Walleye Express

Me and reel Fishing trolled for 3 solid hours this morning. And we did so productively. That is, never had one time when the lures had any weeds or debris on them. Started in 6 FOW straight out from the kawkawlin and trolled East to almost even with the Saginaw River. Lures 15 and 20 back. Then trolled back and along Bresettes Beach for 2 miles or more and then out to 12 FOW and towards a few of my night time spots. Lures 40/45 back. Nothing, not even a bump. Seen 8 other boats and never seen any of them go for a net. Seen 30 guys casting at the mouth of the kawkawlin at 8:00am. Seen no fish caught or any on a stringer. There is a distinct cloudy/clear water serperation line on the West side of the kawkawlin. The clear is 11 1/2 feet and shallower and the cloudy is 12 FOW and deeper. I think night trolling could be productive right now if a man stayed just inside of this clear/cloudy break. As in the clear water you could see bottom in 8 FOW. All in all a nice day to be out.

O.K. First time I noticed this new subject board. And if you would have asked me this Mid-may question 5 or 6 years ago, I'd say stick to the river or river mouths virtical jigging minnows. Or stay close along the S SE shorelines in anything from 2 to 6 FOW trolling or drifting harnesses with no or very little weight on them. But since the walleyes abundant natural reproduction these last few years, where we find them, the way we fish them and the times we fish them is changing fast and drastically. My successfull iceburg trolling trip this late winter reinforced that concensus. But I started last year on the 3rd week of May in my smaller boat. I missed the April night bite because of surgeries. I started running the big body baits in waters 6 to 14 feet and caught a few fish, but soon changed over to Rattle Tots and spoon sliders above them. Both bare and my own harness type of spoons. We did very well on them and I never changed a rig from that point on till mid-June, when I started catching just to many little walleyes on the bare spoons. Here are some pictures from an early (end of May) trip we took last year with friends for my first "shake down cruise" in my big boat. As you can see from the towers we were out in front of Linwood 12 to 14 FOW. In 2 hours we boated 31 walleyes, many doubles and a few triples, all but 10 were released. Only 1 or 2 came on the Rattle tots themselves. The rest on the spoons of both types ran as sliders above them. I plan on putting my big boat in 2 weeks earlier this year and starting out with the same game plan. If it ain't broke, well you know.

I have caught walleyes (but not many) on spinner baits in the river, casting for bass. But the only things I ever used with any success on the bay that had a skirt on it was the rubber squids I ran behind of a Wiggle Disc. (See the last rig at the bottom of the picture) I tied the the thing into a crawler harnesses type deal and it caught me some nice fish during the hottest part of the summer in 2006. Ever since that time, they seems too have fizzled out. How to keep any rubber product from melting is to keep them in a plano box made for such things. :D

Good one. Grandpa used to say. "If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself".

Mike. These are the first ones I've ate in many years. The many (Y) bones people are always complaining about are mostly in the tail section from the dorsal fin back. The flesh is very tasty, especially smoked by people who know how to smoke fish. I've been doing it for 35 years, starting back when I ran my own catfish line on the Bay and sold the fish at work in the foundry. Them boys would gang up on me in the rest area and whipe me out in 10 minutes.

Thank's Frank. I used to love my own willingness over the years to get out and hunt, fish and trap, even if I had to do it alone or with just the dog and me. But it's starting to look like I'll have to be chaperoned when on any rough terra-firma trips from here on out.

Wulp, I know this isn't about walleyes in any shape or fasion. But when the wife got home early from work yesterday afternoon, I had a gut feeling the suckers were really running at Omer with the warmer weather. Wulp, I was right. In an hour and 45 minutes (5:30 to 7:15) I had 13 suckers on. Bad part was I only landed 2. Seems my fused left ankle is not very condusive to getting around very well on un-even inbankments, so I was stumbling around like a monkey doing you know what to a football, every time I'd get the darn things close enough to net. And most (7) of them simply worked their way off the hook. So that would have been 9 suckers I would have landed. The other day I had Reel Fishing do all that dirty net work for me, while I just sat there and reeled in the fish. I've almost finished off all of the 6 suckers I smoked Wednesday already. And they were even better tasting today after setting in the frig all night. I hope the weather holds off and I can get back up for one more trip before they quit running.

Ya....I know. Funny part is a lot of people out there think chartering and all the things connected to it are like sleeping in a bed of fresh rose peddals. Bottom line for me is the reward of doing something I've loved doing for my entire life. When it's over, so am I.

OMG Frank. I hope you don't really believe that. I mean the loaded part. You know anybody else still making payments on a 1978 boat? Ya, I'm rich all right. Every June, July and August. Bad part is all my debt holders want me to continue paying my bills the other 9 months of the year.

AIM Announced Format That Pairs Co-anglers with Top Walleye Pros. Plymouth, WI – March 21, 2009 – AIMâ„¢ announced today the details of the Co-angler format of the Pro Walleye Series tournaments. The AIM Pro Walleye Seriesâ„¢ tournaments will all be three day events. The full field of 100 boats (Pro Anglers and Co-anglers) will fish the first two days. The Pro Angler provides the boat, all the fishing tackle and bait for the day. Each day the Co-angler will be paired with a different Pro Angler and have the opportunity to learn individual strategies and cutting edge presentations. The top 50% of the Pro Angler field – based on cumulative weights over the first two days – will fish the third day of the tournament along with Co-anglers who were randomly drawn during the Rules Meeting prior to the event. The AIM Pro Walleye Seriesâ„¢ tournaments include the following dates and locations: May 22-24, 2009 in Bay City, Michigan fishing Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron July 2-4, 2009 in Green Bay, Wisconsin fishing Green Bay of Lake Michigan August 13-15, 2009 in Akaska, South Dakota fishing Lake Oahe The AIM International Walleye Championshipâ„¢ will be held September 2-4, 2009 at Lake Winnibigoshish in northern Minnesota. Co-angler entry fees have been set at just $250 per event which will help attract a broader base of new Co-anglers to the sport. Entries will include a minimum of two days of fishing with two different AIM Pro Anglers – plus the 50% chance to fish with a third Pro Angler on the third day of the tournament. This is a learning opportunity that is simply not available at any price elsewhere since very few Pro Anglers offer “guide tripsâ€. Co-anglers will not be competing for prizes based upon their placement in the event. Instead Co-anglers will be awarded prizes by drawings at the daily weigh-ins. These prizes are being contributed by AIM Sponsors – both national companies and those companies local to the tournament sites. The “Pro-Am†format of the AIM tournaments allows fishermen (and women) to become partners with the AIM Pro Anglers in the pursuit of the winning limits. With the Pros responsible for all the tackle, presentations, locations, boat control, and hundreds of other details it is not unusual for the Co-angler to actually catch most of the fish! In all cases, Co-anglers are regarded as essential to the AIM tournaments. All AIMâ„¢ tournaments – qualifying events and the Championship - will incorporate the exclusive AIMâ„¢ Catch, Record, Releaseâ„¢ format (CRR). The process will include the Pro Angler and Co-angler measuring the length of each walleye, taking two digital photos, and immediately releasing the fish. At the daily “weigh-in†the lengths of the seven largest walleyes will be converted to weights and counted in the cumulative total for the Pro Angler. The photos will be used to validate the measurements on the Official Scorecard. “CRR will bring us back to the head-to-head competition that this sport needs†emphasizes AIM Pro Angler Gary Parsons, “It will eliminate the guesswork that slot limits and culling restrictions have brought to walleye competitions. We’ll be back to fishing on great bodies of water where the angler who catches the biggest fish – wins! And it also means that we can fish all day and have a real chance of coming from behind right up to the last minute of the competition.†“The Pro/Co format that AIM is using for their events is a format that I embrace. Part of the fun for me as a touring pro is meeting new people. My Co-angler partner and I become a team for the day. I try to do my part to make my partners feel comfortable by teaching my Co-anglers as much as I can about the techniques we are using and by making sure they understand what we need to do to be successful that day. A day in the boat at one of these events can be exciting, and it can be stressful, but if you keep everything in perspective, it can be a day that memories are made of,†says Pat Neu, an AIM Pro Angler. Keith Kavajecz adds, “I think one of the reasons that the AIM Pro/Co Angler format works for Co-anglers is the fact that we fish for boat weight. Each day of the tournament I am paired by random drawing with a Co-angler partner. Tournament day is where the fun begins. Any fish caught in the boat – whether by the Pro or the Co – is counted, so I want my partners to catch fish! I am going to do everything I can that morning to teach and inform them, I give a mini-seminar. What equipment we will using, how we will be presenting baits, the netting process, etc. are all topics I will be talking about to help us be more productive during the day.†Keith continues, “What I appreciate more than anything (no matter what your fishing skill level is) is for Co-anglers to come into these events with a willingness to learn and desire to work hard as a team. We will have fun, we will have a great boat ride and we will catch walleyes!†Jeff Quist, an experienced Co-angler comments about the new AIM format, “This format is about catching big fish and lots of them! There is no looking for the ‘right fish’ - just the biggest in the system! A real, no holds barred tournament format.†“As a Co-angler where can you fish with two (or possibly three) of North America’s best walleye professionals for $250? This is more than a guided trip where you see a few spots to fish and one technique that will work. The tournament is an all out effort to win, so as a Co-angler you are privileged to witness the Pro’s entire play book! I have fished as a co-angler quite a number of times and without fail there is something new to be learned,†Jeff added. “Any one can put a worm on a hook. AIM is where you get your graduate degree.†"I've been fishing as a co-angler since my first PWT event at Lake Mille Lacs in 1995. Some 52 events later, I can say each day in the boat with a Pro has been a learning experience which has helped me be both a better Co-angler and a better walleye angler on my own. The new AIM Series offers a Co-angler a very reasonably priced two, and possibly three days on the water with great Pros and in a great competition! Don't wait--sign up now!†contributes Gary Speicher. Dave Anderson, an experienced AIM Pro Angler says, “I’ve enjoyed fishing the ‘Pro-Am’ format for the past 19 years. The anticipation of the draw at the rules meeting and the fun and excitement of fishing with and teaching a different person for each of the next several days has always been a thrill for me.†Dave adds, “I also always encourage Co-anglers to come to the tournaments 2-3 days ahead because there’s usually Pro’s willing to take anglers prefishing. This is another opportunity for the Co-anglers to learn what fishing programs may be used during the tournament and help them become an even better partner. Catching more fish is always exciting for everyone!†Long-time Pro competitor Mark Martin said, “AIM is where you go to compete with the top walleye Pros and gain more insight into the world of the tournament fishing. The Co-angler format gives me the chance to teach my partners the methods, techniques, fish finding strategies, and boat control required in the quest to catch as many Walleyes as possible under Tournament conditions! A side benefit is just knowing that your next time on the water with family or friends will be that much more exciting and productive for everyone because of the knowledge you gained during the AIM experiences, and this time with you being the teacher!†It is important to note that it is NOT necessary that Co-anglers “qualify†for the 2009 AIM International Walleye Championshipâ„¢ in September. Registration for all AIM Pro Walleye Seriesâ„¢ events, including the AIM International Walleye Championshipâ„¢, is available NOW online at www.aimfishing.com. Registrations can also be submitted by mail or telephone. The AIMâ„¢ office can be reached at 920-526-3399. Anglers Insight Marketing, LLC (AIMâ„¢) is a unique tournament organization which is owned by stockholders, the majority of which are Professional walleye anglers. AIMâ„¢ Pro Anglers are among the “All Stars†of professional walleye fishing, with cumulative HUNDREDS of years of tournament experience, including countless tournament victories, series championships, and Angler of the Year titles. This insight and knowledge is now being employed to provide the finest tournament experience for the participants, and the maximum exposure for the host tournament sites and corporate partners. # # # For more information, contact: Anglers Insight Marketing LLC PO Box 110 Plymouth, WI 53073 Office: 920-526-3399 [email protected]

Some of you might remember a post I made a few days ago about the Old June Bug Spinner (JBS). We used these JB spinners way back in the late 50's through the 60's in front of plain crawler harnesses for walleyes. And at the time, this attachment was about the only rigging trick a man had to use to entice more strikes from walleyes and many other fish species. I was actually kinda shocked that somebody even still made them, but ordered a few to try out again on our modern day walleyes. But just for kicks this morning I attached one in front of one of my spoon harness rigs. Went back to the swimming pool in the back yard and gave her a swim. I'm here to tell you the action was amazing. The spinning, tapered blade on the JBS throws lots of flash, yet allows for plenty of water to get by the blade and keeps the spoon flipping back and forth and doing it's thing just fine. So you have a combination of the spinning blade in front and the flipping spoon behind. Here's the picture of the rig below. And I'm going to try and take some video with my HD video camera and see if I can get it posted so you all can see this amazing action. Here's also the link to where I bought the JBS. http://www.angler-al.com/lures.html

Tony. The DNR started planting Herring last year in Lake Huron. Only about 6000 for their first trial plant, but they are trying to learn better how to rear and plant them.

I was really hoping that the gobies would take the place of the missing alewives. But if that were totally the case, I'm guessing you'd never see another suspended walleye while trolling the Bay, because as you know gobies are bottom dwellers and feeders. But being you still do, and sometimes in mass, they are there feeding on something and I'm guessing they are not YOY perch to any big degree. Usually the YOY anything stays close to shore in the weeds hiding from all types of predators and feeding themselves on very small organisms and invertibrates. But I do know that the Saginaw River fills up with small perch during both the spring and fall and that they do get hit hard by the migrating walleyes. Many of these spring YOY perch never make it out to the weed beds to hide and grow, in much the same way the YOY walleyes never did all those years because of the alewives. If I had to guess, I'd say our new and growing Smallie populations are taking as many YOY perch as any of the wallleyes do. Those bass are less selective and are a more widely dispersed predators then anything swimming in the bay IMV.

Hey, guess what I found in the bowls of my new camera after reading the manual again on how to retrieve such things. See, I was really there, and this was the smaller of the 2 walleyes. But I'm still missing 3 pictures of the suckers I caught.

Post taken from my fishing board and the answer to it from my DNR buddy. Before I get started, just let me say I am sorry if I offend anyone. Here is the thing that has been eating at me. Working at Pine River, there have been a ton of guys fishing for perch off of Palmer Rd. You get some guys that come in and say they are nailing the nice perch. Funny thing is when they show me, the nice perch are five to six inches. There are guys keeping their limit of these. But, you go on these web sites, not so much this one but michigan-sportsman, and read people b**** about how there are no big perch left. They blame it on the commercial fisherman. When these are the guys that are out there keeping these small perch. I am sorry, but there isn't much of a fillet off of a six inch perch, you are better off cooking it like a smelt. Now, here is the question. How can there be bigger perch when there are a hundred guys keeping small perch? One hundred guys keeping their limit, that is 5000 perch that will never grow up. Now, I understand that the commercial fisherman set a lot of nets. But don't they have the right to make a living too? Most of the guys that do this have grown up doing it and have never done anything else. And right now, they aren't doing very good do to all of the walleye out there. That birings me to my next point. Maybe the fact that there are so many walleye has to do with the decline of perch also? And maybe the perch are declining because they now have commorants and Lakers chasing them, or the water is down and they have no place to spawn. Now add fisherman keeping small perch, and what you have is no perch left. I believe that a size limit needs to be put into effect. Maybe 7.5-8 inches. Sorry this is so long, but I just needed to vent. I personally like catching big perch, I only caught maybe 15 through the ice this year but I had nothing smaller than ten inches, and one that was 14.5. And I will tell you what, bringing that big perch through the hole was very exciting. Answer I recieved from my DNR biologist buddy after sending him the post. This post/vent raises some good questions. First I agree that keeping large amounts of small perch can compromize the abundance of large older perch in some systems. In a few systems (not Saginaw Bay), keeping over abundant small perch can promote better growth of those perch left behind, but that's not the case here. There are several things happening with perch in Saginaw Bay right now that is setting up this situation. The yellow perch fishery is at some of its lowest levels we have ever measured. Both the sport and commercial fisheries are in the same decline. Neither fishery is causing this situation in my opinion and instead both are suffering right along together. Ever since alewives disappeared from Lake Huron, both walleye and perch have been experiencing enormous reproductive success in the bay. Alewives fed upon newly hatched walleye and perch fry each spring so their absence has made for much better reproduction. This is why we are enjoying so many walleyes today. Walleye densities are returning to their historic proportions and this is a success story. However, alewives (or more specifically thier juveniles that used the bay as a nursery grounds) also made for a ciritical buffer against predation for yellow perch. Without the alewives there, the abundant walleyes (and many other predators) are feeding on the young-of-the-year yellow perch. Our present working hypothesis is that lake herring historically served as that same buffer in the bay but they have not so far returned in the absence of alewives. There are many other prey forms out there in the bay but it seems like for us to have both perch and walleye (and certainly historically we did have both) we need a very abundant prey form from the main basin of the lake. The answer is not to want alewives back but instead to want lake herring to recover. The DNR is exploring options for trying to encourage that to happen. I think that we have so few large perch because we have so few perch to begin with. I agree that a 5" or 6" perch is too small for harvesting. Protecting these young perch with a regulation might help and is worth considering but there are so few to begin with (compared to the numbers we used to have in the bay) that I am not sure it would result in a significant improvement of the situation. They just mostly seem abundant right now cause they are crowded in near shore for spawning. No easy or immediate answers for the perch situation in the bay. In the mean time, try to enjoy some of our fantistic walleye fishing.

Yup....it sure was a fun day. I was mildly surprised how much fun it really was. The suckers looked great, just got their last dose of brown sugar and stiring and are about 1 hour away from the smoker. And the walleye were a pleasant surprise and both were really fat, sassy and healthy looking. I know the rifle has miles and miles of viable spawning gravel upstream. But I wonder just how many of their eggs survive and do not get eaten by all those gravel cleaning suckers. But what the hell, they were here first I guess.

Wulp. I've spent the last hour trying to retrieve the pictures we took today of both our suckers and the 2 dandy walleyes I caught on the Rifle River. Used my new Canon video camera again today and I seem to be doing something wrong. I finally figured out the pictures were simnply not in the camera for some reason or another. Damn shame. Anyways, we got to the rifle about 9:30 or so. Water was way up and really cooking. We watched for a while on the North side of the river and didn't see one fish landed. So we took the muddy two traker down river a ways and found a nice eddie on a corner. 3rd cast with orange imitation rubber spawn I felt a tick and set the hook. To my surprise a nice 4 pound walleye came boiling up. A few casts later another walleye of about 6 pounds came to net. Took that ones picture (I thought). A few minutes later my first sucker, then it went dead. Went on the other side of the river on the first bend below the DNR parking lot and caught 5 more suckers on Gulp soaked sponge squares I cut out and lost several others and what might have been a steelhead. I had the hot hand today, but I'm more used to drifting spawn then Mark is.

It's weird how in-laws can become a better and more perminent part of your life even if you and their close relative part ways. My brother-in-laws from my first marriage have been close friends of mine even after me and their sister parted ways. But I taught those three boys to fish, hunt and trap between very long hours working on their family farm.

Jim. Walleyes are sized pretty much the same way steelheads are. And this length to weight scale is very accurate. A 30 inch walleye will weigh 10 pounds as does a steelhead in good condition. Now if the walleye was bulging with spawn, it can according to DNR records (and in rare instances) put on as much as an additionl 3 pounds of weight. The usual additional spawning weight is about 1 to 1 /2 pounds of egg weight. Both walleyes and steelheads will start say 22 inches 2 pounds. 23/3 pounds. 24/4 pounds and so on. I used to get a lot of laughs when guiding for stellehead all those years, when asking clients how much they thought their 26 or 27 inch steelie weighed. Some of the guessed weights were off the charts.

Thank's Adam. Got the word tonight that we were fishing the wrong side of the kawkawlin this morning for the walleyes. So we're going to fix that tomorrow morning and fish both sides.

I don't think the action could have gotten any better for us earlier this morning. Drag screaming slams that pulled the In-Line boards under like they were snagged to an unmovable object on the bottom. And then the spectacular 2 and 3 foot jumps that fallowed behind the boards. Of course me and Mark both new right away, that like 90% of all white men "Walleyes Can't Jump" either. But we had a great time for a while playing one smallie after the other. Water temp was up to 42 degrees and one guy at the Kawkawlin river mouth was having some success casting jig and minnows, after telling us he had 3 days of nothing prior. Didn't hook any walleyes, but all in all, a good day to be out on the water.

I took 3 recruiting officers last year that had just transferred here from down south. The wife makes up these quilts and imbroiders "Thank's for your Service" on them along with a big eagle under the banner. Her and her sewing club sent a bunch to Irag over the years. These guys almost cried when I gave them to each one at the bar when we got done fishing. And then I did cry, but just a little.

Yup. In fact I believe that was the very first season that the launch was installed.

Just got an interesting call from Guantanamo Bay Cuba a few minutes ago. The guy that called is stationed there in the Navy, fresh back from Iraq and now watching what was our prisoners, but under the new administration, are now our guests. He's from Toledo Ohio, been in the Navy for 10 years and wanted to book a charter trip on the Saginaw Bay for just him and his dad in mid-June. I gave him a big discount and it looks like I'll be privileged to take them both out. There are some trips that I derive more pleasure from then do the clients. Father and son trips like this, is definitely one of them.

Best place for that is Chip Road bridge and downstream to the Oil Wells. I remember one year before they closed that part of the river for spawning, I watched them guys dipping for suckers off the bridge catching one hog walleye after the other. Another year I got my Jet Boat all the way to the Oil wells rapids on a site seing trip, and both walleyes and steelheads were on that gravel big time. I'm planning another Bay trolling trip Thursday and maybe Friday. Then a sucker (orange sponge) run on the rifle on the weekend (weather permitting). I just hope the river waters warm soon and stay high enough for a good walleye spawn on the kawkawlin.