Walleye Express

Just got back from Tawas. I had a feeling when I got to AuGres at 5:00pm and hit the driving snow squals that I might have made a mistake for going tonight. Then when I pulled into the Tawas Pier parking lot and seen two other vehicles, I knew I was in trouble, but had come to far to turn back now. I fished for 3 1/2 hours in what can only be described as a windy white out and got a very wet/cold ARSE. But I managed to go 7 for 10 on the white fish with a new spoon tonight. It was one of those new 3/8 Lindy Rattlen Flyer Spoons I bought for ice fishing and was the 3/8 Glow Red one. Sad part was I knocked off 2 nice fish with the net trying to get them in by myself. And I could hardly see any of them when they came to the surface in the blowing snow 12 foot down along the sea wall. I'll try and remember to take a picture of them tomarrow before I give them a haircut. :grin:

Yupper, I agree. Braides will absorb a lot more twisting then mono will. And I always tie jigs directly to the line then add in a swivel up the line 18 to 20 inches to counter any twists aquired from repeated jigging. But dealing with line twist after the fact, is like the guy who quits smoking after he gets cancer, it's to late then.

Well, it's not over yet according to my bud. We might be headed back up Tuesday night. Might have to wear my ice cleats though. That pier gets slick as snot after a few guys walk on any fresh snow. And having the pier slant towards the water on the marina side doesn't help either. :eek:

Hello Guys, I have always used fireline tied to a small snap swivel when ice fishing. I was wondering if there is a better way. Do some of you tie directly to the spoon or jig? Do you use a barrel swivel and leader? If so what sizes and which pound test line? Thanks, Chris Chris. I run Power Pro Red 8/30 to a good quality barrel swivel that's teamed together with the smaller sized Normans Speed Clip. This is what I run on all my rods both summer and winter now for (lure to line) change out strength and ease of changing. The speed clips do not come with swivels on them, so I buy extra strong, 20/30 pound weight tested, quality swivels seperately and put them together to my liking. I have to, as some eventually get used for attaching lures used for casting in the rivers for King Salmon. If I had to rate these 1 to 10, both the Power Pro Red and the clips get a 10. Capt. Dan. Great for saving time and hassle, The Norman Lures® Speed Clip is absolutely the easiest way for you to attach a lure to fishing line. Equipped with a circular design that allows lures to run true, these Speed Clips are stronger than other snaps and work well with braided lines. Plus, it takes only one hand to attach these Speed Clips to your lure.

Thank's Frank. From the looks of the weather forecast, we hit it just right and in the nick of time. The walk out on the pier will probably get a little slick from here on out. I see from the pier cam this morning only one lone soul fishing the corner.

Well, where do I start. What a great but frustrating night. Tonight on the Tawas Bay pier me and my buddy Mark caught 19 beautiful whites. But we missed probably as many or a few more then that many. And I'm not talking about short hits. I mean fish on, play it a while, and fish off. Also had a couple of surprises tonight. Not 5 minutes after we got there, Mark sets off to net some minnows around the boat docks for bait, so I start jigging. Wham, this fish hits and takes drag like I don't have any, and heads for the open waters of Lake Huron. I don't see Mark anywhere and don't feel like screaming like a child for him to get the net. So I play this fish for almost 10 minutes before I work him back to the pier wall where I can see him. It's about a 12 pound laker and gets off right next to the break wall. I make another drop with the spoon and wham, the first white fish hits. But there was a time tonight that I lost 5 in a row. They just have such soft and small mouths, they're hard to keep hooked. Plus, if it's a bigger fish, (like 99% of them were tonight) the sheer weight and leverage the fish gets when you try to coax it to the net, some 12 feet down from the top of the sea wall, helps him break free and escape. I also caught a slab Rock Bass. All in all a great night to be fishing. Must have been a million stars out tonight and no wind. You can see by my relaxed position on the Steel Sea Wall, I was comfortable.

STREAMERS: I hand tie my own streamer flys for whitebass fishing during spring and fall and I have caught tons of walleyes on them. I hear the Wolf River has a hot bite for walleyes that come on streamers. I catch so many species of gamefish and panfish on streamers that I wonder why more people don't add this trick to their bag of tricks. They mimic a small group of minnows moving through the current. I cast these streamers on Wolf River Rigs (3 way Rigs) and I slowly work them back to shore with a slow reeling/twitching retrieve. I hear that trolling slowly up river into the current and pumping the rod every 5-10 seconds can also produce fish. The sinkers I use are thin dropshot pencil lead and wolf river sinkers. Sometimes even big splitshot sinkers work well in snaggy enviroments because when you snag them up you can just pull them off with a slight tug and you can keep your whole rig. I tie 2-3 of these streamers 12 inches apart on one 4-5 foot leader of 8 pound test mono. As far as colors go I find the patterns purple/red/gold, purple/gold, purple/white, red/silver/white, chartreuse/orange, chartruese/silver/white, orange/white, pink/white, pink/orange, light blue/white/silver, and even black/green to be amazing. I have alot of luck though with whites and purples, and most colors containing white or purple. Even in dark water purple still works which is surprising but true. I could not believe such a dark color gets their eyes turning in murky water. It is very cheap to make these streamers, and it is a purchase and hobby well worth seeking. If you want walleyes, whitebass, crappies, and even bass and pike, and want to have an edge over other anglers, then take the time to practice tying these streamers. I bought a cheap $6.00 fly tying vice. Buck tails are $4.00/tail. You can make loads of flys with one tail. I buy chartreuse, orange,white,black, light blue, and purple so that is $20.00 in tails alone. Then I buy gold, and silver tinsel strands for $2.00/piece. Thread is about $1.50/spool, thin and durable is the key. Then I use size 6,4,or 2 Aberdeen hooks which can be $8.00 for 100 hooks. Gold hooks or plain, it doesn't matter as long as they are aberdeen hooks. Then sinkers, swivels, and monofilament leader material is all you need. You are looking to blow $40-$50 but it is well worth it. Make sure your streamers are at least 3-4 inches long, they dont have to be fancy looking because the fish think they are minnows anways but, 3-4 inches is a good length for the streamers. I suggest learning how to tie these streamer flys. I tie tons during Winter. It is a good hobby to keep your mind sharp on fishing, and get you some great new baits. BUCKTAIL JIGS: I also hand tie my own bucktail jigs and enjoy using them. My favorite patterns vary from a pink jighead/white hair, or chartreuse/white, chartreuse/orange, purple/white, and light blue/white. I tie 1/32-1/4 ounce jigs for everything from crappies and whitebass, to walleyes and saugers. I notice not alot of guys use bucktail jigs anymore. I use to see old timers catching loads of walleyes on bucktails, and now I do to but, all the plastics,livebait, and crankbaits took over the old fashioned bucktail for popularity. And the bucktail jig is deadly. I caught walleyes and saugers with or without minnows tipped on the hooks. I sometimes like my own creations over store bought ones because they have the right amount of hair, and my own color combos. Also catching fish on my own streamers and bucktails is rewarding because my creations caught the fish. Does anyone here use streamers or bucktail jigs anymore? What color patterns are you favorite and why? Any retrieves work best for you? Is anyone else here so hooked on fishing that they take the time and effort to tie lures for fishing walleyes and whitebass? Anyone here very passionate about them very tasty and hard fighting fish WHITEBASS???? I am curious how many of you actually tie,use, or are interested in learning about streamers and bucktails. Jason Weckerle Jason. You might also want to use that same vise to add some flash to your lead head jigs for walleyes. Pick up a variety of different colored Medium Ice Chenilles, Yarn and Finsel. All will be in the fly tying section of your sports shops and stay on the jig better then most rubber add-ons. I pretty much quit using grubs and twisters to bulk up my jig and minnow offerings. And have found that wrapping, tying, glueing down and matching or making some great jig color combos, has really paid off for me personally as well as on my charters. Heres only a few of the hundreds of pictures I have with some of my creations in them. Capt. Dan.

Very true. My buddy is a Pearl Pimple fanatic. He'll start out with something else for a while then says "Time to go to the Pearl Sweed" and usually pull out a fiish or two. I had one winter when the pearl pimple with Kelly Green on one side was red hot.

Capt.Dan - What is Your take on why the Saginaw Bay doesn't seem to produce in the Fall like Erie or the Bay of Quinte ? Do You think that nobody looks for (or finds) them/differant forage base or maybe just the dynamics of the Bay itself (lack of deep water) ??????????? C-man Bob. Remember this picture below I took at Hoyles of the back of my truck on November 27th 2006? And the 3 pictures below that, that were taken by our friend Scott on the Saginaw Bay on the 5th of January 2007, when we had that freak weather last winter. My picture is the share of fish I took with my cousin Ray on that day, soon after 3 or 4 previous trips of his own, when he took limits and put a hurt on those open water walleyes on Saginaw Bay in 15 to 17 FOW. So the deep water theory doesn't hold water. I'm positive that there is a good fishery out there at this time of year, but very few people are interested in it or hardy enough to get out and pattern it. Look how long it took for people to cash in on our early spring/after ice out walleye fishery. I knew about it back in the mid 80's when guys started catching walleyes fishing for browns and coho from AuGres to Oscoda, yet didn't take advantage of it until years after. There is and always will be a safety factor this time of year that simply does not apply when it's warmer out. Even though I have never fished Quinte, I know we are not blessed (YET) with the dynamics of either Lake Erie Or the Bay of Quinte. That being 85+ million fish for Erie nor the protected, narrow wind/weather land mass areas that Quinte seems to offer. Few (if any) Bays are 24 miles wide and 46 miles long, like Saginaw is. Capt. Dan.

Check out the new Skeeter 20 foot Tiller model. It's something I'd own if and when my charter days are over. 42 MPH loaded and trolls below 1.5 with the 115 Yammie. Hope the economy doesn't kill it's introduction.

I have been using fireline crystal the last few years with what I thought was fairly good success vertical jiggin. Lately, I have been wondering just how clear the river gets before I should put on a flouro leader. Now I am trying the new fireline hivis/lowvis. At 15lbs, plenty heavy but super thin. I am thinking no leader at all here since the black is really dark. Plus, one less failure point. Crystal does show up nicely on the river top, which for a line watcher like me helps a ton. Mark. Mark. After about 8 to 10 personal line choice changes for me chasing walleyes over the last 22 years, including and during some drastic water clarity changes, I've noticed one fact that sticks way out. The walleyes haven't changed their attitude, shown preference to, or seemed to prefer one of my choices over the other. Of course the Hook, Catch, Diametor, Castability and break off ratios have changed since Super Lines have come out, and I do appreciate that greatly. But for a man like me with OCD fishing tendencies, who often looks for why one guy is out fishing another, the line type/color difference has only been considered by me as a possible factor very few times. The weird part of that is in those few times, it seemed the difference was the line catching the most fish was the most visible, at least to the human eye. I've always believed that a predators place on the food chain latter, and all the habits, cautions and instincts that go along with it, are directly related to his aptitude to be more or less careful about any visual clues he perceives. Man seems to always assume his instincts or the cues he gets to stay away from things dangerous in his world, are the same with all creatures in theirs. Capt. Dan.

Okeee/Dokeeee. Picked up my TWIC card today. So if Murphys law applies, get ready to have the whole thing repealed for us Captains tomarrow and another 8 month wait to get my money back.

Frank. I always used to top off my fuel tank at the end of the season, but have not done so in the last 2 seasons. I started reading and hearing from my marina machanic that it is not the best idea to top off the gas tank before storage, but to add a good stabelizer instead. Then the next year when topping off, the newer gas boost the octane levels in the entire tank. With todays weaker lead/octane fuels and mandated additives, all those bad things that lower octane and can cause you engine minor malufunctions and spark nock are magnified. Of course gas prices right now being half of what they were all summer, might also play a part in that decision.

Laid it all out in the garage this afternoon to get an idea of just where I will drill the ice holes when I stop and before removing the shanty cover. Where to mount the rod holders and where to best and efficiently place all the gear for safety sake in the 6 X 12 space the shanty has. That white interior really makes a difference when she's closed up.

Well, often the expectations of some things you order off the Internet are always high. Often their size and how they really look on the print out page can often be deceiving versus the (in your hand) view. Then of course when you get them in the mail, some look better then one expects and some worse. Here are those jointed {Real Image} jigging spoon lures I ordered, that I just opened, and man I'm in love all over again. Not only did I guess the 1/2 ounce weight size right, but they are also that perfect (Emerald Shiner) 3 inch length. And the colors, well, look for yourselves.

Hey guess what? After only 7 months of waiting, I went again and re-applied for my TWIC card on Tuesday. The lady who originallly did my application found the problem herself. Some pencil neck at "Homeland Security Headquarters" had the last letter of my last name entered wrong on the original application. Of course everything else on it was correct, including my E-mail address. So why it took so long to track it or me down for any kind of verification is anybodies guess. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside about our actual national protection agains't terrorists threats.

Ya....I hope that top one will catch as many walleyes as I know it will fishermen. :eek:

Just got back from the Saginaw. Trolled roughly for 2 1/2 hours. Beautiful night to fish, but not so good to catch anything. I did stick one momentarily but it got off fast. We seen a few others bust shad at the surface in several places. Some of these might have been white bass though. I've been night fishing the saginaw now for roughly 24 years. In that time I've never seen as many shad in the river as there is right now.

Spent most of yesterday getting things ready for this year ice fising season. Put the brand new shanty up that got delivered 2 weeks ago, and found places to mount the rod holders on the shanty tow tub to do away with the 6 gallon pales I was using for that duty. Put the storage box back on, cleaned it out and even painted the inside. Oiled and re-spooled all the reels and even polished all my jigging spoons with rubbing compound to bring back their original luster. So that was the mood that led me to puruse the web sites looking for anything new as far as spoons go when I got back into the house. Well, I found a few I thought might get the attention of a Saginaw Bay walleye or two and ordered some. The first is Cabela's own "Real Image Jointed Spoons". I like the holographic paint style and know that jointed spoons do have a unique (lift and fall) look all their own when jigged. Second is a Northland Tackles Rattlin Flyer Spoon Kit. Rattles make a difference once in a while when fishing moody walleys on the Bay. So I think now I'm ready for some hard water.

Fished Huron Ohio this weekend and had a blast. On Friday most of the fish came on the left side of the boat, Sat on the Rt and sunday back on the left. Ran both sides about the same 40-70 back, all reef runners. Wondering if anyone has any idea why this happens or is it just luck. Thanks Randy Randy. This phenomena happens a lot to trollers. And the time spent trying to figure out why, at times can be useful. And sometimes others, it is something so miniscule or down right different you'll never see or notice it, but does make a difference in the total catch. Guys like me who just have to analyze everything good or bad about fishing do have some ideas about this. Firstly, I guess you would have to keep track on which ways you were trolling when this weird pattern manifested itself. Given the wind, wave, and current directions that each can cause, even where the weight is ditributed in your boat, dictates that one side of the boat will almost always act/pull/haul different then the other side will. Thus the pull on the boards (rather In-line or Mast) will always be slightly different from one side to the other. Sometime this subtle difference makes all the difference in the crankbait's action and the fishes response to it. And if and when you turned around and troll the other way, having the same length leads on both sides, that action can be transferred to the opposite side of the boat, and thus duplicate that same exact productive program you had going on the opposite side before you made the turn. Make sense? There now with that all figured out, I'll go back to figuring out why one lure with the black dot on it's side is better then the one without it. Capt. Dan.

Every time you leave the dock/shore or any surroundings you personally have control over and put yourself into someone elses hands, care and/or under their instruction, there is risk both to you and him. Double that risk on ice. I pay big money every year for State safety inspections and liability insurance on my charter business. Might never use it, but by both State and USCG law I have to carry it. Sanctioned events and tourneys have disclaimers that entrants sign, but still carry liability insurance. Rather it's through the marina, bought or carried by the event coordinator. Friendly get togethers do not. If the planer/honcho of said get together says everybody meet on the ice at the end of Linwood road and their vehicles sink through the ice, he's technically and most likely, legally responsible. Todays world is very different from the world I grew up in. It's very sad, but I'm afraid now that there is always a risk of litigation. You may find somebody to risk it, in my position I won't.

I have an option for you Nick, but only because you asked. I not only guide on the Bay in the winter, but teamed up 2 years ago with a technical graphics and maping company to sell my own personal and successfull GPS numbers I've gathered (starting with my first lowrance land based tower unit) for the last 21 years while fishing on the Saginaw Bay. These allow you to do it yourself with your own gear and transportation, and do so in locations I've already proven productive. To view prices and what they include go to this link. http://www.electronicguideservice.com/Saginaw%20Bay.htm But let me also add this. Even though my (total ice fishing package) includes everything a newcomer would want to know about the area. It also has suggestions, hints, real time satelite view links of the bay and lots of other helpfull info about the hazzards one might face or look for on the Bay during the ice fishing season. All these things can change in a wink of the eye. And it's not my intention to scare you or anybody out of coming here and enjoying the fantastic ice fishing we've had here, especially in the last 3 years. But to make all realize that the safety factors involved when on ice, is more then double then that of when you head out in your boat. Those open water factors are laid out pretty plain as soon as you clear the break wall. Not so when heading out on the ice. I book about 15 ice fishing trips a year. Half of those get canceled every year by me (and often on the same day as the charter) because of the wind, weather or ice conditions themselves. After a life time of ice fishing the bay and hearing and seeing as many as 6 people a year (2006) get killed out there, I play it very safe. And this is also the reason that a possible get together would be IMV, be to risky to plan and (SORRY FOR THIS) to big a litigation risk to the planner.

Heres the post and the pictures Cat Lady posted this morning on our site. Good job Dan putting on a great and fun tournament. We not only had the usual fun fishing but the gathering afterwards at Famous Dave's and putting names and faces together was great. Promise no thread will be put in the tackle box that we won. Not only did these 2 Flatheads help us win a category but Lonnie and I found out they meet the master angler requirements. 29.50" Flathead 34" Flathead

My little fishing board ran our first get together today on the Saginaw River and heres a few pictures and the results. Well folks, our first ever get together is over. I think everybody had a good time. Nobody went home empty handed with all the freebies me and Larry were able to come up with from some of our sponsors and my own garage sale items I gathered up. One couple/team seemed luckier then the rest. Bay Dog and Cat Lady took first place money with total inches measured. Of course Cat lady caught 2 flatheads that together were a little over 60 inches, which started them out with 60 points in the all-species category. Then they fallowed that with winning the raffle for the tackle box that had some other goodies inside. My partner Chamook and I took Big Bass honors with a 17.50 incher I caught. Bob had the hot walleye hand, but could only managed to catch one keeper that was right on the 15 inch mark. That was toped by a 19.50 incher caught by board member (b4any) who's team took that prize money home. Small Sheeps head went to Jim Hert and partner, as I believe did smallest White Bass. I'd have all the numbers, but I walked out of Famous Daves and left the score sheets on the table in the resturant. Hears all the pictures.

I take no offense in anything you said Frank. As I tried to make clear in the post, everybody has their own ethics that may or may not reflect my own. I made the post to make people think. If anybody felt guilty or not guilty reading it, it accomplised it's goal. As did Al Linders show that day. This subject alone comes about as close to, and is IMV, in the same realm as talking about politics or religion. Those beliefs to are intrenched and an integral part of whom each person is, what he believes and what he see's as important. And often just talking about them or stating your own views on them, can sometime offend, loose you a friend or two, or put others not agreeing with your perspective in a defensive state of mind. And a lot of resource particulars from one place to another can indeed shape or adjust what points I tried to make in my original post. Especially in a put-and-take fishery, like our own salmon or trout fishery that maniac eluded to and how it is utilized. And the laws set for each area by those particular resource professionals are set so to protect and preserve that resource as best it can for all users. It's often when things get to easy that your ethics truely get tested. Remember years ago when our smelt runs were massive. When you could dip for quit a few nights without hitting the run. Then in one good/right night, fill a 20 quart cooler in one dip. The sheer excitement generated by this bounty after a few nights of failure, and when shared with the many others dipping around you, encouraged you to fill every tub, pale and orifice you brought with you. After all, you spent a lot of money and time trying to catch a few smelt, it was legal, and by God the resource owed you that much. Then the long trip home, stopping at every bar to see if anybody wanted some free smelt, as you knew you were never going to clean or eat that many. This is the same ethical mind set I worry about, and that took over these last couple of years by many on the Bay.