Fishing with Evan and Brad 5/1/18

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