Juls WFA Blog
Deep Sigh....I made a bad call...11/14/25
by Capt Juls on 11/15/25I had a scheduled trip for yesterday (Friday), but had cancelled it, due to report from friends who said the lake was trashed, and that there was zero visibility. The satellite pic confirmed the massive amounts of mud out there. So, I told my customers that "It would probably be just an expensive boat ride", and that they should probably save their money.
I guess I was also feeling less confident, because my previous trips out, while fun fishing, resulted in the Garmin marking a lot of fish, but we couldn't get them to bite. So, after a three day blow that muddied up the water...I thought I was making the right decision for them. (Woke up early, so I've seen all the reports of the lake miraculously cleaning up overnight, and the bite was vert good for most fishing over by Lorain, yesterday.) So, clearly, I made the wrong decision.
It was a husband and wife from PA, and I wanted it to be fun. They understood, and said they would contact me again in the future.
I wanted to get on the water though, because it was going to be a nice day. It didn't matter if we caught any fish. Just being on the water...with its sights, smells, and calming effects just makes life better. :)
My friend, Keith, (who was able to get the day off from work on short notice) and I, took the Vexus out of Mazurik's at 10am. Originally, Keith wanted to take his boat, to run some gas (with winter storage additive) through the motor, but his Ranger's battery charger is complaining, and not working, so we took mine. This time of year is not the time to have boat troubles out there.
I wanted to hit the hole by Starve Island, first. It's usually pretty good this time of year. We stopped short, on the east side of it, so we could get set up before hitting the contour I wanted to follow.
(I like the 35-42 edge on the south side of the "hole".)
The Uterra and the baby Merc were deployed, and set to a speed of 1.5-1.7mph showing on the "Fish Hawk". The SOG was showing 2.1mph and the Fish Hawk was showing 1.6mph.
I started with Bandits behind the Off Shore boards on the starboard side, and Keith ran P-10s and a Jointed DHJ12 on the port side.
The P-10s ran with 2oz snap weights at 25/25 and 50/30. Colors were blue/chrome and Marvin...the Rapala (blue/white/orange belly) was also running at 50/30... (if you don't know what these numbers represent, the first number shows where you put the snap weight on, and the second number refers to how much more line you let out before putting the board on).
The Bandits started at 105, 80, and 67 back (unassisted). Colors were Taco, Beetle Juice, and Pink Squirrel. The Garmin was marking scattered fish from 12 to 35 foot down, so I put a snap weight on the inside board and ran it 50/30, which put it at 27 feet down.
Keith caught one pretty quick on the blue/chrome P-10 set on the 25/25, but that one small suicidal walleye would be the only fish caught in that area.
The water clarity wasn't the best. I could make out the cavitation plate on the big motor, but it wasn't great. I decided to make a move to the north side of Kelly's Island to see if the water looked any better over there. Luckily, it did...so, we set up on a SW to NE troll.
After putting pieces of the puzzle together, we changed things up and started putting fish in the cooler. It wasn't fast by any means, but steady enough to keep us entertained.
I changed out "Pink Squirrel" for "Purple Mist" and put it out at 145 back, unassisted. It caught several fish.
I changed out Bettle Juice for a Blue/Chrome, and added a 2oz snap weight. It caught fish at 50/30. Same with the Blue/Chrome P-10 I added to my side. It was out at 50/30 and caught fish.
Keith ran two Blue/Chrome P-10s, and kept the Jointed DHJ12 on. All caught fish at one point or the other.
Speed was best between 1.7 and 1.9mph. I was running the south side of Gull Island Shoal, and then out oand over the two humps between KI Shoal and Gull.
Water temp on the surface was 42.7 and 44.2 degrees at 18 feet down. (That's where I was running my Fish Hawk).
We ended with 11 nice eaters, so now I at least have my freezer stocked with my winter's supply of walleye. I love to make chowder with it...nothing better on a snowy winter's day. :)
I feel bad that I made a wrong decision with my customers, but hindsight is 20/20, and at the time, I thought I was making the right decision. Who would have guessed it would clean up that much overnight. That's not usual...at all.
Anyway...
I might have a trip on Tuesday or Wednesday...that's not confirmed yet. I have scheduled trip on Friday, but the forecast is looking bad for Friday...lots of wind and rain....again. He asked that I touch base with him on Wednesday, to make a decision. Deep Sigh...
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
My 2025 Vexus DVX22 Will be For Sale this Winter...11/12/2025
by Capt Juls on 11/12/25I'll be running a 2026 Vexus DVX22 next season, so this 2025 boat will be for sale over the winter.
It will be at the Fisherman's Central Store in Port Clinton OH, when I'm done using it this fall.
I'll be posting everything about it when the time comes, but for now, if you're interested in my boat, please contact me at:
Rngrgal@gmail.com or 419-835-7347
Or Kenny Grimes (FC boat mgr) at:
kenny@fcmarinegroup.com or 330-644-5346 (press 2 for the boat Dept)
Either of us can answer your questions about it....thanks! :)
Juls
It's Been a Month Already....11/12/2025
by Capt Juls on 11/12/25
It's been a month since my last scheduled trip, due to reschedules and cancellations, due to wind. Somehow, it's nice out when I don't have a trip scheduled and it blows when I do....deep sigh. Oh well...no one can control Mother Nature, and it is what it is. At least most rescheduled, rather than cancelled, so there's that silver lining.
I got out a couple of times with a friend to just get on the water on a nice day, but the results were less than stellar, so I never wrote about it. The first trip was out of Marblehead a few weeks ago, and while the fish were in the area, the bite was not. Well, that's not completely true....the bite was there if you were going in the right direction in relation to the currents happening that day. We were on a SW to NE troll, but the bite was happening on a NE to SW troll. lol We only caught one small walleye.
We never turned around to go the other way, because we had also brought perch stuff, to try for them if the walleye bite failed us, so we went to try for perch instead of making another pass the other way.
Well, that decision resulted with the same outcome....nothing....not even a nibble, so we headed in after about 4 hours.
The next time out was for perch....again...mark them, but they wouldn't bite. We were rewarded with one throw back and one jumbo after 6 spots and 3 hours. Then, we tried trolling for walleye. We marked fish in the zone that would make you think they would be eating, and it would be a good bite, but they refused.
We had one pull back with a big fish, but it came off half way to the boat. So, we called it and went in.
So, nothing really to write about. I have been busy cleaning up the gardens, yard, and house during my time off, to get ready for the boring season of winter.
Sure, it's pretty and all, but I hate the gray dull hues, and cold winds, when there isn't any snow around. It's depressing. I can't wait for spring when things start turning green again, and I can grow stuff. :)
I do have a scheduled trip this Friday and Saturday, and right now it's blowing 20-30 from the WSW for the second day in row. It was blowing hard from the NE and then the NW prior to the wind switch. It will start to lay down tomorrow and hopefully will put some water back on this end of the lake, so the ramps aren't too shallow to launch this weekend.
The weather report is showing warmer temps this weekend, so I'm hoping that doesn't show up with wind. The wind forecast for Friday, as I write this, is showing winds out of the south at less than 5mph. It's switching to the east during the morning, but shows it only getting to 10mph in the afternoon, so that's good. I hope it doesn't change. It's going to be a run to find clean water, I think.
I plan on meeting them at Vermilion, since they are coming over from PA that morning. He's a farmer and gets up early, he said. It's a 4-hour drive, too...so, meeting them in Vermilion would shorten their trip by 40 minutes, and put us closer to fish that might be willing to bite. Fingers crossed!
Saturday is showing a SSE wind from 12-20mph. I'm hoping that the water inside by Vermilion will have a chance to clean up enough through Friday, that it's fishable on Saturday. We shall see.
I might just take along some perch stuff in case we do well on the walleye and can target some of those jumbo perch over there, too.
Then, the next scheduled trip isn't until the 21st, and it's too far out yet to look at a forecast.
I still haven't caught my 6 walleyes for my freezer, for the winter. I like to make walleye chowder over the winter, and only need 6 walleyes to spread over the months. I need to catch some perch, too, to take to family in Wisco, for Christmas. Maybe Mother Nature will find it in her heart to give us good weather and stable conditions, so we can get a few more good trips in, with fish willing to bite aggressively (making it easy!)
I'll let you know how we do on Friday....
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Four Days of Perch Fishing with Bob and Bruce Brenton...10/6-10/2025
by Capt Juls on 10/12/25Day 1:
October 6th
Bob and Bruce have been perch fishing with me in the fall for several years now. They like to come in early October, which is usually a great time to catch perch around here, but the lake is about 3 weeks behind, due to the warmer than usual weather we've been having this fall, and the bite is hit or miss for most anglers.
Day one would be our best day. There was a 5-10mph wind out of the south, so it wasn't a rough day. It was the last of the warm mornings, due to a cold front moving in.
The sky was partly cloudy and the high temp in the afternoon would be near 80 degrees.
After stopping to get Emerald Shiners from Hi-Way Bait, we drove to the ramp and launched at Mazurik's at 7:30. We headed to the area just east of Lucy's point. I hadn't been out chasing perch lately, so I got the info from Matt, at Hi-Way. We tried a couple of spots up there, and were marking what looked like Perch, but we didn't get bit in an hour (1/2 hour each spot), so I decided to go try the red can on the north side of North Bass.
I wanted to check it out over there, because that area can be really good in October...and, because it was a little wishful thinking on my part.
Bob and Bruce are two of my favorites, and I really wanted to put them on some Perch. They are both very adept at catching them, so I wanted to find some that would bite. Thankfully, that spot didn't disappoint. The bite started right away, and they were jumbos! The guys were happy and giggly. Yay!
We caught 9 pretty fast, and then it went slow....then, another wave of fish would go through, and we would catch a handful, and it would go slow again. We would move around the area the rest of the trip, and pick up a few more, then it would die again. We kept moving around, and picking off fish, but we weren't close to limiting. We only had 45 of our 90 by the time their time was up. The perch we did catch, though, were all jumbos. Those 45 fish went 17 pounds at the cleaners.
Day 2:
October 7th
The forecast was calling for rain in the morning, so I told the guys the day before to have their rain gear with them. It did rain on and off all morning, but it was never a heavy downpour. It was only annoying when I was driving, and making it hard to see. Rain drops hitting the eyeballs....hurts! lol
We launched at Mazurik's at 7:30, and headed to the lighthouse, first, to check that area. The wind was out of the south. We caught a couple of perch and three catfish.
I asked them if they wanted to go back up to North Bass again, and they both said, "Yes".
So, we went back up where we were the day before. Bob and Bruce really liked the size of the fish up there, so we gave it another shot. We didn't see any other boats on the lake all morning, which I thought was strange, and kind of creepy. I thought to myself, "what does everyone else know that I don't know?", but the weather was fine... other than being a little wet.
It wasn't too cold yet...that was coming the next day. I couldn't figure out why no one else was on the lake all day. Once we got towards the mainland again...I did see two or three boats in front of Lakeside and the Lighthouse....but, that was it.
We ended that trip with only 37 jumbos, but the guys were still happy.
Day 3:
October 8th
Blow day....gusty NE wind.
Day 3 (cont'd):
October 9th
We launched at Catawba at 7:30.
The cold front moved in. It was only in the high 40s in the early morning. The wind was out of the NNE at 10-15mph, so we were staying on the protected side of the islands, where it wasn't as rough.
We started out on the SW corner of South Bass, but the first spot only produced a couple of perch and a catfish. So we moved further north along the west side of the island and tried one more spot on that side of the island. We didn't stay long though.
Next, we tried a spot with decent marks by Sugar Island....nada.
Bob had asked about the spot at North Bass, but looking to the north, and trying to determine the wave heights on the north side of North Bass was hard. I told them, it looks pretty rough on that side of the island, but it might be an optical illusion, so if they were game...we could go back up there, and if it was too rough, we would find another spot on the protected side of the islands. They were game.
Well, it was in-between reality and an optical illusion. It was rough, but it wan't rough enough to keep us from going out to the buoy. I'd say it was solid 2.3s with a few 4s from time to time. But, mostly 2-3s.
We would end up catching 33 Perch on their 3rd day. The bite was a lot tougher, and less aggressive, but the brothers were still happy.
Day 4:
October 10
Hit Hi-Way bait at 6:45, but they only had itty-bitty shiners, and that wouldn't do.
So, we drove over to Herb's Drive Thru and checked their stock. They only had the itty-bitties, too....and, the Party Mart only had Goldies. So, I called "Wozniak's Sunoco" back on the other side of town, and asked if they had Emeralds...they did. They have their own boat for catching them, so they don't get what everyone else gets when they get delivered around town.
Their Emeralds were the perfect size, too. It took an extra 1/2 hour to 45 minutes to do all that unexpected running around, but we were able to get launched by 8am. We launched at Mazurik's again.
The morning was a little cooler than the previous day, but the wind was out of the south at around 13mph. I decided to go try some areas that we hit last year, and did well, because I didn't think they would want to go back to North Bass again, with the count going down each day.
The first spot we tried was just east of Middle Island, and just south of the Canadian line, over 34' of water. We caught some big perch there, and kept busy with other species like, Sheephead, White Bass, White Perch, and Catfish. When we did catch a perch it was 10-12 inches, so that had my guys focusing. When the bite died, they wanted to move....so, we moved.
In my mind, I wanted to stay, thinking that the fish are moving a lot and we just needed to wait for the next wave to go through. If so many species are there in that area, there must be a reason. :)
We left that spot and headed down towards Kelly Island Shoal, and found a spot that was marking good fish on the Garmin, and set up. Nada....and we were running out of time. I decided to run down and try the SE corner of Kelly's, on the west side of the Ferries, but didn't pick up anything there either. Then, I said, "Pick A or B" (A being the lighthouse and B being the area out in front of Lakeside Pier)...they chose A. So, we went there. Marked some fish east of the lighthouse, but no biters. We only had 40 minutes left, and Bob said, "Brother, if you want to get going now, we can go. I'm tired and we could get back home a little earlier." Bob was tired, and so were Bruce and I, so Bruce said, "Let's do it"....and we were done. We only had 11 in the cooler on the last day, but they were probably the biggest we caught in the 4 days.
Day one had big fish but went 2.6 fish per pound. The 11 on day 4 were 1.5 fish per pound. :)
I could tell Bob was a little disappointed in the results this season, because they've always had good success on their previous trips. But, that's Mother Nature for you...it's not always going to be perfect. You can find them, but you can't make them bite all the time.
The guys said they had a great time anyway...and, so did I. And, that makes me happy!
My next trip was scheduled for Wednesday, but he had to reschedule, so my next trip will be a 3-day walleye trip starting Thursday. Bryon Haro fished with me years ago, and has tried to get here in the spring, but due to winds, wasn't able to get out. So, he thought he would try the fall this time. Fingers crossed!
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Cory, Sawyer, Holly, and Collin...10/3/2025
by Capt Juls on 10/03/25Woke up early....(that's a given)...
Took care of the dogs, critters, and chores before leaving the house at 5:30, to head to the gas station and Hi-Way Bait, before driving over to Huron, to meet my crew.
This isn't a "Mom and Dad with the youngins"; this was a family trip, but related differently. Holly is Cory's sister-n-law (I think her sister married Cory, if I have the story straight), and Collin is Holly's boy. He's 15. Sawyer is Cory's boy, and he's 9.
I got to Huron around 6:30 and had told them to meet me at 7am, since the sunrise isn't until 7:30(ish), and took that opportunity to check all my lines in front of the crank baits, and cut some off, if I needed to. Only two were suspect, so it didn't take long. Then, I pulled the dipsey rods out and checked the leaders. I changed two of the four leaders due to abrasion and changed out a couple of spoons to worm-burners.
They showed up right on time. We launched, and headed out the river. The sky was clear, the air temp was in the mid to high 50's, but was forecasted to warm up to the 70s. The wind was light out of the SSE. The wind direction was NE yesterday, but was supposed to switch by early evening last night, so I was hoping it had enough time to lay down.
The rollers weren't too bad, but just enough to keep me from going too fast. I didn't want to beat up my customers, or the boat, so we took our time. As we rode out, I kept an eye on the Garmin, looking for good marks to start over.
We had headed towards Cranberry initially, because I was thinking of starting in close, thinking they might be in shallow that early, but changed my mind, and went towards deeper water instead.
I had a friend that was fishing the shallower stuff, and confirmed I had made the right decision. He wasn't doing well, and he said there was a lot of floating grass in that area.
The Garmin started marking some fish over 36 feet of water, so I decided to start there. The Ulterra was deployed first, then the baby Merc, and then the FishHawk. I had the Ulterra pointed towards Vermilion, which was a few miles away yet, and looked at the FishHawk, so I could set my speed....but, it wasn't working.
Long story short...I think the transducer cable, that has exposed wires at the plug in (that attaches to the unit), might be the culprit.
I'm already in communication with the company, so we'll see what happens. They were unbelievably quick to respond, which I really appreciate! Woot! Woot!
Anyway....with my confidence gone, because I don't know what speed my baits would be running down there...especially, when there are whacky currents happening...I set the speed to what the Garmin was showing for "Speed Over Ground", and crossed my fingers. lol
While none of them had ever caught a Walleye before, they were well versed anglers with other species, so I knew they could at least handle a rod. I didn't know what to expect from the youngest one, Sawyer, but I have to tell you, I couldn't stop saying how impressed I was with this kid. He's just the coolest! He's quiet, but a critical thinker, LOVES fishing, and could handle the dipsey rods better than a lot of adults I know. lol His patience was something to be admired, too. Usually, young ones under 10 can get kind of fussy if there's a slow bite happening, but not Sawyer......he's so cool. :)
Collin picked up how to put the Off Shore boards on the lines and helped me set lines. He's just an older version of Sawyer, so I think that family has some good genes and parenting happening. They were awesome!
I digress....
We started out with Flicker Minnow 11's on the starboard side, behind the Off Shore boards, and Walleye Nation Creation Reapers on the port side. I was only running 3 per side, to keep it simple.
Two dipsies ran off each corner...
zero settings started at 40 (port side) and 54 (starboard), and the three settings at 70 (starboard) and 55 (port). BadMo, Yeck, and Scorpion spoons were used. I tried a couple of worm-burners for the first hour, but nothing touched them, so I put regular spoons back on. The best leads would end up being:
Zero setting at 60 and the three settings at 70 and 100 back.
Nothing was interested in the cranks this morning. Eventually, the Reapers came off, and were replaced with Bandits, and the Flickers were replaced with Bill Lewis Lites, with 2oz snap weights. The only fish that chased our cranks were a couple of walleye interested in the Baby Bill's at 50/115, and 50/90 (50=where you attach the snap weight, and the other number is the total amount of line out).
We only ended up with 10 good eaters, but they were happy with that. They have a big family fish fry planned, and this catch would cover that event.
This family was so enjoyable to fish with, because they were so "chill", and just kept a positive attitude.
They all said they had a great time, and that makes me happy! :)
It's supposed to start cooling down again next week, so hopefully, that will kill the huge numbers of Spiney-Fleas in the system right now.
We marked fish here and there, but not in the numbers they are seeing way to the east yet. It will be nice when those fish decide to finally make the trek back this way.
My next trip is a 4-day perch trip with the two brothers from MI, who have come every fall for the past 8 years, I think. We always have a good time, and I always look forward to their time here. I've been hearing the bite is picking up, so fingers crossed it keeps improving!
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Today and Tomorrow's Perch Trip has been cancelled....again. 9/26/2025
by Capt Juls on 09/26/25My long time customer, and friend, had to cancel his two day perch trip for today and tomorrow....again....due to work. I think this makes it 4 or 5 times in the past two years now.
He always pays me, though, so at least it doesn't hurt the wallet. I sure would like to get him out in the boat again....I always have a lot of fun fishing with him.
Maybe next time.
I'll be getting out Sunday....taking my neighbors out to do some fishing. It's too nice of a weekend to let it go by without getting on the lake. :)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing Day 2 with Bob, Kory, and David...9/21/2025
by Capt Juls on 09/22/25The plan was to launch out of Lorain at 6:45, from Hotwaters. I had never launched out of there before, so that was new to me. I had gotten word that the area that I had targeted my last time over there (last week) was still holding fish..."Stacked" was the term I was told, so I was excited to be launching a lot closer than Vermilion this time.
The wind forecast at 2am was showing 18mph out of the ENE at the weather buoy, and by 5:00am, it was showing 13mph, so that was good to see. It would still be rough, but I knew the wind direction was going to change. Originally, iWindSurf was showing the wind switch at sunrise to come from the SSE at around 10mph. But that wouldn't be the case. When we left the marina, it was doing just that, so we headed out. The ride would be 6 miles to the north side of the dump.
The rollers from the NE were pretty big, but drivable. But, as we made our way out, I realized that the SSE wind was definitely more than 10mph, and building. You know what that means? Big rollers coming from one direction and building waves coming from another direction...that creates a washing machine effect, and makes it difficult to navigate the waves.
Once we got out 6 miles and the Garmin was showing no fish, I made a decision to head back in. It was going to be very hard to try to drive around to find fish, and I didn't know how bad it would get, since the forecast was obviously wrong. I told Bob, Kory, and David that we were going back in and then would relaunch at Huron, where it would be a little nicer, due to the wind direction. They were in favor of that idea, so we headed back in.
One of those washing machine waves put about 5 gallons of water over the bow, and gushed water to the back of the boat. I heard them all yell, "Whoa"! It's been many years since I took water over the bow, because usually, I'm smart enough to stay out of those kinds of conditions. lol
I reached down and turned on the bilge. The water was pumped out. We made it back without any more incidents, and I looked at the floor and said to them, "I've been needing to clean the floor, so at least that's done". :)
"I was watching how hard you were working on the way in", said David. "Yeah, my wrist is a little sore from working that throttle all the way in". Then, I laughed and said, "Happy birthday, I'm glad I didn't kill you on your birthday!" He laughed and said, "So am I!"
We made it to Huron at 9:00am and went NW out of the river, over to the SW side of the dump. It was still a little windy, but the conditions were so much better in that area than where we had started this morning. I knew it would probably be a tough bite out of Huron, but their safety was my number one concern... it was what it was.
The Ulterra and baby Merc were set on a course towards Cedar Point, over 35 feet of water. The speed was set to 2.5mph on the FishHawk. On that track, we would start in 35 feet of water and then out to 41 feet.
Dipsies were out first. If you've been reading all my blogs, you know what the program is by now. I start with the zero settings at 35 and 54 back, and the three settings at 50 and 70 back. Then, I figure it out from there, if those settings do not work. They worked, when we marked some fish...but, there weren't a lot of fish in the pass we were making. I said, "direction can sometimes make a difference, so I changed from an east to west troll, to the NE (out over the dump).
We had crankbaits out behind the Off Shore boards, but they never took a fish, so no need to let you know what that program was. Ha!
The wind was subsiding, and it was becoming even more pleasant. We never got into a steady bite, but we did end up with 8 nice eaters. The guys were as funny and patient as they were the day before, so it made it an enjoyable day, again. They had brought some dice to keep them occupied in between fish...so that was fun.
A half hour before we were done, David asked, "What's that red/white/yellow thing over there?" I said, "Ope, looks like someone lost an Off Shore board today. We need to go pick that up and see if there's a name and number on it. I'm sure he wants it back". I added, "I lost two of them over the past two years, and had my name and number on them, but no one ever returned them".
I made the turn and drove over to it. David netted it. It was a brand new board. On the front was "(DM)" and his number. I gave him a call, and it went to his voicemail, so I left a message. About 5 minutes later, he called. We discussed how to get it back to him and agreed on the best way. I got to the ramp first, and put it in the back of his truck. :)
I do not have a trip scheduled until Friday and Saturday, so I'm off all week, unless I pick up a trip.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Bob, Kory, and David...9/20/2025
by Capt Juls on 09/20/25When I went to bed last night, the forecast for this morning was 15-20 out of the northeast, and when I got up, it had changed to 14-17mph. The plan was still the same.
Originally, Bob wanted to spend two days of fishing for walleye, and possibly some perch if time allowed. But, since the wind direction and speed were too strong for where I wanted to fish, over in Lorain. So, I had discussed it with Bob and told him that the only option was to try some perch fishing and use the islands as a windbreak. He was for that game plan.
I left the house at 4:30, so I could go gas up the Vexus and truck, grab some ice, and hit Hi-Way Bait for some minnows, before picking up my crew at 6:30.
Matt, over at Hi-Way, had said that he would have it open by 5:00am. I got there at 4:45, and he was already open. They had a nice selection of mostly Emeralds, but there were some Goldies and Alwifes in the mix too. A nice size, though. :)
I ran home to spend the last hour with the dogs, and take care of some chores before heading out.
I picked up Bob, Cody, and David from the Whitecaps Motel, and headed straight to Catawba, since I didn't have to stop for anything.
Sunrise was at 7:17 this morning, and it was beautiful. The sky was partly cloudy, with wispy clouds, the air temp was in the 60s, and the wind was blowing around 12-14mph.
I thought about staying on the west side of Catawba and searching the area around Clinton Reef, but decided to make a run up to the islands while the waves were still decent. We made it up to the west side of South Bass around 7:30, and when the Garmin marked a lasagna-looking set of marks on the bottom, I dropped the Ulterra down and hit "Spot-Lok". Once anchored, I handed out the rods, and told them, "I usually give a spot a 1/2 hour...it's 7:30 right now", and added, "Should we bet a dollar on the first keeper yellow in the boat?" Bob said, "Only a dollar?" Laughing, I said, "That's all I can afford." They laughed, and all agreed to it.
We stayed in the first spot for 1/2 hour and then left, and headed towards Middle Bass. We tried two spots there and stayed in the third spot. Bob would win the dollar bet. My fish was late by about 3 seconds. Ha! Bob and Kory used the rigs I tied up, and David and I were using Fishing Addiction Flies, because that's what was on the rods from the last trip out. I told them I had all kinds of rigs to use, along with spreaders, but they just kept what they had on and kept fishing.
We would only end up with 18 perch in the cooler, about 10 throwbacks, one 3-pound catfish, one baby white bass, and two itty-bitty baby walleye, but it was probably one of the most humorous and fun trips I've had. These guys are funny and keep a positive attitude. They're long-time friends, and came over from Iowa to fish together. David flew in from Florida to meet Bob and Kory here. I think he's originally from Iowa, too, though.
I have them tomorrow too, so I'm really looking forward to it. We are going to go fish for walleye in the morning, and will be launching out of Lorain, instead of my usual Vermilion launch. The wind forecast is for a south wind, and I figured going out of Lorain would save us a long, bumpy ride back in. I told them I would pick them up at 5:30, since it's an hour away from Port Clinton.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Jim, Rusty, and Adam...9/12/25
by Capt Juls on 09/12/25I woke up at 2:00am, and remembered that I was finally going fishing again, and jumped out of bed. With coffee and dog treats in hand, I hit the back deck to check the weather. My apps said it was going to be a great day to be on the lake today, and that made me happy! :)
I was meeting Jim, Rusty, and Adam at the Vermilion ramp at 6:30, so I left my house at 5:00am, so I could hit the gas station and take my time on my way to Vermilion. The gas pump was super slow at the Speedway in Port Clinton, so I only filled up the truck, and decided, since I had all kinds of time, that I would hit the other Speedway in Sandusky, so I could top off the Vexus's gas tank. Slow pumps could mean a clogged filter, and I don't want yucky gas in my boat. I might be wrong, but I usually listen to my gut, and it keeps me out of most trouble.
I got to the ramp at 6:10, and parked. No one was there yet. After I put some warmer clothes on, a truck pulled in and parked. I kind of thought it might be my crew, since Jim knows I'm always early. After I paid the launch fee, and hit the bathroom, I walked back towards the truck, and three men were by my boat. I was right, they were my crew.
I have fished with Jim and his wife before, many years ago, when they hired me for a learning walleye trip. He had his own boat, so he did just fine, but has now sold the boat, and hired me again. This time, bringing two friends along...Rusty and Adam. Jim had kept in touch over the years, and when he was on the lake at the same time as me, we would share information with each other.
We launched at 6:30 and headed towards Lorain. It was a beautiful morning. The air temp was 54 degrees on the West side of Port Clinton, when I left the house, this morning, but was much warmer in Vermilion. It was 67 degrees by 7:30 out on the lake. Water temp was 64.8 degrees. The sky was clear, and the wind was less than 5 out of the NNE, so the lake looked flat, but had some of those small rollers coming in.
I was headed to the Lorain dump, when the Garmin lit up with marks in the middle of the east side of the dump....over 49' of water. I figured it was a good place to start. I set the Ulterra on a northerly course (towards deeper water), and fired up the baby Merc. I dialed in the RPMs with the iTroll, and when the FishHawk showed a speed of 2.5 mph, I started puting the lines out.
Jim already knew how to do everything, so I gave Rusty and Adam instructions on how to set lines with dipsies and Off Shore boards.
The dipsies went out first. The zero settings were set to 54 and 45 back. The three settings were out at 70 and 75....running BadMo, Yeck, and Scorpion spoons. I changed colors out several times, but they hit on everything when they hit. There really wasn't one that was hotter than the other. The best leads were 54 and 60 on the zero settings, and the three settings did best at 70-77 back.
Flicker Minnow 11s ran behind the Off Shore boards on both sides. I only ran 3 instead of 4 boards per side, because of the newbies on board, and I didn't know what kind of bite awaited us. Sometimes, it's best to keep it simple.
The Flickers ran at 110, 77, and 67 back on the Port Side, and 57, 80, and 110 on the starboard side (Yes, I run the longest leads on the outside boards).
Colors were:
"Slick Pearl Silver" (2) at 110 back
"Firetail Chrome Candy" at 80 back
"Slick Blue Alewife" at 57 back
"Slick Purple Bengal" at 67 back
"Slick Green Alewife" at 77 back
Everyone, including me, had a great time this morning. It started out a bit slow on that northerly troll, but when we made a direction change to the WNW, we started picking up fish on a more steady basis. They were a nicer grade than I had gotten my last time to Vermilion, so that was good to see.
The guys did a great job, and they all said they had a great time. Jim said he would be back for a fall trip, and that makes me happy!
I had a perch trip scheduled for tomorrow, but we are rescheduling that to next month, with the hopes that the perch bite continues to improve.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Stan and Pete...9/8/2025
by Capt Juls on 09/10/25Stan and Pete were supposed to fish with me on Monday, September 1st, but the perch bite reports were really bad, so I told them that we should wait until it gets better....Stan agreed. However, he was itching to go, so I checked the forecast for a good weather day, and Monday, the 8th, was showing a beautiful day...so, we planned it for the 8th.
Stan said that he could get Emerald shiners in MI, and since they would be driving in that morning, he would pick them up on the way. I asked what time the bait shop opens, and he said, "5:00am". I said, "Okay, Jeff's Bait Shop is only an hour away, so you should be here by 6:15-6:30...that's perfect."
When I was out in the driveway at 6:15, waiting on them, I gave them a call to find out how far out they were...."We're 10 minutes from the bait shop", said Stan. (What?)
Apparently, Pete was late picking up Stan, so they didn't get to the bait shop until 6:30. "Okay, stay calm", I said to myself.... Then, I said to Stan, "I'll see you in an hour".
Well, the bait truck didn't show up until 6:45, so they were waiting on that now, too....deep sigh. This was not going as planned. They wouldn't get to my house until 8:00am now, and it was going to throw my daily schedule off, and that does not make me happy. lol
They finally made it by 8am, and when he opened his aerated cooler, the bubbles weren't there, and all the shiners were dead. "I'll go get a zip-loc bag to put them in, so they can go on ice, and keep their scales". These Emeralds were huge, too. 3 inches....much bigger than I like to use, but they went through the trouble of stopping to get them, and most of the places in town only had Goldies or Alwives, so that's what we were going to use.
I couldn't get mad....
Stan is 76, a veteran, and going through Chemo right now....there was no way I was going to give them a hard time for anything, and just made the best of what cards were dealt that morning. Pete was all smiles, so that picked my spirits up a bit, too. :)
"Hop in the truck, and let's get this show on the road", I said. While I had been waiting for them, I drove into town and got the ice for the coolers, so we wouldn't have to stop on the way to Catawba. We were in the water and headed north by 8:30.
My plan was to head towards B can, since most of the better reports were still coming from that area...even though it wasn't limits, and watched the Garmin on the way out. Just west of E Can, I marked a nice school of fish on the screen, so we stopped. The Ulterra was deployed, the Spot-Lok engaged, and I got them all set up.
It was a tough bite, but we managed to catch 17 keepers, twice that many in shorts, and one Largemouth Bass. When Pete first hooked into that bass, I said, "Looks like a Sheephead". He kiddingly said, "Or, maybe a bass". I said, "I doubt it's a bass, out here in the middle of nowhere", and went back to focusing on my rod.
He lifted it over the side, and when I turned around to look, I said, "Holy Fuck! It IS a bass!" That made Pete laugh. I said, "In the 25 years I have been fishing this lake, I have never seen a Largemouth out here in the lake. Smallmouth, yes, but never a largemouth. They usually stick to the rocks and back bays...congrats! That's a first!"
At about 5 hours in, Stan was tired; he is frail, and his energy was drained, so we headed in. It was a beautiful day on the water, and I'm glad I got to spend it with them. They knew the bite still wasn't stellar, but they were happy with the fish we did put in the cooler.....I think.
Water was 66.8 degrees...and the winds were out of the NNE at 5-8mph.
They initially wanted two days, but after I explained that it would get better, and they should just let me call them when the bite does improve, they agreed, and we cancelled Tuesday's trip.
I just hope that Stan is still around and able to get back out again when the bite does improve. He's an interesting guy and fun to fish with. :)
My next trip is Friday....walleye out of Vermilion with Jim Renaldo and his buddies.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
2025 Vexus DVX22 Review...8/27/2025
by Capt Juls on 08/27/25I'm not on the water today, and all my chores are done, so I wanted to take this opportunity to write my review of the 2025 Vexus DVX22, which I've been running since April. The previous boat was the 2023 model, with the older Mercury Verado 400 motor.
The 2025 has the newer Mercury Verado 400 V-10 motor, and it's made all the difference in the world for saving me money. The hole shot is much better, it can take regular gas (87), instead of having to use the "Premium" formula, and it uses almost half the gas as the older model, too. I can say that, because I know how many gallons it would use to run to and from the same locations, and the V-10 definitely drinks less.
I do use the recommended Mercury additive, however, to keep her in tip top condition.
The baby Merc is connected to the big motor through a tie-bar and is not a tiller motor. The mount is "remote". I've always run tillers. When I was running Evinrude's, the kicker had a button to increase or decrease the RPMs, 1/10th at a time, and I didn't need to use an RPM controller.
When Evinrude was discontinued, and I had to have one, I bought the "iTroll" to control the RPMs, because trying to move a throttle to the right spot can be tough. The "i-Troll" allows me to control the RPMs, by turning a dial. This allows me to dial in my speed, easily.
Kenny Grimes, the boat sales manager for "Fisherman's Central", told me that the remote mount is requested a lot more than the tiller model, so I went with his advice and ordered the boat with the remote mounting. I have zero complaints.
The Minn-Kota Quest Ulterra is an improvement over the older models, as far as quality, dependability, and ease of use go. I just know that I have more confidence in the Quest model, than I had in the older model. If the stow feature were to stop working, they've made it much easier to get it stowed again. The older model was a pain in the butt, and not very safe, if you were trying that in rough conditions.
I switched from Humminbirds to Garmin this season, and I have been pleasantly surprised at how much more I like them over my H'Birds. I had always used the Helix models, and besides having issues with the 2023 models several times for the 23/24 seasons, they discontinued them. So, when my dealer suggested running Garmin's, I took the opportunity to do so.
The Garmin's are all connected, with the dash unit being the master, and the bow and stern units being the recipients of its info. The bow unit also has a Live Scope transducer connected, so as soon as the unit comes up, while I'm in the Get-Ready lane, I disable the sonar at the dash, and it disables all the connected units, too.
Then, when I launch, and I'm in the water, I can "Enable All Connected...", then go to the front, to turn off the Live Scope transducer, individually. It would be bad to let that thing ping for hours out of the water...it would probably kill it.
Moving back in the bow...
There are buckle-down straps on both sides of the bow, that would normally secure someone's rods, but I use them to strap down my two nets...one on each side.
The windshield is an upgrade from the 2023 model, too. It's the same great quality, that can hold a lot of weight, but they added some pretty cool lighting on the sides of it. So, when the interior lights are on, the windshield lights come on, too. It has the DVX logo and says, "Advanced Marine Performance" below it...and that all lights up. I get to the boat launches early, when it's still dark out, so I get to see it lit up...it's pretty cool looking...it's a little thing that makes me happy. :)
As far as any remodel from the 2023 boat, I don't see anything that stands out. The storage is still outstanding and the most I've ever had in a boat, so there are no complaints from me. I'm still enjoying the boat's cooler being in the back port corner, for easy access. My Rangers always had it in front of the passenger's windshield, where not only did it shorten the storage compartment in front of it, but I had to climb in and out of the boat anytime I wanted to get something from it, or put something in it.
The 60" tracks for the rod holders are solid as a rock. I was told that Vexus puts a steel (or aluminum) plate under the gunnel, so when the tracks are added, they attach to the plate. Making it very strong. This also helps keep screws from backing out of the fiberglass, and adds more strength to the rod holders themselves. I used to have to tell people not to lean on the rod holders, but now I don't have to worry about that at all.
I have a set of 6 Cisco Rod Holders on each side, with the starboard side also sporting a 7th cradle for my FishHawk rod. I have the new Hybrid Tube/Cradle rod holders on risers (15", 10", 5", and the last one doesn't use a riser), for use with trolling rods, using the Off Shore boards.
The dipsey rods use just the "Short Cradle" rod holders with no risers (2 on each side).
What I really like about the hybrid tube is that it allows me to keep the reel facing inside the boat, rather than spinning around and facing out. I can also keep rods in them while running from spot to spot. Yes, I know you can do that with regular tubes, but my previous holders were all cradles, and impossible to keep a rod in it while running, unless I took the time to bungee cord them in the holder, and that's not something I wanted to do. The hybrids were the solution to my problem, and it has worked out very well.
I'm running three "Miller Tech" Lithium batteries for the Ulterra, and two 31 AGMs for the motors and accessories. The lithiums have been holding up very well, and again, I have no complaints. They are doing what they were designed to do, and that's to keep me on the water without any worries.
The overall performance of this boat is very similar to the 2023 boat, except for having better hole-shot, due to the new V-10. The speed was the same. The top end is 70, I'm guessing. The reason I say, "I'm guessing," is because I got it up to 68mph, but backed off, even though she still had more in her to go. I'm guessing, she would have hit 70 with some more trimming, and the throttle all the way down. I just don't like to go that fast.
I'm pretty sure they may have added a little more foam in the hull near the dash, because it seems quieter than my old boat in that area. I like it!
The Bennett Trim Tabs make driving easier, by keeping the boat from listing to one side, or the other. No complaints!
(This next one is not an issue, but rather, just an annoyance)...
In the 2025 boat, the battery charger was mounted in the battery compartment, instead of the rear starboard corner compartment, like it had been in the 2023 boat.
I preferred it in the corner for two reasons.
First, it makes it easy to check on it, and two, I could easily prop the lid of the compartment open on hot days, so the charger didn't overheat.
Even though the boat is under a large carport, it can still get very warm under there, so propping the lid open is just preventative. Having it in the battery compartment is less convenient...thus, "annoying". ;)
If anyone is considering a new Vexus DVX22, and wants to test one on the water first, just contact me, or Kenny Grimes, and we can set that up for you.
I checked the Fisherman's Central Marine's website, and I see that they have the new 2026 on the floor at the New Franklin store, if you want to go in and check it out. Here's a link to it on their website:
If you made it through my review...Thanks, for reading it!
Have a great day!
Fishing with Tom, Mark, and Carl...8/22/2025
by Capt Juls on 08/22/25Tom, Mark, and Carl drove in from MN on Wednesday and were supposed to fish with me yesterday, but that gusty northeaster was blowing, so they moved their day to today, since the winds were supposed to lay down overnight, and I had the day open.
They are staying at an Air-B-N-B in Huron, so I had them meet me in Vermilion. I told them to meet me at 6am, but they showed up at 5:38. We wouldn't be launching until 6, because sunrise wasn't until 6:44 this morning.
I was hoping the residual rollers from overnight wouldn't be too bad, as we headed north out of the river, and I was pleased to find the rollers would be easily navigated. It was just a slow go, but not uncomfortable.
As we ventured to Lorain, and I would mark schools of fish on the Garmin the entire way up there.
Once we were near the Lorain Dumping Grounds, I turned the Vexus around and dropped the FishHawk, Ulterra, and the baby Merc down, and set a course back over the route we drove up.
Speed was set to 2.5mph as a base speed. Throughout the morning, I would speed it up and slow it down to find what speed they wanted best. That never really materialized, because they were caught at all speeds. That would sound good, IF the bite had been really good, but it wasn't. It was tough catching. Even though there were marks on the screen most of the time, and at depths that would normally guarantee bites... they were not eating for us.
We only put 12 Walleye (#13 was lost at the back of the boat) in the cooler, along with one nice perch that hit a spoon. They were all just eaters...nothing big.
The water temp was 74.5 on the surface and 76 at 20 feet down...over 47 feet of water.
Flicker Minnow 11 in the "FireTail Chrome Candy" caught behind the Off Shore boards at 67 back (2 fish) on the starboard side, and on the port side at 50/24 with a 2oz snap weight (2 fish). A "Pink Lemonade" caught one fish at 120 back (unassisted).
Dipsey settings that caught were the zero settings on 50 and 54 back. The three settings caught best at 70-75 back.
BadMo, Yeck, and Scorpion spoons were used. Spoons with orange or red did best, this time.
Since they are going to be fishing the next couple of days, I gave them ideas about where to try going out of Huron, so they can hopefully find some fish.
They didn't have a "fish cooler" for their fish, and they didn't have any bags, so I took Mark with me, while Tom and Carl went to the store to get some bags. I had offered to drop the fish off at the Huron Fish Cleaning Station for them, so they didn't have to get Mark's nice material cooler full of slimy fish, and they would meet us there.
I ran into Capt Tom Sibert, of "Triple S Walleye Charters", who runs out of Huron a lot, and normally does very well out there, and he told me that they had the same kind of morning that we had had. So, that made me feel better, knowing it wasn't just me. lol
Mark put the fish on the cleaning station, and then realized that the filet knife was back at their house, in the boat. lol Tom and Carl drove back to get the knife aftert I got a picture of everyone...then, I had to get home. My dogs were hungry.
My guys did a great job learning how to run the dipsies and Off Shore boards, since they had never used them before. They are allowed only one line up there in MN, so it's not something they needed in their arsenal yet. But, I think they liked both, because they asked where they could go buy some later today. I have a suspicion they will be fishing like this for the next couple of days.
Anyhooo....
Tomorrow, I have a two man crew that want to chase some perch, so we'll give that a try.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
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
