Fish Spooking from boat Q & A.

[Walleye Express]

A couple days ago I was Walleye fishing on the Green Bay. I spent about 2 hours just motoring around looking for fish with my electronics on or near (out from) likely looking structure. In the past I've always been able to locate fish or at least bait fish with my electronics but not on this day, in all that time I think I marked two fish and no Bait. The conditions were flat calm and a Blue Bird sky. Now, we all know how clear the great lakes have gotten recently and I was just wondering with the clear water and those conditions, were the walleyes spooking away from the boat even though I spent most of my time in 20-30FOW? Do I need cloudy or windy conditions to be able to locate fish on my electronics? How do the Pros figure out where to fish on these Blue Bird days when they can't locate the fish on their electronics, or can they?

PS. One other thing I tried that didn't work was increasing the “ping speed†on my fish finder and driving faster.

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Timothy.

Timothy.

Let's consider a few things I've taken note of during my life time of fishing for walleyes. And these theories and conclusions are simply my own. On calm days most often (especially in clear, current neutral waters) any feeding activity seems to take place (not always) but mostly very near or "DEAD" on bottom, even in deeper/darker waters. Baitfish (IMV) feel less secure as well during these calm periods, don't move around as much and try to keep as low a profile as they can from being spotted in these conditions. They, like the predators around them, feel more secure in waters a little more murky or with the line of site broken up by clouds or light deflection from wave action above. Everything then during these calm periods gravitates towards the bottom with the larger fish (again IMV) using this time mostly to rest up for the forage rampage to come.

This is not to say they cannot be enticed into biting by something close by, easy to catch and near the bottom with them. And stealthier techniques when searching and/or fishing for them during these times can only help. Also consider the new baitfish changes and parameters we face here on the Saginaw Bay (where I fish) and some others you may see in your area when it comes to forage, and how the weather effects where and when walleyes there will feed.

Gobies for instance are now heavily preyed apon by our walleyes. Many get spit up in live wells and coolers after being caught. But Gobies have no Swim Blater, so they are hinged to the bottom all their lives. That keeps many of the walleyes foraging on them hinged there as well. Very much unlike the days when Alewives were the main forage and were preyed apon by walleyes suspended and higher in the water columns. Luckily for us Emerald shiners have filled the niche that Alewife left open. Some or all of these smaller things should also be considered when speed scouting for any active fish in rough or calm open water conditions.

The final thing I would add is this. I used to be quit the Pool Player. I won a lot of money in tournaments and seldom bought my own drinks during my Bar Perusing Days. And even though I haven't played in years, I can pretty much still tell you how to make any shot on the table. Fishing is so very much like that it's not funny. You first learn and then know what to do and how to do it. But that ball seems to have a mind of it's own on certain nights. And you can only do your best. :grin:Capt. Dan.

[Adam Bomb]

I think that was very well said Dan. Those fish very well could have been hunkered right on the bottom and looked to be part of it.

His statements remind me of a day fishing north of 1&2 in 31' of water a few years back. The water was clear and it looked like a pane of glass. To look at the sonar was like looking acrossed the desert. No suspended bait or fish to be seen. All there was were these alongated "blue lumps", as they look on our graph, dotting the bottom with very little to no seperation from it. Many looked like an extention of the bottom itself...They were augered right in. Couldnt get a fish on a BB or our higher lines. Overall, things were slow until I lengthened the lead of an inline/harness until it literally bounced bottom. It wasnt long and it took a fish, then another and another. So, we switched up more rods and things started poppin. We landed about 15 fish in those condtions and some nice ones to boot. It was the day of the Linwood Classic 3 or 4 years ago, and of course we werent in the tournament...Funny how that works sometimes. The only thing i could figure is that the fish didnt like all the hardware of the BB, which is why the inlines worked so well. It was just a bit less intrusive to them....That said, those days can be really tough conditions to fish, and as you said, you can only do your best...You cant make em bite!