Fishing Day 2 with Joe, Ron, and Dale...7/24/2026

The sky was speckled with stars, so it was clear. The wind was absent, and the forecast was calling for winds less than 10 out of the SSW to start and switching to the east later in the morning. The high temp during the morning was forecast for the mid to high 60s...reaching a high of 75 in the afternoon. It was going to be a great morning.

I had the same crew as yesterday, but instead of going after walleye again, we switched it up to chase some perch. The two older gents in the group were a little unsteady on their feet, and so I thought it would be a good idea to go perch'n, so they could relax, stay seated, and catch some fish. They liked that plan.

I picked them up from the Whitecaps Motel at 5:15, and we went and got some minnows from Hi-Way Bait. The size was perfect for using whole or tearing in 1/2.

We launched out of Catawba at 6:15 and headed back to look at the spot where Keith and I caught them last Monday, but the Garmin wasn't marking them like they did that day, so I turned the Vexus to the NW and headed out towards D-Can at a nice cruising speed, so I could keep an eye on the bottom and watch for tell tail signs of perchy looking water.

As the sun was coming up behind the islands, I turned the boat around, so I could get a better shot of it as it peeked through between Middle Bass, South Bass, and Green Island. As I did so, Dale said, "What are those little flags"? My heart dropped for a second...in panic...because I never saw them. "Where do you see flags?", I asked. Pointing his finger, he said, "Right there".  I was right on top of them in between the single and double flags. Luckily, we didn't get stuck in it and cleared it.  I explained what they were and how they are marked, and how you should never go between the two flags, as I had just done.  I never saw it, because it was on the side of the boat that I can't see off the bow, due to the seat up there.

After getting my sunrise picture, we got going again, and ended up stopping about 1/2 mile directly east of D-Can in 30' of water. We would never have to move to go find fish, as they kept biting all morning.  1/2 minnows worked best for me, and the guys followed suit in baiting their hooks that way, too.

I didn't actually count, but we kept 77, and I know we threw back at least almost 3 times that in itty-bitty perch, and some junk fish. The seagulls got the white perch and there were only 4-5 sheephead caught. One little walleye bit Dale's rig, but it wasn't big enough to keep. The future looks bright if the number of 3-4" perch is any indication of that. :)

Joe, Ron, and Dale all had a good time and were very happy with their catch today, so that makes me happy!

Tomorrow, I'm back to walleye fishing with Lee Colley and his son. I'm thinking of going out of Mazurik's and then heading NE towards the Weather Buoy, and hoping to find some fish somewhere in between those two points. I don't want to have to go all that way if we don't need to.

Stay tuned....

Capt Juls