Tough bite yesterday.

[Walleye Express]

Wulp, I hope my optimism about August staying good fishing through to September wasn't misplaced. Got out yesterday morning SE of the Black Hole and trolled with the NW wind/waves for almost an hour without a touch. Got around that 18 FOW mark and started to slowly get a few fish. But she was very slow. Boated 9 and threw 4 back for the 1/2 day. LDR'd a few others. Only seen one other fish boated around us. Got back and the guy 2 slips from me had 15 nice ones. Said he smoked em out by the Cigar. Not exactly sure where the Cigar is, but I'll find it.

I could also mention that I had 77 degree surface water temps yesterday in most of the spots I fished, the warmest I've seen this summer. And 74 degrees in some others spots very close to these warmer sections. That tells me the water got churned up somehow and is now in full turn over mode. This fact can often segregate fish in isolated feeding pods as it tends to heap the baitfish together as well in certain areas and section in the water column. Bad part for me is it takes 20 to 30 minutes to stop and secure the trolling motor, clear and secure all 8 lines, retrieve the boards and run and gun to a new spot. Then the 20 minutes again to start all over. If fishing with friends, this down time would be cut in half or better. But clients usually know little about the program to be really helpfull in this process, so I'm better off trolling to different spots from a central location. Yesterday I trolled North and South to much when I should have trolled East and West more. Oh well, we try. Also think I'm going to a 50/50 program next time out. One side Rattle Tots (high and Low), the other Eyeliminators/keels all deep (Real Meat/Gulp) with spoons and Thumpers. This will keep me in the ball game (Hopefully) with both aggressive and funk fish on both sides of the boat from 1.8 to 2.3 MPH.

[JWheeler]

Dan the water up north is starting to warm up too. Where we started it was 72*, when we finished not too far from there it was 74* water. I know what you mean about setting up and pulling lines. Even with my friends it takes time, as most of them are pretty green. They can reel in the walleye, but to set lines I need to walk them through it step by step. Some people really pick it up easy, and others just seem to be totally confused. But like anything else, experience is the best teacher. I've been at it for a while, so sometimes I just think it is better if I just set things myself. On occasion I have filled the boat with others that also fish, and that is gravy. I'll just sit back and drive and let them do all the work. Probably have a few more trips yet out to Au Gres, hope the fishing holds up. Last year it seemed toward the end of July things really slowed. I pulled the boat and went for silver last year, but this year I think I will continue to look for the eyes into the fall. As far as this warm water, does it push the fish into deeper water? And, when the water temp starts to come down do they start showing back up in good numbers? Good Luck out there....

[Walleye Express]

A sustained heat wave and warmer temps will eventually push even baitfish North or to more comfortable water temps. I don't really see that happening to any degree this late in the game this year. I think it has as much to do with stable and stratified water temps as it does cooler or warmer temps. Walleyes seem to adapt to any temperatures when and where baifish abound. Hell, I've caught them in the Hot Ponds in 92 degree temps years ago (when the water was higher) in the middle of June. It's when there are these mixed clouds of different temps floating around that effects their feeding moods.

About the experiences of people I have on board. I have several groups a year who don' know what a planer board is or what it is used for. I heard one guy in a group I had the other day explaining to everyone at the back of the boat (as I was putting out the boards in the front), that they were used to keep eveybody in boats around us away from my boat and my spread.

Edited August 5, 2008 by Walleye Express

[Priority1]

GJ Dan. Yes the warmer temps are going to heat up the inner bay and move the fish N. and deep. We have been fortunate that the cooler weather this Summer has kept the fish where we want them. WHAT A YEAR. I have seen bigger fish in the mid 80s, but the numbers we have experienced this year has been FANTASTIC. Last year wasn't too far behind this one.

[Adam Bomb]

Dan, the cigar is an alongated hump that runs east and west. Its located basically strait out from the marina and just a smidge to the north. It tops out at 17' and has 19' of water on the west side and 20.5'-21' on the east side. Its a pretty small sturctural element, but its been significant enough to hold the fish and bait. I was on it last week and you were to the NW about 3/4 of a mile just outside the 19' break. Its been good fishing there, but it was overrun with boats on Sunday. I personally didnt mark allot there other than the bass and the lone walleye. I suppose they coulda been on the opposite side than i fished, but, i just didnt feel like fighting the traffic.

[BrokenWing]

Dan -

I think I saw your truck at the Linwood launch on Sunday correct? We had a heck of a day but what could can you do. Later in the day we moved out about 1 mile west of bouy 1&2 and started to get the fish on but we could not get them to the boat. The guys did well with steady pressure and not rushing the fish in but some how they keep getting off. Well I just you win some and lose some.

Rich

[schultzs]

We boated 7 nice eyes Saturday straight out from Gambils 19-24' with bb/meat. Assisted drift with wind. Caught too many white bass though. Lost a few on retrieve too.

Sunday by myself...One right away in 18' but then whites again. Moved out toward 1-2 [but not out to it] and picked up 4 more and lost 3 on the way in.

Sometimes they were suspended, sometimes on the bottom. Normal colors...firetiger,chartreuse, purple, red. lime.

A lot slower than Thursday - I caught over 10 in 2 hrs in the same spot. Weather change? Who knows/ That's fishing.

Beats working.

[Walleye Express]

Dan -

I think I saw your truck at the Linwood launch on Sunday correct? We had a heck of a day but what could can you do. Later in the day we moved out about 1 mile west of bouy 1&2 and started to get the fish on but we could not get them to the boat. The guys did well with steady pressure and not rushing the fish in but some how they keep getting off. Well I just you win some and lose some.

Rich

Broken Wing.

My boat is moored at the marina in a slip at it's extreme North end, so I park right in front of my dock when I go out. Also got my charter logo/advertising on the windows, so if you seen it you'd know for sure it was my truck. And we also had quit a few rubber band stretchers that simply let go by the time you got to the rod Sunday. Sad part was really about the young man I took out Sunday. We had to reschedule his trip twice (once in June and once in July) because of bad weather, during the times when I was limiting out in 2 hours during those months. So we finally get some good weather for his trip and this happens.

[Walleye Express]

Dan, the cigar is an alongated hump that runs east and west. Its located basically strait out from the marina and just a smidge to the north. It tops out at 17' and has 19' of water on the west side and 20.5'-21' on the east side. Its a pretty small sturctural element, but its been significant enough to hold the fish and bait. I was on it last week and you were to the NW about 3/4 of a mile just outside the 19' break. Its been good fishing there, but it was overrun with boats on Sunday. I personally didnt mark allot there other than the bass and the lone walleye. I suppose they coulda been on the opposite side than i fished, but, i just didnt feel like fighting the traffic.

Found it and it's GPS coordinates on my Hot Spots map tonight. And it's the same spot I have 3 waypoints punched in on in a triangle on my own GPS. And we were trolling over that spot Sunday a few times with the same limited success. So one has to assume that it might have been more about speed, depth and lure choice Sunday as much as it was about water temp/conditions, knowing that fact. I've been real lucky so far this summer not having to change my program one bit for all the fish I've been catching. But it may be time to get fancy.

[Adam Bomb]

Ok, good deal.

Im curious Dan, what were you pulling there on Sunday? Makes you wonder where exactly he fished from the Cigar and what he used. I know it was a mob around there, so i didnt do allot of exploring.

I ran harnesses with inlines and BB. I tried anywhere from 15'-45' back with the inlines and put the BB within the bottom 5'. I ran my speed from 0.8-1.5 S.O.G. I only boated one eye there and had a couple other soft bites, that i believe were walleye. I was on the east end of the cigar and didnt mark much at all there. Only a few small clouds of bait here and there and very spiratic "hooks", most of which were near bottom. And if i put anything within 5' of bottom it got ate off by the bass, which by the way ranged from 3"-12". Couple that with the boat traffic and it was a combination i just didnt feel like dealing with....So i got outta Dodge...Glad i did.

[Walleye Express]

I've had the same Rattle Tots on all 8 lines since the begining of June, 80 back always. And I always spice them up some with a 1/4 crawler (Hook the piece at its tip and never threaded or gobbed) on the front outside belly hook, and run them anywhere from 1.8 to 2.6 depending on where I see the marks on the graph. Deeper/Faster, Shallower/Slower. Started that 1/4 crawler idea 2 years ago and seemed to outfish the guys using straight Rattlers almost every time.

The guy who did so well on the cigar the other day (from what I could see) was using the smaller Eyeliminator flashers with #5 blades using XPS fish keels as the weight. Not sure if he was using real meat, but I think he was.

[Indybleck]

Hey Dan ever try leeches on a harness? I see where some people are using them with some sucess.

[Walleye Express]

Hate to admit it, but I'm a sissy when it comes to handling leeches. I can pick up a live/wild rat by the scruff of the neck. Grab any snapping turtle living rather he's in the water or not. Kept and played with a big farm of Mamoth Yellow Garden Spiders when I was a kid. But won't touch a leech.

[Adam Bomb]

Leeches definetly work well on harnesses. You may actually get up to 3 fish on one leech....Try and get the biggest ones you can. Franks had some nice ones a few weeks ago, but i dont know now.

[Adam Bomb]

I've had the same Rattle Tots on all 8 lines since the begining of June, 80 back always. And I always spice them up some with a 1/4 crawler (Hook the piece at its tip and never threaded or gobbed) on the front outside belly hook, and run them anywhere from 1.8 to 2.6 depending on where I see the marks on the graph. Deeper/Faster, Shallower/Slower. Started that 1/4 crawler idea 2 years ago and seemed to outfish the guys using straight Rattlers almost every time.

The guy who did so well on the cigar the other day (from what I could see) was using the smaller Eyeliminator flashers with #5 blades using XPS fish keels as the weight. Not sure if he was using real meat, but I think he was.

That sounds like a good presentation. Its amazing what adding a little meat on your crank can do. Ive done it with #10 rapalas run behind BB before.

Well, by the sounds of things, this guy was fishing the spot on the spot because between the two of us we had a pretty broad range of presentation covered and did hit the lotto.

[BrokenWing]

Yet it had your decals on the backwindow. Did anyone get out this weekend? If so how was the waves?

Rich

[Walleye Express]

When the alarm went off at 6:30am yesterday morning and the curtains in my bed room (on the west side of the house) were blowing around like the American Flag was on top of Mount Suribachi that fateful day on Iwo Jima. I knew then my weather forcasters were at least wrong about the intensity of the predicted winds. Tried to call my clients cell to catch them before they left, but no answer. Went and got the boat ready to go and mentally got a plan ready for the day. Clients showed we went out towards the 47's about 3 miles and things got rougher as we went. Stopped and talked it over. Turned back in towards shore to fish SW corner in shallow knowing the waves would be smaller. Weeds and weed clumps everywhere in water cloumn up close. Headed back in, wrote deposit refund check and left as friends and no hard feelings, with promise of trying again next year. Does not look good either for next few days. Waves/Rollers 3 to 5 feet might be called a decent day on Lake Michigan, but on Saginaw Bay it's a nightmare.

FZUS53 KDTX 100746

NSHDTX

NEARSHORE MARINE FORECAST

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI

332 AM EDT SUN AUG 10 2008

FOR WATERS WITHIN FIVE NAUTICAL MILES OF SHORE

LHZ422-101530-

INNER SAGINAW BAY-

332 AM EDT SUN AUG 10 2008

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM MONDAY

TODAY

NORTHWEST WINDS 20 TO 25 KNOTS...DIMINISHING TO 15 TO 20

KNOTS...WITH GUSTS TO 25 KNOTS. PARTLY SUNNY THIS MORNING...THEN

BECOMING MOSTLY CLOUDY. AN ISOLATED SHOWER THROUGH 9 AM...THEN

SCATTERED SHOWERS WITH AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM. WAVES 3 TO 5 FEET.

TONIGHT

NORTH WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. PARTLY CLOUDY DURING THE

EVENING. MOSTLY CLEAR OVERNIGHT. AN ISOLATED SHOWER ENDING

OVERNIGHT. WAVES 4 TO 7 FEET...SUBSIDING TO 3 TO 5 FEET OVERNIGHT.

MONDAY

NORTH WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS...TURNING TO NORTHEAST. MOSTLY

SUNNY THROUGH MID MORNING...THEN BECOMING PARTLY SUNNY. WAVES 2 TO 4

FEET.

MONDAY NIGHT

NORTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 15 KNOTS...TURNING TO NORTH.

MOSTLY CLEAR DURING THE EVENING. PARTLY CLOUDY OVERNIGHT. WAVES 2 TO

4 FEET.

[Priority1]

The weather this year has been more unpredictable than usual. A few times we found a 4 or 5 hr window and was able to get out. It sure makes it tough to plan ahead. I'm wondering if the cooler weather patterns have anything to do with it's unpredictability?

[Adam Bomb]

Thats about the same report i could give....We hugged the shore line heading north. Got up to the hole, pointed her east and headed out. The farther we went, the bigger the waves got. We set up, trolled down wave, got ate off a few times, weeded up and boated a cat in about 15 minutes. I looked north and seen the clouds rolling in. I said, look dad, here it comes. Wasnt long and it it widened right out and began working its way down the bay. So, we packed up our toys and headed in. We werent in for maybe 45 minutes when the storm hit. Torential rains, lighting etc....Glad i was not on the water.

Surface temp was only 72 yesterday, but its definitely warm underneath. The cat i caught and the crawlers on my harnesses felth like little heat packs when i brought them topside....Thats definitely not going to help the fishing.

Best of luck to anyone going out, im headed to the west side tuesday morning for some salmon slammin'!

[Priority1]

GL on the West side Adam. I'm going to make a couple of trips the week of the 17th and the 24th. I hope to spend 3 days and two nights each trip. I'll probably go to Manistee. I may look into a place to leave my boat and trailer for a few weeks.

[Adam Bomb]

Hey Frank,

I keep my boat at Gold Coast Storage in Ludington. Its located on Pere Marquette Highway. Last season was $40 a month for storage, I cant imagine it being much more this season, but wouldnt be surprised if its inreased like everything else has. Anyways, its a locked high fence. Lots of boats there. You sure cant haul it for that.

[Priority1]

Thanks Adam. If I can't find anything in Manistee, I may look the place up.