Juls WFA Blog
Fishing with Danny, Daniel, and Jim...8/16/2025
by Capt Juls on 08/16/25Woke up at 1:45 and headed to the back deck with the dogs and a coffee in hand. The air was quiet and slightly heavy, the sky was dark but Jupiter and Venus were shining brightly to the east, and the temperature was around 70 degrees.
The forecast for the morning was for light winds out of the southeast and sunshine.
I arrived at the White Caps Motel at 5:40am to pick up my crew from Indiana. Danny, his boy Daniel, and Danny's friend, Jim, wanted to do some walleye fishing. (If you read yesterday's report, you know that I did well out of Vermilion.)
But, I didn't want to travel over there on a weekend, due to all the road construction on RT2 right now. The weekends are the worst for backups and accidents, and I didn't want to hit a backup on our way back this afternoon, so we launched at Mazurik's.
We headed northeast from the ramp, about 8 miles (43' of water), when the Garmin showed some decent marks that I wanted to set up over, so we stopped. The marks looked just like what I was fishing over yesterday...swimming from 20-35 feet down.
Yesterday's catching started out pretty fast in the morning, and then slowed as the sun got higher, but this morning was a slow start and finished better towards late morning. I struggled to find a working program, but eventually figured out enough to get them to their limit, but none of mine.
The dipsies were very slow, and the spoons were changed out often. BadMo spoons outshone the Yeck and Scorpion spoons by 3:1 today.
Zero settings were catching at 50 and 54 back. Three settings were catching at 77 and 90.
Speed was anywhere from 2.5-3.0mph
Bill Lewis PWC Lites with 2oz snap weights, ran behind the Off Shore boards on the port side, while Bandits ran on the starboard side. The PWCs were set at 50/47 and 50/27, and both were the "Purple Tiger" color. Both caught fish.
Slim Shady Custom Bandits in "Blue Lantern" and "Fire and Ice" caught at 120, 97, and 85 back with no snap weights.
Direction seemed to play a big role in our bite today, too. We had been going for miles in a NE direction, and then turned north towards the border. Once we were close to the border (now 12 miles from the launch), it was time to turn around. And that's when the bite got better for us. The north-to-south troll seemed to be the ticket. That's my story, anyway, and I'm sticking to it. :)
I had talked to a few people about the perch bite today, and they all had a tough time of it. After many hours of trying, they only had a couple of dinners in their buckets...nothing close to limits...even though they were marking lots of fish all morning.
So, I told my crew this information, because they had booked a second day with me to go perch fishing tomorrow. We decided not to do the trip tomorrow. I told them to save their money and come back again another time. They appreciated my honesty and said they would be calling me again next spring.
Yes, I'm sure a few folks got on a good bite somewhere, but I'm guessing the majority struggled today, so the decision was made in good faith.
They all said they had a great time and enjoyed the beautiful day on Lake Erie, and that makes me happy!
My next trip isn't until Wednesday, but I'm watching that forecast, because it's calling for gusty NNW winds, and a perch trip is scheduled. He's retired, so changing days isn't a problem.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Jeanne, Brad, and Harper...8/15/2025
by Capt Juls on 08/15/25I left the house at 4:15 to hit the gas station and head over to Vermilion by 5:15. Jeanne, who is the niece/cousin of my long-time customers, Steve and Jeremy Chapman, set this trip up for herself, husband Brad, and daughter Harper. It is Harper's 16th birthday today, and she asked to go on a fishing trip, so that's what we did.
They live in Lakewood, so I thought it best for me to meet them in Vermilion, since it was closer to them and closer to where I wanted to fish.
I had told them to meet me there at 6:00am since the sunrise was scheduled for 6:38 this morning. They showed up right on time. I thought the ramp would be busy, because it's Friday and the weather was nice. The air temp at 6a.m. was 67 degrees, the sky was clear, and the wind was less than 5mph out of the SE. But the ramp was empty, except for one fella who launched about 5:45.
It was pretty nice having it to ourselves, because we could just take our time and not be in anyone's way. :)
We headed a little WNW out of the river and went about 6 miles, when the Garmin started showing some good marks over 47' of water. I slowed the Vexus down, and the marks continued, so we stopped. The Ulterra and baby Merc were lowered into position and set to a speed of 2.5mph according to the FishHawk. (The speed would eventually be upped to 2.7-3.0mph for a better catch rate.) The course was set to continue to the WNW until we hit the outer Vermilion Dumping Grounds, which were only a few miles away yet.
The dipsies went out first and were set on the zero and three settings.
The zero settings started out at 50 and 60 back. The three settings were set at 75 and 90. The zero settings were pretty steady at those depths, but we did lower them from time to time to 65 and 70 back, when the fish moved lower in the water column.
The three settings stayed at 75, and the 90 played at 97 and 100 a few times, and caught fish.
Badmo, Yeck, and Scorpion spoons were the flavor of the day. Greens with silver were the preferred color this morning.
We ended with their 3-person limit and 3 of mine. We did go in a 1/2 hour early on Jeanne's suggestion, since they had to run to the store to buy a cooler, because they forgot to bring one to take the fish home in. :)
The bite was really good very early, and as the sun rose higher in the sky, it slowed down, but they kept biting. And, when the walleye wouldn't...the white perch, white bass, and sheephead did. We caught one nice yellow perch on a BadMo spoon at 65 back, too.
Harper did a great job, and was setting dipsies and netting fish like a seasoned angler. Her mom sent a text after I sent them their pictures and said, "Harper had an absolutely amazing time, and I got a fancy new cooler out of it", so that makes me happy!
Tomorrow and Sunday, I have the Danny Pearson crew of three...one day of walleye and one day of perch'n. But, if the perch reports don't improve tomorrow...we may be doing two days of walleye.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Dan and Matt...8/8/2025
by Capt Juls on 08/09/25I had set the alarm for 2:00am, but the dogs decided that 1:30 a.m. should be the time I got up, so I did. Luckily, I still had 7 1/2 hours of sleep, so all was well.
Made some coffee, fixed some cat food for my half-feral cat, who decided that he would rather live under the house than in the house with the newest dog, "Ella", and went out on the back deck to check the weather.
The forecast was calling for 7-15mph out of the SSW, this morning. The stars were shining, and the "Sturgeon Moon" was lighting up the entire landscape. The air temp was around 70 degrees.
I was meeting my two-man crew at Catawba at 6:00am. Dan Dagget and his friend, Matt Allen, are down from Wisconsin for three days for some Lake Erie fishing. This was day two for them. Yesterday, they said they only got 33 with 6 people fishing. Today, they would end up with only 24 keepers in the cooler with three of us fishing.
We tried 5 or 6 different spots, with decent marks below us each time, but the bite was slow/tough for us. Lots of missed bites, lots of little itty-bitty fish that went back, white perch, and the ever-entertaining Sheephead. :)
The fishing part was fun, with the company I had in the boat today. Dan had contacted me a couple of years ago and scheduled a trip, but Momma Nature said, "Nay-Nay" that day, so when he said they were coming without a boat for three days, and wanted to fish with me, that made me happy!
Matt is a restaurant owner in Waterford, WI....a place called, "Spanky's". Their "About" page on Facebook makes me want to take a trip over there, when I'm up in Wisconsin over Christmas! Check this out ...(This is not an advertisement...I was just very excited to have someone like him on my boat today. I watch all kinds of YouTube videos of restaurants, owners, chefs, and workers, so it was fun to actually talk to the owner of one.
About Spanky's Sports Bar and Grill
Spanky’s Sports Bar and Grill, a favorite dining and entertainment hotspot since 2017. In May of 2024, we moved into our new space located on the East side of HWY 36 in Waterford, WI. Our new space provides a larger space , larger kitchen and an amazing outdoor patio, allowing us to serve our loyal patrons and new customers with the same great TLC.
Founded by Karen and Matt Allen
Spanky’s Sports Bar and Grill has grown from a modest beer and shot bar into a bustling hub for homemade thin-crust pizzas, hearty sandwiches, and mouthwatering burgers, all inspired by Matt’s foodie passion and his extensive travels. A testament to their success, Spanky’s has been repeatedly voted as one of the Best Pizzas in Racine County in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 and has become a in-demand pizzas in the area.
They both said they had a good time, even if the catching was tough for us, and I had a good time too. :)
I'm available to fish Monday, but then I get to have a colonoscopy mid-week (yay...lol), and Friday through Sunday are scheduled already. I do have availability the 18th, 19th, 20th...and the last week of August, right now.
My next trip is Friday, for walleye out of Vermilion with the Smith family. Jeanne Chapman-Smith is related to my long-time friends and customers, Jeremy and Steve Chapman.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Lisa and Sandy...8/6/2025
by Capt Juls on 08/06/25Lisa Wilcox has fished with me a couple of times in the past, and this time she brought a friend from the barn where she keeps her horse. Sandy has never perch fished before, so it was all new to her, but she isn't new to fishing.
I picked them up from one of Tammy and Mark Collins VRBO's. The house is beautiful, with old wood trim that has been taken care of, and sits right on the Portage River. The name of the house is called, "Ethel's Place".
I told them I would be there at 5:45, since the sun wasn't going to rise until 6:35, this morning.
I pulled up at 5:36 and texted that I was there, and there was no hurry. But, they were already walking down the driveway towards the truck. Lisa would later tell me (after we had already been fishing for a couple of hours) that she just found my text telling her I was there.
Lisa loves to fish and travels all over to fill her bucket list of species, so I feel honored that she has come back to me, for a third time. She's a hoot, and there's no shortage of laughs on the boat, so I always look forward to fishing with her. :)
We launched from Catawba at 6:30 and headed towards Green Island. I was surprised to see a commercial net set up in the busiest travel route from the islands to Catawba, or vice-versa. And, I never did find the south end of it, which is supposed to be marked with a single red flag, so someone probably hit it and broke it. I noticed the floats first, but never saw a flag. When I realized what was happening...that I was driving over the middle....between them...which is a no-no. Luckily, we got by it without incident.
There were several other sets of nets set up in another popular spot for a lot of sport fishermen/women...between Green and Rattle and just SW of Rattlesnake...about 1/2 to 3/4 miles away from the islands.
That's all I have to say on that...
We set up in 29' of water west of Green. The marks were very good, and looked like lasagna on the screen....my tell-tale sign there's perch down there.
The spot-lock on the Ulterra kept us in place.
The wind was light out of the southeast, the sky was partly cloudy, and the temp was....I forgot to look, but it was warm and muggy this morning.
I got things ready for everyone and showed Sandy how to hook the minnows, lower the perch rig to the bottom, take up the slack, and touch the line with her finger, so she wouldn't have to stare at the rod tip all morning. Then, I told her to give it a 3-5" hop every 5-15 seconds to give it some action.
She and Lisa were using Fishing Addiction Gear Fly Rigs, and I put one of my homemade crappie rigs on mine. Sandy was doing well on the light purple fly, so I swapped out Lisa's Chartreuse fly rig for another puple, and she started catching better. I had the Ice Blue fly on, which was really good on Monday up by B Can, but I couldn't get bit on it by Green, so I put one of mine on, which had white beads on it.
Long story short, Sandy would go on to outfish both Lisa and me this morning. We only caught 40 keepers and maybe 10 throw backs...4 sheephead, and no other species, so it wasn't a stellar catching day, but it was a fun day.
Sandy said it was a lot of fun, and that made both Lisa and me happy. :)
They called it when Lisa's dog became the focus of our attention. You see, he was in his crate while mom was out fishing, so for his well-being, we cut it an hour short to go take care of him. He's the sweetest dog. A mix of Husky, Boxer, and something else....cattle dog is in my head, but I'm not certain. All I know is he's cute and sweet. I always make sure to go over and see him when he is here.
We stopped at Port Clinton Fish, Co. on the way back, to have the fish cleaned, and it only took 10 minutes, so we just waited for them before heading back to Ethel's Place.
Side Note: The picture of the cork coasters that have my logo on it was created by Lisa. She took the logo off my website, and did some laser thingy to it, and gave them to me this morning when she hopped in the truck. I loved the gift, it was very thoughtful.
Lisa wants to come back in the fall to do a walleye trip again, so that makes me happy!
I'm off tomorrow and Friday, but will be back out on Saturday with Dan Daggert, who originally wanted to go walleye fishing, but said if the perch are biting, he would like to perch fish. So, I guess we'll decide which species to go after on Saturday.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Billy, Josh, and Jeremy...8/3/2025
by Capt Juls on 08/04/25This morning, my crew was meeting me at Catawba to go do some perch fishing. Billy, Josh, and Jeremy came up from Cincinnati, but were staying in a camper at Cedar Point, so I couldn't pick them up. I asked that they meet me at 6:00am.
I hit Hi-Way Bait for some minnows, but like everyone else, they didn't have any Emerald Shiners, but they did have the perfect size Goldies available, so I picked up 5 scoops for 4 of us. I always prefer the Emeralds, but sometimes, you take what you can get.
I arrived at Catawba at 5:30 and got things ready while I waited for them. They showed up at 5:45. The air temp was 67 degrees, the sky was mostly clear with a haze hanging over everything, and the wind was mostly non-existent. That would make for an easy ride out. The wind forecast was calling for east winds to kick up to 5-10mph later in the morning.
We launched at 6:00 and headed to the B-Can area, due to a report Billy had gotten and texted me last night, so I figured that's where he wanted to go, and if I went anywhere else, and it was slow, he wouldn't be happy. So, I wanted to make him happy and headed to B-Can. If it was slow up there, then at least we were where he wanted to be.
Billy has fished this lake all his life, and up until two years ago, always had his own boat, so he knows the Western Basin well, and I wanted to show respect to his years of knowledge. Billy is 84 years young, and in the best shape I've ever seen someone at that age. I was truly impressed. :)
Josh is either his son, or son-in-law, I'm not sure, and is Jeremy's father. So, it was fun having three generations in the boat, at one time.
We ended up fishing over 28 feet of water, about a 1/2 mile east of B-Can. There was a pack of boats closer to the can, and further to the east, but no one near us.
The bite started out really slow, and when I thought about leaving, someone would catch a nice perch, so we just kept staying put. The wind picked up around 9:15, and our flat lake turned into 1s, then 2s, and then pretty steady 3s, with a 4 thrown in from time to time. The marine forecast, of course, said, "Waves 1 foot or less" for the day. lol I never believe their marine forecasts, because they are never correct when predicting NNE or E winds/waves.
We started out with some of my homemade crappie rigs, "Fishing Addiction" Flies, and Billy had his own homemade crappie rig to use, too. I ended up taking off my homemade rig, and put on a blue FA Fly rig, and started getting bit faster.
Hooking the minnow, by opening the minnow's mouth, and inserting the hook, then pushing the hook through the back of the head, gave the minnow/fly a good profile, and kept it alive a little longer. My neighbor Danielle came up with that one. I usually went through the belly instead, but they die right away, that way.
We ended up with 90 perch, but I don't know the weight, because I didn't drop them off at the cleaners for them, but they were mostly nice 8-10" perch. A couple were bigger and some were smaller, but the average was the 8-10" range.
They were having a good time, and said they had a good time, so that makes me happy!
I'm off tomorrow and will have another perch trip with repeat customer, Lisa Wilcox. I think she's bringing a friend, but it might just be her.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
3-Day Perch trip is a No-G0...:(
by Capt Juls on 08/02/25Unfortunately, Tim couldn't make it this weekend, due to a tragic accident on the job.
Fortunately, it didn't happen to Tim, but to two of his workers.
Two men were on their way to the job site, when a man driving a cement truck had a medical emergency, and crossed the line into oncoming traffic. The two workers were hit head on. One died instantly, and the other was in critical condition, when he was taken to the hospital. Sadly, he didn't make it either.
Tim had to let me know he couldn't leave, and would have to miss his three day perch trip with me. :(
So, if you're looking for perch info here...I don't have any yet.
I will be getting out tomorrow (Sunday)....to take my neighbors, Dave, Danielle, and Cliff perch'n, to see if we can find any.
I have a walleye trip on Monday and a perch trip on Wednesday.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Brad and Karen...7/27/2025
by Capt Juls on 07/27/25Brad and Karen are here from St Louis for several days. They booked a trip with me for this morning and will fish out of their own boat the rest of their stay.
The forecast was calling for scattered showers and thunderstorms, but my RadarScope app was showing the system staying to the south of us, so fishing was a "Go".
I asked them to meet me at Mazurik's at 5:45, since launch time wouldn't be until 6:00am. The sunrise this morning was expected at 6:23am. I did my usual, on the way to the park...and stopped at the gas station for gas and ice. It sure is nice that the Vexus's gas tank doesn't get diminished as much as when I ran the old 400 Verado. I'm pretty impressed with this new V-10 version. The gas bill is half of what I used the last two years, and I can use regular instead of premium in it, too. (I do use a Mercury additive in the gas tank, which I get from Dubbert's here in town.).
Of course, I arrived at the launch early (5:30), and started readying the boat. They pulled in a few minutes later, and after parking, came over and introduced themselves. Brad said, "I tried to beat you here, because I know you're always early, but that didn't happen", he said, laughing. I just giggled.
We launched at 6:00am, and took a right turn out in front....driving past the lighthouse, and the Cedar Point channel.
The Garmin started marking fish when we were over 34 feet of water, so I set the DVX22 down and checked to see what kind of marks they might be. The size was right for walleye, and the location in the water column seemed good, so I decided to start there...and crossed my fingers!
The big motor was shut off, the Ulterra and baby Merc were deployed, and the FishHawk was sent down to check the speed and temp of the current below us. While the Ulterra guided us in an easterly direction, (towards Huron), the baby Merc pushed us at a speed of 2.5mph.
Neither Brad nor Karen has ever used dipsies before, but after showing them how to set them, and trip them, they caught on quick.
The zero setting was anywhere from 35 to 54, and anywhere in between...they all caught.
The three settings were typically set to 60-70 back...but, towards the end, one of them was running at 97 back.
BadMo, Yeck, and Scorpion spoons were used again today.
Cranks behind the Off Shore boards only caught 3 or 4 of the 18, but they were the larger fish in the cooler, too. The Bill Lewis PWC lite at 57 back, in "Purple Tiger", did best for the cranks.
The weather out there was perfect. Just enough wind to keep it at 2' or less, and keep the bugs off. The cloud coverage was mostly cloudy, with some peeks of sunshine from time to time. The kind of coverage that lets the sun create a picturesque "God Sky", with rays of sunshine shining through the clouds. My favorite looking sky.
Anyway...they both said they had fun, and that makes me happy! :)
I'm off until Friday, when I will start the first of a three-day perch trip with Tim McGlothlin. A name you might recognize from over the years, in my blogs. He's a long-time customer, and friend, and loves to perch fish as much as I do! :)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Mike, Nick, and Ross...7/24/2025
by Capt Juls on 07/24/25This trip was a learning trip for Mike, who has his own boat over in Toledo. He wanted to learn how we troll. He brought his son and friend along, and for the life of me, I can't remember which name goes with which gentleman. I think Ross is the son, and Nick is the friend. We'll just go with that, and I apologize to them if I have it wrong. lol
It was a little windy this morning, but not bad...the forecast was calling for it to increase as the morning went on, so we got out early. We launched out of Mazurik's a little before 6:00am. The sunrise this morning was at 6:22, so as soon as the sky lightened up enough for me to read the water, we left.
It was a SW wind, so my plan was to start south of the area I ended up in yesterday, where the fish were a little bigger, and we could troll with the waves, back into that area.
Instead of starting with the dipsies, which is what I usually do, I figured I would show them how to set the Off Shore boards first, because they were less likely to start getting hit right away. I wanted to be able to get the spread out, before we were interupted with dipsey fish. That way I could explain things better.
Once we were all set up, the dipsies went down...zero settings at 40 and 50, and the three settings at 71 (both sides). Speed was 2.5-2.7mph.
The further we got from the mainland, the wavier it got. A couple of the planer boards were having trouble staying attached to the front arm, and had to be brought in and reattached. I checked the spring in the release, and it was all the way forward, so I'm not sure why they kept letting go. We dicided to keep things simple and just run the dipsies, and bring the boards in, because I knew the further we went the rougher it was going to get, and it would just keep happening. They weren't being productive enough for me to put up with that nonsense anyway. lol
The bite wasn't what it was yesterday, and was pretty slow for us, even though the marks were the same as yesterday. We changed things up from time to time, and managed 8 keeper walleye, almost triple that in sheephead, and one white perch.
Once we were only a few miles from the line, I gave them an option. We pick up and make a run back in, and reset to make another pass....or, just make it a 1/2 trip (3 hours), and go in. They opted for the latter option, because the wind forecast was for it to increase as the morning went on...so we headed in.
They all managed to work the dipsies and boards without any tangles, so there was some successful learning on their part, and they did a great job. :)
Tomorrow, I have another three-man crew.
Anyhooo....
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Ken, Eric, and Ava...7/23/2025
by Capt Juls on 07/23/25Ken, Eric, and Eric's daughter Ava met me at my house this morning at 5:00am. We stopped at the gas station for the usual stuff and headed to Mazurik's to launch. It was a very nice morning, and much like yesterday.
The sky was clear, with shining stars and a crescent moon, the air temp was in the high 60's, and the wind was non-existent on shore. After I readied the Vexus, the sky was light enough to head out. We headed ENE of Kelly's this time.
I was disappointed to see a flat lake from shore, but the NE rollers were still coming in from overnight, so it made for a slow-go on the way out.
My original plan was to head up to the line and see what I could find, but it would take forever to get there. I kept an eye on the Garmin, and when it showed some decent marks out there in the middle of nowhere, over 44' of water, we stopped.
The Ulterra and baby Merc sprang into action after the FishHawk was sent down. A course to the NE was set at a speed of 2.5mph.
The dipsies were the first to go out, with the usual zero and three settings. Zero at 54 and 60, and the three settings at 71 and 97 back. BadMo, Yeck, and Scorpion spoons ran behind the dipsies. Blues, greens, oranges, and purple were used.
Bandits started out on the starboard side, behind the Off Shore boards, but only caught one at 120 back, so eventually, those were swapped out with Bill Lewis PWC Lites with 2oz snap weights. Those started catching more. 50/65, 50/47, and 50/24 caught. (For those that don't know what that means....50 is where the weight is attached, and the second number is how much more line after the weight is added, to let out, before attaching the board.).
On the port side, Flicker Minnow 11s ran at 140, 80, and 57 back. But, the "FireTail Chrome Candy" color at 140 back took two fish back to back. That told me that the other two baits should be changed out for two more of that color, and closer to that distance back. So, they swam at 135 and 125 back, along with the 140. All caught fish. The dipsies were once again the busiest, but the bigger fish came on the cranks. We didn't catch anything big, but they were all good eaters, and my crew was very happy.
Ken sent me the following text after they had left me, when we got back...
"Thank you so much for teaching us. Also, for allowing us to handle your equipment. Many guides don't. You were terrific and we will be back."
That makes me happy! :)
Tomorrow, I have a new crew wanting to learn how to get better at trolling. Mike is from Toledo, and will be bringing his son and a friend along, too.
We will be launching out of Mazurik's again, and headed back to where I was today. There's enough fish there to keep them busy, so they can learn what they want to learn.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Jeff, Mark, and Rich...7/22/2025
by Capt Juls on 07/22/25
Fishing with Jeff, Rich, and Mark...7/22/2025
The weather on my back deck this morning was very nice. The air temp was 66 degrees, the sky was shining with stars, and the wind was light out of the northeast. My plan was to take my Wisco crew over to launch out of Vermilion this morning, due to the wind direction.
After making sure the dogs got fed, and had a little fun time with Momma...I left the house at 4:30. I parked my rig at the White Caps Motel, and scrolled through some social media while I waited for them. I was early, of course, so I wasn't going to text them to let them know how early I was. I had told them I would pick them up at 5:00 a.m., but I was there 25 minutes early. They walked out and found me at 4:45 anyway, so we hit the road.
The first stop was the gas station, as both the truck and the Vexus needed some gas, and the coolers needed some Ice. From there, we hit the highway and headed east.
We launched at 5:45 and were out of the river by 6:00am. I turned right and headed NNW, out of the river. The Garmin was marking fish for miles, but I was skeptical of what they were and figured they were probably White Perch and Sheephead for the most part....so, we kept going until we hit 44' of water, and the marks looked more walleye-like to me.
The FishHawk was deployed, along with the Ulterra and the baby Merc. Speed was set to 2.5mph (FishHawk speed), and the Vexus was pointed SSE.
The crew was shown how to run the dipsies, and how to set them. The Off Shore boards running cranks would have to wait, as the dipsies were going off one after the other. Unfortunately, they were mostly what I didn't want....White Perch and Sheephead. After enough pesky junk fish, I turned into the NNW rollers and headed towards the Sandbar. It was a good decision, because as we got deeper over 47-49' of water, the bites turned into keeper walleye.
We had their three-man limit by 10:00am, and then I worked on mine until we had 24 in the cooler. The Bandits behind the Off Shore boards only caught 2 or 3 fish (80 and 120 back unassisted), and the Flicker 11s on the other side caught a couple too (one at 140 back and one at 57 back), but that was it for cranks.
Everything else was on the BadMo, Yeck, and Scorpion spoons behind size 1 dipsies with rings.
Dipsies on the zero setting at 60-65 and the three setting at 97-105 were best.
Oranges, greens, purples, blues, whites...it didn't matter the color.
The currents are wacky over there right now, and they flow like ribbons under water, so keeping a close eye on the FishHawk's speed helped us tremendously, I think.
My guys did a great job setting dipsies, retrieving fish, netting fish, and having an all-around good time. The weather was perfect, the bugs were minimal, and the fish cooperated. You can't ask for anything more than that! :)
Tomorrow, I'll be launching out of Mazurik's with a local crew, due to the wind forecast (should be relatively calm tomorrow), and will head out east of Kelly's to find some more fish.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with the Blaney Family...7/14/2025
by Capt Juls on 07/14/25Left the house at 4:15, so I could stop at Speedway before picking up my crew (customers) at the Holiday Inn Express. I needed to gas up both the truck and the Vexus, and grab some ice for the coolers. I didn't need to be at their hotel until 5AM, but I had told them that I'm usually early, so they walked out of the hotel at 4:50, and we hit the road.
The plan was to go out of Huron, since that's the last place I had fished, and I thought there would still be some in the area.
After getting off the exit from RT2, and pulling up to the first stoplight in Huron, I realized I didn't put the FishHawk in the boat! I felt a shockwave hit my body. It was like a mini panic attack, because the one tool I probably rely on the most....wasn't there.
I had told myself not to forget it when I had to try and get Alfie, my picky Golden Retriever, to eat his breakfast before I left.
I can't just leave it out, because my food obsessed, and obese, Pitty would eat it all. But, then I did forget, because I had a hat sitting on top of its case, and I didn't see it as I walked out the door.
Anyway....boo hoo, me, right? lol
We launched at 5:30 and headed north out of the river. The air temp was 75 degrees, the sky was threatening to rain on us...which it did when we were running out on the lake, but we didn't get very wet. It was just a drizzle, and it didn't last long. It would never rain the rest of the morning, and the sky would clear, and the sunshine would shine on us.
The surface water temp was 82.4 degrees, 5 miles north of Huron.
There were lots of marks on the Garmin's screen from 28' to 38 feet of water, but I thought they were probably just a lot of Sheephead and White Perch, so I kept going to the northerly parts of the Huron Dump, hoping that any fish we would find out deeper would mostly be walleye.
There were good marks over 42' of water, so we set down and I had the Ulterra set on a course to the SE to start (keeping the waves on the starboard back corner). The baby Merc was pushing us at a speed of 2.5mph. The dipsey rods were set first.
(Size 1 w/ring) Zero settings at 35 and 50, and the three settings on 65 and 70 back. They would be changed from time to time between those numbers on the zero setting, too. The three settings stayed the same all morning, because they were catching.
BadMo spoons, Scorpion spoons, and Yeck spoons were working. Oranges, blues, and greens did well.
Bandits and EBS Walleye Minnow 111s ran behind Off Shore boards, but they did diddly-squat this morning. Three fish were caught on Bandits at 80 and 67 back (unassisted). "Fire and Ice" (67 back / caught 2) and Pink Salamander (80 back / caught 1). Both are Slim Shady Customs....everything else failed, even though I changed some out several times.
Ken Sr., Ken Jr., and Ken's grandson, Roger, learned how to run the dipsies very well today. It took some time to get the first legal fish in the cooler, because of either size limitation or one would get off, before we got it in the boat. But, finally, someone put the first one in the cooler, and got the "Skunk out of the box". It only got better from there.
It was never a Chinese fire drill kind of bite, but we did stay busy. Between the White Perch, Sheephead, and Walleye...my crew got a lot of practice retrieving and setting dipsies back out...and, they did great!
We ended up with only 15 of our 24 allowed, but if we had kept the legals I threw back, and the ones we lost at the back of the boat, we would have reached our limit. I don't keep 15 inch fish because they shrink while on ice in the cooler. I don't want to take that chance and have one come in short.
My guys had a workout, and I did, too, because the lake wasn't as calm early this morning, as forecasted. The winds did lay down a bit after the rain clouds went through, but it was still 2' or less during the calmer part of the morning.
Ken Sr., who used to fish salmon tournaments on Lake Michigan, said, "I need to find my sea legs again". His son, Ken, agreed, as they tried to balance their bodies while reeling in fish, and then sitting down again. Roger, being younger, had an easier time of acquiring his legs, so he had an easier time of it.
At 10:45, they were ready to go back in, due to a long ride back to Indiana. They felt they had a good box of fish to take home with them, so they were ready.
I drove them back to their hotel, where they picked up their car, and they followed me to Port Clinton Fish, Co., downtown, so they didn't have to clean the fish, and could grab some lunch, before hitting the road, again.
They said they had a good time, and Ken Sr., would like to come back again, and that makes me happy! :)
I don't have anything scheduled the rest of the week, but I am scheduled on Monday the 21st. I may get out later this week, but tomorrow, I have to have the brakes on my "Dog Hauler" checked in the morning. Wednesday is looking really nice, so I might get out then.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Levi and Michael...7/5/2025
by Capt Juls on 07/05/25I arrived at Huron at 4:30. I would be meeting my crew at 5AM. When I got there, and needed to use the bathroom, the bathrooms were shut. A sign said, "Closed for the Season". Wait...WHAT? lol Ugh...
I drove up to the gas station, but they were closed until 5:00....grrrrr.
I drove back to the ramp, and readied the boat. When Levi and Michael arrived, I asked them if they could take me up to the gas station before heading out. It was still very dark out, so we had plenty of time. They obliged me, and we were back to the boat in 5 minutes. I didn't like leaving it there unattended, but there was no one there, unlike the previous mornings that I've been there...I think everyone was slow moving this morning after last night's festivities. I wouldn't know...I slept through all of it.
We launched, and were at the mouth of the river by 5:20. It was just light enough to read the waves as we rode out. There were still some residual rollers coming in from the NE, from overnight, so the ride out was slower than normal.
The air temp was 82 degrees. The wind was out of the south at 5mph. The forecast called for a partly cloudy sky, but there wasn't a cloud to be seen. The sun was going to be shining on us all morning.
I pointed the Vexus towards Vermilion and set down over 36' of water. The FishHawk went down to record the water temp and "speed at depth", (which in my case is usually at 18-20 foot down). The temp read 78 degrees at 18'. The speed was set using the Ulterra and the baby Merc, in unison, to a speed of 2.5mph.
Once again, Bandits were running on the port side behind Off Shore boards.
I got a couple new colors from Slim Shady Customs, that I liked, so I put those on.
One is called, "Big John Here", and that one caught a bunch of fish. I had it at both 77 back and 120 back. The other one is called, "Fire and Ice"...(you can view both new colors on his website.) That one worked at both 77 and 120 back, too.
The starboard side ran two new colors of Flicker Minnow 11s...more Slim Shady..
one is called, "Pink Salamander", and the other is called, "Copper Confusion". They both caught fish...but, I eventually took them off, because the Bandits were doing better. I put a couple more Bandits out, but that side just didn't want to fire as much, this morning. Could have been a current issue, I don't know.
Dipsies ran on the usual zero and three settings (one set, on each side of the stern)
zero settings went anywhere from 35 to 54 and anywhere in-between. I was moving them a lot, due to the pesky little White Perch chomping on everything. They were very annoying to say the least.
Someone's going to message me asking these questions, so I'm going to answer them now. I run the size 1 dipsey with the ring. I run a shorter 6' Med Ugly Stik rod on the "inside", or furthest back in the rod holders. I run an 8'6" Downrigger rod on the "Outside", or second from the back rod holder.
The inside rod is on the zero setting, and the outside rod is set on the three setting. This allows them to stay separated, and avoids most tangles. Sometimes a hanging fish can cause a problem, but that doesn't happen too often. :)
The bite was constant, if you factor in those stupid White Perch, but the walleye bite was slower. The size is getting smaller too, so I think it's time find new water to fish. Our 18 walleye today were mostly 16-17 inches, with a handful of bigger ones in there. There were plenty of throwbacks, too.
Levi, and his 13 year old son Michael, did a great job! They said they had fun, and Levi stated he would like to come back to try for perch later in the season...and, that makes me happy! :)
Unfortunately, due to the economy (I'm guessing), I have nothing scheduled until the 14th. Normally, by now, I have half or more of July and August booked. But, people are hanging on to their money right now, with all the uncertainty, and I can't blame them.
So, with that said....if anyone is looking to get out on the lake...I'm available! ;)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with the Minges Family....7/3/2025
by Capt Juls on 07/03/25I was originally going to launch at Huron, this morning, but yesterday afternoon, I noticed that today's wind direction would be out of the west-northwest at 5-10mph with gusts up to 17, so I thought it would be a good idea to launch out of Mazurik's instead.
I had heard of some fish east of Cedar Point...and, knowing the area I had been fishing the last 8 trips out was probably still holding fish...I thought I would make one long troll from east of CP, to where I had been fishing.
I met my crew at Mazurik's. We launched at 5:30, and headed east.
The air temp felt like 70 degrees (I didn't look). The sky was clear with stars shining to the west, while the Sun was making its way towards the horizon to the east. The sky was just beginning to lighten up enough, so that I could read the waves on our ride out. The surface water temp was 76 degrees.
The Garmin marked fish, pretty much the entire way from Lakeside/Marblehead, to the white condos (east of CP), where I came off plane. The Ulterra and baby Merc were deployed over 28 feet of water, and set to a speed of 2.5mph using the FishHawk for guidence.
The water temp at 18' was, 77 degrees.
There were fish marks all over the water column, so we set the dipsies first.
The zero setting was at 28 and 35, but quickly dropped to the numbers I had been fishing with during the last trips out....43 and 54 back.
The three settings went out with my usual numbers of 65 and 71.
BadMO, Yeck, and Scorpion spoons all caught fish. Color mattered a little bit more today, though, so when one would keep getting hit, I would put another one out.
The copper Yeck#11 spoon, with the orange edges and orange belly was hot.
Scorpions: Blue/Silver, and a purple/maroon(ish) color, with one edge painted chartreuse.
BadMo: Silver belly with a green and black back
We kept it simple and only ran two Off Shore boards out each side, even though we could have had 4 out each side, along with the 4 dipsies...for a total of 12 lines out. Jason learned how to set the boards, and helped set lines, after I initially set them and showed him how I do it.
Bandit colors that caught fish were the Blue/Chrome (120 back) and Sunspot (77 back) All were unassisted...meaning, no weight was used.
The starboard side got changed out several times. I started with the baby Spros (85s), that had worked so well the last time out, but they weren't doing well enough, so I swapped them for the Flicker Minnow 11s. "Racy Shad" caught one, but then nothing....so, I swapped them out again for Bill Lewis PWC Lite's, with snap weights.
2oz snap weight was put on at 50' of line out, and then another 50' was let out, before putting the board on...that color was, "Green Tiger".
"Purple Tiger", ran 50/30 with a 2oz snap weight.
They both caught several fish.
Morgan, who is only 16, did a fantastic job learning how to run the dipsies, but still struggled to see when a fish was hanging on one or not. "I don't know how you see that", I was told. "The line angles change", I said.
It also helps when I'm the one controlling the boat, so I know if we are in a turn, or hitting a current, when a change does happen. I told them, "If you suspect it...check it...you don't need my permission". It takes less than a minute to check and reset a dipsey. And, if by chance there is a fish on it, we can get it in the boat...a win-win.
We didn't have a fast and furious morning, like I have previously, but it was steady enough to keep them busy and entertained. We only put 15 nice keepers in the cooler...however, we also threw back many legals...which would have filled our 4-person limit.
They were very happy with their catch, this morning, and said how much fun they had. Amy caught the biggest fish (27 1/2)...and, according to Jason and Morgan, she always does! Ha! Jason said he learned a lot, and wants to come back with some friends to fish with me again, and that makes me happy! :)
I'm off tomorrow....but, will be back out Saturday, with a crew from the Dayton area. They are driving up Saturday morning and meeting me at Huron.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with the Vallery Family...6/30/2025
by Capt Juls on 06/30/25Here it is, the end of June already... my favorite month...deep sigh.
I was meeting my crew at the Huron ramp at 5am, so I got there at 4:30, to do the usual things before they arrived.
I walked over to the boat that was behind me, to say good morning, and he knew who I was, but I didn't have a clue who he was. He was just a nice older gent, who was also getting things ready before his fishing partner arrived. I wandered back to my boat, and waited for the Vallery family to arrive.
They stayed at a place in Huron, and took a drive over to the launch last night, to make sure they knew where to go. They arrived at 5am, right on time, so we got the boat launched, and the trailer parked in a good spot.
It was still dark out, of course, so we took our time going out of the river. By the time we got on the lake, it would be light enough to see any objects floating in the water.
Speaking of floating objects...I'll tell you this event from today, right here...because, there's really no good spot in this day's report to put this, other than behind a good lead-in. :)
Here goes...
Tom (the dad), was reeling in a fish...and, as he's doing that, a floating log slides quietly down the starboard side of the boat, (scraping the boat kind of "close"), and when it appeared at the back of the boat, it freaked Tom out a little. It was a pretty big log.
But, when I saw it, and saw what was tangled in it....my heart dropped. Nooooo!!!
As the log moved away from us, the FishHawk probe was being moved away, too.
Luckily, though, the log was bark-less and smooth, so the 100# Power Pro had nothing to get stuck on, and I was able to gently pull it up over the log, and free it...whew! The thought of losing it, and having to replace it, made my heart skip a beat..Ugh!
Okay, back to the report....
We headed to the same area as yesterday... the fish were still there. All sizes, from itty-bitties to 26"... but, there are more White Perch in the mix now, too. They were annoying, actually. We were catching fish before all the lines were set, and started the morning off with some weird tangles caused by stupid little White Perch...doing weird little White Perch antics. (Those two tangles were it for the morning, and everything went smoothly the rest of the morning...well, other than that log incident, of course.)
Speed was 2.5 on the FishHawk...
Bandits ran on the port side, behind the Off Shore boards...
Blue Chrome at 120 back (outside board), and Green Lantern (a Slim Shady Custom) ran at 67 back.
Dipsies ran the usual BadMo, Yeck, and Scorpion spoons on the zero and three settings. The zero ran anywhere from 43 to 60 back...depending on how deep of water we were over, and what depth the fish were showing up at, on the Garmin.
The three settings ran at the usual 65 back on the port side, and 71back on the starboard side. (Hey, those numbers keep working, so I don't change them).
Evan and Eric are Tom's sons, and had never been on Lake Erie before, so this was new to them. Both of them did a great job, and Evan even helped me set lines, this morning. We were all reelers today, and kept throwing back smaller keepers, so we could stay out longer, but they finally called it at 9:00, and we headed in with our 4-person limit.
We said our goodbyes at the ramp, and I headed home. The river had a nasty slime (the brown bubbly kind) in the furthest launch from the bathrooms, and that's the one I loaded out in. It was nasty, so I had to hit the car wash on the way home. It would take too many towels to clean it in the parking lot, and then I would have to clean the towels, too. No thanks! Car wash it was....
They said they had a great time, and would like to book another trip next season, and that makes me happy!
I'm off tomorrow and Wednesday right now...but, I'm available for a trip on Wednesday July 2nd, if anyone is interested. The wind forecast for Wednesday is showing 6-9mph out of the NW, which isn't bad at all, and no precipitation until late afternoon.
My next trip will be Thursday July 3rd. I never book anything for the 4th, because I don't like being on the lake during the 4th of July, so I'll be back out on the 5th for another trip after that.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Gary Pennington and Jeremy...6/29/2025
by Capt Juls on 06/29/25I was meeting my crew at Huron, this morning, so I left the house at 4AM, hit the gas station for ice, and hit the highway. The roads were empty, and it was dark out, so I took my time and did 60mph in a 70....figured I might as well save a little gas, since I was so early, and I wouldn't slow anyone else down.
I arrived at the Huron ramp at 4:30, and started getting things ready, when I saw a vehicle pull in without a boat. I thought to myself, "There's no way that my guy, it's too early. He must be here to use the bathrooms". Well, it was my guy. "Good morning", he said as he exited his car. "Morning", I replied back. "You're early". He laughed and said, "I knew you would be...I think you passed me on the way here". I asked, "Where was that?" He said, "Lorain". I said, "It wasn't me, because I came from that way (pointing to the west)". "Well, it was a silver Vexus, so I thought it was you".
We just had to wait on Jermey, who replied to my text saying that he was on the way, and would be there shortly. We launched at 5AM and took a slow ride down the river, so the sky could lighten a little before we hit the mouth of the river. It was too dark out yet, for me to put my yellow lens glasses on, for the ride out, so I was hoping the bugs were still sleeping, so I wouldn't get one in the eyeball. That's never fun. I keep forgetting to buy some clear lens glasses for just such an occasion.
The wind was 7mph out of the ENE, the sky was clear, Venus was brightly shining, and the air temp was 70 degrees.
It wasn't going to be a fast ride, as the NE rollers were still coming down the lake, making it a slower ride out. We headed NNE to 40' of water, before turning the Vexus around and heading back towards the lighthouse. There had been marks on the Garmin the entire way out, so it was good to see that the fish were still in the area.
The FishHawk went down, showing a water temp of 74.6 degrees at 20 feet. The Ulterra and baby Merc were dialed in for a speed of 2.4-2.5mph and set on a course to the SSW.
Baby Spros (85s) were running behind the Off Shore boards on the starboard side, while the usual Bandits ran on the port side.
Bandits:
Blue Chrome at 120 back
Green Lantern (Slim Shady Custom) ran at 67 back
Baby Spros:
Blue Chrome at 140 back
Purple Glass Perch at 97 back
Dipsies on the zero settings were at 50-54 back and 40-45 back.
Three settings were the usual 65 and 71 back
Yeck, BadMo, and Scorpion spoons were used on the dipsies....color didn't matter They loaded up within minutes of going down each time. Sometimes, we were too busy with other fish coming in, that they just had to hang there, until we could get to them.
Everything above caught several fish.
My crew listened and got the "boat dance" down, so there were no tangles this morning, and they did a great job. We were all reelers and put our 3-person limit in the cooler by 8am, and headed back in. They both stayed at Huron to use the fish cleaning station, and I headed home...and, that makes my dogs happy! :)
Tomorrow, I have a new crew, and the winds will be a nice 7-10mph out of the south...yay! :)
I have a ton of available dates for July yet. Normally, by now, I have half the month booked, but not this season....people are nervous about the economy, I think, and are not spending recreational money, like they normally do....and, I see it in the amount of tourists here in Port Clinton this year, too. The number of vehicles that normally clog our roads are way down from previous years. :(
Anyway....if you want to get out fishing...contact me. I'd love to take you fishing. :)
Anyway....if you want to get out fishing...contact me. I'd love to take you fishing. :)
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Marty and Zane...6/26/2025
by Capt Juls on 06/26/25I left the house at 4AM, because I was meeting my crew at the Huron ramp at 5AM, and I wanted some extra time there, so I could shine up the motors and clean the windshield, before they showed up. I hit the speedway in town, to get ice, and headed to Huron.
No one was there at 4:30, so I readied the boat, and started cleaning the motors. I jumped in and did the windshield, and when I turned around and saw the cooler, I realized I never grabbed the ice on my way out of the gas station. I threw my face up to the heavens and said, "F&#@* Me"! I looked at the clock and saw that I had 15 minutes before they would show up, and I HAD to have ice, so I strapped her back down and hit the gas station in Huron. Not the way I wanted to start the morning, but it is what it is, and tomorrow's ice is already paid for, so I guess that's the silver lining on that one.
I got back and unhooked the straps, and got things ready again. Marty and his grandson, Zane, had just pulled in, and hopped out of the truck. "Good morning", said Marty. "Good morning...ready to go fishing?", I asked. "We are", he said.
It was dark, but I knew that by the time we hit the mouth of the river, that the sky would have things light enough to see over the water. It was a repeat of yesterday's conditions...80 degrees, calm SW wind, and a 6" chop on the lake's surface, and a hope that the fish were still where I left them. They were. :)
I'm getting tired of sounding like a broken record, but the same programs I've used for weeks now, is still putting fish in the boat pretty fast.
Bandits behind Off Shore boards:
Port side:
Blue Chrome at 120 back
Green Lantern (Slim Shady Custom) at 70 back
Starboard side:
Remember that one I couldn't remember the name of? I finally asked Mike (Slim Shady Customs) and he said that one is called, "Whiskey and Water". It's the chrome blue/green one with the orange belly. That one ran at 97 back and took several nicer fish.
Purple Mist ran at 57 back
Dipsies produced the most with small spoons, because the fish are puking up tiny little minnows about an inch long. They also produced more shorts and 15-16" fish, but were constantly busy. We were throwing those all back. The fish that came on the crankbaits were typically larger.
The zero settings did best at 43 and 50-55 back
The three settings were set at 65 and 71 back
If you haven't noticed...I like odd numbers best. :)
Speed was set to the usual 2.4-2.5mph over 38 feet of water, to start. We trolled up to 43 feet of water, then turned back around when the fish marks disappeared on the Garmin. However, even though I wasn't marking anything...we were still catching fish.
We had our 3-person limit early again, and headed in before the heat arrived. It was a beautiful, fun, morning on Lake Erie, and both Marty and Zane had a good time.... and that makes me happy!
I have one more trip tomorrow, but then I'm off Saturday.
I have Sunday open if anyone is looking for a trip. The weather looks like it will be pretty great on Sunday. Contact me, if you're interested. Thanks!
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Pete and Chuck...6/25/2025
by Capt Juls on 06/25/25My Indiana crew was staying at Little Ted's Cottages, out in Marblehead, so I swung in there at 4:15, and once again...they were already up and waiting for me, even though I told them 4:30. :)
I had already hit the gas station for ice, and I had gassed up the Vexus the day before, so we headed straight to Huron from there. Okay, I just lied...we stopped at the Speedway again, because I had to pee, and wasn't sure I could make it to Huron. lol
Anyway....
We were there pretty early, and it was still dark, so I took my time getting things in the boat ready to go. After launching, we were at the mouth of the river at 5:15, and headed north about 4-5 miles. I slowed the 400 down over 40 feet of water, and found good marks again, so I shut her down, and deployed the Ulterra and baby Merc. The speed was once again set to 2.4-2.5mph according the FishHawk reading the currents below.
Chuck had limited experience running planer boards and Pete had none, so this was a learning trip for them. They both have their own boats, and often fish together, so they wanted to expand their options.
My fishing lingo was confusing to them, so it took repetitive instruction, and explaining why I do what I do, when I do it, and told them, "Don't worry, your subconscious is getting it. Most people only hear Mwah Mwah Wa, like the teacher's voice in the Peanut's/Charlie Brown cartoons for the first 1/2 hour, but it will start to make sense, eventually, and you'll be doing it on your own".
Eventually, they did get it, and ended up doing just fine with setting the Off Shore boards, and dipsies.
The program is the same as the last 4 trips out there. I'll repeat it, so you don't have to go look for it, if you're new to reading these reports. :)
Bandits ran behind the Off Shore boards on both sides...on the port side Blue/Chrome and Purple Mist ran at 120 and 80 back.
On the starboard side, that blue/green one from Slim Shady Customs, that I can't remember the name of, ran at 97 back, and another Purple Mist ran at 80 back.
All of the above caught fish.
I did swap out one Purple Mist for a "Green Lantern" from Slim Shady Customs, and it caught fish, too.
Dipsies (I use the size 1s) were the busiest again, and we were throwing back legal fish, because I didn't want to finish up before I felt that they had a good grasp on techniques.
The zero settings were at 54 and 45, and the three settings were at 65 and 71. BadMo spoons, Yeck spoons, and Scorpion spoons all worked....color didn't really matter, but I did change them out from time to time, just to verify that...and, my assumptions were correct. ;)
I don't think my brain logged the water temp this morning, but it is right around 70 degrees, right now.
The lake was like it was yesterday....just enough wind to put a 6" ripple on top, and out of the SW. The air temp on land when we launched was 82 degrees, but a little cooler out on the water. The sky was mostly clear, but there was a band of clouds that never covered the sun as it moved across the sky, so it stayed sunny the entire time we were out there.
We finished up at 8:00, over 45 feet of water, north of where we started. The bite was very good, but not chaotic, so they were able to keep up, and we all took turns reeling in our fish.
Pete and Chuck had a good time, were happy with the grade of fish, and said they learned a lot, so my mission was accomplished, and that makes me happy!
Tomorrow, I have repeat customer, Marty Parker and his grandson, who will be meeting me at Huron at 5AM.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Steve and Mary...6/24/2025
by Capt Juls on 06/24/25Steve and Mary drove up from Springfield yesterday, and stayed at the Fairfield Inn. Luckily, the FI has a nice big parking lot that is easy to maneuver a boat in tow, so I was able to pick them up from there. When I pulled in at 4:15, they had just gotten back from the gas station, where they bought ice for their cooler. I wasn't supposed to be there until 4:30, but I always like to be early, so I can get a few minutes scrolling social media.
Steve popped his head in the window and said, "I told Mary that you would be early", and laughed. They parked their vehicle and jumped in mine, and off we went. We hit the gas station again, so I could get ice for the coolers we would be using, and for some gas for the truck. We were headed back over to Huron to launch.
We made it out of the river around 5:20, when the sky was just starting to get light.
The wind was out of the SW again, at 5mph. The air temp was already 82 degrees, and the humidity seemed a little less than the previous two days. The water temp is close to 70 degrees.
We drove out 4 miles to the area I fished with my previous crew, and hoped they were still swimming out there. The screen on the Garmin was loaded with marks, so the Ulterra was deployed, along with the baby Merc, and set to a speed of 2.4mph, (on the FishHawk).
Bandits ran on both sides, behind Off Shore boards. Blue Chrome at 120 back, Purple Mist at 80 back, ran on the port side. That blue/green nameless one ran at 97 back, and another Purple Mist ran at 67 back, on the starboard side. All of them caught fish.
The dipsey settings are the same as I've been running...
zero at 45 and 54, and three setting at 65 and 71 / 75.
A black and gold Ripplin Redfin on the three setting at 65, it caught several bigger fish, like it did, yesterday, too.
BadMo Arrow spoons, Yeck spoons, and Scorpion spoons were used, but again...color didn't seem to matter. All caught fish.
Steve and Mary were a lot of fun to fish with, and said they had a great time, and will be back, and that makes me happy! :)
Tomorrow, I have a two man crew from Indiana, that want to learn the boards and dipsies, so we will probably be pretty choosey about size, so we can take longer out there, than we did yesterday and today. Both days we were done by 7:30 with real nice eaters, and happy customers.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing Day Two with Curt and Cheryl...6/23/2025
by Capt Juls on 06/23/25My Wisco crew was up and ready to go at 4:30, when I pulled into the White Caps Motel, to pick them up. We hit the gas station for some ice, and headed to Huron to launch. I found out, that the work at the Huron parking lot was finished, so instead of hitting Vermilion, we would save some time and gas by launching at Huron instead.
When we arrived, it was still dark out, so I took my time readying the boat and gear, before launching. But, by the time we were at the mouth of the river, it was light enough to see if there were any floating logs, or other obstacles that needed to be avoided on the ride out.
The air temp was already 80 degrees, and very humid. The sky was cloudless, the moon was a crescent, and Venus was shining bright. The wind was very light out of the SW at maybe 5mph, and the waves were 6" or less. :)
I decided that we would drive up to where we ended our trolling pass yesterday, because the fish were a little bigger over 43-44 feet of water, than they were back in the shallower stuff...hoping they were still around. They were. It took a while to get all the lines out, because they started chomping right away.
Bandits ran on both sides, behind Off Shore boards. Blue Chrome at 120 back, Purple Mist at 80 back, ran on the port side. That blue/green nameless one ran at 97 back and Sunspot ran at 67 back, on the starboard side. All of them caught fish. The bigger fish came on the cranks, while the smaller fish still jumped on the spoons.
The dipsey settings are the same as I've been running...
zero at 45 and 54 and three setting at 65 and 71 / 75.
After I took a spoon off and put a black and gold Ripplin Redfin on the three setting at 65, it caught several bigger fish, like the board cranks were catching, in quick fashion. It wasn't down a minute and fish were on it!
It was non-stop action and we were all reelers this morning.
Curt and Cheryl had so much fun they have already booked a 2-day trip for next May, on Cheryls birthday, and that makes me happy! :)
The fish were very cooperative today, and made their experience an exceptional one, and I explained that it's not always like this, and that they had two great weather days....on the lake, anyway. Once we got back on land it was very hot and humid...ugh.
Tomorrow, I have a reschedule from last season, due to Mother Nature's fury, so we'll finally get that trip in. I'm headed back to Huron in the morning, hoping to have the same experience with these guys.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing Day One of Two with Curt and Cheryl...6/22/2025
by Capt Juls on 06/22/25At 2AM this morning, the wind was pretty blustery out on my back deck. I checked iWindSurf, and it showed a forecast of 10-20mph SW for the early morning, with it diminishing a little as the morning went on.
I picked my Wisco crew up from the White Caps Motel at 5AM, and hit the gas station, and then Mazurik's. I didn't want to drive back over to Huron after seeing the fiasco the work crews were causing with the repaving/repainting of the lot, and being a weekend day, I figured it would be worse.
My plan was to launch from Mazurik's...hug the shoreline over to the Huron...start in shallow, and head NE, over the dumping grounds. So, at 5:45, we were headed east. The water was pretty smooth, close to shore, and not bad as we crossed the open area in front of Sandusky Bay, and we made it to Huron in about 15-20 minutes.
We started in 30 feet of water, out in front of the "White Condos", and set a speed of 2.4 (FishHawk reading) to the NE. That would take us right over the top of the dumping grounds, and to the area I was fishing two days ago.
There were a ton of marks in the shallower waters, and the action started immediately with smaller fish, some keepers, and Sheephead. The sheep weren't bad though. I think we only caught 3 or 4 all morning.
The water temp at 20' down was just under 69 degrees.
Spoons ran behind dipsies on the zero and three settings. The zero settings were 35 and 40 to begin with. Eventually, as we got deeper, they were running at 45 and 55 back.
The three settings were 65 and 71 the entire time.
BadMo Arrow spoons, Yeck spoons, and Scorpions spoons did the job. Color didn't matter. They were always busy with fish on.
Two Bandits ran behind the Off Shore boards on the port side at 97 and 67 back.
That blue/green one from Slim Shady Customs, that I can't remember the name of ran at 97 back, and Purple Mist ran at 67 back. They both caught fish early on, in the shallower water. Then, as we went further out, they were lowered to 130 and 120 back, and again, both caught fish.
The starboard side ran Flicker Minnow 11s at 97 back and 57 back. Firetail Chrome Candy, and Slick Purple Bengal... both caught fish.
The lake wasn't as rough as I thought it would be, with the forecast that was projected, so it was a beautiful morning on the water. It was definitely a lot cooler out there, than it was on land. I'm thinking that we might just run the 4 dipsies tomorrow, and take more time out there, because it's freak'n HOT on shore, and tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer!
According to a source, the Huron parking lot is done now, so I think we will be launching over there in the morning. I was going to go to Vermilion, but I'd rather go out of Huron, and use the wind direction to our advantage.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
