Juls WFA Blog
Fishing with Joe, Ray, and Joe 6/2/2021
by Capt Juls on 06/02/21The morning was a repeat of yesterday morning, so no need to bore you with that opening again...;)
Joe Edelstein set this trip up to fish with his Dad, and his dad's friend, Joe. Ray (Dad) and "Big Joe" drove down from Wisconsin and "Little Joe" drove up from Cincinnati yesterday, so they got to do some catching up with each other before fishing with me today.
They met me at Catawba State Park at 5:15, and we were launched and headed north at 5:30. It was a mostly cloudy morning with a break in the clouds on the horizon, so once again, there was enough light flickering off the surface of the water to be able to see if there were any "DFOs" (dangerous floating objects) in the water on the way up to our spot.
We started in the spot I was working yesterday and found some early with the same program as yesterday too. Well, we started with that, and when the first bite changed, with the shifting wind, we took the Flicker Minnows off to try the Spro Madeye 120's. Set the same distances as the previous at 45, 50, 55, and 60 feet back behind Off Shore boards.
The Bandit side was doing fine, so those all stayed on.
Colors that worked today were:
Bandits: RC Crush (ran 2 of them), Daydream (or, Daydreamer...I forget.), and Green Clown.
Flicker Minnow: Racy Shad, Flashy Pearl, and Pooh Bear.
Spro: Blue/Chrome, and Purple Glass Perch.
"Little Joe" learned to set lines and did a great job helping me. Ray was pretty handy with a net, so he was able to net whenever he wanted to. :)
"Big Joe" just had a good time doing a little of everything.
It was a rainy morning, but at least it never poured until we got in. It was mostly just an annoying drizzle, but I'll take that over a downpour any day. It wasn't that cold, so minus the rain, it was a great day to be on the lake!
The wind was out of the NE when we first arrived up by North Bass, and then an hour later it was out of the SE, and another hour after that, it was more out of the South, so when the wind shifted the first time.... the first slow down occurred in that spot.
We moved eventually....trolling SW towards the hoards of boats off Rattle Snake Island. We cut it short, and turned west before getting too close to the pack. We would hit pockets of fish and get 2 maybe 3 and then nothing for what seemed to be very long periods of time.
We managed their 18 fish, but didn't get mine today....but, that's okay. They had a good time, and learned a lot, and will be coming back sometime for a perch trip, so that makes me happy! :)
I thought I had a trip tomorrow, but when I looked at the notes on the calendar, I saw that he never put a deposit down. Everyone, but a few people, have been able to use the PayPal feature on my website to submit deposits, but a few have sent me checks. He said he was sending me a check and that's what I wrote on the calendar under his name. Normally, I wouldn't write a name in the calendar unless their deposit came in, but in this case, I didn't want him to lose the day while his check was in the mail. Then, I completely forgot about it, and didn't notice it until last night.
I sent him a text to see if he was still planning on fishing (which I already knew he wasn't coming)...to which he replied, No I didn't send it. Sorry, should've told you long ago. Way too busy with my business. Sorry again.
So, both of us completely forgot about it....uffda! Oh, well... I won't complain, because it's supposed to be raining again tomorrow, with a chance of thunderstorms, so I'm cool with staying home, warm and dry, tomorrow.
Then, I'm scheduled off for the 4th and 5th, for my birthday, so I won't be back out until Sunday...for the start two-week stretch, if the weather behaves.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Tom, Susan, and Mimi 6/1/2021
by Capt Juls on 06/01/21Left the house at 4am, hit the gas station for some gas and ice, and headed to Catawba State Park to get things ready before my crew showed up.
I almost rescheduled this trip, thinking the lake was going to be too trashed after that big blow last week, but after running a scouting trip yesterday with my friend, Capt Jenn, we found enough hungry fish to make me change my mind.
I called Tom, to let him know we could run, and what time to meet me at the ramp. He agreed, so he and his wife Susan, and Susan's sister, Mimi, showed up a little before 5:15.
Capt Bobby Green was there early this morning too. He said his crew wasn't showing up until 6am. I asked him, if he could drop us in while he was waiting around, and he happily agreed to do it. Thanks, Bobby! Much appreciated! :)
It was dark when we headed north out of Catawba, with clouds covering most of the sky. There were three patches of clear sky on the horizon, that lit up the ripples of on top of the water, as we drove across to the Bass Island area at a nice cruising speed of 39mph.
The wind was absent this morning, so the lake was like glass. I was thankful for that. It makes it much easier to spot floating debri out there. After last week's big blow from the NE, it left a lot of big items floating down the rivers and across the lake. Be very careful out there for the next couple of weeks if you get out. Don't be nervous about it, but just keep a good eye out for them. They can ruin your day, or even possibly your life.
The air temp was 60 degrees, and the water temp was 62 degrees. The forecast was calling for a cloudy sky, and a high temp of 73 degrees. A perfect morning in my book.
Our long ride up north was enjoyable, because I know of only two boats that launched ahead of me this morning. PorkChop Express, and a local. So, the ride up was....well....FUN! It's nice when you think you are the only one on the lake at that moment. Especially, knowing how crowded it was going to get in just a couple hours.
I slowly throttled down, and when the boat felt like it was in a slow glide, I hit a couple buttons on the Helix, that deployed the Ulterra, so it could slowly and methodically, deliver itself into workhorse position. With a few pokes on the remote, I had it set for a course to the NNW. The baby ETEC was fired up to help push the boat, while the bow mount steered us, at a speed of 1.8-2.0mph.
We set up with Bandits on the starboard side, and Flicker Minnows on the port side. Both sides ran the longest leads on the outside, behind Off Shore boards, and the shortest leads on the inside. So, from the inside board to the outside board, we ran them 45, 50, 55, and 60 back. "S-Turns" proved they would also take the baits faster, or slower, depending on which side they hit on, and how hard of a turn it was. :)
Colors that worked best on the Bandit side were:
RC Crush, at both 55 and 60 back (best producer today)
Another one I don't know the name of, but its got white, light blue, orange, and chartreuse on it...but, mostly white and light blue. That one was very good at 50 back.
Buck Fever at 45 back caught a few too.
Colors that worked best on the Flicker Minnow (11s) side were:
Racy Shad at 60 back took a bunch
Flashy Chartreuse at 55 back took a few
Flashy Pearl was good at 50 back
Chartreuse/Pearl caught a couple
Tom said, "I think we've caught more fish this morning, than we have in an entire year!" (They are not set up for trolling, (yet), and have only drift casted in the past, so this trip was to teach them how to troll, and to help them decide if he wanted to invest in all the equipment needed to start trolling. I'm pretty sure they all had fun today, and they did a great job learning how to set lines, so it wouldn't surprise me if they actually do set up their boat to do some trolling. I have all the confidence in the world that if they remember how to do what they did today, they can be successful at it.
Tomorrow, I have three customers. One is coming from Ohio, and the other two are coming from Wisconsin. I told them to bring their rain gear, since it will probably be raining tomorrow. As long as there are no storms on the radar, we will fish.
Now, I must go cut the grass again, because it's going to rain tomorrow....:)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
4 Day Trip Rescheduled....
by Capt Juls on 05/24/21Just wanted to let my readers know that I will not be out the rest of this week. I had a 4-Day trip scheduled with a couple of my regular Wisco guys, and the winds are gong to be less than ideal for these two gents. They might have gotten two days in, but they opted to reschedule to July, so they can try to get 4 full days in.
The marine forecast for the week shows the following:
TUESDAY
Southwest winds 10 to 15 knots. Waves 2 feet or less.
TUESDAY NIGHT Southwest winds 10 to 15 knots increasing to 15 to 20 knots. A chance of showers and thunderstorms overnight. Waves 1 to 3 feet. WEDNESDAY Southwest winds 15 to 20 knots becoming west 10 to 15 knots. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning, then showers and thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. Waves 1 to 3 feet. WEDNESDAY NIGHT West winds 10 to 15 knots becoming northeast. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Waves 1 to 3 feet. THURSDAY Northeast winds 5 to 15 knots increasing to 15 to 20 knots. Showers likely Thursday night. Waves 1 to 3 feet building to 3 to 6 feet. FRIDAY East winds 15 to 25 knots becoming northeast. Showers likely during the day. Waves 3 to 6 feet building to 4 to 7 feet, then subsiding to 3 to 6 feet. Waves occasionally around 9 feet.Saturday's trip has been rescheduled by my customer's request. He is in the process of buying a boat, and Saturday is the only day he and his wife can go get it. I will not be trying to fill the date, due to the fact that Saturday on Memorial Day Weekend is a zoo out there with all the weekenders getting their boats in the water for the first time, and running around. The bad part is, they usually don't know there are "Rules of the Road", that need to be followed....for the safety of everyone out there. Everyone who owns a boat should learn at least the basics of who has the "Right of Way". (End Rant)
Good news for the day....I caught the biggest Sheephead I've ever seen in my 20 years down here on Lake Erie's Western Basin. It measured 34 inches. I didn't put it on the scale, because she was out of the water long enough, and I didn't want to stress her more than I had to. Anyway, that was cool. :)
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Tony, Julie, and Dale 5/22/2021
by Capt Juls on 05/22/21I went to bed at 5:30 yesterday, and turned the TV off at 6:30, and set the alarm for 2:30. That was the plan anyway, but I ended up waking up at 1:45, and was fully awake, so......I got up. I did the usual routine, that most of you that read my blog regularly will know already. For those that are new here, it usually involves topping off the gas tank in the boat and icing up the cooler for the day's adventure.
I met my crew at 5:15. Tony and Julie Lalli, and their friend, Dale, who happen to be local residents over there in Marblehead, were right on time. We were on our way out of the launch site by 5:30. (The sky is much lighter at 5:30 now, than it was last week, so that's a good thing.)
We hit the same area that I can't tell anyone about, because of how small the area is, and the fact that I have other Capt friends that are also fishing there, so to keep the crowds down, we are all in agreement not to share that info. Sorry! It's been a good spot, but it's only going to take so much pressure. I hope you understand...:)
Flicker Minnows were the bait of choice once again, and put a 4-person limit in the boat this morning. It was slower than previous days, but they were still biting on the Flicker's (number 11's). Color didn't seem to matter....I used whites, blues, purples, and greens....and, they all got hit. Speed was all over the place too. Some wanted it faster, as high as 2.2mph, and some wanted it as slow as 1.5mph.
My crew for tomorrow doesn't like the rougher waters, so with a west wind forecasted to blow 15-20 during prime hours tomorrow, they opted to reschedule to another date. So, I'm off tomorrow....and, basically all week. Monday was a scheduled "Off Day", and my Tuesday through Friday guys from Wisconsin saw the forecast for big winds Wed-Friday, and will be rescheduling too... unless the forecast somehow changes by tomorrow night, when they need to know by before they drive down here. I can't blame them, I wouldn't want to drive 7 hours, pay for lodging, just to sit on shore 3 out of the 4 days. They also had two days scheduled in June, so hopefully, Mother Nature will get her freak'n act together and straighten out. Fingers crossed!
I think Capt's Jenn and Matt, and I, will be going out after they get done with their charter tomorrow, so I can scout new spots and try to catch some walleye for the Eagles over at "Back to the Wild" rehabilitation center.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Jake, Jarrett, and Jenna 5/21/2021
by Capt Juls on 05/21/21I woke at 2:30 this morning, and figured since it was so close to my 3am alarm, that I would just get up and have some extra time for that second cup of coffee.
Dexter, and I, did the usual routine of going out on the back deck to check the weather, while I sipped my coffee and watered the plants. I checked iWindSurf, DarkSky, and RadarScopePro, while the canine checked the perimeter of the fence for intruders. :)
The forecast was calling for another beautiful morning. I was very happy about that, because today I had Jake, a young father with his two kids Jarrett and Jenna. Jarrett is 10 years old and Jenna is 8.
They met me at the launch at 5:20, and we were on the water by 5:30am. We hit the same area as yesterday, and again....I'm not saying where, because a few of my Capt friends are working it too, and it can't take a lot of pressure there. Sorry.
We ran Flicker Minnow #11s on one side and the new to my arsenal, the Square Bill Reaper, on the other side. The Flicker's out fished the SBR's 4:1, so we took them off and put more Flicker's out and caught our 4-person limit in a short period of time.
We were fishing them very shallow in the water column....top ten feet shallow...up high. Color didn't really matter. They hit greens, blues, purples, and whites at a speed of 1.8 to 2.0mph.
The Phipps family, who drove up from Kentucky, had a great time....or, I should say the boys had a great time, while Jenna tried to catch up on her sleep, in-between clicking the fish counter clicker thingy, asking if she should click it. She did keep an accurate count though, soooo "You Go Girl! Do your own thing!". :)
I was impressed with Jarrett's comfort in the boat, and being able to handle a big trolling rod and reel all by himself, but he did it, and did a great job putting fish in the boat too. He was fun!
Tomorrow's weather looks nice again, but a little windier in the morning. It's fishable though, so Tony Lalli and his wife will be joining me tomorrow to try their luck at this sport of walleye fishing. :)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Dick and Brad 5/20/2021
by Capt Juls on 05/20/21I had an unexpected day off yesterday, when my customer forgot that he had a trip scheduled for the 19th, so I rescheduled him to August instead.
Left the house at 4:20, because I was meeting Dick and Brad at Mazurik's at 5:30, and I wanted time to go gas up the boat, ice up the cooler, and get over to the launch to get things ready before the crew showed up. They showed up around 5:15, so we were on our way by 5:25.
The sky was partly cloudy, so there was some light on the dark horizon illuminating the water as we drove out, so it wasn't as dark as it is on a fully cloudy morning. There must have been a ENE wind last night, because the little residual rollers were still coming in at 5:30. We took our time, and were setting lines by 5:45.
All 8 lines ran Flicker Minnow #11s behind Off Shore boards at a speed of 1.8-2.0mph. I'm sorry, but that's all I can report on it this time. It's a small area and I have a few captain friends working it too. It can't take the pressure, so I'm not giving any info on this spot. So sorry...:(
It was all over so fast....They were game for breakfast, so we got off the water.
Dick and Brad had a great time, and Dick learned how to use the Off Shores in no time at all..(he owns a boat). Brad laughed and said, "This is great! When we usually go, we only catch one, or maybe two...all day long". I just smiled...:)
Tomorrow, I have a young father, who is bringing his 10 year old son, and his 8 year old daughter. I might have to run fewer lines tomorrow, just to keep it easier for him. Jake is going to have his hands full, I think. lol
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Chris, Tom, and Kevin 5/17/2021
by Capt Juls on 05/17/21I woke up a little before 3am, before the alarm went off, so I got up and made some coffee. Dexter and I, went out to the back deck to check out the morning's weather. Dexter smelled something that he couldn't see, in the damp morning air, so he took off running to the back fence, to act all big and scary to any would be intruders. All critters now had fair warning that he would kill them if they came inside the fence. While he tended to his morning business, I sipped coffee and looked at my weather apps.
The iWindSurf forecast was calling for 5-15mph, out of the E at Middle Bass for most of the day. The weather app said it was supposed to be cloudy all day too, but neither of those things happened. The wind never arrived until the afternoon, and the sun was shining quite a bit this morning too. The air temp was somewhere between deciding if I should put my slippers on my bare feet, or leave the off. I'm guessing it was around 60 degrees when we launched at 5:30.
We left out of Catawba, and headed north. The program used the past two days is what was used first thing this morning. Some of the colors changed though.
Spros and Bandits were run on the starboard side, and Flicker Minnow (#11's) were run on the port side. The starboard side was set at (shortest to longest lead out behind Off Shore boards)...30', 40', 50', and 60' back (unassisted), and the port side was run at 40, 50, 55, and 60'.
Colors that caught fish today, were "Flashy Chartreuse" (FM11), "Purple Shiner" (FM11), "Blue Shiner" (FM11), and "Flashy Pearl" (FM11), Blue/Chrome (Spro), and "Taco Salad" (Bandit),
Speed was 1.7-2.0mph. Water temp was 57-58 degrees.
Some fish hit on the slow side and some hit on the fast side, and most were caught on the 40 and 60 foot leads on both sides.
We caught 12 healthy walleye, a few GIANT Sheephead, and one big White Perch. It was a slow bite for us this morning, and a frustrating one for me. I felt like it was going to be one of those, "I went left when I should have gone right" kind of days. Uffda! But, we worked at it and managed to grind out 12 good eaters for them to take home.
During the lulls between fish, we were kept entertained by Chris, who is a Capt of his own walleye fishing charter service over there in Vermilion, OH, called, "Seawise Charters", with a plethora of his funny "Dad Jokes".
He and his friends, Tom and Kevin, came out with me to learn more about using the Off Shore boards while trolling.
Mission Accomplished. They were setting out, and bringing them in, like a well oiled machine in no time at all. They had a good time, relaxed, enjoyed the good weather, and friendly banter....the music wasn't bad either...wink wink.
I'm off tomorrow, but will be back out for the rest of this week and weekend, before the next day off, so....
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Jeff, Jacob, and David 5/16/2021
by Capt Juls on 05/16/21This morning, my crew had one change up. Ty stayed on shore to take his Mom to breakfast, and his Dad Jeff took his place in the boat today.
Dexter, my dog, wasn't happy to see me leaving at 4am, but I wanted to top off the boat with gas, and get ice for the cooler, before heading over to Catawba to ready the boat, and change some baits, before my crew showed up.
It was still dark out at 5am, when they showed up. The kind of dark that would make it impossible to see the Off Shore boards out there without lights on them.I said, "We'll take a slow ride up there, because we won't be able to see the boards anyway"....and, that's what we did.
We set up two Spros and two Bandits on the starboard side and (4) #11 Flicker Minnows on the port side. Best color Spros were Golden Perch and Blue/Chrome. Best Flicker Minnows were Flashy Chartreuse, Flashy Pearl, and Blue Shiner.
Leads were the same on both sides.....40-60 back at a speed of 1.7-1.8mph...with a lot of "S-Turns" thrown in. Some came os tthe slow side and some came on the fast side, on both sides, so I think it was just the S-Turns getting reactions, and not really a critical speed thing. Some were barely hooked and some tried to swallow the bait too.
After we had their three-man limit, Jeff, who is older, wanted to go in, due to being chilly...and, the fact that they mentioned that they didn't have the freezer space for all the fish they've caught this weekend. Jeff turned to me and asks, "It won't upset you if we go in early, will it?" I just smiled and said, "Do I look upset? My dog will be very happy to have me home early." So, we came in at 8:30.
It's kind of nice, I got to go fishing and have some fun, and I have time to clean the boat, cut the grass, walk the dog, and get ready for tomorrow's trip with Chris Wise and his crew, before I hit the hay at 7pm.
Same bat time and same bat channel tomorrow.....:)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Ty, Jacob, and David 5/15/2021
by Capt Juls on 05/15/21Launched at 5:15 this morning and headed north out of Catawba. Our first spot was really good, until the flotilla of boats started showing up around 6am. Then, we just tried to stay on one small pod of active fish by turning on them over and over, while dodging boats.
We went 20 for24 there, and decided to move and find another less crowded area to catch the last 4 someplace else.
Program was Spros and Bandits 40-60 back at 1.7-1.8 mph. Chromes worked best for us, but maybe that's simply because that's what we had on. lol
(2) Golden Perch, (3) Blue/Chrome, Buck Fever, Green Clown, Black/Gold.
In the second spot, we ran Spros and Bandits on one side and Flicker Minnows on the other. The Flicker Minnows out-fished the Bandits 2:1 there. Speed was the same.
We played catch and release for a bit, then came in an hour and a half early at their request.
It was a fun morning, especially after struggling yesterday in another area to the east.
I have the same crew tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to it, since they already learned how to set and retrieve the boards. I think I will sleep well tonight, and that makes me happy! :)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Kirk and Ken 5/12/2021
by Capt Juls on 05/12/21What started as a three-day trip turned into a two-day trip with a blow day in-between both trips.
Monday 5/10:
I picked my crew up at their hotel at 5:30, because they flew in from Iowa, and were shuttled to the Island House downtown, so they didn't have a car to drive.
After stopping for gas and ice, we headed to Catawba to launch. The wind was out of the NW at around 10mph, so the waves were 1 to 3 feet. There were more 2's than anything, so the ride out was a little bumpy.
We set up west of Green and set up with the usual set up I've been running lately.
Spro's in the chrome colors, and Bandits in the chrome colors too. All were set anywhere from 45-85 back, and the speed was 1.7-1.8mph.
Water temp was 52 degrees...down 3 degrees from Friday.
Monday was a tougher bite for us, but we managed their two limits and one of my 6 walleye.
Tuesday was a blow day with NW winds gusting to 22mph, so there's nothing to report. :)
This morning, we had a late start, due to windy conditions, but it all worked out just fine. We launched at Mazurik's at 9am and headed to the NW corner of Kelly's. I drove up as far as the stained water lasted and when it cleaned up too much, we turned the boat around to go with the waves and set up. The water temp in the cleaner water was 52 degrees and in the stained water it was 53.5 degrees.
Same program to start with. We caught 5 fish there, but it was slow, and the Helix wasn't showing me much, so we picked everything up and headed back to the west side of the islands.
We set up again in an area that was void of boats (there was a big pack to the south), so we would have plenty of room to maneuver, and hold a heading, without interference from boats with the right of way.
Same program....this time we hit it right. We had our last 13 fish in less time than it took to get the first five over by Kelly's. So, needless to say, my guys were having fun!
Best colors were....of course...Blue/Chrome, Purple Glass Perch, Blue Chrome, Purple Glass Perch, and, if you didn't get it the first time...Blue/Chrome, and Purple Glass Perch. :)
Best leads were all of them....45, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, and 85.
It was a small pod that we found, so we turned on them as soon as the marks left the Helix's screen, and went back over them, so we were going into the waves at this point. I kept the speed the same, even though I would usually slow down a little going into the current, but it worked, and we hit a quad in the spot where the first fish hit.
Both nets had to come out for that little fire drill. lol
My guys did great, and were pleased with the day's events. They got to sleep in a little, enjoyed some sunshine on a calmer lake, listened to some good music, and caught a lot of fish. I ask you, "Does it get any better?" Kirk said he would like to come back again, and that makes me happy!
I'm off tomorrow....so home chores are on the to-do list.
I'll be back at it on Friday with previous customer, Diane Leeson, and her two college age kids. Looks like nice weather for the next several days. Finally!!
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Larry, Tony, and Rudy 5/7/2021
by Capt Juls on 05/07/21It was raining this morning, when I woke up and let the dog out. I looked at the weather apps to see what was in store for us, and found the rain would be clearing out by 7am. I had told my Indiana crew that we would delay the trip for one hour, so instead of meeting them at 5:30, I would meet them at 6:30 instead.
It was pretty windy when I picked them up, and stated, "We can go gas up the boat and stop for breakfast, if you want, we need to waste a little time, and let this wind die down a bit, before we head out on the lake. It's going to be rough out there right now". They weren't really hungry, but agreed, so we headed to the gas station to get ice and gas first.
When we were at the gas station, the back end of the rain clouds moved out, and so did the wind. I said, "The winds have laid down, so why don't we skip breakfast and just head to the launch to see what the lake is looking like right now". Again, they agreed, so we headed over to Catawba to launch.
We were on the protected side of the peninsula, so it was calm right outside the launch, and over to Port Clinton, but you could see the telltale peaks of bigger waves out beyond the point. However, I think it was more of an optical illusion than reality, because once we were headed north, it wasn't that bad....waves were 1-3's from the NNE.
We motored up to Rattlesnake Island and set up with a SSW trolling pass.
Same program as yesterday....
Spros set anywhere from 40-70 back, starting with the colors that worked yesterday too. Blue/chrome, Golden Perch, Purple Glass Perch, and Marble Brown. I put a Lemon-Lime out again, just to see if it would work in that area, like it did before. It caught one, but again, was taken off and replaced with another Purple Perch. Someone was on the radio at one point and mentioned that a couple of Wonderbread colored Bandits were working well, so I dug a red one and a chartreuse one out of the box and set one out each side. Both caught fish, so whites are working too.
The speed was the same as yesterday too....1.8-2.0mph.
Water temp was 52 degrees up by Rattle and Green, but was 55 degrees by Catawba. The water was a bit muddier nearer Catawba, so with the sun coming out mid-morning, it warmed up faster than the cleaner water up north.
We made one long pass from Rattlesnake all the way back to Catawba, picking off fish here and there as we trolled along. The bite was fast enough to keep everyone interested, but not so fast to have any kind of fire drills going on. It just turned out to be a very nice day to be on the lake.
We caught our 4-person-limit with a bonus white bass, but that was the only non-target species we caught today.
The winds laid down to almost nothing (Davis-Bessie's steam stack was almost straight up in the air by 10:30-11:00), the sky was partly cloudy, and the air temps were jumping up into the high 50s. For a day that started out pretty crappy, it had turned into one of those beautiful days we all want to have out there. :)
Rudy, who is only 9 years old, reeled in his share of fish, with the help of his Dad and Grandpa. His "laid back" excitement of the sport, made me remember fishing with my Dad, and how those memories have lasted me a lifetime. I hope that we made the same kind of memories for their family today too.
Rudy wants to come back to go perch fishing sometime, so that makes me happy!
Tomorrow's forecast isn't looking very good, so I have already rescheduled tomorrow's trip to the 23rd instead. (Those scheduled days off are coming in handy...I can use them for reschedules, but now if the weather turns good for the next several weeks, I'll be one tired puppy, because my scheduled days off are disappearing! Deep sigh)
Sunday is on notice too, but I'm hoping we can get out on Sunday.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with the Claypool Family 5/6/2021
by Capt Juls on 05/06/21Met my crew at Mazurik's at 6:15, and we headed out just in time to watch the flaming orange ball rise up over the horizon. It was a clear sky this morning, temps were in the high 40s to low 50s, and the wind was light out of the east.
Waves were 2' or less. The water temp was 53 point something degrees. :)
Jesse and his wife Stacy brought their 11-year-old daughter Bri, and their 9-year-old son Ethan out for a fun day of fishing. Everyone was excited to get out on the lake, so we headed north to the other side of Kelly's to start. I hadn't been out, due to reschedules, so it was like starting all over, but it didn't take long to get some fish going once we got set up.
The program was all Spro Madeye 120 cranks, and I kept them to a minimum of three rods per side, since I had a young family, so we could keep it real simple.
I showed Jesse, who had never used this kind of equipment before how to use the line counter reels and how to attach the Off Shore boards....he learned very quickly.
Baits were set out on the Port side at 45, 55, and 65 (longest leads on the outside) and 42, 53, and 71 on the Starboard side.
Colors were Port side (in the same order as above) Brown Marble, Blue/Chrome, and Lemon-Lime. On the Starboard side it was Blue/Chrome, Lemon-Lime, and Golden Perch.
All colors, except the Lemon-Lime took fish (I think it caught one, but was so far behind the others we decided to change it), so the LL's came off and were replaced with Purple Glass Perch, which was a good color today too. The hot combos were the Brown Marble at 45 back, Blue/Chrome and Purple Perch at 53 and 63 back, and the Golden Perch at 71 back.
Speed was between 1.8-2.1 mph.
At one point, Stacy was bringing a fish in, and when I was bringing the board up to me to take if off the line, the line just snapped in my fingers, and the board and the fish started drifting away. I said, "Pick everything up quick, we have to go get that board". I laid a waypoint down as soon as it happened, so I would have a good idea where to find it. The wind had picked up, and we were in 1-3's, so keeping an eye on the board was pretty much impossible.
Luckily, we found it, and it still had the fish attached to it, so I just handlined it into the boat....much to the delight of everyone.
Since we had everything picked up, we moved back to our original starting point, so we could make that pass along my line again. No sooner than had we got set up the boards starting darting back again. We had several doubles today, but no legit triples. :)
We ended up with their 4 limits and 4 of my 6 for a total of 28 walleye. They couldn't have been happier, and Stacy was already figuring out what walleye dish they were going to have for dinner tonight.
Since they drove in from over by Maumee, OH....I suggested that they stop over at Cutcher's Fish Cleaning, since it was on their way home and have George clean the fish for them.
While we were fishing, Jesse was wondering how he was going to get all the fish in the small cooler they brought along. Luckily, they had some heavy-duty garbage bags to use too, so it all worked out. They were not expecting the size of walleye we caught today....which is always fun for me, because they aren't the only ones that have brought along a cooler that would not hold all the fish that get caught. It always makes me giggle inside, when that happens. :)
It was a fun day, and a lot of great memories were made for their family. Stacy suggested bringing them back for a perch trip, and that makes me happy! You all know how much I LOVE Perch fishing. Woot! Woot!
Tomorrow, I have three generations of the Carlson family joining me (the youngest being 9 years old). We plan on launching at 6:15, unless there is rain in the am, upon which we can probably delay it a bit to let it pass. I'll know more in the morning when I get up at 3am.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Just a Heads Up if You're Looking for a Report....
by Capt Juls on 05/01/21My trip today, tomorrow, and Monday have been rescheduled...and, Tuesday was a scheduled off day, so I won't be back out until Wednesday this week....winds permitting.
Today, would have been fishable this morning, but we have gusts to over 40mph expected here this afternoon and into the overnight. Then, gusts to 30's tomorrow. The crew for today, originally had both days...but, rescheduled Sunday's trip already, due to a fishing tournament on their home lake tomorrow. I gave them the option of staying home today to prefish for that event, and he opted to do that.
Monday, I had a husband and wife, but it's going to be raining and a little rough out there, so for the wife's enjoyment, her hubby and I have rescheduled that trip to next Sunday (using up one of my scheduled days off).
Good news for you guys though...since I did that, that means the weather will get nice and I'll be working my butt off for two weeks straight without a day off. lol
So....don't look for a report until later this week. :)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing Day Two With Todd and Matt 4/28/2021
by Capt Juls on 04/28/21Same crew different day:
I told Todd and Matt yesterday, that I would text them when I got up and had a chance to check the weather and wind forecast for today, to let them know if it was a go or no-go. It was going to be a go, but iWindSurf was showing strong winds from the SW until around 8am, so I told them that we would launch at 6:30 instead of 6:00, so I could read the waves on the way to our spot. Todd texted back and said, "Sounds good".
As usual, I was ready to go way before I needed to be, and was getting impatient, so I left the house at 5am and headed to the gas station for the usual. I hit Mazurik's a short time later and did some maintenance around the boat. I tightened up the antenna, tightened up the little nut thingy that keeps the kicker motor straight, tightened up some screws I saw coming loose in a few places, put a bunch of crankbaits away, and got a few others out to try.
My crew showed up about 6:15, and we hit the water at 6:30. We headed west, and set up short of where we ended up yesterday by a mile, or mile and a half. The program was:
Spro's all 60 back....colors: Marble Brown, (2) Lemon Lime Crush, Blue Chrome
Bandits: inside to the outside Off Shore board....45, 57, 63, 65....colors: (same order) Pickle Rick Foil (a DJ color), Blue Chrome, a lemon lime with scales that one of my recent customers brought with him and gave me, and Humble Bee Black Stripes (stock color). The Humble Bee came off when every other color took fish, but that one didn't. I replaced that one with IB Infected (another DJ Custom color), and that one would started pulling fish consistently.
Speed was 1.8-2.1mph When the wind would gust, and the boat would start going too fast, I continually adjust the speed, or slow the boat by putting the back corner of the boat to the waves to slow it to a more steady speed. "S turns" produced a lot of the bites too.
We were pulling in doubles and had one triple, but otherwise, it was just a nice steady bite. We had their two-person limit by 8:08 and then picked up to make another run up to start another pass. The bite was a little slower on that second pass, but when they did bite, they usually bit with multiple boards going back at the same time. Then, nothing for 5 minutes or so, and it would happen again.
Just a super fun morning kind of bite. Not too fast and not too slow. :)
The Spro Madeye 120's on the Port side caught more fish than the Bandits on the first pass, but I think the Bandits made up for their lack of effort on the second pass, so it was pretty even on how many each side caught.
We headed in with our three-person limit and two happy customers.
Todd likes to hire different Captains and see which ones he likes best. He's been fishing here for several years and has gone with... I think, he said 10 captains now. He fished with Capt Bobby Greene two days ago, with me for two days, and will be fishing with Bobby again tomorrow. When we were at the ramp, he said, "I really enjoyed fishing with you, and I would like to come back and do it again soon", and I said, giggling and clapping my hands together quickly, "Yay! I made the cut!" He laughed. He wants to bring his wife up to fish with me, so that makes me happy. :)
Tomorrow, I have Rick Parker and his crew. We get to look forward to fishing in the rain, a light NE wind, and about a 20 degree drop in air temps.....deep sigh. But, on the bright side, I don't have to clean the boat today, if it's only going to get dirty in the rain tomorrow. So, I guess that's one less thing, eh? lol
The only thing that will stop tomorrow's trip and disappoint a crew that has been waiting since their trip was rescheduled from last Thursday, is lightning, or stronger NE winds that are forecast for right now. I don't want to disappoint them, but safety comes first. We shall see what the morning brings.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Todd and Matt 4/27/2021
by Capt Juls on 04/27/21Yesterday, my crew went with Capt Bobby Greene, of "Meals on Reelz Charters", and had a very fast and fun morning with him over in Vermilion. The pressure was on me, since I was going to be taking them out of Port Clinton this morning.
I got up at my usual 3am alarm, and made some coffee. I hit the back deck with Dexter, while he smelled stuff out in the yard and made his rounds. I checked the wind forecast for the morning, and it was all over the place. Depending on what station I looked at, it was showing light east winds up by North Bass, but strong gusty SW winds out of Port Clinton and Oak Harbor. Huron and Vermilion were showing strong gusty winds also.
"How could that be?", I asked myself. Wouldn't a SW wind directly effect the Bass Islands on the west side too? I figured something was not reading accurately, and hoped for the lighter east winds up by the islands.
I was meeting Todd and Matt, who hail from Missouri, at Catawba at 6am, so I left the house at 4:40 and headed into town to gas up and get some ice. Then, I hit Catawba State Park at 5:00. No one else was there yet, so I drove slowly by the ramp to see how the waves were, because I don't like to use that launch with any kind of gusty SW winds....it blows right into the ramp.
I checked iWindSurf again, and then WindFinderPro, and both were confirming that it would be a gusty SW wind this morning. So, I sent a text to my crew and to Capt Bobby, who I knew was planning on launching there too, that I was going to launch out of Mazurik's instead. Bobby replied that he would be doing the same.
When I pulled into Mazurik's I was the only one there....again. I thought for sure I would see Capt Sam, of "Pork Chop Express Charters" sitting there, since I think he sleeps in his truck, just so he can be the first one at the ramp. (Just kidding Sam!)...but, he must have used another ramp this morning.
Anyway, my crew showed up a little before 6am, and I finished readying the boat to head out.
It was a partly cloudy sky with a BIG full moon shining down through a layer of haze...you know the kind of moon I mean. :) The air temp was 50 degrees, and the wind was already building.
I told my guys that my original plan might be squashed, due to the wind and the lake conditions if that wind blew as hard as it was supposed to, and they were game for whatever I planned. They just wanted to go fishing.
We headed out at 6:15 and were met with residual rollers from last night's NE wind. They were big enough to keep the ride out pretty slow, so we didn't beat up the boat or anyone in it. I pointed the bow of the boat towards the lighthouse at Marblehead and wanted to check some breaklines over there that can be very good this time of year, but as we got closer, I could see that the water was a little too dirty for my liking.
We changed plans and headed NW, to the NW side of Kelly's, and set up with the usual program of Spro's on the port side and Bandits on the starboard side, running behind Off Shore boards. The Spros were 50', 60', 70', and 80' back with Brown Marble, Marvin, Blue Chrome, and Golden Perch (all stock colors). The Bandit side was running the same with Metallic Muffin (one of DJ's Custom Eye Lures creations), Green Clown, Blue Chrome, and Carrot Top.
Speed was 1.8-2.0mph
We set a course from the NW corner of Kelly's towards Lucy's point, so we were out there in the middle between Kelly's and South Bass.
We picked up three fish there. One on the Metallic Muffin, Blue Chrome, and a Blue Chrome Spro.
The bite was slow and the marks were slim. I checked the wind app again and thought that if it didn't blow any harder, that it wasn't going to be that bad, and we could make a run to the other side of the islands....so, we did.
On the way, I drove up past the buoy at Lucy's Point to see if I could mark some fish there, so I didn't have to go any further, but I didn't like what I saw there either and kept going. We cut through the passage between Middle Bass and North Bass and popped out on the SW side of West Reef.
The Ulterra was deployed, the baby ETEC was fired up, and a course was set for the Red Buoy up on the Canadian line called "Taco Bell".
We caught three more nice walleye on that pass up to the line, but it was slooowww. Capt Bobby sent a text and said he found some fish and sent me the numbers. I am not at liberty to tell the public, but to suffice it to say...it wasn't too far away, so we picked up and ran over there. Thanks for the info Capt B!
We set up again, but with some adjustments made from the little puzzle I was solving as each fish came in the boat. Several of the colors were removed and replaced with a color I call "Lemon Lime Crush"...not sure what Spro calls it, but that's the name of the color from the Smithwick P-10 stock. That one, along with one called "Pickle Rick Scale" (another by DJ), put the majority of the rest of the fish in the cooler. Blue Chrome, once again put its share in the box too. But the lime green ones were hot today.
Zig Zagging through the water with the Ulterra made more bites possible, but it wasn't helping with the puzzle, because sometimes they hit on the fast side, and sometimes they hit on the slow side, so there was no real answer for how fast we should be going, so I just kept it at 1.8-2.0mph, and just kept doing the "S-turns".
We made that pass shorter than the first pass up there, and ran back up to set up again. Others were catching going into the waves, but since we were getting them going with the waves, I'll take the gentler ride over the bouncy one. It's definitely much smoother going with the waves. :)
One fish was needed to fill our three-person limit, so when we set up to make that second pass. Todd said, "I want to see a board go back while you're setting up". I said, "It will probably happen"....and, it did. Matt was attaching his Off Shore board when his number 2 board went screaming back. "Fish on!", yelled Todd from the front of the boat, and Matt reeled in number 18. We were done and ready to head back in.
The wind was picking up as we drove in, so the timing was perfect. The ride back was just slow and steady, so we didn't get beat up. :)
Tomorrow's weather is iffy, so I told Todd that I would be up at 3am and send him a text as to what time we will go, if we go. I'm told that they are calling for thunderstorms in the morning, but I don't know how long those will last. I'll know more after I see the weather report later.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Bill, Bryce, and Brighton 4/24/2021
by Capt Juls on 04/24/21I had made the decision last night to meet my crew at Mazurik's at 7am, because the wind forecast showed it was going to start laying down at 7am, but when I woke up at 3am, it showed it had laid down overnight. I didn't want to text Bill that early, to have them show up earlier, because they were driving in from Toledo, which is an hour away, and he was bringing the "boys" (young adults), so I figured it would probably be hard to get them up earlier. lol
I left the house at 5:30 anyway, and hit the gas station for gas and ice, and figured I would just go over to Mazurik's early and get the front spot in the get ready lanes, and take the opportunity to strip a little line and re-tie the snaps on, and take my time getting the rest of the stuff ready.
I chose to put (4) Spro "Madeye 120's" on the one side and (4) Bandits on the other side, like I did the last trip out, and chose Spro colors in (2) "Golden Perch", "Blue/Chrome", and "Marvin". The Bandit side would run the same as the last trip out too, which was "Blue Chrome", "Buck Fever", and (2) "Carrot Top".
Luckily, they showed up a 1/2 hour early, so we were on the water and to our spot by 7am. Mazurik's really wasn't as busy as I thought it would be, for a Saturday. After letting the ETEC warm up to a temp of 130 I hit the throttle and off we went.
The lake was calm, with a little ripple from the SE wind, and remnants of boat wakes, so the drive north didn't take very long.
We set up with the Spros running deepest on the outside and shallowest on the inside behind the Off Shore boards. On the Spro side, they were running 40, 60, 80, and 100 away from the boat. The Bandit side was set the same.
Bill had told me this trip was to learn more about how to run the Off Shore boards, because they had bought some for their boat, and that catching fish was just going to be a bonus. But, as we all know, you learn more about using the boards when you have activity, so you can see how to handle most situations, so the goal was to find some fish. ;)
We were 5 for 8 in the first spot, but they weren't there like they were the other day, so I made a decision to move more east, thinking they moved that way. We picked up and moved 7 miles east of our first spot and set up again with the same program.
Speed was 1.7-2.0mph
At one point, we heard over the radio that someone was catching with leads at 150 and 120 back. I looked to see how deep that would put a Bandit, and then showed Brighton how the snap weight information in the "Precision Trolling Data" app worked. We put a 2 oz snap weight on at 50....then, to get to the same depth of an unassisted Bandit at 150 back, we needed to let out just another 16 feet, for a total of 66 feet, before putting the board on. He now understood how using a snap weight can shorten up the leads, but keep the baits as deep as the longer leads.
I had him go in my side compartment and choose a Bandit to use. I said, "Find one that you feel is lucky". "I'm never lucky", he said, and was not feeling it, so I told him to grab the "Green Clown", so he put that one on. That bait was set with the 2 oz snap weight and was out maybe 5 minutes before the board got tugged back violently. Again, showing them that running snap weights can catch fish.
We would spend the rest of their time over there, and would pick up 9 more nice Walleye to add to the box. The biggest one of the day jumped right out of the net when Bryce was netting Bill's fish, or we would have had 14 in the box. (I'm not counting the other fish that came unbuttoned before we saw them, or before we got the board off). That big fish was determined to get out of that net, and not even I could have prevented that fish from doing that acrobatic maneuver to free herself. Bryce felt bad, but that's just the way it goes. That was one lucky fish who now lives on to become a bigger fish. :)
When their 6 hours was up, we headed back in. They talked about how much they learned and how much fun they had on this beautiful day, and told me they would like to come back again soon, so that makes me happy! :)
On a side note: I was so close to a fantastic bite, but it was one of those days when I turned right instead of left....oh well. Deep sigh....
Tomorrow's trip was rescheduled to July, due to another NW blow, and Monday is a scheduled day off. Back at it Tuesday...weather permitting.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Doug and Mark 4/19-20/2021
by Capt Juls on 04/20/21Doug and Mark drove down from Wisconsin Sunday afternoon to fish with me yesterday and today. So, this will be a two day report, since I didn't have the time to write an individual report for yesterday.
4/19/2021
I left the house at 4:45 and did the usual gas station routine, and drove back across town to meet my crew at a ramp on the Portage River. The wind was out of the SW, and was gusting to the low to mid 20's, so I thought it would be best to go out of the river and hug the shoreline over to the can area.
Wait....wait...wait...let me back up, and get back to the gas station. I almost forgot about these two other fellas from Wisconsin that showed up towing a little 14 or 16 foot tin boat, that was definitely not what we usually see for use on Lake Erie.
I walked over to them, but didn't bother to get their names, because I know myself too well, and I would never be able to remember their names anyway, so I never asked. They are known to me as the "Little Blue Boat Guys from Wisco". :)
Anyway, while my gas tank was filling up, I walked over and knocked on the driver's window and said, "Where ya launching out of?" He said, "Mazurik's". I said, "Where do you plan on fishing?", and he said, "We were thinking of heading to the north side of Kelly's". I said, "No you're not...not today....you will die." I then added, "Why don't you follow me today? I'm launching out of the Portage River and headed to the cans. I fished there yesterday and did very well. It will be a lot more protected and safer for you". They agreed, and said "Thank you", as I walked away. "By the way, what's your name?", he asked. I turned and said, "Juls". A big grin crossed his face and he said, "Oh, you're Juls...you do those reports on Walleye.com. I read those all the time!" I said, "Thanks for reading them", and smiled.
I told them the area and the program, and that they should launch with me and let me lead them out of the river, due to the channel being zig-zaggy... and, the fact that the electronics he had in the boat was sonar only and no gps. The river gets pretty shallow if you get off the main channel. (The marker buoys were not in yet).
At the mouth of the river, I slowed down, so they could catch up, and I pointed in the direction they needed to go to get to the right cans. They thanked us and we took off.
We used Bandits 40 and 50 back. Blue Chrome and Buck Fever were hot.
One blue/orange bellied Jointed DHJ12 at 65 back caught several fish, and Spro's Madeye 120 in the Golden Perch and Blue Chrome colors at 50 back helped put fish in the boat too.
Speed was 1.7-1.8mph
We had a 2 person limit in the boat by 7:53, and had tossed back two keepers, when the firing range patrol boat came up on us to inform us that Camp Perry would be using the range area from 8-4 Monday through Friday this week, so we had to move out of the range and find another place to fish. Too bad too, because that spot was really good.
So, we moved south of the cans and set up. We picked away at three more to put in the box...lost a couple more and caught a giant Sheephead and a few White Bass, but never filled our three person limit.
I could see the "Blue Boat Guys" reeling fish in from time to time, so they were doing well enough, that I didn't stop by them when we left to head back in. I did see them later when I went to walk my dog, and they had just pulled out of the river and were getting ready to leave. They said they had caught 9 and lost 3, so they had a fun morning too. They agreed with me, that if we had not been kicked out of our first spot, that we all would have limited out.
Oh well...such is fishing. It was a fun time on a windy day! I told my guys that the wind forecast kept changing for the next day, and that I would get up at my usual 3am time and check the wind forecast then and let them know if it's a go or not. They thought that was a good idea, since they were going to be here in the morning anyway. Mark said, "Well, even if it looks like we can only get out for a few hours, like 10am, that's good enough". I said, "That sounds good....I'll text you in the morning after I see what the weather holds in store".
On to this morning:
I went to bed at 5:30 the night before, because I was getting tired! I slept hard for 9 hours and woke up nice and refreshed. I got up and made some coffee and hit the back deck to check conditions for the day. It was drizzley (yuck). The wind forecast was not as bad as predicted the night before, and would be less than 15 out of the SW and switching to the WNW and diminishing as the morning went on....only to build again when this snowstorm hits town later this evening.
I sent Doug a text and told him, "It's a go", and to meet me at Mazurik's at 6:30. I didn't want to launch in the dark again, because unlike the Portage River, this time I would need to be able to read the waves.
Capt Sam Downing was alone, and sitting in the get ready lanes when I arrived this morning. After the usual greetings and pleasantries, he offered up some helpful information as to where he caught some fish yesterday when he launched out of there. I gladly accepted it, because I know he doesn't lie to me. :)
And, because it was not my information....as usual I am not at liberty to give that information out. All I will say is, that we headed north out of the launch and not east or west. :)
The program was Spro's on the port side at 50/60/80/100 (order of the boards going out away from the boat...long lead on the outside) and Bandits on the starboard side with the same numbers.
Spro colors were Marvin, Golden Perch, Blue Chrome, and Golden Perch (again, in the same order going away from the boat).
Bandits colors were Taco Salad, Blue Chrome, RC Crush, and Carrot Top.
The Taco Salad color didn't catch anything, so it was switched out eventually for another Spro Golden Perch.
RC Crush caught one, but was eventually swapped out for another Carrot Top, because Carrot Top was on fire!
We were bringing in singles, doubles and triples, and had our 18 fish by 9:15. I said to Mark, "Well, you said you wouldn't mind if we were off the water by 10am". He giggled.
Doug and Mark had a great time, and so did I. At first I was kind of dreading it, since a cold front moved in last night, and I thought it would shut them down, but those fish were hungry... and, most of the fish had two sets of hooks in them, rather than the one single treble hook barely hanging on to the skin of their lips, like I've seen on most of my trips this past week.
They were happy campers and set off to see George Cutcher out there in Oak Harbor at Cutcher's Fish Cleaning, where he cleans them for a dollar a fish. That's a big savings when you have a cooler full of 3-5 pound fish!
I have scheduled day off tomorrow...thank goodness, because we are supposed to get 2-4" of snow overnight. I put the boat over in the heated storage for the night, and will bring her home when the snow melts by tomorrow afternoon.
Thursday through Sunday's trips are on notice right now, due to the wind forecasts. So, we'll see when I'm headed out again.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Mike, Bob, and Tom 4/17-18/2021
by Capt Juls on 04/18/21Yesterday, we fished on the east side of the bass islands and north of Kelly's, but had a tough bite. We only went 9 for 12 out of a 24 fish limit. Though, it didn't seem to bother my crew who said they were just happy to be out on the lake and fishing on such a nice day, it always bothers me a little when I can't get the fish going. It can be very frustrating to say the least. That was yesterday, and as they say, "There's always tomorrow"...and, in this case, it was true, since I had the same crew for this morning too. :)
This morning:
I hit the gas station, and topped the gas tank off in the boat and put some ice in the cooler. Polished the windshield, topped off the oil, and headed off to the launch, where I was meeting my crew at 6am. I got there at 5:30 which gave me time to ready things before they came.
They showed up at 5:45, and we hit the water at 5:50am. It was dark, but the sky was beginning to lighten up on the horizon. A dark thick band of clouds rimmed the lake's horizon, and a clear center with glistening stars offered hope of a nice day ahead.
The forecast was calling for mostly cloudy conditions all day, so the clear sky was a nice surprise, and created a beautiful sunrise. :)
We hit the cans and started with a setup of Bandits, Spro Madeye 120's, and a couple Jointed DHJ12's. Blue/Chrome and Buck Fever Bandits were running between 40 and 50 back, the Golden Perch and Marvin Spro's were running 50-60 back, and the blue/orange belly and clown jointed Rapalas were running at 65 back. Our speed was between 1.6 and 1.8mph.
We stayed on one path, gong from SW to NE, doing "S" turns... constantly...and picking away at the walleye willing to bite. We had 10 fish on the first pass, when I decided to turn it around and see if the bite was better in the other direction. It wasn't. We didn't get anything in the first 15 minutes, so I told them to "Pick them up, were going to run back up and set up again. They like the other direction better."
I know there were fish out there if we had kept going, but I wasn't sure the setup would work over deeper water too, so we made the move back.
The wind changed direction three times while we were out there. When we launched it was out of the south. Midway between our first pass it started to come out of the SW, and then by the time we picked up to move, it was out of the west.
I adjusted our starting point, due to the wind, and got lucky. There were hungry fish in the area, and we were alone. It didn't take long to start picking away at them again. My crew was having a good time, and trading off reeling theirs in. But, when we hit an area where the bite picked up, it became controlled chaos with lots of laughs. Doubles and a couple triples made their day.
Bob said to me, "I'm going to be calling you, I want to bring my boy over here for a trip soon too"....and, that makes me happy. :)
We caught our 4 person limit this morning and the guys were impressed with the grade of the fish too. They were mostly in that 3-5 pound range, which in any other state would be awesome fish. But, to those of us who live and work on this lake, we call those "good eaters". lol
I'll be out again tomorrow with another crew that is here for two days. But, it looks like we're only going to get tomorrow's trip in, because Tuesday's forecast is looking nasty with 15-18mph NE winds right now. So, unless that changes drastically, Tuesday will be a no-go.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Joe and Glen 4/14/2021
by Capt Juls on 04/14/21My eyelids were heavy when the alarm brought me out of a deep sleep this morning. I laid there with my cat, Hemingway, for about 3 minutes and got up to put the coffee on. A quick look at the phone to get the latest weather and wind forecasts told me it was going to be a good day to be fishing on Lake Erie.
Winds were forecast from the SW at 5-15mph, and the weather was going to be sunny and cooler. The air temp was in the low 40's when we launched at Catawba this morning, (But would climb to the mid to high 50s by noon). The water temp today was 50-51 where I was, west of Catawba.
Program: Spro Madeye 120 in the "Golden Perch" color was catching at 50 back.
Bandits were catching at 40-65 back. I use numbers like 43, 57, 61, because I like odd numbers. Maybe it's a superstition, but once I started it, I couldn't stop it. (shrugs her shoulders and gives an impish grin). ;)
Bandit colors that worked for us: Khaki, Sunspot, Blue Chrome, Buck Fever, and Nitro Shad.
A "Purple Glass Perch" DHJ12 caught on at 65 back too.
Speed was 1.5-2.0 depending on direction. Into the waves was 1. 8-2.0mph and with the waves was 1.4-1.5mph.
Joe and Glen had a great time, in fact on the ride back Joe said, "Hey Glen, this is the best day of the year so far!". I laughed and said, "That's going in my Blog". Ha!
We caught a 3 person limit, and Joe reeled in his personal best walleye to date, that weighed in at a whopping 11.2 pounds and was 31 inches long. It was a beautiful specimen, with huge lips. The best kind. The kind, that when they get on top of the water and open their mouths....a person can't help but get excited to see a fish with a mouth big enough to stuff a grapefruit in it. That gets a person pretty excited. :)
I was supposed to fish with them again tomorrow, but with cold weather and NW wind again, we decided to reschedule tomorrow's trip to another date in July (earliest openings). They opted to go for two more days in July, and put the deposit down. They fished with me in June last year, and it was a quick bite as they recalled, so they wanted to try earlier for a little slower fishing, so they could learn how to run the Off Shore boards better. It's hard to learn stuff when you're too busy reeling in fish! But, now they want to come back for that quick fun bite again.
They did a great job today, and we all had fun, so that makes me happy! :)
Friday is being watched, but will most likely be a blow-day too, if the forecast doesn't change for the better.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Brad and Brian 4/12/2021
by Capt Juls on 04/12/21I took yesterday off, due to the forecast, that didn't really happen, so I took the opportunity to go to bed early and get up even earlier than I normally do. I was up at 2am, and did some computer work, while sipping on some hot coffee.
I was feeling much better than the day before, so that was a relief. I went out to the boat at 4:45 and took ten rods out of the rod locker, and stripped the reels of line, down to their backings. It was time to respool with fresh line, and recalibrate them.
The equipment was ready for another round of abuse now.
This morning, I took Brad and Brian, from the previous crew of four from Red Wing, MN, along with me, and Tom and Stan, who I had on Saturday would be taking Brad's boat out. After meeting at Catawba at 6:15, I went over the program with Tom and Stan, and showed them on their GPS where I was headed.
The program was Bandits at 40-60 back at a speed of 1.4-1.7mph. Tom and Stan had never run Off Shore boards, or any inline planer boards before, but they learned very well on Saturday, so I had every confidence they would get-r-done today. Well, they did. They had their 2 man limit in their boat before we had 8 fish in our boat! Well done, Grasshoppers! :)
They continued to fish and play catch and release until we were done.
At some point we lost them, and I was scratching my head on what I was doing wrong. Well, nothing was wrong...we just weren't on the right line. I decided to move further west and found a spot all to myself, so we set up again.
If any mistake was made by me this morning, it was this: I took the blue/chrome and Buck Fever colors off, because I was told darker colors were working best. I put them back on, and we had a steady bite going again. Uffda.....I should have known better. lol
At one point we had two Nitro Shads and 6 Buck Fevers out. The Nitro Shads were at 60 and 45 and the Buck Fevers were all at 45 back. Once we got the set-up right, and in the right area, it was pretty consistent.
Brian caught his personal best walleye this morning too. It was a spawned out 30 inch fatty that weighed in at 9.6 pounds. When the fish hit, it hit on Brad's side of the boat, so he grabbed it. He knew instantly that it was a big fish, so he didn't hesitate to hand the rod over to Brian, because he knew it would make his day. That's just the kind of guy Brad is. He owns Buck Point Resort up there in Minnesota, so he's used to good customer service, and it shows. The whole crew was very laid back, and a lot of fun to fish with.
Brian was so happy...and I could see that made Brad happy, and since both of them were happy, that made me happy! But, what really made me happy was to see Brian release that big fish back to the lake after a quick pic, measurement, and her weight taken. She swam back down, so she's going to be around for someone else to catch again. Heck, maybe she will one day be the new state record that I hope to catch some day. (One can dream, anyway).
They will be here the rest of the week, fishing on their own. They said they have enough fish, so they might just be playing catch and release, and looking to take more pictures of big fish to hang on the wall. :)
Tomorrow I have a new crew made up of a Father and Son. We will be launching at 6:30 and fishing west of the islands again tomorrow. The weather is looking very good for tomorrow, so that makes me happy too!
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
