Walleye Express

Ya. It took me a while to get the seating down to where I wanted it. I finally took those two (back facing) bench seats out, installed two smaller jump seats, one on each side. Then simply bought 2 very nice folding, arm rest Captains Chairs I store in the cabin till needed. That way If I have 4 people for a charter, two set up front on the bench seat on passenger side, the other two in the jump seats. 6 people, I break out the captain chairs and they fit nicely in the corners near the front. We've had as many as 3 fish being played at once in the back with no problems. :D

Not really much to list as equipment, since I stripped her of all her Salmon fishing extras when I bought it in 1996. Just lots of rods, lures and my custom built rod holders. But she's still pretty sharp for a 1978. Do love the TR-1 Auto Pilot and 8 horse Yammie I bought for my walleye trolling needs though. Took 5 chaters out last summer and only used 61 gallons of gas. Almost felt guilty......ya right.

Heres my battleship.

Heres the last one I got 4 days ago. Hope Gary Roach don't get to upset about me being called Mr. Walleye. Imagine, an Auditor General with a Yahoo address. To corny. Dear Mr WALLEYE I am contacting you individually for a business transaction involving GBP £30 Million and I hope that you will contact me at your earliest convenient for this possible business transaction. I am the Auditor General, and Chairman, Audit Committee of Bank of Scotland, with your sincere assistant and co-operation,I have determined to work this deal with you if you can do the business. At the moment,I am constrained to issue more details about this business until your positive response is received. Please take a moment of your time schedules to read this and send your response or better call me with this mobile number : +44 704 57 06187 for further information concerning this transaction. I assure you that this deal is worth taking and highly profitable. Thank you for your time and attention. Yours truly, ........................ Mr. jim mark, Auditor General, Bank Of Scotland Plc. Tel: +44 704 57 06187 Email: [email protected]

Oh yea, sorry. Sold 4 of every color to a guy in Southfield named Tom. Had a Tom come from Mayville yesterday to pick some up. Just to many Tom's in this world. ;)

>>> <[email protected]> 03/12/2007 3:59 PM >>> So, Dave. Any more word on the 2006 Saginaw Bays natural walleye survival rates. And does the DNR plan on taking any eggs at all from the Tittabawassee this spring considering the VHS findings. Dan. Dan. The catch rate of Young-of-the-year walleyes in our trawling this past September was much lower than the last three years (which were all record numbers) but still represented a year class that was about average compared to most stocked years (for the long term average) before the recent surge the past three years. Alewives are still scarce in Lake Huron and we believe that the conditions are still optimal for very good reproductive success for walleye but as we also predicted that at some point, these other very strong year classes would begin to suppress newer walleye year class strength of subsequent years through competition and even cannibalism. This is a common phenomenon in walleye populations (a strong year class will suppress the following year class) thus its unusual to have two strong year classes in a row and three in a row (like we have) is almost unheard of. So the fact that the 2006 year class is not nearly as strong is not surprising and not particularly disturbing. Besides, there is still a 2006 year class there, and not out of line with the long term average despite the lack of stocking in 2006. The exciting news is that it now appears that the 2005 year class is much much stronger than we previously thought (compared to how it showed as young-of-the-year). It appears to be as much as twice as strong as the 2003 year class. This is based on catch rate of yearlings in our survey nets. Yearling catch rate is the best expression of year class strength because they have survived their first winter and the true (lasting) strength of the year class is usually set by then. It appears as if the 2005 year class enjoyed much better over-winter survival than the 2003 and 2004 year classes did. This very strong 2005 year class explains partly why everyone is still catching many many sublegal walleyes. The 2003s are fully legal size by now and the 2004s will be this summer too. The future continues to look very bright for Saginaw Bay walleyes sans the VHS issue. As for walleye stocking in 2007 (this year), its all very much undecided at the moment. The final decision will probably be made this week. Because egg disinfection procedures for walleye eggs are unproven at present, there is a real possibility that no walleye egg collection or culture will take place in any state operated hatchery this year (in an effort to keep the disease out of our hatcheries). That decision hasn't been made yet, but its a real possibility. If that decision gets made (to not rear any walleye in 2007) that will be a decision only for this year and will again be revisited for future years once egg disinfection techniques are established for walleye. There's a good possibility that no walleye stocking will be recommended for Saginaw Bay in 2007 even if walleye rearing were to take place because of the three to four strong year classes currently present and because alewives continue to remain scarce. That decision is under advisement and we should have the final word here soon as well. Check back with me in a week or two and I can tell you more then.

I believe the majority of those were coming from the Chippewa. It hadn't even begun to break up until Friday, so theres bucu ice chunks that have to come down yet. Plus the flow rate and water color are climbing into the crap zone fast.

Tom. We got Keel Hauled 2 or 3 times while at anchor yesterday when not paying attention. And some of those floes are 12 inches thick or beter. You sure as heck would not want to strike one when on plane. :eek:

Today, not being quit like yesterday, after the ice jammed cleared away from the ramp. When everybody up near the Spillway was catching fish. The river today was not giving up her bounty very easily. The water was more stained and in fact, I/we never seen another fish landed by anyone this morning or all day for that matter, nor did we hear or see any at the ramp with any when we took off. I caught a 20 inch Pike on my second cast this morning at 9:30am, then we never had another hit until after 12:00pm when they opened the Dam at Sandford. It was then and only then, I could put a program together with a reliable idea of where to find these hide and seek walleyes. Sandy current seam edges/ledges, between deeper holes and shallow flats was the only place we could get bit. And you had to pay the utmost attention to details, how you hopped you jig and exactly where it was in these seams. In total we got 14 bites all day and landed 11 fish, so that wasn't to bad. Here's the picture from today.

These Gal's can do more then that. They chartered me twice last summer. We/they limited both times and are as savvy as any I've ever fished with. They own 2 boats themselves. A 19 foot Lund for when their here in Michigan, and an 18foot flats boat they use when in Flordia to fish for Sea Trout and Red Fish. We went to the local tavern after the last trip and the one on the left drank 2 more Magnums of Killians then I did or could. These women are a class act.

Here ya go Caz. Now I don't want you printing this picture and heading off into the bathroom for any prolonged periods of time.

Oh, Man. Just give me 1 or 2 days on the Tittabawassee in my Jet Boat with them pre-spawn walleyes before the closing on the 15th and I'll be in heaven.

If they lower the limit to one Salmon and shrink the Master Angler qualification down to 30 inches or 10 pounds, the season should be a stellar one. :eek:

That's not a Chinook. That's one of them rare Chin-Orka's. And like many of the salmon I caught back then. I caught that 28 pounder on a 1/2 ounce Hot-N-Tot. #136. Drop back fished Drift Boat Style.

If I love anything about the Association I belong to (MCBA) is that they keep on top of things like this and will have a working plan laid out for it's Captains long before it's to late. I'm also hopeful and confident both them and NACO will continue lobbying for making these new laws easier for us Joe legal Blows.

Back in the early 1980's when I started guiding on the Rivers out of my Drift Boat, I had a "Fish-On" guarantee or the trip was free. I'm talking on, not landed. Of course I was pretty confident and cocky back then, having only the third Drift boat sold in Michigan at the time, being virtually alone on the river systems I fished, and successfully using a technique that was proving deadly on both the Steelhead's and Salmon running the rivers I guided on. I had that same kind of fish in the box confidence you open water guys on the West Coast have been enjoying for 3 years in a row now, because of good fish planing and the sustaining Baitfish and Salmon population survival numbers being at their peak. You older charter guys who went through the rough times during the late 80's early 90's know how much easier and nice the fishing is now. Anyway, when these tougher times hit me on the rivers too, I started to re-think my guarantee. What cinched the deal was actually a charter client who changed my mind and policy. I worked my butt off one day trying too get him a hook-up, but we skunked out anyway. As we were parting company, he shoved the full amount of the charter in my pocket and told me something I'll always remember. "Only Jesus guaranteed fish before the trip out" I have not guaranteed fish since that trip. What I do guarantee now is the only thing mortal man can guarantee. That I'll do my best.

Could anybody that stupid even pass the Captains License exam?

Yup....If that saddle had not of fallen off at the boat, he would have been a real trophy. :eek:

Had a chance this morning to look through some old photo's and downloaded this picture of a 28 pounder we caught a few years back on the P.M. There was a post a few days ago asking about any 30 pounders that we had caught. This fish of course was 28, but big enough to make the cover of the Michigan Fishing News newspaper that September.

Hey Caz. How can I be mad at someone that I seem to have so much in common with. Seems we both hunt with 105 mm howetzers. :lol:

Caz. Kidding aside your apsolutley right. I know I get more business either directly or indirectly, when sharing my successes, techniques and general information through reports and pictures. But all of us have to be careful, honest and never guarantee on Saturday the same success we enjoyed on Monday.

Hey, no problem Levi. Nothing harmed. I'm probably one of the few who do not accept credit cards. Don't really think I've lost clients because of it either. Just glad my policy itself put the kibosh to this scam.

Recently I recieved 2 charter requests from Scottland. Each only a week apart. Now, I've taken people from Russia, England and even Israel on fishing charters, so getting a request from Scotland didn't really throw up any red flags. Both requests asked for a 4 day charter and asked to pay for the whole trip with credit card. I replied and requested they pay only for the deposits for the days requested, and to do so with check or money order. Well, there was no further correspondence from them. I asked my web master to look into this and heres his reply to me. Just a heads up for you guys. Hi Dan, This was a tough one, anyway, yes on the scam. I traced the e-mail back to Marina del Rey, CA which could be a substation for yahoo, but the email does not come from the UK it comes from Marina, Lagos which is a territory of Portugal. Larry

Caz. You'll probably never read them, but I write weekly reports in the summer for Franks Great Outdoors and many others who print the reports on their sites. And usually post the pictures of that weeks catch if theres space. Of course they are all about walleyes on the inner Saginaw Bay.