started trolling. And that old familiar "Thunk" on the end of my Berkley Rough Neck as the lure stopped at the end of a short pump gave me goose bumps. And then 3 minutes later Jeff connects with a mad dog sheeps head. I thought man game on. But the river really started to roll then and the debris got worse immediately. Oh well, I found out what I set out to. The fall/winter technique works, even in the spring.

Like a seagull........:lol: That describes perfectly my finicky eating habbits. I was accused one time of being able to eat a dog turd. That (I said) depends on how it was cooked.

Just took two of the bigger walleye fillets from yesterday and grilled them for my lunch. Layed them on tin foil and folded up the sides. Sprinkled on a generous portion of Lemmon Pepper and some Parsley Flakes. Put 1 small tab of real butter on each fillet. Sprinkled on some Zesty Italian salad dressing. Folded foil and put on grill (on High) for 15 minutes. Opened grill, and sprinkled fillets with a generous portion of Sharp Cheddar Cheese and crushed Onion/Garlic potato Chips. Cover for 3 more minutes and serve. My only regret, I only did 4fillets.

Thank's Frank. I was glad to see Normark making the Thunderstick Juniors again, but wish they would go back to the old style Storm colors. That old style fire tiger color caught us 13 of the 17 fish we boated in those 2 days. I tried the newer Normark color and it caught nothing. Then my buddy fed one of my old style tigers to his kicker motor yesterday. Stuff like that happens, but it was like loosing and old friend.

Thank's Adam. Big boat goes in in a few days. No room for that thing anywhere near the island.

After putting together just a few of the Thunderstick trolling clues from yesterdays trip, we decided to see if we could refine the technique a little more today. And indeed we did, with some better results. We figured out exactly where the most suspended and active fish were on the river channels ledge, and at what depth they were feeding best. We found the best speed and the best length for our leads to entice these fish, and the Old Thundersticks did the rest again. And the later it got into the afternoon, the fish moved their feeding zone and we moved with them. And like yesterday we never seen another fish landed around us. And as you can tell from the pictures, we had a ball.

Looked out the bedroom window this morning for any weather signs that it might be a good day to head back out to the island for a few more walleyes. Seen this cloud formation that told me it might be a better idea to go back to bed. :D

I'm going to bet that the guys living on or near Lake Erie are in a catching numbers class all their own. I remember a few of the old days in the late 70's early 80's. My mother ran the Phils Inn Motel for a few years in Port Clinton and we would spend a couple weeks a year over there. Counting down Erie Deries and Gold Nuggets out of the Coolie Canal (SP) area or out near the West Sister island was unbelievable. Nothing anywhere or at any time in my life compares to that (fish on every cast) fishery we experienced during those trips.