Juls WFA Blog
Past Couple of days....
by Capt Juls on 06/29/18The walleye fishing continues to be very good. After the winds and rain we had earlier this week, some areas are a little muddier than others, but it's not too bad.
The algae bloom has started earlier than usual, and the west side of the islands is turning pea soup green again. The lack of wind this morning, showed just how much algae is in the water right now, and it's not good. And, with more hot weather for the next couple months, I can only imagine how yucky that end of the lake is going to get. Ugh...
With that said though, there are still many areas that are cleaner and holding a lot of fish. I would suggest launching out of Mazurik's or Huron and hitting the east side of the bass islands, north side of Kelly's to Middle Island, or the east side of Kelly's and beyond.
Anything and everything you want to throw at them is working. Spoons, cranks, crawler harnesses....anything! Just find some fish on your electronics, and set up on them.
Take note of the depth they are at, and adjust your leads accordingly. Play with your speed until they start hitting then take note of that speed. It's not rocket science....just fishing!
Go have fun this weekend, and stay cool!
Capt Juls
Fishing with Paul, Joe, and Jeff 6/19/18
by Capt Juls on 06/19/18Woke up at 2:30 this morning and looked at the wind forecast on the IWindSurf app. It was showing the winds would be from the NE....and, stronger than I normally like to see. Northeast winds make the biggest waves, with the least amount of wind, of all the wind directions, because it comes all the way down the lake into the Western Basin. It is the culprit that quickly muddies the shoreline, and sometimes floods our downtown streets along the Portage River.
I sent Paul a text saying it probably was a "No-Go", but that we should meet down at Catawba and discuss it, before calling it.
I stopped off at Speedway to gas up, eat breakfast at Big B's, and get ice at Rickard's Bait Shop before heading down to the park to meet them at 5:30.
They were there when I got there, and I stepped out of the truck to talk to them about the forecasted conditions.
The wind wasn't really blowing the treetops as much as I thought it would be, so to be cautious, I made this offer...."If you really want to get out, we can stay on the protected side of the island. We can drive up to the point and turn it around and troll right out front here". I added, "I was here on Saturday and didn't mark as many fish as I did earlier that week...but, that doesn't mean more haven't moved in. I make no guarantees though. I'm limited to where I can go with a strong NE wind, so it's your call."
They were all for it. "I just want them to wet a line, after getting up and driving all the way up here", said Paul. "Okay...let's go", I said.
While we were launching, Paul told me that they wanted to learn how to run the Off Shore boards. He said he had some, but hadn't really used them, because he wasn't really sure how to run them. So, like I tell all my customers who want to learn..."I'll have you running them like a well-oiled machine in a few hours".
Once again, I had quick learners....well, for the important part anyway...Paul had a little trouble remembering to turn the clicker off while reeling fish in, so his new nickname is "Clicker" too. Ha!
Joe graduated to "First Mate" within the first hour, because I only had to tell him something once, and he got it. :)
Jeff....Jeff is hard of hearing, and didn't tell me until I figured it out....I had to talk louder to him after that, and then, all was well. (Please, please, please tell me if you're hard of hearing....no one cares...I just need to know that I need to talk louder or make face to face contact when I'm talking to you.)
Anyway...they did great, and had the routine down pretty well by mid-morning. I know they will easily be able to run the Off Shores on their boat without too many issues.
We started out in front of Catawba, but moved after one half-assed pass, because the Helix just wasn't marking any fish, there were Mayfly sheds everywhere, and the water was a bit on the muddy side...not too bad, but not great either.
After determining that the conditions were such that I could make it up to the lee-side of the islands safely, I told them to reel everything in and that we would move north. Once we got through the South Passage I started watching the Helix for life below.
When we found some good marks, we set up on them with the Flicker Minnows out 57, 65, 75, 80, and 90 back and two #40 Tru Trip Jets with Stingers out 39 back. Speed was 2.1-2.4mph with the waves.
Everything caught fish. It wasn't a fire drill situation, but more like a steady bite. We did have a few doubles and a couple triples with fish hanging. After two passes we had 24 in the box. We threw back a handful of "shorts" and one sheepshead too.
It was a good morning, and I'm glad I didn't cancel the trip when the wind was hitting me in the face out in my driveway this morning. It turned out to be a lot of fun! They were pretty close on that forecast, but the actual winds were slightly lower than what was predicted. Had it been correct, I wouldn't be writing this blog today. ;)
Looks like I'm off until the 29th, unless I book a trip somewhere in there from now until the end of the month....deep sigh. Guess I'll work on my gardens...the weeds are insane.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Laura, Denny, and Tim 6/16/18
by Capt Juls on 06/16/18The plan was to meet my crew at Big Bopper's at 4:45, but since I was informed that Big B's opens at 4:30 right now, I decided to head out at 4am, so I could hit Speedway before getting there early.
I showed up there at 4:20, and was starving, so I went ahead and ordered without my crew, because I wanted to hit the bait shop and Mazurik's ahead of them, so I could get the rods ready before they showed up.
They showed up right on time, we chatted, and they ordered. When their food arrived, I said, "Im going to go hit the bait shop for some ice, and I'll meet you at Mazurik's when you're done...no hurry!" I wasn't sure if I was going to start with crawlers or Flicker Minnows and spoons, and would decide when I got in the boat. The crawler rods were on the top of the rod locker....so hey...that's what I chose. lol
It was a strange weather morning...I was watching the RadarScope app to keep an eye on a thunderstorm that was approaching. I wasn't sure how much time we would have on the water if its direction and strength stayed on course for us.
The morning was otherwise, nice. It was warm, mostly coudy, and a light breeze was blowing out of the SSW. Water temps were at 66.8-67.2 degrees.
We launched at 5:30 and headed out of the channel at 5:37, and headed to the SE corner of Kelly's. I didn't want to go far, in case we needed to dart back in if there was any lightning, or the radar showed me something unsafe was closing in on us. That and the fact that there are lots of fish in the area, I figured we couldn't go wrong.
They were celebrating Denny Young's birthday (Laura bought this trip as his gift), and Denny wanted to learn how to run the Off Shore boards, so he could run the ones he bought recenly, out of his boat. When he told me that at breakfast, I said, "I will have you all running the Off Shores like a well oiled machine by mid morning". I didn't lie...by mid morning they were doing great, and had the routine down pretty well.
As we watched the sky darken to the west of the Bass Islands, and witnessed a few lightning bolts, we noticed that the sky to the south was not so bad. Checking the radar app again, I found that the storms would stay to the north and to the south of us, and that we were right in line for some pretty decent weather, if we stayed where we were.
I had made a pass from the SE corner of Kelly's to the east end of American Eagle Shoal with only 4 fish to show for it. Crawler harness with 1oz inlines were run at 30 and 40 and the 2oz inlines were run at 23 and 27, while the 4 oz bottom bouncer bounced off the port side corner. Unlike yesterday, the bottom bouncer didn't take any fish this morning.
We decided to move....I looked at the app one more time...then, the sky. I determined that it was best to take them west to the Mouse Island area, and maybe try trolling Flicker Minnows around Scott Point Shoal....on over to Starve. But, when I got there, I didn't mark what I wanted to see on the Helix, so I kept going SW to Catawba Point. I drove on to just about in front of Catawba State Park and decided the water was a little muddy and I was only marking a fish here and there.
The funny thing was....on the east side of Mouse (all over) the wind was out of the SE, but on the west side of Mouse, the wind and waves were out of the SW. I decided to turn the boat and head NW towards E can, but when I got between F and E cans the Helix was marking some good fish. I figured it was a good place to start.
Down went the Ulterra, and I set a course towards Green Island, which was about 1 1/2 miles off in the distance. This time we ran Flicker Minnow at 45/57/65/80 back, and Tru-Trip Jets at 35 and 39 back...at a speed of 2.1-2.3 mph. It was a steady pick at them, but nothing really fast. The fish were mostly in the 16-17 inch size, but there were a few bigger ones too. It gave Denny and his crew a chance to practice retrieving and setting the Off Shores, but I have to confess, the Stinger and Yeck Spoons were outnumbering the catch rate over the Flickers'.
They had mentioned that they wanted to do some perch fishing too, so I had gotten some Emerald Shiners at Hi Way Bait this morning too. I told them that after they hit their limit of walleye, we could go look for some perch. I wanted to try a spot out there in the triangle between American Eagle, Starve Island, and Scott Point Shoal. I had marked a lot of fish on the bottom on yesterday's trip, and marked it on the GPS.
After they got their limits of walleye we cleaned up and got ready to perch fish. We went and found that spot I had mentioned, and set up on the spot using the Minn Kota Ulterra's Spot Lock option. (I never stop being amazed by how nice it is not to have to use an anchor anymore).
The perch bite was slow, but we managed to put 20 nice specimens in the cooler. The conversation was enjoyable and there were good tunes on the Bose, so only an up and down bite would have made it better! It was a good time! :)
My crew expressed how much fun they had, and their plans to come back again next season....and, that makes me happy! :)
I had a great time with Laura, Denny, and Tim today. They had a great attitude, sense of humor, and learned quickly, and I can't ask for more than that!
Tomorrow and Monday are scheduled off. The heat index tomorrow sucks, so I'm glad I didn't schedule anything. Monday, I have business to take care of, so that's scheduled off too. I'll be back at it on Tuesday.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with the Goodrich crew...6/15/18
by Capt Juls on 06/15/18I left the house at 4am this morning and headed to town to run some errands and pick my crew up at their hotel by 4:30. I showed up a little early, so I took care of some emails and waited for them, but I didn't have to wait long. They were right on time, and we headed to the gas station to gas up.
After a good breakfast at Big Bopper's, we hit Mazurik's at 5:30. I was surprised to see that they hadn't done the parking lot, like they claimed they were going to, over the past three days. However, I do know, that they have started doing Catawba's parking lot as of yesterday. That bothersome pothole...you know the one...is finally gone!
Anyway, the morning was clear, warm, and the winds were light out of the northeast. Waves were maybe 6 inches at best, so it was much nicer than I expected it to be according to the wind forecast I looked at earlier in the morning.
I fished with Mr. Goodrich and David this same weekend last year too. And, last year, we fished in Canadian waters, so this year they were prepared to have their Ontario licenses on them, so we could go back if the conditions allowed.
As I said yesterday, I was tired of fishing through 30 feet of mayflies, and catching smaller fish, so I was excited to head north to find cleaner water and bigger fish for a change.
I was given some info last night, but that info didn't pan out, so we went right back to where I had them the year before, and wouldn't you know it....the fish were there! Yay!
I marked some fish on the Helix as we were driving, and I drove on about another mile or so, turned around, and set the Ulterra on a path back to that waypoint.
We set lines, with crawler harnesses behind the Off Shore boards, with 1oz and 2oz inline weights. Speed was 1.3-1.4mph
I started with the 1oz set at 25/30/40 and the 2oz inlines set at 20 and 25...oh, and one bottom bouncer sporting a 4oz weight. Eventually, we dialed them in and had the baits with the 1oz inlines set at 39 and 41 and the 2oz inlines set at 30 and 40 back. The bottom bouncer did well, and took 4 or 5 fish too.
We managed a nice box of really fat "eaters", that was much nicer than what I have been catching the past few days on this side. The average was 18-23", whereas the average on this side was 15 to 17 inches. So, needless to say, my guys were happy, happy, happy. And, I was happy, because there were only a few boats up there with us. We didn't have any legit "throwbacks", but we did throw one small keeper back, because we knew we had a lot of time and there were nicer fish down below.
When we finished the wind was picking up a little bit, so the timing was perfect. We managed to get back to the other side and loaded out before it got rougher.
The crew wants to book the same day next year, and I told them to bring this nice weather back with them again. It was a perfect morning in my opinion...a friendly crew....the weather was not too cold and not too hot...the lake was not too flat and not too rough...NO BUGS...the fish bit and also made it into the boat....can't ask for more than that now, can you? Woot! Woot!
Tomorrow's plan is still undecided until I talk to my crew, so at this time...I have no clue where I'm going yet.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Weekend is coming...thought I should report...:)
by Capt Juls on 06/14/18I wasn't out last weekend, or Monday, but got out Tuesday (6/12), Wednesday (6/13), and today (6/14)...
Tuesday and Wednesday I was over in Huron with Frank Shipley and his friend, Carter. We launched at 5:30 and headed east towards "The Castle" area. The Mayfly hatch is still coming up...thick, by the way...
We ran Flicker Minnows up in the top 15' of the water column, but the fish had moved deeper, so eventually, we moved the baits down to 80/90/100 back at a speed of 1.9-2.1mph. We managed to pick up 8 keepers...although, nothing big, and had a bunch of throwbacks too. It wasn't a stellar day, but they had fun and the weather was perfect, so it was a nice trip. :)
Wednesday, I met my crew at Huron again, because my customer, Sam Arnold and his Son, Sam, have a boat docked over there now. Sam's friend, Ray, who is from Indiana drove in the night before, and we all met at the ramp at 5:30. Again, we headed east, set lines, and then got dumped on with a heavy downpour. I had told them to bring rain gear, but none of them had it with them, so they got soaked....ugh.
It only lasted about 10 minutes....then dried up and stayed cloudy all morning. Port Clinton had had just over 5 inches of rain the night before, and the town was flooding, along with my backyard, so it was the last thing I wanted to see!
We moved around a few times, and I showed Sam some areas to check as the season changes, and the fish migrate.
We ended up with 12 eaters, with about 7-8 throwbacks, a couple white perch, a sheepshead, and a white bass. They had a good time, but again, not a stellar "catching" trip....sigh.
Today, I had my regulars...Steve and Jeremy Chapman, along with Jeremy's cousin, Adam.
Our plan was to launch out of Catawba at 7am, so I arrived there at 6:30 to get things ready. By the time they finally arrived, we were heading out of the park at 7:30.
They wanted to walleye fish and then do some bass fishing, so we started with the walleye. We headed north to Rattlesnake/North Bass and set up between the two islands and headed east with our Flicker Minnows and Stinger Spoons in tow.
There was a light WNW wind at around 10mph, and the waves were pushing the 2' mark, so I trolled with the waves. We marked some fish there, and picked the first one up, but it wasn't happening there, so we picked up and moved to the east of the Bass Islands to set up another troll starting at Lucy's and pointing towards the lower end of Gull Island Shoal.
We ran the Flicker Minnows at 57/65/80/90/100...one Bandit at 55...and, two Stinger Spoons behind #40 Tru-Trip Jets at 37 and 45 back. Speed was 1.9-2.3mph. Eventually, every bait caught something today, but the 80-90 was probably the best.
It was one long pass the entire way, and we picked away at the walleye until we had 13 in the box (a handful of throwbacks too), and decided to go bass fishing for the last hour and a half. We would end that pass by the red can at Gull.
Thanks to Capt Kevin's info (he had a bass trip the day before) we were able to set right up in an area and start casting. The Tube Jig proved to be what they wanted today, as the lipless crankbaits didn't catch anything.
We had a good time, and Jeremy was happy to have finally caught a bass on Lake Erie. lol woot! woot!
I'll be back out tomorrow, and if the winds behave, I am heading to the other side of the lake, to see if there are any bigger fish left in this lake. Not everyone is happy with "eaters". ;)
Fingers crossed....Stay tuned!
Capt Juls
Fishing with Brad, Zachary, and Jim 6/8/18
by Capt Juls on 06/10/18Brad Cash, his son, Zachory, and his cousin, Jim were camping on Catawba for the weekend, and wanted to learn how to run Off Shore inline planer boards, so they could run them from their boat.
The forecast was for east winds, but luckily the wind speed wasn't what was originally forecast, so we were able to travel around pretty easily. My first plan was to take them where they could fish in their 18' boat if the lake was rough, but we ended up going to places further out since the lake was decent.
We launched at Catawba at 5:45 and headed north to the west side of the islands. I showed them how to use the line counter reels, and explained why we use the Precision Trolling Data app to figure out how much line to put out. They learned how to set the boards out, to get them in "marching soldier formation", and then how to reel in an outside board without moving the inside boards...because, we all know the outside bait is the one that gets the fish most often. Ha!
It took a few tries for them to get the routine down, but the fish gave them a lot of practice. I didn't like all the mayflies I saw on the Helix screen and thought that maybe going to the east side of the islands would show fewer. While it did, there was still an abundance of them coming up. Hopefully, we'll have a south wind when they do emerge from the lake, so Canada can deal with the mess on land. :)
We ran the same program I've run the past couple weeks...#11 Flicker Minnows 45/55/65 back at 2.1-3.4mph. Interesting though, at one point, someone who didn't know the rules of the road out there, and was cutting me off (even though I was the ONLY boat in that area) caused me to speed up to 2.6-2.9mph, to keep him from interfering with our lines, made the fish go crazy. All at once we had three fish on. So, that told me I should speed things up a bit, and after we did, the guys were kept busy with a steady bite.
We made one more move to the protected side of Catawba, due to one of the crew feeling a bit queezy when the winds kicked up a little and we were in 1-3's. As it turned out....we had a good bite over there too, an the fish were even a little bit bigger. So, let that be a lesson to you all...you don't have to go far from the launch to catch fish! ;)
I was off this weekend, due to my customer wanting to know last Thursday if the weather was going to be a problem, and when the forecast was showing strong ENE winds and 80% chance of thunderstorms, they moved their dates to July.....so, as usual, the forecast changed for the better since I rescheduled them....you're all welcome! Ha!
I won't be back out until the 13th, and will be going out of Huron, since the customer bought a place over there and would like to learn the area.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Karl, Mickey, and Paul 6/7/18
by Capt Juls on 06/07/18This morning I met my crew at the Walmart here in Port Clinton at 5am, and we drove over to Huron together. We were the first ones to the launch, and were headed out the channel at 5:30.
I pointed the boat east of the Huron River and set down "over that way" in 27' of water...setting a trolling pass to the north and taking it out to 32' of water. The wind was out of the southeast at 10mph, the temperature outside was a nice cool 60 degrees, and the water temp was only 62.8 degrees...down from the 67 degrees we had last week.
There were fewer mayflies on the Helix's screen than over by the islands, so that was nice too!
We ran the same program I've been running many other places on the lake lately...the number 11 Flicker Minnows (any color works) at 45/55/65 back at 2.1-2.3mph...and, again, it was successful. We had our 4 person limit by 8:30 this morning, so we headed in to go to Lemmy's for breakfast, since everyone was hungry. :)
Mickey's son, Paul, had a good time and learned the routine of reeling in Off Shore boards from the outside position very well, and kept the tangles to a minimum! And, like a true walleye fisherman, he cursed the dreaded Sheepshead when it showed itself coming in on top of the water doing the "spinning thing". lol Luckily, the sheepshead were few and far between today too!
Everyone had fun, and that's what it's all about...and, that makes me happy! :)
I am going out of Catawba tomorrow with three gentlemen, who have their boat here for the next few days, and are camping on Catawba...they just want to learn the areas a little bit and go after some walleye and perch tomorrow.
My crew that was scheduled for Saturday and Sunday have decided to reschedule to July, in hopes of better weather. So, it looks like I'll be doing some gardening this weekend. woot! woot!
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Dennis and Craig 6/2-3/18
by Capt Juls on 06/03/18Yesterday and today I fished with Dennis Pfieffer and Craig Beiber, of PA, and had a great time. Yesterday's winds were out of the NNE, and brought us much needed relief of the hot and humid weather we had been having. The lake was a bit rough in the morning, but we made our way north to the west side of the islands.
Many charter boats and weekend anglers were fishing much closer to the mainland, and successfully catching thier limits....as did we...but, we didn't have to deal with any other boats....woot! woot!
Dennis and Craig quickly caught on to the routine of running the Off Shore boards and bringing in fish. Limits were caught the same as the previous outings and within 3 hours the box was full. :)
Same program as the previous days too....#11 Flicker Minnows (any color) run 45/47/55/57/65/75/80/90....didn't seem to matter...all depths caught fish. However, if I only had to pick two leads...it would be the 45/55 lead. Speed was 2.1-2.4mph
I've done this program in three separate areas of the lake and it worked in all three areas, but it seems everything is working everywhere, so you could probably run what you like best and catch fish too.
I'm off for the next two days...tomorrow, due to strong west winds, and Tuesday is my Birthday, so I'm taking it off.....to sleep and catch up on my house cleaning.
I'll be back at it on Wednesday....
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Joe and Adam 5/31/18
by Capt Juls on 05/31/18I left the house at 4:45 this morning and headed to Rickard's for some ice and some #11 Flicker Minnows, before hitting Speedway for some gas. I know, I know, I have enough cranks, but I only have one box of Flickers, and they had some colors I didn't already have. lol
My crew was meeting me at Walmart at 5:30, so we could ride over to Huron together. They were right on time...in fact, a touch early, so that was even better.
The forecast was calling for gusty winds up to 30mph out of the SSW, so I felt it would be a better option over there, since there are so many fish near shore right now. However, those winds never showed up, and it turned out to be a beautiful day on the lake this morning. The waves were 1 foot or less, and there was a nice breeze to keep it cooler, since it was a little humid still.
We launched a little before 6am and was out of the river by 6:07. We marked fish just about everywhere, so I chose an area that was over 30-32' of water and set the Flickers out at 45, 50, and 55 back. Our speed was 2.1-2.4mph. The first spot was nothing but Sheepshead...some of them trophy sized...so, we moved to another area in the same depth. The marks that the Helix was showing us were incredible, and I crossed my fingers that they were walleye instead of farm animals.....and, they were.
Same program/same speed....resulted in sort of "dance" in the back of the Ranger with bodies moving forward and back and rods and nets rotating around like a synchronized swim team. lol
Joe has fished with me several times before, so he pretty much knew the routine, but needed a refresher course. Adam, however, has never fished with me, or fished with Off Shore boards before, and was pretty quick to catch on to my instruction and routine.
It wasn't very often that we were able to get all 6 rods out at the same time...just like yesterday. The walleye were inhaling the Flickers, often taking both sets of hooks into their mouths.
We finished off with our limit of 18 walleye and headed in. Both Joe and Adam said they had a good time and learned a lot....and, that makes me happy! :)
Tomorrow, I am fishing with a crew of three, and if we get our walleye early again, we plan on looking for some suicidal perch....woot! woot!
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Bruce, Brayla, and Shayla 5/30/18
by Capt Juls on 05/30/18Been a while since I blogged a report on my website, (Sorry) but I have been putting smaller reports on my Facebook page in lue of here, because this weekend was super busy, and hot hot hot! And, with all I had on my plate, I just didn't have the time.
If you have a Facebook account, but are not following me there, you can find me here:
https://www.facebook.com/JulsWFA/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Or here: https://www.facebook.com/juls231
I post every trip there, but not always here. This one takes much longer to do. ;)
So, about this morning...
My crew was staying at White Caps Motel, which is not far from me, so I had them meet me at my house this morning at 4:20AM. Despite a stopped train on the tracks, blocking them from their destination, they were still able to take another route that I texted him and they still got here right on time.
We loaded into my old Excursion, and headed to Big Bopper's for some grub. After breakfast, I hit Hi Way Bait for a couple of perch colored Flicker Minnows and some ice, before heading to Catawba to launch. (We launched at 6am instead of 5:30, because Big B's was a little late opening this morning).
Bruce, who lives over in Indiana, wanted to learn how to run the Off Shore inline planer boards.. I didn't go far out of the Catawba ramp before setting up with (4) #11 Berkley Flicker Minnow at 45 and 55 back on one side, and 55 and 65 back on the other side. We ran two 40 Tru-Trip Jets with Stinger spoons off of each corner at 32 and 40 back.
However, the Flickers started taking fish right away, and the spoons didn't do anything in about 15 minutes, so I removed them and set two more Flicker Minnows out instead. (While we could have run 8 boards, I thought it would be easier and less confusing if we only ran 3 per side today).
I had them set up at 45/55/57 on one side, and 45/50/55 on the other side. Speed was 2.2-2.5mph. Now, all the Off Shores were pulling back one at a time, but continuously! It didn't seem to matter what color the Flicker was...they wanted it! Most of them had to be fished out of the fish's gullet.
In the 3 hours it took to get our 24 walleye, and just as many sheepshead and White Perch, we only had all six boards out at the same time....twice...for about 2-3 minutes, before all hell broke loose again, and we were doing another fire drill. :)
I was getting a workout, and getting tired by now...so, when I saw a board go back again, I wasn't saying, "Fish!"...I was saying, "Dang it!! There's another one!"And, when I knew it was a Sheepshead, it wasn't "Dang it", but something else....lol
We had a lot of laughs, and the crew did great under fast and furious conditions...and, that makes me happy. :)
I have no doubt that Bruce can duplicate what he learned this morning in his own boat and be successful at reading and working the boards, with the help of his daughters.
Tomorrow's trip is still scheduled...but, we are expecting gusty south winds, so I plan on heading out of Huron to stick closer to the south shore. I was over there the other day and there were a ton of fish in that 30-36' foot range...for miles! I'm guessing they are still there, and I think they might like some tasty looking Flicker Minnows tomorrow too. At least, I'm hoping they will. Fingers crossed... woot! woot!
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Duke, Lenny, and Buz 5/22/18
by Capt Juls on 05/22/18My crew this morning were some local "boyz" from here in Port Clinton. They fished with me last year, and were supposed to fish earlier this month, but due to bad weather, we rescheduled to today.
We met at Catawba at 5:45 and launched by 6am. We headed around the corner to the Mouse Island area and Scott Point Shoal.
The Bandits were rigged up and set out at 25/35/45 on one side and 30/40/50 on the other side. I set the speed to 1.8-2.0mph. There were four of us on board, and could run 8 lines, but I thought it would be easier for them if we kept it to three Off Shore boards per side instead. We also ran a 40 Tru-Trip Jet with a Stinger spoon off a corner, that could be moved from side to side...depending on which side the fish were caught.
The Jet/spoon took the first fish this morning...just a 14" walleye we had to throw back, due to the size limit here. Then a "Chrome Huff Daddy" Bandit (Domka Outdoors Custom Color) took the second fish at 35 back. The Tattle Flag on the board was flat and the board was sinking back out of place, very fast. My first thought was, "It's a Sheepshead", even if I was truly was hoping for a big walleye! And, as it turned out, it was a walleye. A nice big, fat, long one. (I didn't measure it or weigh it, but my guess was that it was a 7-8 pound fish.)
We made a short pass there and were turning around, when I noticed more and more boats heading out of the marinas. Forgetting that it was a Tuesday, (because every day feels like a Saturday to me)... I figured the area was just going to get bombarded with boat traffic, so I made the decision to move NW of the Bass Islands.
I stopped short of Niagara, and deployed the Ulterra...setting a course up the east side of the reef. This time, we ran the Bandits back 35/45/55 on once side and 40/50/60 on the other, and again, the spoon off the corner. We marked some fish, and caught three keepers there. But, the bite was slow, and I was bored, so we moved again, to the NW.
This time, we ended up by the "Big Pickerel Reef" area...or, just a little north of it. We were in 25'-26' of water, and the Helix was showing some nice fish marks on the screen. It would be the same programs with Khaki, Blue/Chrome, Huff Daddy Chrome, Taco Salad, Buck Fever, and IB Infected running behind the planer boards.
The best colors of the bunch for us were definitely the Khaki, Blue/Chrome, and Huff Daddy. I think the spoon took 4 fish today.
We made a "circle pass" there over a small pod of walleye and managed to pick off 3 more walleye for the box.
Again, not satisfied, I moved down to "H-Can", to see if those fish were still in there. There were some decent marks, but the water was kind of dirty yet. However, we did catch one on a Blue/Chrome Bandit at 35 back, before I told them to pick up the lines again, so we could move.
This time, I moved back towards Catawba, and set lines one last time. The marks were the best I had seen all day, and it was, "Game on!". The guys were kept busy reeling in walleye and sheepshead, and it was fun to finally have some fast paced action for a change.
Even though it was a small struggle today, it was a great ending to a great trip! They had fun...and, I had fun...and, that's all that matters. :)
They ended up with just 12 walleye in the cooler...4 throw backs....5 that came unbuttoned...and a handful of Sheepshead for the day. As I write this, they are at the "Crows Nest" (a local restaurant that will cook your catch for you), having fresh walleye for dinner. I was graciously invited, but had to decline, due to my early bedtime, and dinner schedule, and the fact that I needed to write this blog.
Tomorrow, I am off, and need to get some things done around the homestead. Back at it Thursday....and, that makes me happy. ;)
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Tom, Peter, and Dan 5/20/18
by Capt Juls on 05/21/18When will this weather straighten out? It's mid May, and I still have yet to wear shorts in the boat. My feet are tan, but my legs are still "winter white"....sigh.
I met my crew down at Catawba at 6am and we headed out into a misty foggy lake. The guys weren't dressed for the weather, since the forecast called for mostly cloudy skies, but no rain. However, this is Lake Erie, and the weather does what it wants to. Since they had no rain gear with them, I was concerned that they would get damp and cold. The winds were from the west when we left the launch, but when we got out towards the firing range cans, the wind swiftly switched to the NE.
The waves were like "washing machine" waves for a short time, and the water a bit muddier than I like, so I took them over to the west side of Middle Bass to find better water and a wind break behind the island. We made one pass there and picked up one keeper walleye and two white perch on crawlers.
The wind did one more switch, and was now coming out of the ESE. After not marking as much in that area as I had the last time I visited, we picked up and moved north. Again, one pass in an area that I had done well a few days prior produced nothing....and, again, the marks weren't as plentiful, so we moved to the east side of the islands.
There were two packs of boats between Lucy's and Middle Island, so we set up near the line and pointed the Ranger south. The Helix as showing few marks where I was, and my patience was running thin. So, we moved further east to the next pack, but by then I was not in the mood to play bumper boats with a pack and decided to move down towards the monument and Starve Island.
This would be the last spot before time ran out, so we kept the baits in the water and worked a couple mile long stretch across the area....we picked up 4 more walleye, and lost just as many that didn't hook up. The fish we did catch were barely hooked, except for one suicidal 16 incher that inhaled the crawler.
We were running the 1 and 2 ounce inlines and one bottom bouncer. One fish came on the bottom bouncer, and lost two that managed to steal the crawler but not hook up.
Though we didn't put a smack down on them, we still had a good time fishing. Tom Memmen and I used to swim on the same swim team during the summers of the mid to late 70's, and went to the same high school. Peter, Tom's son, and Dan (Tom's daughter's boyfriend) said they were happy just to be out on the water, and enjoyed the experience...mentioning that they would like to do it again.
The last time I fished with Tom, he had brought his daughter, Katie, who caught big fish that day, so I said, "Next time, bring Katie...she's good luck!" He said, "She really wanted to come this time", but because I only take up to three people she had to sit this one out. She would come next time with Peter and Dan and Tom would give up his seat. And, that makes me happy...:)
My next trip is Tuesday, and it looks like the weather through to next week will be a very nice.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Dee, Dan, and Steve 5/16/18
by Capt Juls on 05/16/18Woke up at 2:30am and decided to just get up and start the day. It gave me an extra half hour to give the "Dexter Dog" some hug time, out on the back deck, while I drank my morning coffee.
I left the house at 4:20 again...hit Speedway and then met the crew at Big Bopper's again for breakfast.
I told them I had to hit the bait shop on the way, and that I would meet them at the Catawba ramp as soon as I was done. They found it okay, and I readied the boat for launch. We headed north from the point, and looked for marks on the Helix, while the boat was on plane...(how cool is it to have a tool that will do that? I love it!)
Anyway...once we found some, I told them that we were running the same crawler harness program we ended up with yesterday. The program was 1oz inline weights at 30 and 40 back, and 2oz inlines 23, 25, 27, and 30 back...at a speed of 1.3-1.5mph. (The color of the harness and blade didn't seem to make much difference, because I had a handful of different colors out and all of them caught fish at some point or another.
There was a full four-person limit caught today, using the crawlers. Sure, maybe it's not as fast as others out there, but to me, it's not a contest. My tournament days are over. And, the only person I am in a contest with, is myself and the fish. It's about the customer's experience, and teaching them how to do what I do to catch fish. We share some laughs, listen to some great music...I get to hear some great stories from their memories...and, from time to time, we get interupted to reel in some fish. :)
The weather was perfect today. It was a light NE wind, partly cloudy sky, and a temp in the high 60's. (Sorry, I never even looked at the water temp today).
I had a great time with Dee, Dan, and Steve and look forward to fishing with them again next season. Dee and Steve had fished with me before, but Dan was the "new guy", so it was nice to hear that he also wanted to come back next year too. And, that made me happy...:)
Tomorrow's forecast is much the same as today, but the winds will be even lighter than they were today, so it should be a very enjoyable day on the lake in the morning. Woot! Woot!
Friday's trip has already been rescheduled, due to very gusty winds from the NE (30mph).
Tomorrow, I have some return customers, and I look forward to fishing with them again. I'm pretty positive I'll be running crawlers again. They are working too well right now not to. :)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Dee, Dan, and Steve 5/15/18
by Capt Juls on 05/15/18I left the house at 4:20 and headed to Speedway to gas up the boat and truck, and pick up some ice for the big cooler, before heading to Big Bopper's to meet my crew for breakfast at 5am.
They showed up right on time and we enjoyed some chit chat with other captains and their guests. I was watching the RadarScope app to see which way the thunderstorm was going, and it appeared it was heading right for the area. With this info, I told my guys to go back to Little Ted's Cottages to wait for my call. We would wait it out until the radar showed no more lightning, or that it was moving off.
I didn't drive home, because I didn't want to confuse my dogs, so I stopped at the car wash that was still closed and parked the Ranger in one of the wash bays (in case it was a heavy downpour), and set about re-rigging rods and getting things set up. It took me about an hour, and when I checked the sky, it looked like everything went north, and the radar confirmed that. I jumped in the truck and headed to Mazurik's.
I called the crew when I pulled into Mazurik's launch at 7am, and told them it was time to go. They showed up about 20 minutes later, and we headed out.
I had switched everything over to spoons for the morning. The Off Shore boards would pull #2 Tadpoles with a 5' fluorocarbon lead with a Stinger spoon. Then, I had two rods with 40 Tru-Trip Jets with the same leads and spoons. I had some dipsies set up too, but I decided that 6 rods was all that this crew was going to be able to handle today. Speed was 1.9-2.2mph
We caught five walleye on spoons, South of Kelly's, while more and more boats moved in the area...and, if you know me, you know I don't like fishing in crowds, and will take off to find some other fish in a less busy area. So, we headed to the north side of Kelly's.
At this time, I switched out the Tadpoles/spoons for Bandits, and kept the spoons on the Jet rods. Speed was 1.8mph
We caught a couple white bass there. The Helix was not showing me a lot of marks, or fish activity, on the screen, so we moved NW to the Bass Islands.
This time, I put the Bandit rods away and pulled out the rods already rigged with Crawler harnesses. We ran two rods with 1oz inlines at 30 and 40 back, and 2oz inlines 20/23/25/27 back...speed was 1.4mph....all of them caught fish.
We had about a 1/2 left, when a strong northwest wind picked up. I looked at the Davis Bessie smoke stack and saw it bent over, so I told my guys to pick up lines and that we should head back in. I told them I would add their 1/2 hour to tomorrow's trip, since it was going to be a nicer day...NO RAIN! Ha!
Anyway, we ended the day with 16 in the box...and, about 8 that didn't make it to the boat...a catfish, couple of sheepshead, white perch, and white bass. So, it was a fun day catching as well as fishing. It kept my crew busy, and there was often chaos in the boat since they are still learning all the techniques I use. If I'm not careful though, they may throw me overboard for sounding like a nagging wife!! SMH....lol
I have the same crew tomorrow, and tomorrow I will bite my tongue more...and, let them learn from their mistakes, instead of me seeing what's going to happen and trying to correct it before it does. We'll see how that goes. After all, it's not always about how many fish make it to the box....right? I just don't want to have to peel line off the reels to fix tangles....that will throw my reels out of their calibration....lol
So, stay tuned...
Fishing with David and Johnny Hayes 5/14/18
by Capt Juls on 05/14/18Sorry, I haven't blogged in a while....was super busy! Canceled last Thursday...fished Friday and Saturday with Vito, who is buying my boat in the fall, and had Scotty Bogen and his two dogs staying with me Friday and Saturday also. Scott had brought his Ranger down from Wisconsin to fish, before heading to Cinci to spend Mother's Day with his Mom and Dad. :)
Friday and Saturday were plagued with gusty NE winds, so we stuck to the west side of Catawba Island...within a mile, or so. We managed 7 fish on Friday with Bandits and a two person limit on Saturday. (Blue/Chrome and Fruit Dots dominated at only 25 back...speed was 1.7-1.8mph)
I canceled yesterday's trip, due to a storm that was moving in that morning, but it didn't last as long as I thought it would, and should have just done a delay instead of a cancel. They rescheduled their date, so we'll try again another time.
Skip forward to today's trip. I met David and his son Johnny at Big Bopper's at 5am for breakfast, before heading to Catawba to launch by 6am. The winds were calm, and there was a light layer of fog hanging in the trees and on the lake.
I decided to start where I left off on Saturday, and set up with Bandits running at 20, 25, 30, 55, and 70 back, and one Stinger spoon off a Tru-Trip 40 Jet at 32 back, set off the port side corner.
I expected one of the Off Shore boards to go back before we could get everything out, but that didn't happen. We trolled for about a 1/2 mile before I realized that maybe it wasn't going to happen there again today, so I told them to pick it all up and we would move over towards the Mouse Island area.
We ran over and set up west of Mouse and headed towards the island....decent, but not great marks there, and only one eater on the spoon. So, I told them to pick them up again and we moved out to the Green Island area. There were better marks there, and we caught three more on the spoons.
Now, mind you....all that time, we were watching a pretty big thunderstorm move across the radar on our phone apps. We were not going to be staying out very much longer, since I do not fish with customers in thunderstorms. As it approached closer, I told them to pick them up one more time, and we moved back towards the point of Catawba.
We set a path from there back towards the ramp, and set lines one last time. As it started to sprinkle, we picked up three more fish. Two more on spoons, 40 back, and one on a Fruit Dots Bandit at 25 back. Speed was 1.8-2.0mph
As the thunder got closer, and more and more boats sped into the launch, I decided it was time to cancel the rest of the trip. So, we only got 3 hours in and had 6 walleye to show for it.
David wanted to learn the inline planer board program, and I have no doubt that he can easily do it in his boat now, because I only had to show them once how to do things, and never had to tell them again. They were running the boards as well as the best do, and did everything right. :)
After getting home...it was time to put the boat under the carport...something I've done a million times. But, this time, the windows in the Excursion were all foggy, and I straightened out the trailer a little too soon.
My foot hit the brake, when I heard the telltale sound of a tail light crunching, and knew instantly that I had it my Jeep....ugh!
Thank goodness the Ranger only has a cosmetic 2" scar on her rub rail. The Jeep however, wasn't so lucky! It took out the tail light, tore off the gas cap, and dented the rear driver's side door and the back corner panel....all for a whopping $2894.37 in damages!
All is well though, because I went straight to State Farm and asked if it were covered. She said since I have full coverage on my Jeep, that it would only be a $500.00 deductible. Then, I went to "Snyder's Collision" (body shop) in Sandusky, and got the estimate. State Farm has them as a preferred shop, so it was easy to work with them. They are on a computer system, so it was super easy to get this all set up.
Long story short...I take it in on the 29th of this month, I'll be met there with a car rental from "Enterprise" to use for the duration of the repair, and it will all be made to look new again. I looked up Snyder's and they have a 5 start rating, so I feel confident I took it to the right place. :)
We have more thunderstorms coming in tomorrow, so I'll have to look at the radar in the morning, to see if we'll make it out there, or not.
I have return customers for the next two days, so my fingers are crossed that we can get both days in, but if we can't get out tomorrow, at least we can get out on Wednesday. I don't mind fishing in the rain, but I do mind when there is lightning. I don't do lightning trips. ;)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Dan and Al 5-8/9-18
by Capt Juls on 05/10/18The past two days were a fun time with Dan and Al from Wisconsin. Since they were staying at Ted's, I didn't have to pick them up. We met at Big Bopper's each morning for breakfast and headed to the launch from there.
On Tuesday, we launched out of Mazurik's at 5:45 and haeded to Scott Point Shoal first, and set lines. We made one pass along the north side of the shoal, and pulled one small walleye. I didn't mark anything there either, so we moved to the north side of Kellys. We ran Bandits first...with my usual program (see previous blogs for that) and started catching some fish. The first pass took us into North Bay, but we didn't catch in there, so I had them pick up the lines and we headed north again.
This time, while we trolled with Bandits, I pulled more rods out of the rod locker and set them up with crawler harnesses. Then, I pulled one side, and reset those rods with crawler harnesses too. We pulled the other side, and headed NE to the north of KI Shoal and set up. The fish were hitting the crawler harnesses better than the Bandits, in that, they were inhaling the back hooks, while the fish on the Bandits were always "barely hooked", so that was good to see.
They ended that trip with their limit of good eaters (no monsters caught), and we headed in.
Yesterday, (5/9), we launched out of Catawba at 6am and headed up to Locust Reef. I had a good bite there two days before, and the lake was calm, so it didn't take long to travel that far. We set up with Bandits at 20/25/30/35/ and 40 feet back, with mostly blue/chrome colors on. Speed was 1.8-2.1mph. The 25 and 40 back took a few good eaters. After a second pass, the fish just weren't there like they were the last time I was there, so we picked up and headed north of the reef.
We set up in 24 foot of water and set a northerly direction to deeper water. This time the lines were set to 45/50/55...and, they started popping! Nice fish too! All three settings took fish, and we were done by 9am.
My guys decided they wanted to get in and hit the road back to Green Bay before the afternoon storms rolled in, so we headed in with a cooler full of fish.
They said they had a great time and learned a lot, so that made me happy. :)
The trip scheduled for this morning has been rescheduled, due to last night's forecast....since it was some local guys (older), and the forecast was for stronger west winds and 1-3's/2-4's (of course I woke up and they blew that one again), the guys chose to reschedule.
But, on the bright side, I get a day off to clean the house, and run some errands. I might even go look for some Morel mushrooms this afternoon too.
The gentleman buying my boat in the fall, is coming down for a two day trip, so we'll be out again tomorrow and Saturday. Right now, the forecast for Sunday looks like crap, sooooo.....we'll see if it changes.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Gregg, Phil, and Jay 5/6/18
by Capt Juls on 05/06/18The plan was to pick up my crew from the Best Western at 5:15, but as usual, I left the house a little too early and arrived a little before 5am. Guess what? They were ready and waiting! Woot! Woot!
After stopping for some ice at Speedway, we headed down to Catawba to wait for a little bit of light in the sky to launch. It's not very often I'm the first one to a launch site this early in the season, but I was this morning. The air was still, so the air temp of 59 degrees felt a little warmer than that.
We launched at around 5:45/50 and headed west to the cans. I put the Ranger on plane and took it slow, because of all the big logs floating around out there right now.
I asked my crew if they had run Off Shore boards before and Gregg said, "I've run the big boards, but never the inline boards, so we're here to learn". I said, "That's cool...I just like to know what level I'm working with". I laughed and said, "The ones that have never run them before are the easiest to train how to do it the way I like it done".
It didn't take long for them to learn it, and were setting and reeling in lines like they had done it many times before. I have this "thing" where I like the person reeling the fish in to turn off the "clicker" (tension button) before reeling in, because that clicking noise is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. The only time I want to hear that sound is when the boards are going out...it helps me keep an eye on where to have them stop them.
Gregg's new nickname is "Clicker", (given to him by Jay), because even though he did everything else almost perfectly, he couldn't remember that one "thing"...lol It became a joke in the boat today. There was a lot of teasing going on, and a lot of laughing. :)
We ran Bandits 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, and 55 back over 20-21 foot of water this morning. Every lead took a fish at one time or another, but 35 was probably the hottest number, until the late morning, when I brought a blue/chrome Bandit up to 8' in the water column (25 back). That one took three fish in a row shortly after moving it up.
The water was stained, and I could just make out the cavitation plate on my G2.
Chrome colors were the ticket once again, with blue/chrome producing the most fish. Water temp today where we were was 57.8 degrees.
The crew caught their three man limit, along with one of mine, and some huge white bass today. I haven't seen any sheepshead yet though. I wonder where they go in the winter and spring? I don't see them until the water warms up a little more. Anyone know where they go?
After dropping them back off at their hotel, I headed home. I got a text from Gregg that said, "Thank You! It was a great day on the water: great music, learned a lot, awesome brownies, and the fish cooperated..." And, that made me happy. :)
Tomorrow's forecast is calling for gusty NNE winds in the morning, but diminishing in the afternoon. I'm supposed to take Steve and Jeremy Chapman again (regulars), but I'm still trying to figure out what time to head out. I'll keep ya posted.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Evan and Brad 5/1/18
by Capt Juls on 05/01/18It's May 1st, and the walleye limit on Lake Erie (Ohio Waters) is 6 per person now...woot! woot!
I left the house this morning at 4:30 and headed west to Turtle Creek Marina. The plan was to stop at the gas station at Wild Wings to grab something to eat, but they didn't open until 5am. Then, I remembered I had a breakfast drink in the boat's cooler...one of those "Slim Fast" weird tasting chocolate concoctions that I would not enjoy, and drink just enough to make my stomach stop growling. Ugh...
My crew was driving in from Toledo, and were supposed to meet me at 5:30am. I was early, due to the expected stop at the gas station, so I took the opportunity to check the lines again, and pick the Bandits I wanted to start with. I got a call from Evan, because his gps in the truck was taking him everywhere but to the Marina. So, after some quick directions over the phone, they finally found me. We launched and were headed out at 6am.
We headed NE out of the channel, and were welcomed with a relatively calm lake. The wind was light, around 10mph, out of the WSW. It was expected to build throughout the day, but gusts were only forecast for a top end of 18mph, so it wouldn't be too bad where we were headed. We stopped in only 14-15' of water.
We didn't have to go far, and set lines loaded with Bandits and Off Shore boards out 40,45,50, and 55 back. Speed was 1.6-1.8mph....I was up and down on the Ulterra's power level too, to change speeds. Sometimes I took it down to 1.3mph...and, then, back up to the previous power level and speeds.
Some "S turns" revealed that they sometimes took it on the slow side, and sometimes they grabbed it on the fast side, so there was no real pattern there to zero in on. That part of the puzzle remained a mystery for me today.
I chose "Chrome Huff Daddy" (that's a Domka Custom Color that usually catches a fish every time out), "Blue Chrome" (a stock color that was the hot one today and always one of my favorites to start with), "Chrome Barbie" (another Domka bait I picked up the other day, that has worked very well), "IB Frozen" (the original by DJ's Custom Eye Lure color), and "Khaki" (Khaki, because when it works...it works wonders! That's a stock color too. One that I usually do very well with in May). Fish were caught on all the above, except the Khaki. But, in Khaki's defense, I didn't keep it out there very long when all the chromes were taking fish. So, really it never had a chance to catch one today. I'm betting it would have, had I left it out there though. ;)
We were setting lines before the sun hit the horizon, and were given a spectacular display of color, clouds, and scenery, while Pink Floyd serenaded us with "Shine on You Crazy Diamond". The boards starting going back, with fish hanging on the lines, before either side could be completely set. Once the sun was up though, that area seemed to slow way down for us. So, after we caught their limits of good eaters in that 2-4 pound range, we pulled lines and headed south.
I ran them over to G Can, and set up for a pass through there. The Helix was marking a fish here and there, but nothing to write home about. We caught one little 15 1/2 incher there before we ran out of time and headed back to Turtle.
Evan has fished with me before, so he knew the routine, but Brad had some learning to do. Brad is a great fisherman in his own right, but his style is much different than what we do here on Lake Erie. You could call him a "specialty fishing guide". His specialty is Fly Fishing for Steelhead...and other species in the connecting rivers of the lake. That's a trip I think I would like to try sometime. I love fly fishing, but I would let the Steelies go. I don't like to eat them.
Evan and Brad are cousins, who were happy to get out on the water together and have some fun, catch some fish, and tell some, "Hey, you remember when...?" stories ...and, that they did, so that makes me happy. :)
The next two days (possibly 3) days have been rescheduled or canceled, due to the weather conditions coming in. Gusts to 30 out of the WSW tomorrow (been there, done that...not doing it again, especially with water temps still at only 50 degrees). Thursday...thunderstorms with gusts even higher than tomorrow. Friday is still up in the air....that wind forecast keeps changing, and I'm hoping it changes for the better. Friday's crew is only an hour away, so they can make it last minute, if I call them, so I'm not calling that one yet.
So, until the weekend....if you go out...be safe and good luck!
Stay tuned...
Juls
Fishing with Wayne and Brenda Weeks 4-28/29/30-18
by Capt Juls on 04/30/18Wayne and Brenda came in from Sioux Falls, SD on Friday night, and were supposed to fish with me on Saturday and Sunday, but due to strong winds out of the NW, along with some rain, I canceled Saturday. Fortunately, they were able to stay and fish with me Sunday and Monday (today), since I had a cacellation a couple weeks ago, and forgot to find someone for today. Whew! That was lucky!
Yesterday, I was supposed to pick them up at their hotel at 5:30, but in my normal fashion I was early by 15 minutes. I was surprised to see them outside and waiting on ME for a change...lol
We hit Big Bopper's for some grub, and then headed to Catawba to launch. The forecast was calling for continued NW winds, but not as strong as the day before. And, as the day would progress, the winds were to die down. That all happened, but the one thing the forecast missed, was that the winds in the morning were still as strong as the day before. We ventured out anyway, and headed west to the cans.
It was a bit muddy there still, but we picked up two eaters on the first pass. We made a run NW a bit to make another pass, and it was gnarly...the lake was mad, and the run was rough, but we made it safe and sound. We didn't get anything in the second pass, which was frustrating, because I was directly behind Capt Kevin who caught 4 in front of us! We were running the same leads, same speed, same lures (except one that he had that I didn't, which I have now..lol), same fishing line on calibrated reels, etc. But, the little buggers didn't want my offerings, and it pissed me off...so, I left.
I headed east, and closer to the point off Catawba and put the nose on a SE troll. The water clarity wasn't much better, but I marked more fish there. As we trolled, we weren't getting bites, but when we hit 19 foot of water, we put three more fish in the boat in quick fashion. The top of Clinton Reef was void of marks, but I think there are good fish there still.
We ended the day with just the 5 fish, but I think Brenda was happy to get on solid ground after that wild ride. The waves did subside to 1-3 by noon, so it wasn't as bad as the 3-5's we were in earlier in the morning.
After a good night's sleep, I got up early and headed out the door at 4:45. I stopped for ice, before heading to Big Bopper's. Wayne and Brenda were checking out of the hotel this morning, so they met me there.
After breakfast, we headed to Mazurik's to launch by 6am. We headed out with calm seas, a light west wind of less than 10mph, and a beautiful sky that was just starting to wake the eastern horizon.
We headed north to Lucy's and set lines. The program was Bandits 45-70 back...Purple Mist, Blue Chrome, Chrome Barbie, Huff Daddy Chrome, and Khaki. The first two fish (just 16 inchers) came on the Purple Mist (stock color) 55 back. We missed two more fish there that came unbuttoned too.
Not marking a lot on the line I was on, I decided to head east towards Gull Island Shoal. Well, I can tell you this...they are not on the west side of the shoal! So, I moved again...this time south to the NW corner of Kelly's. We were set up with the same program for about 20 minutes when I got a text from friends fishing out east.
So, I didn't want to give these two nice people another slow 6 hour trip, and after 3 hours, decided I was going to load the boat out and head to Huron, so they could do their other 3 hours over there.
I can't tell you where in Huron I was invited to, because I was asked to keep it a secret, and well, I like my friends, and would like to keep them as friends, so I won't tell. Sorry!
I do think we could have worked out a limit over here by the islands, but after several "less than stellar" trips, my confidence was waning, and I needed a booster shot! I got it today, even if the fish weren't monsters that we all love to see hook up. They were good eaters, and the Weeks were very happy with their catch, and that made me happy. :)
Brenda did have a big 28 inch plus fish to the net, but it spit the hooks at the last second. At least she got to see it....sigh.
Tomorrow, I will be going out of Turtle Creek with a return customer that I always have a blast fishing with. Evan Parr is a young man who owns "The Other Side Landscaping" in Toledo, OH, and has a great enthusiasm for fishing Lake Erie. It's always a good time.
Tomorrow's winds are out of the SW, and forecast to be 10-15mph, so it shouldn't be bad at all.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Derric, Brad, and Steve 4/26/18
by Capt Juls on 04/26/18Well, after a few days off...it was nice to get back in the swing of things!
Yesterday, Derric, Brad, and Steve had driven out from Bismark, ND in ONE DAY, so they were pretty tired this morning. However, their enthusiasm to fish is what motivated them this morning.
I arrived at their hotel a little early, and met two of the three in the parking lot. They needed to get some things from the gas station first, so I offered to drive them over, and give the third guy a chance to get ready and meet us downstairs.
Once we were on the road, I asked them what their level of experience was, so I knew if I was going to have an easy day, or a more "complicated" day. Luckily, two out of the three knew how to run Off Shore boards, and the third one caught on quickly....So, yay me! I got a fun/easy day today. :)
We launched out of Catawba at 6:45, and headed west first. I didn't mark much there, so after a 1/2 mile pass I decided to move over to the south side of South Bass. The marks there are insane, but they are deep, and the water was still a bit too stained/muddy there for my liking. So, we moved north again.
I ran up the east side of the Bass Islands and marked some fish on the Helix on the way up to another spot I wanted to fish first. We set lines with Bandits running anywhere from 60 back to 60 back with a 2oz snap weight. Speed was 1.7-1.8mph. Huff Daddy at 20/40 w/2oz took the first fish....a nice 29" walleye.
After turning around and going half the distance back to our starting point...I told them, "Let's pull'em...and, move east". In quick form they had it all pulled and ready to move.
We set lines again in the new spot and set a southeasterly course to start. 60, 65, 70, 80, and (2) at 20/402oz, were the leads. "Crown Juls" would take 3 more big fish. I found some that would bite, and just turned on them...round and round...picking off a nice fish each time through.
But, by the time we got to that spot, we didn't have much time left, so the guys ended their day with 4 nice fish in the box and one that was lost at the net at the very end, when it spit the hooks with about 12 inches to go before it hit the net. Ouch!! ....sigh.
Water temp was up to 45-47 in the areas I visited this morning.
The crew had a good time and learned a few things. They will be fishing out of their own boat tomorrow, and Saturday, and will put to use what they learned this morning.
I'm looking forward to hearing how they end up tomorrow. I told them, "That fish you let go is good Karma". It's always good to let one go every now and then, so maybe that will bring them good luck. ;)
Tomorrow I have a couple of regulars...Steve and Jeremy Chapman. I'm sure you know the names if you read my blogs. They've taken many-many trips over the past 7 years with me, and are now more like "family" than customers. So, I'm really looking forward to getting out on the water with them again tomorrow.
I haven't seen any Sheepshead yet, but since Jeremy is fishing tomorrow...I can gusrantee he will catch one. He's the Sheepshead "King"! heheh
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
