Juls WFA Blog
Fishing with Greg, Shane, and Adam 3/20/15
by Capt Juls on 03/20/16I hadn't been out since last Tuesday, before the blow, and I was a little apprehensive about what kind of bite it would be after the winds we just had.
Wednesday the winds were out of the SW with gusts blowing 35-50mph, and Thursday, the same, but at 25-35mph. I wasn't worried about that wind direction muddying things up, since it was an offshore wind.
It was the Friday/Friday night winds out of the NE that I was worried about. I figured it would bring in the colder water from the east, and muddy up the inside, by the cans where we had been doing well earlier in the week.
Our original plan this morning was to check the weather at 9am and head out at 11am. Well, I got a little any, and decided to take a drive around the point, to see what the waves were doing. Windsurf had shown it laying down a little more than the forecast I looked at the night before.
The ride around the Cliffs showed that the lake wasn't white capping, and that the waves were looking to be 2 foot or less. So, I called my crew and told them to meet me at the Catawba launch as soon as they could, and we would get out earlier than planned.
They showed up a little after 9am, and we were headed out by 9:15. It was bumpy in the morning, but the forecast said it would start laying down by noon...which it did.
We started out on the SW corner of South Bass Island, and headed towards Green. We didn't mark much there, so we only made one pass. Capt Kevin, who I work with on the water, said he had some numbers that produced fish on both Friday and Saturday, and gave them to me. I punched them in the Helix, and headed over that way. It was inside, and as I suspected, it was really muddy in there. I couldn't even see the cavitation plate on my G2. Needless to say, we didn't stay there very long, even though we marked a few fish here and there.
I thought the water would be cleaner up to the north, so we headed up to the east side of Niagra and to make a trolling pass to the SW, so the waves would be behind us. We were marking really good fish on the sonar, and had two fish in the boat before we got 6 lines set. Things were looking up!
Water temps in the dirty water to the south were 43.5 and only 39.1 in the Niagra spot, but the water clarity at Niagra was very good. I could see the cavitation plate, with a ghostly image of the prop, which in my experience is "perfect". Not too dirty, and not too clean.
We ran Bandits at 45-55 back, Deep Husky Jerks 65-75 back, and Smithwick Perfect 10's with a 1oz snap weight at 20/20 and 30/30.
The hottest color for us today, in both the Bandit and the DHJ's, was Fire Tiger.
Other colors worked too, but that one was by far "on fire" today, in comparison.
Best speed was 1.2mph
Greg, Shane, and Adam came over for the week from the west side of Iowa and the east side of South Dakota, to try and catch some of these big fish....and, today they did just that! They wanted to learn a bit about the big lake before heading out on their own in their Ranger. I think they have more confidence now. Woot! Woot!
They were very happy with today's results, and that makes me happy. :)
I don't have another trip planned until Friday and Saturday, so I'm hoping the weather behaves the rest of the week.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with the Chapman's 3/15/16
by Capt Juls on 03/16/16Steve and Jeremy Chapman drove up from Columbus, and met me at the Catawba ramp at 8am. They were only an hour late (as usual)...lol But, I love these guys, and they fish with me a lot, so I'm used to waiting on them. Jeremy and I even joke about it. He told me before, "Tell my dad that you want us there an hour earlier than the time you actually want to go, and we'll be on time"!
Well, we tried that, and it still didn't work. Had they not had to stop at Walmart and McDonald's when they hit town, they would have been right on time. lol
Anyway, it was a foggy morning, and we headed out at a safe speed to the area SE of F can. We marked some good fish, so we set lines. We started out running 2 Perfect 10's, 2 DHJ12's, and 2 Bandits. The P-10s were run at 20/20 and 30/30 with a 1oz snap weight. The Bandits were back 45-55, and the DHJ's were back 65-85.
For those that don't understand the P-10 program, it goes like this....I let 20' or 30' of line out...attach a snap weight...let out another 20-30', and attach my Off Shore planer board.
Our most productive speed was at 1.2mph. And, we dialed in the Bandits at 45 back, and the DHJ's at 65 back. We ended up taking the P-10's off, because the fish wanted the other two more.
The best colors were:
Bandits: Black headed Wonderbread, and a custom color that is purple with chartreuse dots on the side.
Huskies: A custom color that was also purple with chartreuse dots on the side.
(Sorry, but there are too many color names for this gal to remember!)
After catching 11 fish in that area, we headed over to the Mouse Island area, where we set lines and immediately caught three more fish. Then, the east wind kicked up a little bit, and brought in colder air. My guys got chilly and we decided to call it a day.
We ended the day with 14 nice fish, with the largest going a hefty 31 inches. Steve and Jeremy kept 5 males for the frying pan, and released all the females.
On a side note, we did have one fish that sunk a board and ended up biting off my expensive custom colored Bandit. (sad face) I told Jeremy that it was either a state record walleye, or one of those elusive Muskies that have been showing up in the Western Basin the past few years. He said, "With my record, it was probably a state record Sheephead". lol
They told me they had a great time, and loved the brownies...then, headed home. They are looking forward to their April trip, and can't wait to come back up, and that made me happy. :)
My next trip is this coming Saturday...hopefully, the forecast doesn't change, because these guys are driving in Friday afternoon from the Sioux Falls area. I'll check the weather forecast tomorrow, so if it changes, I can stop them before they drive all the way out here. They are planning on fishing one day with me to learn the areas, and then fish out of their own boat for a couple days after. I would hate to see them come all this way, and not be able to get out, due to weather.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
The New Ranger 621/ETEC G2 is HOME!!
by Capt Juls on 03/03/16I finally got the new boat home! Woot! Woot!
I have another week before she will be water ready. I need to wait on a custom made steel dash faceplate for my new Humminbird Helix 12 to sit on, and my EZEESteps...both should be here early next week, and then I can install them.
And, with the warm up mid week next week, I can get in the boat and load her up with all the gear, so I can get her on the water and tested before taking any customers out.
The lake needs to clean up a little still, but hopefully we will be fishing soon!
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Just a Thank You...:)
by Capt Juls on 02/15/16I just spent this past weekend at the Columbus Fishing Expo, and while it didn't book more than one "for sure" fishing reservation for me, I just wanted to say, "Thank you" to all the nice folks who stopped by to say, "Hi", and to tell me how much they enjoy my fishing blog. I was quite surprised how many people do read my blog, and it motivated me to keep on writing this season.
I had many tell me, "Thanks to you, and your blog, you have helped me catch more fish". That made me happy, and that alone made the trip well worth it to me.
I'm looking forward to another fun season of fishing here on Lake Erie's Western Basin with all of you who booked trips with me so far.
As of today, I am completely booked from March 30th to the end of May. I have a handful of bookings in June, but there's plenty of good fishing to be had all season.
So, if you're interested in a walleye, perch, or smallmouth bass trip this year, don't wait to long to book your trip. :)
As of today, my new Ranger/300 G2 is still sitting at my dealer waiting on my Humminbirds. I'm hoping they show up soon, so I can get her home, get her loaded up, and ready to go as soon as the ice is out again. Woot! Woot!
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
See You at the Columbus Fishing Expo!
by Capt Juls on 02/10/16Headed down to Columbus in the morning to set up for the show. I'll be there, sharing a booth with Capt Kevin Swartz...right next to the Off Shore Tackle booth.
Hope to see some of you there! :)
Feeling Fortunate...:)
by Capt Juls on 02/02/16It is with great pleasure that I can announce that I have been added to the newly created "Great Lakes Pro Staff" for Smithwick, Bandit, and Bomber Lures!
Mathew Hougan has worked tirelessly for the past year to get more exposure and lures in the hands of Lake Erie fishermen.
If you have followed my blogs on a regular basis, you would know that the Perfect 10's and Bandits have worked very well for us here in the Western Basin. I want to add more Bombers to my arsenal and give those a try this season too. :)
Matt tells me there is new and exciting products to be added this season, (still a secret), so I'm also looking forward to finding out what's in store for us. I love surprises. :)
Thank you Matt for the opportunity to be a part of an exciting new program!
Job well done, Sir!
Capt Juls
Thank You Everyone!
by Capt Juls on 01/22/16Just wanted to say thank you to all my customers... those that have booked another trip with me, and those that are trying it for the first time this season.
Just a note...April and May are all booked up!! There are plenty of openings for the rest of the season though, so don't delay in booking your trip...the fishing is good all summer!
I'll be at the Columbus Fishing Expo on February 12th-14th, sharing a booth with Capt. Kevin Swartz...right next to the Off Shore Tackle booth. Stop on by and say, "Hi" if you are going. I'd love to talk fishing with you! :)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Awesome Day Fishing Open Water Jan. 9th, 2016!
by Capt Juls on 01/10/16I was invited to fish with my Facebook friends, Ron Schlosser and is brother, Bob, yesterday, and I enthusiastically said, "Yes!"
I had to work a the animal shelter in the morning, so I got up at 2am and went in early, around 4am, to let the dogs out before cleaning the cat rooms. When I was almost done, I sent Ron a text to let him know that I could meet them at Big Bopper's for breakfast at 7 or 7:15am, instead of the planned 8am meeting time.
He said, "Bob just got in the shower, so we should be there by 7:15".
I got to Bopper's at 7am and went to the bathroom to change out of my dirty sweats and into my cold weather gear (minus my Mustang suit, of course), and ordered my breakfast. I was almost done when the guys arrived, so I told them I wanted to go hit the gas station at the end of the road, and would be right back.
When I got back, they were just finishing breakfast. They finished up, and I told them I would meet them over at Mazurik's.
Once there, they uncovered the boat, and readied it. I climbed into my Mustang suit, and grabbed my two RS Nets out of my Jeep. Ron and Bob wanted to try them out. They want to replace their nets, and knew I had these new RS Nets, so I offered to let them try them out for this trip. They were impressed with the quality, and liked how they handled, while landing fish. I think they might just end up getting one.
We headed out of the launch towards Starve Island, because my friend Capt. Nate Estrada was out with friends the day before and told me they had gone 9 for 15 in that area with Bandits, Deep Husky Jerks, and Perfect 10's.
The brothers were not as familiar with the island area as they are with the Huron area, so I said, "Why don't you let me drive?" And, I was surprised when Bob said, "Okay" and got up to let me sit down. (WoooHooo!!...I just wanted to drive a Ranger with an Evinrude G2 on the back!)
After being thoroughly impressed with the performance of the G2, we got to the spot in a speedy fashion. We chose a contour line to set up on and went with the waves for the first pass in 30' of water.
With the information from Nate's prior trip, we set the baits at varying depths with a couple of Husky Jerks on the outside Offshore boards at 35 back, Bandits at 90-120 back, and Perfect 10's with 2oz's of weight at 30/30 and 40/40 back.
We picked up two little "eater fish" in the first pass, but it was pretty slow for us. The radio chatter noted that people were catching fish on many different colors and style baits, so it was just a matter of finding a reasonably sized pod of active fish. There didn't seem to be a big school at Starve... Nate phoned me to tell me he had good marks over by Green Island, so we picked up after we finished that first pass and were no longer marking any fish on the screen, and headed west.
We set up on the south side of Green...about a mile and a half away from the island, and went with the waves towards it. We had some marks, but nothing to write home about. We had a good pull back, but lost it. We caught one more there before heading back to the east side of starve to try our luck again. This time we set up further east of where we started, and made a pass heading north.
With all of us getting a little impatient, we decided to go look for some fish. We headed to the NW corner of Kelly's Island, marked a few fish and were setting up when Nate texted me some numbers that were just a little to the NW/W of us, and said that they were catching. So, we picked everything back up and headed back towards the monument. As we approached the area from the east, we marked a lot of fish in small pods, so we set down and started trolling. We ended my part of the day at 3pm going 7 for 10 fish, with one big 10.10 pound piggy that measured 30 1/2 inches. I had to get back, because I had to be in bed early, for work the next day.
The guys let me drive the boat back in again (Thanks Ron and Bob!), and they dropped me off at the dock with my nets. Bob ran and got the their nets out of their truck and they headed back out for a little more fishing. This time, they headed closer in to the monument and I got a text telling me that they just set up and caught a triple....getting two of the three fish in the boat. Then, they finished out their limit with two more fish and headed back home to Michigan.
It was a super fun day fishing with these two gentlemen, and I couldn't thank them enough for getting me back out on the water yesterday. I'm thinking that will hold my cabin fever back for at least another three weeks. (Fingers crossed!!) And, then, by that time, it will be time for the Columbus Fishing Show, and my boat will be at Vic's Sports Center, and spring will be right around the corner. Woot! Woot!
Yes, I think I might just make it to spring now, without losing my mind..... :)
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
A Prime Trophy Walleye Weekend Has Opened Up....
by Capt Juls on 01/07/16
Had a customer call to reschedule a spring walleye trip, due to a daughter's Horse competition that same weekend.
So, Saturday April 30th and Sunday May 1st are now available.
My next available weekend wouldn't be until June, so if you want a good weekend to do some trophy walleye fishing on Lake Erie's Western Basin....contact me asap....
RNGRGAL@gmail.com or call (419)835-7347
Fishing with Ben, Mike, and Drew 12/23/15
by Capt Juls on 12/23/15Last night, I received a call from Ben Rewa, (one of my regular customers) asking me if I wanted to go fishing this morning on his boat. How could I refuse? It's the day before Christmas Eve, and it's a 60+ degree day, and the walleye are biting right now! :)
Ben, and his boss's sons, Mike and Andrew (Drew), drove in from Michigan early this morning, and picked me up at my house at 7am. We headed to Huron to launch, and were on the water by 7:30-7:45. Ben asked me where we should go, so I told him I wanted to go left out of the Huron River and hit one of my favorite spots that isn't far off shore. The Sawmill Hump just seems to hold fish most times of the year, so I figured with the chance of gusty winds arriving early, we would be sheltered there. And, if they were biting, we would hit the jackpot. Well, guess what....they were there, AND they were biting this morning.
We started out with Smithwick Perfect 10's, run without any weight, behind Offshore planer boards 50-75 back at 1.4-1.5mph in 24-26' of water.
Mike and Drew have never fished on Lake Erie before, and this was their first big water walleye experience. It didn't take long before they were fighting their first triple, and got all three in the boat. They were all smiles and having a blast!
The program was narrowed down to running the baits 50-65 back and the colors were narrowed down to the Lemon Lime Crush, Blue/Chrome, and that one that has a Purple back, goldish-green sides, and an orange belly (I'm too tired to go look up its name, but you get the idea).
We were off the water by 12:30 with 13 big walleye and one bonus steelhead. It was a really fun time with some really fun guys, and I can't thank them enough for inviting me along. I really needed to get back on the water today! :)
The boys did a fantastic job reeling in most of the fish, and setting the lines once they learned how to do it. I will be fishing with Mike and Drew again this spring, when they bring their Dad back on April 12th for a trophy walleye trip.
Well, that's definitely, most probably, my last trip out on the lake this season, so I'll see you all "Next Year"!
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!
Happy Holidays to ALL!!
Capt Juls
P.S....
Just a heads up if you're looking for a Spring "Monster Walleye" Adventure...
Don't wait too long to book an April or May date, because they are filling fast!
The dates still available right now are:
April: 4, 5, 6, 13,
May: 17, 18, 26, 31
Don't wait too long to book an April or May date, because they are filling fast!
The dates still available right now are:
April: 4, 5, 6, 13,
May: 17, 18, 26, 31
Is It Spring Yet??? I'm Bored Out of My Mind!
by Capt Juls on 12/04/15This time of year is very hard for me. My 2015 Ranger went to its new home back in November, and I have been without a boat since. I'm seriously going through fishing withdrawals.
My 2016 Ranger goes into production after Ranger's Christmas shutdown, so it won't be long before she is built. Woot! Woot!
I'm counting down the days until my first trip, and it can't come soon enough!
April and May dates are filling up fast, so if you want to get in on some trophy Lake Erie Walleye action, don't hesitate to book your trip. It's still pretty cold in April, so dress for the weather. While it can be 60-70 degrees on shore on some fortunate days, the temperature on the water is still in the high 30's to low 40's, due to the water temperature.
The dates I have left available in April are:
3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 13, 25, 26, & 27.
The dates I have left available in May are:
3, 4, 5, 17, 18, 20, 26, 27, & 31.
That's not to say that the trophy walleye fishing ends at the end of May. It doesn't. They are just no longer grouped up in the Western Basin in thick schools, where they spawn.
The fishing in June and July is pretty fantastic too, and the weather is more stable and a lot warmer. So, if you're not into fishing when it's cold out, but still want to catch big fish, June and July are the better choice for you.
We often travel up into Canadian waters, if the bite warrants it, so a Canadian license would be needed, and can be bought online, with a one day option.
However, know that you can buy a license, but when I call in to Canada to get permission to enter their waters, if you have any felonies on your record, they can turn us away. So, being given a license to fish up there doesn't mean they will give permission to let you fish up there. If that's the case, just let me know in advance, so I can make other plans on where to fish for the day. :)
It's not even Christmas yet, and I'm already planning trips in my head....lol
Deep sigh.....
I wish you all the very Merriest of Christmas's, or Holidays, and a Happy New Year!
See you in the Spring....
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Another Season Comes to an End...
by Capt Juls on 11/06/15Good morning....just a few thoughts....
It was a strange season, wrought with some bad weather sprinkled throughout, that had me scrambling to reschedule trips, but over all...it was a good season. :)
I would like to thank all my customers, both new and old, who made my season a fun one! We caught a lot of walleye and perch, and had a lot of laughs, and I'm already looking forward to next season.
My 2015 Ranger has gone on to her new home now, and the 2016 Ranger/Evinrude has been ordered for next season. Now, the hard part...waiting until spring!
I want to thank all my sponsors who have stuck with me throughout the past 15 years, and made my "life" possible, because without them, I couldn't do what I do!
Thank you Vic's Sports Center, Ranger Boats, Evinrude, Minn-Kota, Humminbird, Off Shore Tackle, EZSteps, RS Nets, World Wide Marine Ins., Costa Sunglasses, and the Jewelry Mechanic....your quality products make my job a very enjoyable experience!
I depend on all my equipment in order to do my job and keep my customers safe. Nothing gives me the confidence to do that like my sponsor's products do. So, I really can't thank them enough for what they do to make the fishing experience an exceptional one, not only for myself, but for my customers too. If I had a dollar for every positive comment made from people in my boat, I would be a rich woman! Ha! :)
While my season is over, I am still getting out fishing with friends, at least for another week, because I will be starting back at the local animal shelter next Friday, to help them for the next 4 months.
I'll also be renewing my Captain's license over the winter, because it's due for renewal in August, but I don't want to be messing with that while trying to run the business next season, so I'll get it done over the winter. I can't believe it's already going on 5 years. It's true what they say, "time sure flies when you're having fun"!
Another thing I have to get straightened out is...
I bought a new MAC computer and now it loads all my photos sideways to this site, so I have to find out how to prevent that before next season starts, because you all know how I like my pictures!
So, until next season.....I wish everyone a safe and wonderful winter season!
I'll see you in the spring!
Capt Juls
Nice Day to End the Season...
by Capt Juls on 10/30/15We got a late start to the morning, due to a train that had stopped in the middle of the tracks over in the middle of Oak Harbor, and trapped my MI crew for a 1/2 hour, before someone gave them directions around it, in order to get to my house.
We loaded up and headed to Mazurik's to launch at 11am. We headed straight for Kelly Shoal, where the plan was to troll the top of it in 15-20 foot of water with stick baits. With a dwindling northwest wind, the lake was laying down nicely, so it was a decent ride out there.
We set up on the NW side of the shoal and aimed for the green can on the west side of the shoal, staying to the inside of it as we headed to the NE corner of Kelly's Island. The Onix was showing nice marks in the 38'-36' of water, but as we came up into the shallower stuff, the marks disappeared. I kept the line though, thinking maybe the boat was scaring them to the sides where our baits were.
My crew, which was a grandfather and his 14 year old grandson, had never run Off Shore boards before, so after a quick lesson for each one, they were setting the lines by themselves. We ran Bandits, Deep Husky Jerk 12's, and a Perfect 10 with a 1oz weight off the boards, and one 4 oz bottom bouncer off the deeper corner.
We only caught two 19" walleye in a pass and a half, and they wanted to go perch fishing, since the walleye fishing was slow. Heck, I was happier than heck to see those two walleye...lol But, we went perch'n instead. The 14year old has never done a lot of fishing, and was getting bored, so I thought the perch fishing might be more entertaining. However.....
Our first spot was up on the NE corner of Gull Island Shoal, and we were getting bites, but not fast bites. The boy never brought up a fish, but the Grand Pops and I were starting to get them going.
I made the mistake of paying attention to a big white boat that was anchored off the NE buoy on Kelly Shoal, and thought, "If they have been there that long, then they must be catching over there". So, in an effort to get a better bite, so the boy could possibly catch some too, I made the move over there.
Then, I got a text from Capt Mike Sawyer which said, "Did you just pass me on Kelly Shoal? The perch fishing is BRUTAL". ....ugh...oh no. I think I made a mistake. lol After getting Mike on the phone, he said that they had dropped the hook four times in that same area, because they weren't getting them going. I told him that I was going to go try over by the stone dock on the NW corner of Kelly's, if it's no good here....so, we left.
The Stone dock was void of perch, but had a lot of gobies....deep sigh. I told Gramps that we should have stayed in the first spot, because I think the bite was just getting better and better, and we had only been there for a 1/2 hour before giving that spot up. (I tend to have less patience when someone in the boat is bored and not catching fish)....lesson learned. Set a timer, and give more time!!
The guys decided that they had had enough and would cut the trip to 4 hours instead of the 6 hours we had scheduled, because of the less than stellar fishing, and the late start to the day....they wanted to get back on the road to Detroit. So, we went in after 4 hours.
They had a good time, despite the fishing, and would like to try it in the spring or early summer. This fall bite is off whack during the day, but I'm guessing that the night bite might be getting pretty good from what I'm hearing. Don't ask me about it though, because I'm not night fishing, and don't have any details...sorry!
This is my last fishing report of the season....out of my boat anyway. My Ranger goes buh bye on Monday...which is sad. But, the new Ranger/G2 combo has been ordered and will be ready to fish in the Spring!
I'm perch'n off a big boat tomorrow, with a bunch of other captains, so now I get to relax and be the customer for a change. :)
I'll post a perch report tomorrow....
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Last Trip of the Season...
by Capt Juls on 10/30/15It's been a busy month, with a lot of wind, and a lot of rescheduled trips for the spring! I have been busy fishing on the big boats, working as a first mate, when it was too rough for my customers, and they wanted to reschedule, to the spring.
I have also been busy putting together my boat order for the 2016. The new Ranger will be powered by the new Evinrude G2, so I'm really excited to try that out next season. I have heard nothing but good things about the new G2. Speaking of new things, Humminbird has come out with the Helix electronics in the larger models, and the new 12's have the CHIRP technology, so those will be on the new Ranger next season too. And, of course, the Minn Kota Ulterra trolling motor! I loved that self stow and deploy this season, and couldn't be happier with it. It worked flawlessly for me all season. I'm looking forward to trying out all the new "toys" next season...it just gets better and better every year. Woot! Woot!
Today is a walleye trip, which will be tricky after this blow we just had. Gale force winds blew a lot of water out of this end of the lake, but on the bright side, the winds were out of the SW, so it didn't tear up the shoreline and make it a mud hole.
Today's forecast is calling for NW winds at 10mph or less by Noon, so it should be a decent day.
I haven't been walleye fishing, since the perch have been on fire, and the walleye bite has been spotty at best. It's been a very strange fall for walleye, and I can't remember a time in the last 15 years, that the fall bite for walleye was so poor.
We find areas with marks from 15' down to the bottom, and nothing we offer them works. In years past, if we found marks like these, we would make a run through them with our offerings and put a lot of fish in the boat. What's going on? I wish I could answer that.
We're going to hit Kelly Island Shoal today and run cranks over the top of it, to start. If we can't get any walleye going, we will break out the perch stuff, just to put some meat in the cooler for my customers.
It's a grandfather and his 14 year old grandson, so I want it to be fun for the boy.
I'll report back later today...
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Sorry! It's a day late..Perch Fishing with the MI Guys 10/10/15
by Capt Juls on 10/11/15Jeff, Don, and Ken met me at my house at 6:40am, and we loaded them in the Excursion and headed to the bait shop to get some fresh emerald shiners for a day of perch fishing. However, I was disappointed in the scoop count, and doubly disappointed with the price for the short scoop count, so I scrambled to get some frozen shiners from a friend's boat, at "Anchors Away Marina", in case we needed them, because I didn't grab any out of my freezer. Luckily, I was able to catch him before he got out fishing, and I traded some brownies for some frozen shiners, so everyone was happy. lol
We headed to the last place I had caught some nice perch a couple days before, which was up at the red buoy at North Bass. My friends, who run "Eagle Eye Charters", "Pooh Bear Charters", and "Eye Catcher Charters" were all up there too. But, the bite was slow. Nice fish...but, slow. So, I made a move south to the green can at North Bass, and didn't find any there, so we moved again. This time we traveled down between North Bass and Middle Bass to head towards Rattle Snake Island, where we all know there is still a decent bite going on. They are smaller fish, on average, but still good eaters.
The Onix marked some fish in that passage, so we stopped to drop some lines down and see if we could find out what they were, but there were no takers. We didn't stay long, because I didn't think they were perch. So, we moved further west over to the pack of boats that were sitting on West Reef, on the SW corner of North Bass.
I marked some good fish south of the pack, and SW of the red can that marks the reef, so we hit the Spot Lock on the Ulterra and started fishing. Immediately, we got bites. The first fish up was a small yellow perch, so I was confident the marks below us were a school of perch.
We caught a lot of fish there, with a lot of throw backs, but the longer we fished the bigger the perch got. When we hit 102 the bite slowed down, and we ground it out until we had 108...just 12 more to go until we hit a four person limit. But, Ken said, "Now would be a good time to go try for some walleye", and everyone agreed. So, I kept them fishing for perch while I readied everything for trolling walleye. We got all the perch stuff put away, and I got on the radio with Capt. Nate, who runs the "Chelsea IV" boat. He had gotten all of his perch at Green Island and was going to go try trolling the "picket fence" (firing range cans) for walleye.
After a quick, "what are you going to do?" conversation, he headed to "E" can, and I headed to the ''Niagra" and "D" can area. I had some great marks, that looked to be walleye, from 15-30 foot down, so we ran something in all depths of the water column. We ran Bandits, Reef Runners, and Deep Husky Jerks off of the Off Shore Boards with 2 and 3oz snap weights, and two dispsey, with the #3 setting at 35 & 41 back, off the corners of the boat with big spoons.
I wish I had a report for walleye, but those buggers will not bite anything right now. Seems to be that way all over, from what I'm hearing. Huron is a mud hole and there are a ton of marks, but no biting fish. It's a VERY strange year in that regard, but I'm hoping that after the mud, that the last blow created over in that area cleans up, the fish will put the feed bag on again. If it weren't for the little baby walleye hatchlings from this spring, I wouldn't remember what a walleye looks like! We have caught a ton of them while perch'n.
We only had one big pull back on a Deep Husky Jerk, but it was off as fast as it pulled that Off Shore board back! And, we had one 6 inch walleye caught on a big spoon off the dipsey. That spoon was almost the same size as the walleye! What was that little guy thinking? "I'm a big fish! Look at me!", he probably told himself. ;)
Anyway, it was a beautiful day on the water, with a very fun crew of gentlemen who have plenty of experience fishing the way I do, so it was easy work for me. I got to enjoy the day like I was just out fishing with my fishing friends. No instruction necessary. And, days like those are far and few between. Don't get me wrong...I like to teach people how to fish like I do, but it's always a pleasure to fish with folks who already know how to do it!
I had the day off today, (Sunday), and I have tomorrow off too. I will be back at it Tuesday through Sunday, for both walleye and perch, so please pray for good winds. We need that dirty water to clean up, so we have a chance to figure out what those finicky walleye want to eat right now.
Oh, and before I forget to mention...the bigger perch seemed to like those frozen shiners in Wintergreen rubbing alcohol over the fresh ones. Some days are like that, and other days, it's the other way around. ;)
Stay tuned....I'll try to keep you posted in a more timely fashion.
Capt Juls
Went Fun Fishing today...
by Capt Juls on 10/07/15First time out since the big blow this past weekend. The satellite picture shows the water cleaning up nicely on the west side and north side of the islands. I think Huron still needs a day or two to clean up more, before we start looking for walleye over there though.
Some walleye were being caught NW of the Dumping Grounds in Huron before the blow, and maybe this cooler water that blew in from the NE brought some of those "east fish" back here. I guess we'll find out this weekend, or next week.
My Saturday trip just emailed me to tell me he's come down with that nasty upper respiratory "ick" that is going around, and has to cancel. I may have it refilled, but will know later tonight.
I went fun fishing with another captain this morning, and we got a two man limit of decent sized perch (9" average) on the north side of North Bass in 2 hours. It was pretty much up and down, once we got them going after about 20 minutes.
Rickard's had Emerald shiners this morning, and I heard that Hi Way Bait had got some in today too.
Good luck if you get out tomorrow...it should be a nice day. Friday looks kind of icky, but the weekend looks like it's going to be pretty nice.
Capt Juls
She's Blowing this week....deep sigh
by Capt Juls on 10/01/15
Mother Nature is mad. She's huffing and puffing. I had to cancel a three day trip this weekend, and my Tuesday and Wednesday just rescheduled to the spring. Thanks Momma N!!
On the bright side, hopefully, this will push those big walleye from from the east back over this way again. When it cleans up, the walleye bite should be back on over here! Fingers crossed!
925/-9/26/15
by Capt Juls on 09/26/15
Yesterday's trip was pretty much a bust. I had three fellas in the boat and we hit 13 spots, only to catch 23 perch in 8 hours!
Today was a little better action. Three of us hit two spots and ended up with their two man limit of 60 perch in 6 hours.
It wasn't fast catching, but there were plenty of missed bites to keep our interest. We didn't have a lot of junk fish either, so that was good.
The same two guys will be fishing with me tomorrow, for 4 hours, and we plan to hit the Rattlesnake and Green Island area again, since the winds will be out of the SE.
If you go out, don't worry about wondering where to fish, because there were a gazillion boats out there today.
Day Two with John and John 9/23/15
by Capt Juls on 09/23/15I woke up thinking what a great day it was going to be, because the lake was going to be flat, and I could run fast in my sparkly Ranger up to Canada in a speedy fashion. Even as I drove out to Big Bopper's for breakfast, the fog was a tell tale sign that there was no wind. Well, the wind was somehow out on the lake and not on shore....go figure! While it wasn't bad, I couldn't go fast like I wanted to....deep sigh.
John Nash and his friend, John Linder, loaded up the boat with their personal gear and we were off. We launched out of Mazurik's at 7am, along with a plethora of BASS US Bass Open competitors, who were prefishing for their last day before their event starts out of Sandusky tomorrow. The ramp was crowded, but it made me feel right at home, like back when I was launching to fish a tournament too. :)
We set out for a long ride up to the NE side of Pelee Island, and the Helipad up there. We stopped and fished two spots before hitting a third spot out near the dumping grounds where a handful of boats were perch'n. We caught a total of 27 really nice...really-really nice... perch up there, before I decided it was time to go try for some more down by Middle Island. The wind was picking up and the waves were now 2-3's, and it would be a following sea on our way back down. So, we took our time, and had a nice ride while they ate their brownies.
We stopped near Middle to get three more perch to round out a one person limit before setting up for some walleye trolling. They fished for those while I ate my lunch. By the time I was done with my sandwich, they had those last three fish in the box.
I turned off the Ulterra's Spot Lock and simply turned the boat around to make a pass down the west side of Gull Shoal. We ran Bandits 30/45 with 1oz Snap-weights, and 30/30 with 2oz snap-weights, and two dipsies with big spoons at 2.0-2.2mph.
The dipsie went off first, and the rod action showed a pretty good fish. We lost it when John wasn't used to tripping the dipsie, and jerked it a little too hard (twice), and the fish came off. lol
At one point we ended up pretty shallow on the shoal, because a giant sheephead sunk the Off Shore board and it took forever to get in, and I wasn't paying attention to our direction...uffda! But, as a bonus for being preoccupied, we did catch a very nice small mouth up on top of the rocks in 15 foot of water. :)
After several more sheephead and one small 12" walleye, they decided to cut their 10 hour trip down to 8 hours, and we headed in.
They both said they had a good time, had plenty of meat, and wanted to come back in the spring for some of our piggy walleye action....and, that makes me happy! :)
I'm off tomorrow, and will be on a search mission to find some Emerald Shiners for Friday's perch trip.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
