Juls WFA Blog
Fishing with Jim and Karen...7/5/2024
by Capt Juls on 07/05/24My crew was driving in this morning, and asked if we could launch a little later than my usual time of 5:30, so we launched at 6:30, out of Mazurik's. Jim and Karen have fished with me before, but it's been a while. The last time was back in 2019. Jim bought a gift certificate last winter, and gave it to Karen for Christmas, and we finally made it out this morning.
It was a beautiful morning, with light winds out of the WSW, sunshine, and an air temp in the 70s. There was supposed to be chance of rain and storms this afternoon, but the system split as it neared the lake, and most of it went north, and some of it went south, but missed Port Clinton. Either way, it wasn't going to be an issue for a morning trip.
We headed ENE from Marblehead and when we hit 43 feet of water, the boat came off plane, and we started marking fish, so we set up there. After the Terrova and baby Merc were working in unison,and headed on a ENE trolling pass, the FishHawk was deployed, so I could dial in my target speed of 2.3-2.5mph.
As I refreshed Jim's memory on how to attach, and set the Off Shore boards out, I explained why I was rigging them the way I do now, with the front arm releasing from the line...allowing the board to swing backwards, center up behind the boat, and come in much easier, especially when a big sheephead decides to bury it under water. He agreed that it was a much better system, than the way I used to do it...(where I was keeping both releases attached to the line, until it got to the boat).
The set up was the same as the past several reports on my page, so a simple search/scroll down will give you that detailed info. It's too close to my bedtime right now, for me to be inspired to write it all out again....forgive me. ;)
We went through a lot of fish to keep our 18 keepers of 16-20" inch fish...(most being 16-18")...and, Jim and Karen were happy with their catch, because they've been wanting to cook up some walleye for a while now, and those are perfect eaters. :)
The bug hatch was horrendous north of Cedar Point/SE of Kelly's, but hopefully, it won't last long.
I'm off again until Tuesday....
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Attempted Fishing with Vicky, Greg, and Steve....6/28/2024
by Capt Juls on 06/28/24This was just one of those mornings that went from bad to worse...
So....
While I was waiting at Mazurik's for my crew to arrive, I had already gotten the boat ready to go. I was looking forward to fishing with Vicky, Greg, and Steve, because they are all retired ODNR and WaterCraft officers, and Vicky was friends with my late ex-husband, Rick LaCourse.
Anyway...while I was waiting, I had stepped up on the trailer fender, to reach for something in the cubby hole in front of the steering wheel. When I stepped down, my foot caught the edge of the concrete and the grass, and twisted my ankle pretty bad...down I went...right as they were pulling in. They saw it all...lol
They got out of the truck and asked if I was okay. I said I would be in a few minutes. I have to tell you though, it hurt really bad, and I was cursing under my breath, hoping I didn't do any serious damage. The pain subsided enough to get the boat launched, and we headed out.
Then, as we headed out into the rough morning water, the Hunmminbird at the dash lost power, and I had no GPS, or sonar. I had an issue with it the last trip out, but it worked once we got to our spot the other day. I checked the connections when I got home, and everything was tight. So, I thought it would at least turn on when we got out to the area I was headed to, and work like it did the other day. Well, it turned on for about two minutes, and then went off for good.
"We're going to have to fish on faith, I guess. We're out here, we might as well, see if we can catch something, since you wanted to learn how to set these Off Shore boards." They were game.
We caught 4 sheephead and three small walleye, before I said, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to call this trip over. My ankle is starting to throb, and I can't charge you a full price without working electronics to make this trip the best it can be". They were good with going back in, because it was rough, and they couldn't stand up in the boat. Steve learned what he wanted to learn in the short time we spent out there, so had no problem going back in.
To make a long story short...after checking the fuse, which was good, I thought I was going to have to change the power cord, so I ran to BPS to get one. Matt Wieland came over this afternoon with a power checker thingy, and found that the original cord still had power to it, so it had to be the connector. I had checked it yesterday, but while it appeared to be in the right spot, correctly...it wasn't. Matt readjusted it, and cured the problem, making it a tighter fit, and making this fiasco a cheap and easy fix. Thanks Matt!!
My ankle is on the mend, and feeling a little better now that it has had ice on it, and a couple of ibuprofin were swallowed, so I think after a good night's rest, it will be fine.
I don't have any trips scheduled for the weekend, and tomorrow looks like crap anyway, so no loss there. My Monday and Tuesday trip was a couple coming from Iowa, but emailed me last night to let me know they can't make it, due to all the flooding happening out there right now, and that more rain is on the way. They are going to try again next June.
So, I won't be back out until the 3rd and 4th with a couple fellas from MN. :)
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with TJ, Layla, and Jager...6/26/2024
by Capt Juls on 06/26/24TJ Williams called me yesterday, with a hope that I had an opening this week, because he was here camping with his family through the weekend, and wanted to take his kids fishing. I told him that I had the this morning open, and that the winds looked good to get out for a short trip, before forecasted winds and a thunderstorm were due to show up. He was all for it.
I told them to meet me at Mazurik's, and we would launch by 6am. I stuck to my original schedule and showed up there at 5:15, and got things ready, so we could just jump in the boat and go when they got there. They showed up on time, and we headed out. I headed for the area north/northeast of Cedar Point, and marked fish there, so I got busy setting out lines.
You guessed it, the same program I've been using the past three trips was set.
Bill Lewis PWC Lites on the starboard side, and baby Spros on the port side ran behind the Off Shore boards with 2 oz Guppie weights set at 50/80, 50/50, and 50/27 on the starboard side, and 50/67, 50/47, and 50/30 on the port side.
PWC colors were the Green Tiger, Blue Shiner, and Black Headed WB (chrome).
Baby Spro colors were Chrome Perch, Purple Glass Perch, and Blue Chrome.
The dipsies ran on the zero settings at 45 and 4 back. The two setting was at 65 back, and the three setting was at 85 back. The black/gold Ripplin Redfin did best on the 3 setting at 85 back. The Red Headed WB Scorpion spoon on the zero setting at 47 back was good, too. The Baby Walleye Yaleye Mooneye Minnow caught three, I think. The 2 setting ran a Confusion Yeck (d-11) spoon, and caught fish, also.
Speed was kept at 2.3-2.5mph
Water temp dropped from 75 degrees (from my last time out) to 73 degrees this morning.
Jager is 7 years old, and reeled a few in, before he went to the bow to go back to sleep. Layla (12 yo) and TJ reeled in their limits, and put them in the cooler for a family fish fry with relatives back at camp, before it was decided that a 4 hour trip was long enough for them.
We went through a lot of small itty-bitty fish, and sheephead also, so it was pretty much non-stop action for the time they were out there. They had a great time, and were grateful to be headed back with enough fish to feed everyone, and that makes me happy!
The forecast is for 12-15 with gusts to 20, out of the north tomorrow, so the couple I was scheduled with will be rescheduling, due to the Mrs being prone to serious seasickness, so we will pick a better day for them to get out. They are local, so rescheduling is not an issue for them.
I will be back out Friday with another couple that is local.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing Day 2 with Jeremy, Greg, and Steve...6/22/2024
by Capt Juls on 06/22/24The dogs woke me up 45 minutes before my alarm was to go off, so I just got up, and stayed up. A cup of coffee, out on the back deck, hit the spot. While the dogs were busy with their morning routine of sniffing the yard for any critters that may have traveled through during the night, I checked the weather apps for the day's forecast.
I use iWindSurf for wind, Clime-NOAA for the weather/wind/precipitation, and RadarScope for incoming systems.
This time of year, when we will travel several miles out on the lake, I like to check the "Erie West Buoy", or otherwise known as the, "Weather Bouy", to us locals...because, it gives a good idea of what the lake will be like far off shore, and east of Kelly's.
This morning, it was 76 degrees, and muggy, when I left the house, and headed to Mazurik's, to meet my crew. I told them to meet me at 5AM so they could help me with a missing bolt in one of my trailer bunks. I got there at 4:30, so I could have the boat ready to go, when they got there. They showed up at 4:45.
We launched the boat, so I stayed with the boat, and they went to work on putting a new bolt in its spot on the trailer. We were headed out at 5:05am. Sunrise, right now, is 6:01, so it was still pretty dark out. I wasn't comfortable leaving that early, but the sky was glowing yellows and oranges, against a dark purple backdrop, to the east. We would just go slower, so we could avoid the commercial nets out there.
I wanted to stay closer today, and found a big pod of fish NE of Cedar Point, in 43 feet of water, so we set up there. I was able to get all the lines set, which kind of puzzled me, so I wondered if they were even walleye....or, why the heck they weren't biting.
Maybe, you could say, I get a little bit spoiled by these fish and expect that kind of bite all the time. lol
Anyway, as soon as I said, "I think, we should pick up and head back to the weather buoy. I don't think the wind will be that bad up there, today."....whoosh, the outside board on the port side went flying back. I was in the middle of putting dipsies away, when it happened, so I could only laugh, and say, "It happens every time I say I'm going to move!" The three of them laughed. It was a nice little eater around 18 inches long.
We caught another one, but I didn't want to spend the morning taking little fish off, and resetting lines. I was the only one setting lines yesterday and today, because my crew likes to fish, but they only get together once or twice a year, to do it. So, rather than try to train them, and have things take three times as long to set up...I did it all myself. "Let's get out of here", I said. We headed to the NE, for another 14 miles.
The lake was relatively flat, so I was able to let the big motor open up, and set a cruising speed of 52 mph. It wasn't going to take long to get there. Once we did, we moved on over to the area we fished yesterday. While there were more boats up there this morning, it was still considered, light traffic. Also, they were closer to the buoy than we were, so no one would be in our path.
We set up with the same program, that was dialed in during the two previous adventures up there.
On the starboard side, the Bill Lewis "PWC Lites" ran with 2 oz Guppie weights, behind Off Shore boards, at 50/80, 50/60, and 50/40.
On the port side, the baby "Spro 85s" ran at the 50/70, 50/57, and 50/43.
Colors were the same as the previous day, too.
PWC Lites: Green Tiger (2), and Blue Shiner.
Spro 85s: Chrome Perch, Purple Glass Perch, and Blue Chrome.
Dipsies ran the Ripplin Redfin (2), Yaleye Mooneye Minnow, and a spoon.
They didn't catch as many as the cranks behind boards did, but they caught some nice ones.
Zero setting at 47 and 50, the two setting at 65, and the three setting at 85 back.
Speed was normally held at 2.3-2.5mph, on the FishHawk. Sometimes, we went faster, and sometimes we went slower. They ate at every speed. However, let it be known, that the little baits, running behind the boards do not necessarily like to go over 2.6mph. They sometimes blow out...twist up...and, ruin the line/reel calibration, due to all the line that has to get stripped off, due to twisting. I have four reels getting respooled tomorrow. Uffda.
During one of those horrific tangles...I ended up having to handline a fish in, because the line wouldn't go through the guides. "Get the net! We've got a big one here", I yelled. And, one of them netted it, to get it in the boat. I wasn't going to swing it like a handliner, because the dipsey rods were in the way, and she was too big to swing. I think, that one went 27 inches.
We finished at 10am with 24 walleye in the cooler, and threw back around 7 sheephead, 2 white bass, and 3 shorts.
The water temp at the buoy was 75 degrees.
My guys were very happy with their two day outing, and are going back to Wisconsin with their fishy bounty to share with their friends and family, and that makes me happy.
Jeremy said he was told about me by someone back home, that reads my blog, has his own boat he brings down here, and fishes out here any chance he gets. Jeremy said his friend was on his way down here this weekend, and will be staying out on one of the islands for the next week. So, to Jeremy's friend, thank you for recommending me to them, and good luck next week! :)
I'm off tomorrow, and need to get a lot of chores done, but will be back out Monday and Tuesday.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Jeremy, Greg, and Steve...6/21/2024
by Capt Juls on 06/22/24
Short story today...it's hot and I need to cut my grass before this thunderstorm rolls in.
Fun morning, with this Wisconsin crew. Launched out of vermilion at 5:15, and hit the weather buoy area again…set up by 6:20. Same program I got dialed in mid morning, yesterday, and finished in half the time, today….the fish were not as big as yesterday, but still didn’t have to measure any. Only two legit throw backs, and a handful of keeper size, that we let go, to get bigger.
Fishing with "Papa Mike", Mike, and Michael...6/20/2024
by Capt Juls on 06/20/24At 2am, it felt like I was stepping into a sauna, when I hit the back deck with the dogs, and a coffee in hand. The wind apps were showing light and variable winds, so I thought the lake would be smooth enough to launch out of Mazurik's and head out towards the Weather Buoy, and not take forever to get there.
I met my crew at Mazurik's at 5:15, and we headed out at 5:30. The sky was clear, the air was a humid 75 degrees, and the wind was around 5mph out of the E in the South Passage....NNW on the east side of Kelly's...and the NNE-E up on the line. Needless to say, the lake was not smooth, and it took us around 50 minutes to go 17 miles. It looked smooth, but the rollers were enough to keep me from going fast, and beating everyone, and the boat, up.
Once we got out there, I wasn't marking fish, like I have over the past several years, at this time. I silently panicked a little bit, because that was a long run to a spot that wasn't holding fish.
I decided that the marks we were being shown were enough to set up on, and hoped that they would improve as we trolled, so I got busy. "Do you want to learn how to set lines, and stuff?", I asked Mike. He replied, that he didn't have a boat, and didn't need to learn it, so that saved me a lot of time, and talking. :)
I started with the same program that has been working for me, over the past couple of weeks. The "Blue Shiner" Baby Billy PWCs (Bill Lewis "Precision Walleye Crank Lite" for those that don't know what I'm talking about)....caught the first one at 100 back (50/50 with a 2oz Guppie weight). We saw it, and it was a nice fish, but we lost it. I said, "Good, at least we know there are some hungry fish around".
I was relieved to have one hit so quickly, while I was still setting lines, because I was marking very little on the Humminbird, when it did. However, I know from past experience, that this has happened to me before...where I wasn't marking anything, but the bite was good, so I had a glimmer of hope of being able to stay there. And, not have to go find fish. (We had already spent 50 minutes of their time on the ride out).
We started in 42 feet of water, directly south of the buoy, and had the nose of the Vexus pointed SW, at a speed of 2.3-2.5mph. When we hit 46 feet of water, there were no marks at all. So, I turned the boat around, so we could get back up on top of that bar, and stay in the 42-44 feet of water. It seemed like it took forever to get back to the right depth, but once we did, we started picking away at them.
However, I wasn't happy with the speed of the bite, so I started changing up baits. Three ineffective spoons came off the dipsies, and were replaced with "Rippling Red Fins" in blue/chrome, and black/gold chrome (2). The fourth dipsey remained a spoon, but I changed it out several times, until the fish told me they liked the NASCAR "Michigan Stinger" spoon.
The Redfins caught several nice fish, and the spoon caught 3, I think....it wasn't out that long.
I changed out one black/gold Redfin with a "Baby Walleye" (I think that's the name) "Yaleye Mooneye Minnow"....and, it caught some beauties.
The zero setting lines, were set at 47 and 54 back. The two setting, was set at 65 back and the 3 setting started out at 55, but when I changed out the spoon for the Redfin, I moved the dipsey to 85 back, and it started catching better.
All these set ups caught fish.
The starboard side ran the baby PWCs at my usual program of "Green Tiger" at 50/80 with 2oz, "Blue Shiner" at 50/50, and "Barbie" at 50/27. Barbie did nothing for a couple hours, so it came off, and another "Green Tiger" was added.
Bandits started out on the port side at 120, 100, and 80 back, but didn't catch anything, so they were replaced with the "Baby Spros" in "Chrome Perch 50/80, Blue Chrome 50/50, and "Purple Glass Perch" 50/47. These all caught at least one fish each, if not two.
We only put 16 walleye in the cooler today, but we lost 9 nice eyes, so we would have limited there, had we been able to get all the fish in the boat. We only had one throw back, and 4-5 Sheephead, so it was nice having a good grade of fish, that didn't need to be measured, for a change. :)
Grandpa Mike, Dad Mike, and Michael (son/grandson) did a great job today, and kept the mood positive, and friendly, so it was a good time. Michael pitched in, and helped me set lines, after getting some quick instructions, and did great.
It was nice to get the help, since the sun was high, and the heat was getting pumped up. I was drip sweating down my face, which drives me nuts. lol
Which reminds me, I should go take a shower.
Tomorrow's crew, came down from Wisconsin, and fished with Capt David Kraut today, because I didn't have today open. I will have them for the next two days.
The weather is going to be hot again, and the winds around 3mph out of the same directions as today.
I think I'll launch out of Vermilion tomorrow. I'd rather pay for truck gas, than the premium stuff the big black beast on the back of my boat drinks. Vermilion will save me several miles of travel, and I can run the trough out, if it's out of the ENE.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Gary, Denny, and Gina...6/18/24
by Capt Juls on 06/18/24The family went back to Wisconsin on Monday, so I had my normal morning routine, of taking the dogs out on the back deck with my cup of coffee, and my phone. I check the weather and wind apps for the morning's forecasts, and figure out my game plan for the day's trip, while the dogs eat their morning treat, and carry stuffed animals around, to show each other.
I liked heading out at 4am the day before, so I did it again, and after hitting the gas station for ice, I headed for Huron. The parking lot was empty, and so it was quiet. It was already a warm 75 degrees at 4:30, and the wind was light out of the SE. The app said it was supposed to be SW, but it was definitely coming out of the SE.
Gary, and his Nephew, Denny, and Denny's wife, Gina were driving over from Norwalk, and showed up at 5am...15 minutes early.
I told them, "We can launch, but I'll go real slow on the way out of the river...I need for it to lighten up a bit, so I can see out there".
(I don't know where nets are being set out there, but I have seen the commercial fisheries boat headed out of the river, each morning.)
We were out of the mouth of the river around 5:20. The Vexus got on plane and headed NNE. I had no where in particular I was headed to, because there are fish all over out there, right now. I just wanted to get to a little deeper water, like 43-44 feet, before I slowed down, to start looking at the fish marks.
It didn't take long, to just say, "Let's just start here", because I had been marking fish the entire way out, and why leave fish, to go find fish. ;)
The FishHawk was deployed, and the speed set with the Terrova, and the baby Merc, before setting lines. This time, I decided to get the Off Shore boards out there first, because trying to get boards out, when the dipsies keep going off...can be frustrating.
I still have the same three Bill Lewis PWC Lites running behind the boards with 2oz Guppie weights, that I have been running the past 5 trips, or so..."Green Tiger", "Emerald Shiner", and "Barbie.
Green Tiger ran at 50/80, EShiner at 50/50, and Barbie at 50/27 at a speed of 2.5mph. These ran on the starboard side.
(For those new to this fishing speak... it means, 50 feet of line out...add the weight...let another 80 feet of line out, and attach the board).
Bandits ran on the port side at 120 (outside...color was "IB Infected" by DJ Custom Eye Lures) 100 (middle..."Buck Fever", by Domka Outdoors) and 80 (inside...Green Clown / stock color), unassisted, (which means no weights).
The cranks were getting hit right away, so it took a while before we could get the dipsies out, but when we did, it was the same program I have been running for two weeks, over deep water.
The zero settings were running at 50 and 60. The two setting was at 65, and the three setting was at 55 back. Scorpion spoons and Yeck D-11s were chosen. "Confusion" was a hot one, so we ran two of those., Another one was one I don't know the name of, but I got it at Hi Way bait, from the suggestion of DJ (DJ Customs), who was working the day that I stopped in. All I can tell you is that it's copper, with a bit of red, and a black dot...and the back, or belly as I call it, was painted blue.
The wind app was wrong this morning, and the wind it was showing never showed up, so the lake was beautiful, and had a 6 inch chop. There was enough wind that the bugs that tormented us yesterday, were no where to be found today. What a relief!
Denny and Gina are from Arkansas, and had never fished for walleye before, so Denny was hands on learning, this morning, and worked hard to learn as much as he could. They had all caught their limits, and I reeled in three of mine, before Denny said, "If we have a limit, we can go in...I have to clean all these myself". To which I replied, "Okay, if you're all good, we'll head back in, my dogs will be very happy to have me home early". They all agreed.
They said they had a great time, and would like to come back again next June...and, that makes me happy! :)
I'm off tomorrow, to take the new pup to the vet for a check up, some shots, and a chip.
I'll be back out Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Vito...6/17/2024
by Capt Juls on 06/17/24I was off over the weekend, while family was here, so I was back to work this morning. The morning routine was disrupted, due to sleeping siblings, and me trying to keep two rambunctious dogs quiet, before I had to leave.
I decided to leave really early (4AM), so they would just go lay down and be quiet. I don't know if that worked, because I was gone, but it was nice and quiet for me. lol
I hit the gas station to gas up the Vexus, and get some ice for the coolers, and headed back to Huron, where I would meet up with Vito at 5:15. But, when I got there at 4:45, the parking lot was empty, except for one vehicle, which just so happened to be Vito's. :)
"What are you doing here so early?", I asked. "Dad was sleeping, and I didn't have anything to do in our room, so I thought I would just come early", he said.
"Well, it's still dark, so we have time", I said. Vito hails from my home state of Wisconsin, and also bought my 2017 Ranger 621, so we had lots to talk about.
We launched, and headed out of the river around 5:15, and marked fish from the mouth of the river all the way out to 39 feet of water. We set up in the 39 feet, and pointed the boat on an ENE troll at a speed of 2.3-2.5mph. (Water temp is up to 71 degrees now).
We could only run 6 rods, because his 90 year old dad didn't come along this morning. He fished with Vito yesterday, and that wore him out. We ran 4 dipsies with my usual program...two on each back corner. The inside rods were on the zero settings, and the two outside rods ran on the two and three settings.
Zero settings were catching best from 50-60 back, and the two setting was run at 65 back, while the three setting ran at the usual 55 back. Scorpion spoons, and Yeck spoons (D-11s) were non-stop catchers.
Two Bill Lewis PWC Lites ran behind the Off Shore boards with 2oz Guppie weights at 50/80 and 50/50, but the 50/80 caught more sheep than anything, so it was switched up to 50/50, because that one was catching nicer walleye.
A big pack of boats began to stack up, straight out of Vermilion, so we stayed south of them, and just kept going over the same fish. We sorted through about 25-30 fish to catch our 12 that went in the cooler, before heading back in at 7:45.
The Midge Fly hatch was brutal this morning, and covered everything in the boat, and us. The kind, where they get in your eyes, nose, mouth, and ears if you don't cover up. It kind of pissed me off, because I had just detailed the boat yesterday, to get it back to showroom clean, and it's not clean anymore....stupid flies. But, they are feeding the fish, so I can't get too mad, when I see fat little bellies on our walleye here.
I'm headed back to Huron in the morning, to meet up with Gary Ebinger, his nephew, and his nephew's wife at 5:15, to put some more fish in the cooler. :)
I hope the flies are less than they were this morning, but I did warn my customers, in case they are just as bad.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Vito...6/17/2024
by Capt Juls on 06/17/24I was off over the weekend, while family was here, so I was back to work this morning. The morning routine was disrupted, due to sleeping siblings, and me trying to keep two rambunctious dogs quiet, before I had to leave.
I decided to leave really early (4AM), so they would just go lay down and be quiet. I don't know if that worked, because I was gone, but it was nice and quiet for me. lol
I hit the gas station to gas up the Vexus, and get some ice for the coolers, and headed back to Huron, where I would meet up with Vito at 5:15. But, when I got there at 4:45, the parking lot was empty, except for one vehicle, which just so happened to be Vito's. :)
"What are you doing here so early?", I asked. "Dad was sleeping, and I didn't have anything to do in our room, so I thought I would just come early", he said.
"Well, it's still dark, so we have time", I said. Vito hails from my home state of Wisconsin, and also bought my 2017 Ranger 621, so we had lots to talk about.
We launched, and headed out of the river around 5:15, and marked fish from the mouth of the river all the way out to 39 feet of water. We set up in the 39 feet, and pointed the boat on an ENE troll at a speed of 2.3-2.5mph. (Water temp is up to 71 degrees now).
We could only run 6 rods, because his 90 year old dad didn't come along this morning. He fished with Vito yesterday, and that wore him out. We ran 4 dipsies with my usual program...two on each back corner. The inside rods were on the zero settings, and the two outside rods ran on the two and three settings.
Zero settings were catching best from 50-60 back, and the two setting was run at 65 back, while the three setting ran at the usual 55 back. Scorpion spoons, and Yeck spoons (D-11s) were non-stop catchers.
Two Bill Lewis PWC Lites ran behind the Off Shore boards with 2oz Guppie weights at 50/80 and 50/50, but the 50/80 caught more sheep than anything, so it was switched up to 50/50, because that one was catching nicer walleye.
A big pack of boats began to stack up, straight out of Vermilion, so we stayed south of them, and just kept going over the same fish. We sorted through about 25-30 fish to catch our 12 that went in the cooler, before heading back in at 7:45.
The Midge Fly hatch was brutal this morning, and covered everything in the boat, and us. The kind, where they get in your eyes, nose, mouth, and ears if you don't cover up. It kind of pissed me off, because I had just detailed the boat yesterday, to get it back to showroom clean, and it's not clean anymore....stupid flies. But, they are feeding the fish, so I can't get too mad, when I see fat little bellies on our walleye here.
I'm headed back to Huron in the morning, to meet up with Gary Ebinger, his nephew, and his nephew's wife at 5:15, to put some more fish in the cooler. :)
I hope the flies are less than they were this morning, but I did warn my customers, in case they are just as bad.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Day 3 of 3 Fishing with Bob, Tom, and Dave....6/14/2024
by Capt Juls on 06/17/24Sorry, I forgot to post this trip's report, due to family staying with me over the weekend.
Day 2 we didn't go. When we got to the launch it was blowing over 20mph out of the SW, and we all agreed that the next day would be better, so no "Day 2".
Day 3, we launched out of Huron, but ran back to the area we fished on day one, when we launched out of Vermilion.
Same program, speed, and baits.
Unfortunately, life got in the way of this story, but they are planning on coming back next year, so I'll get a story done then. :)
Capt Juls
Day 1 of a 3 Day Trip with Bob, Tom, and Dave...6/12/2024
by Capt Juls on 06/12/24
This morning, I picked up my crew at the White Caps Motel at 4:30, and headed to Vermilion again. We hit the gas station on the way, to pick up some ice for the coolers, and were launched by 5:30.
It was a beautiful sunrise, of reds, yellows, and oranges painting the partly cloudy sky with warm colors. The air temp was 67 degrees, and the wind was out of the SSE at 10 mph.
We headed back to where I was yesterday, which was about 6-7 miles NNE, and set up over 44 feet of water. But, unlike yesterday, where we set up over deeper water, and headed towards shallower water...this time, since there was a wind direction change, we set up over shallower water and headed towards deeper water. I had took note, of the amount of fish the Humminbird was marking on our way back in, yesterday, and found them to still be in the same areas, so we started short of where we were yesterday, and set a heading towards it.
The same program that worked yesterday, worked today, too.
We ran dipsies on the zero, two, and three settings. The two inside dipsies, on the zero settings were set at 54 on the starboard side, and 40 on the port side. The two setting ran on the starboard side at 65 back, and the three setting ran on the port side at 55 back.
Yeck spoons and Scorpion spoons ran off the dipsies and were in constant action.
The starboard side ran Bill Lewis PWC Lites with 2 oz snap weights at 50/80, 50/50, and 50/27 behind Off Shore boards.
The port side could only run two baits behind the boards, due to the rod limitation, of three per angler. So, two Bandits ran at 120 and 80 back, unassisted.
Speed was 2.3-2.5 mph
Water temp was 67 degrees
Stronger SSW winds tomorrow morning, so we will not be going back out that way, and will launch out of Mazurik's or Dempsey's...I'm not sure yet.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Dan and Mike...6/11/2024
by Capt Juls on 06/11/24The other night, when I was climbing in bed, I got a phone call from Dan. He and his Dad had just arrived in Port Clinton, and had never fished Lake Erie before. I gave him what information I had that might help them, and said, "Good night".
The next day, I sent them a text, "Are you doing okay out there? Are you catching?". He replied, saying that it was pretty rough, and that they were back on shore eating lunch. They hadn't caught anything. Dan asked if I had the next day open, but I didn't, and told him I had Tuesday open, if they wanted it. They did.
I picked them up at 4:30, at their Air B-N-B, and we headed to Vermilion to launch. The wind forecast was for 5-8mph out of the NW-N-NE for the morning, so I thought it would be better to launch there, than at Huron. I knew it would be rough, even with low wind speed numbers, like the above.
It was 1-3s this morning, when we got out of the mouth of the river. First we headed straight out to 40-41 feet of water and turned the boat west. There were good marks, and I figured we could catch a limit by the time we got closer to Huron.
While it was non-stop action...it was the wrong size fish. Out of 25-30 fish caught, there was still only 5 in the cooler. "I think we should head north to cleaner water", I said. "It will take some time to get up to where I want to go, but the water will be cleaner, and I believe the fish will be bigger". They were on board with that decision, so we picked up everything, and took a ride for about a 1/2 hour, and set up over 50 feet of water and had the nose turned, so we were headed towards shallower water, as we trolled.
We ran dipsies on the zero, two, and three settings. The two inside dipsies, on the zero settings were set at 54 on the starboard side, and 40 on the port side. The two setting ran on the starboard side at 65 back, and the three setting ran on the port side at 55 back.
Yeck spoons and Scorpion spoons ran off the dipsies and were in constant action.
The starboard side ran Bill Lewis PWC Lites with 2 oz snap weights at 50/80, 50/50, and 50/27 behind Off Shore boards.
The port side could only run two baits behind the boards, due to the rod limitation, of three per angler. So, two Bandits ran at 120 and 80 back, unassisted.
Speed was 2.3-2.7 mph
Water temp was 66.7 degrees
The wind subsided a little bit by mid morning, allowing us to make a turn over the area, but going with the waves was a better bite, so we turned back around, and since we only needed two more fish at the time, it wasn't long before we were done.
Dan, and Mike were impressed with the fishery we have here, and learned a lot. Laughing, I said to Dan, "Congratulations on being the only male this season, that I only had to give instructions to ONCE, and you did everything right!" I added, "Usually, it's the wives that listen to me, and I only have to tell them once." They both laughed, and he graciously accepted his accolade. :)
We finished the morning with them catching their two man limit, and me reeling in my 6 also. It was a much better bite after we moved north, because the majority of fish didn't have to be measured, and my crew was really happy with their bounty, after their dismal results the day before, and that makes me happy!
I have a three day trip, with an Indiana crew, starting tomorrow. I'm just going to go right back there tomorrow, if the wind allows us too. I see the forecast has changed and that area might be too rough. Hopefully, it will change again by morning. Thursday, won't find us there, due to wind direction and speed, so I'll have to figure out someplace else to go. Friday, is a possibility though, but it will be a little rougher than it was early this morning. Rough, but doable.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Tom and Jason...6/4/2024
by Capt Juls on 06/04/24I picked Tom and Jason up at the White Caps Motel at 4:30am, and we headed through town, to stop at the Speedway, before heading over to Huron, for the morning. We launched at 5:20, and were out of the river by 5:30.
The sky was clear, the winds were light, and the air temp was 68 degrees.
We headed northeast, out to 40 feet of water, and found some good marks, so we set up with the same program I ran the day before, with spoons and PWC Lites and Pro 85s, with 2oz Guppie Weights at 50/80, 50/50, and 50/27 behind the Off Shore boards.
Dipsies set on the zero setting were set at 40 back. The 2 setting was at 65 back, and the 3 setting was set at 55 back.
Speed was 2.3-2.5mph on the FishHawk....same as the SOG reading on a NE troll.
It was non-stop action, with a lot of throw backs on the spoons, and 16-22 inch fish on the cranks.
I think we only had a full spread out for a total of 5 minutes throughout the morning.
Tom wanted this trip to be a combo test ride in the Vexus and a fishing trip, so when we had our limits by 8:30 this morning, we went for a spin, and I let Tom drive the boat, and that made him happy. :)
I'm off tomorrow, for my birthday, and the next few days, (looks like gusty winds for Thursday and Friday, so I won't be out again until Sunday. Saturday is my best friend's birthday, so I took that day off too.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Ed Moore, Joseph, and Mary...6/3/2024
by Capt Juls on 06/03/24Ed Moore, from MI, is one of my Facebook friends. He had been wanting to book a trip with me for years now. The opportunity arose, when his grandson, Joseph, and his granddaughter, Mary, came home from college for vacation. Joseph came all the way from Idaho, and Mary came all the way from Texas...and, that made Grandpa very happy.
My original plan, was for them to meet me at my house, and we would drive over to Turtle Creek from here, but that changed, when I was told by the company doing my septic system, that they would be here today, to hook it up. I asked Ed to meet me at Catawba instead, because their big trucks would take up my entire driveway, and block his truck in, when we got back. He was good with that, so we met at Catawba at 5am. (By the way...they never made it here today to hook up my system...deep sigh).
We launched, and were headed northwest at 5:30. It wasn't foggy then, but by the time we got north of West Sister, it was thick fog. Luckily, by the time we hit fog, we also made it to our destination. I love good timing. :)
The FishHawk was deployed, so I could dial in the speed of 2.4-2.5mph, with the Terrova and baby Merc. The Terrova steered us in a NNW direction. The undercurrent was pretty close to the surface current, going that direction, so the SOG was mostly the same reading.
Huh...I just realized, I never looked at the water temperature this morning, but it's high 60s, I'm sure.
Anyway, I thought I would ditch the crawlers this trip, and put some smaller baits on. After setting out 4 dipsey rods, pulling spoons, I showed Joseph and Mary how to attach the Off Shore boards, so they could be involved in the fishing part of it, too.
The dipsies on the inside (both sides) were on the zero setting, with the port side running at 37 back and the starboard side running at 40-45 back. The outside rods were on the 2 setting (starboard side) and the 3 setting (port side)...set at 65 on the 2 setting, and at 55 on the 3 setting.
Bill Lewis PWC Lights were pulling on the starboard side, and Bandits started out on the Port side. The PWCs were used with 2oz Guppie weights, at 50/80, 50/50, and 50/27. Weights were attached at the 50 mark and then an additional 80, 50, and 27 feet were added, before putting the boards on.
Bandits ran at 120, 110, and 80 back, unassisted.
The Bandits did nothing, but the PWCs were getting hit pretty consistently, so I thought I would take the Bandits off, and try the baby Spros (85s) on the port side. They are the same size as the baby PWCs, and have a similar dive curve. So, the same programs that was working for the PWCs was used for the baby Spros, too.
Everything was catching fish, but the little cranks outfished the spoons, I think. But, then again, we didn't always have time to check the dipsies for hanger ons, either, so it might have been pretty even. There was usually a little fish on the spoons, when we checked them.
We went through a lot of short fish, but they will be legal by next spring, if not by late fall, of this year. The lake is looking pretty healthy...and, those little ones we sent back, were handled with great care, and sent off with a kiss, and a wish, to see them again in a few years.
Joseph and Mary had a great time, and said they learned a lot. Mary and Joseph are cousins, and I think it's Mary's dad, that has a Ranger 621, and fishes a lot. I said to her, "You did great today, now you can show your dad what you know, when you go fishing with him". Joseph did great too, but his new nickname is, "Clicker"...Ha!
Those that know me well, know that I only like to hear the clicker on the reel going, when the baits are going out....not coming in. He tried and tried, but could never remember to shut it off. I would just reach over and do it for him, and he would say, "Gaaaa, dang it!" lol
Grandpa was happy to sit and watch as the kids caught their limits. I reeled in a few of mine too, before our trip was cut short, due to a massive amount of line getting sucked into the kicker's prop. But, it didn't matter, they were happy with their catch, and Grandpa was more than ready to head in. (The kicker is fine, and I was able to get all of the line removed, after taking the prop off.)
It was a nice morning on the lake...everyone had fun, and some great memories were made with Grandpa...and, that makes me happy!
Tomorrow, I have a two man crew, who are more interested in the fishability of the Vexus, than actually catching fish, so it's going to be like a combination test ride/ fishing trip. Tom told me, "This is a boat ride trip, so there's no pressure".
Tom is interested in buying one, so this is a way to kill two birds with one stone.
We will be launching out of Huron, in the morning. I need some new scenery.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing Two Days with Harold and Jim Nelson...5/31 & 6/1/2024
by Capt Juls on 06/01/24Harold, and his son, Jim, drove over from Iowa to fish with me, again. They had a good time last year, and I did, too. This past two days were even more fun than last year, even though the fish didn't cooperate as well as they did last year, on this same weekend.
Wanting to stay away from crowded areas, I opted to take a ride to an area up on the line, west of the islands. The wind forecast was calling for winds less than 3 mph for the morning, but that wasn't the case, early on. We launched out of Catawba at 5:30, even though there was a SW wind pushing waves into the docks...something I prefer not to do...and headed north, up to the line.
There were a lot of good fish marks, but there was also a huge Mayfly hatch emerging from the bottom, and halfway up the water column. My hopes for a great bite, diminished...knowing, I should probably pull out the crawler harnesses, and slow down. But, we ran cranks behind Off Shore boards, and spoons on dipsies for the first three hours. We caught a couple keepers, some sheephead, and a handful of shorts, before I decided it was going to be best to move to a new area, with less food for them to gorge on, and try crawlers.
We moved down in-between Lucy's and Gull, and started marking fish, so we set up. The harnesses were all weighted with 2oz inline weights, and set between 40 and 80 back, at a speed of 1.6-1.7 on the FishHawk. We started to pick up fish at a faster rate than running the cranks and spoons, so my guys were happy with that. We only caught 7 keepers yesterday, and maybe if I hadn't waited so long to make the decision to switch up presentations, and area, we probably would have limited. Who knows...
The bite seemed to get better around the time we had to head in.
We got back to the launch to find that my Vexus Trailer's tire had a roofing nail in the sidewall, and would have to be replaced. Jim was kind enough to remove the tire and put the spare on for me (Thanks, Jim!)
I took it over to Wieland's Auto and Marine. While Jim was changing the tire, I called Matt and told him what happened, and he said, "I think I have a tire that size in the shop". I drove over, and he had one....whew!
Matt put the new tire on in about 10 minutes, and now that tire is the spare tire. (Thanks, Matt!)
When I got home yesterday, my routine involves plugging in the boat batteries... and, to make a long story short...I forgot to plug them in overnight. I sent a text to Jim and told him what happened, and that it would be a later start this morning.
They were fine with that, because they could sleep in, and get a breakfast, before meeting me.
Alfie, my dog, was happy that it was a late start, because he got to go for a walk...and, smell stuff, before I left for the day.
By 7:30, the charger read 50% on the trolling motor batteries. That would be enough, if I kept the power level on the Terrova at 4, instead of 5, and didn't do any speed bursts with it.
We launched out of Mazurik's at 8am. The wind was around 8-10mph out of the SE, so the waves on the east side of Kelly's were 2 foot or less.
Water temp was 66.8 degrees.
We set up with the same program as yesterday, and pulled a keeper in the first 15 minutes, but it would be a while before the next one would come. The fish marks were tight to the bottom, but every so often they would be low to mid-column, and we would catch one here and one there. It wasn't a fast bite, but it was consistent enough to keep everyone interested and enjoying the day. The highlight of the day was when Jim caught a nice 28" fish, and was all smiles. :)
Luckily, there were no hiccups in my routine today...the boat is plugged in, gassed up, and ready to go again. But, tomorrow's trip has been rescheduled to next Sunday, because he's a "Fair weather fisherman", and tomorrow morning is calling for showers and scattered thunderstorms, most of the morning. But, I didn't water my garden, so it will probably miss us now. ;)
I'll be back out next week....starting on Monday.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Steve, Jeremy, and Luke...5/24/2024
by Capt Juls on 05/24/24
Fishing with Steve, Jeremy, and Luke…5/24/2024
Late start, and didn’t want to play, “Dodge the boats” today, so we found a spot all to ourselves, and proceeded to have some fun!
They would have been happy with 12 fish, but we managed 24….in 2 1/2 hours.
Colors that worked:
Green Lantern (Slim Shady custom)
Green Clown (stock color)
IB Infected (DJsCutom Eye Lures)
(2)Carrot Top (stock)
Blue Chrome (stock)
Stinger, Scorpion, Yeck spoons…and, a worm burner worked behind the size 1 dipsies, on settings…zero and three…30-40 on the zero setting, and 47 & 53 on the three settings.
Speed was 2.2-2.6mph on the FishHawk
They hit on the fast side and the slow side, so it was constant action for the Chapman family this morning.
Steve and Jeremy have fished with me for 13 years now, but this was Luke’s first walleye trip…his very first fish was the biggest of the morning, and he was pretty proud of that. Jeremy was over the moon happy, to see his boy fall in love with walleye fishing, and having fun! Lots of great memories were made for them, today.
Tomorrow, I have a father and his two adult sons going out with me, so I’m not even hinting where I was today, because it was really nice being alone out there, and not having to have my head on a constant swivel, for a change. Sorry!
Stay tuned….
Capt Juls
Fishing with Cisco, Ted, and Lonny... 5/20/2024
by Capt Juls on 05/20/24Alfie woke me up at 1:30 this morning. I had already had 6 1/2 hours of sleep, so we got up to spend some quality "alone time" out on the back deck, before I had to get ready to head out.
The wind forecast was calling for little to no wind this morning. It was 68 degrees in the wee hours of the morning, and expected to rise to the upper 70s to low 80s by the afternoon.
I got to Catawba early...as usual, and got everything ready to go, so when my crew of three arrived, we could just launch. The parking lot was empty, when my crew arrived, and we all chuckled at how nice it is on a weekday morning. Then, as we unloaded the Vexus in the water, another rig showed up. I didn't have to worry too much about other boats on the lake that early, so we just cruised on out to where I fished yesterday.
As the clear sky started to lighten at 5:30, I could see there was a light fog around the island shorelines, but not on the lake. It was still pretty dark when we left the launch at Catawba, and headed northwest, to the cans, so I couldn't wear the glasses I usually wear in the mornings, because it was too dark with them on. My eyeballs took a beating with the wind hitting them...all the while, I'm just praying that a bug doesn't get in one. I got lucky....no bugs to the eyeballs. :)
It was the same program I used yesterday, since it worked so well.
Bandits:
Barbie (painted...not chrome...I think it was a Domka Outdoors custom) at 110 (unassisted), and 50/18 with 2oz, back behind the Off Shore boards.
Carrot Top (stock color) was 80 and 90 back (unassisted).
Green Lantern (Slim Shady Custom) at 80 back (unassisted).
Eventually, a Barbie and another color were replaced with two IB Infected (DJ custom color) were put out, and started catching.
Flicker Minnow 11:
Pooh Bear (I think it's a DJs Custom Eye Lures bait) at 120 back (unassisted)
Dipsies:
Zero Setting at 30 and the two setting at 47 and 50. Spoons on three of them, and one Gold/Black Ripplin Red Fin on the starboard side...on the outside rod, that ran the two setting at 47 back. That caught a few.
Speed was anywhere from 2.0 to 3.0 mph. I would speed up, and then slow down, to trigger bites. It worked.
We kept 23, before a dipsey line got around the kicker prop, and I called the day. I didn't want to risk the seal getting damaged. Luckily, it came right off, and the spoon was still there, so win-win. :)
Cicso, Ted, and Lonny fished with me last year, and at the time they said they wanted to make it an annual thing, so they could get some early season training in, before they hit the water with their own boats. They said, it helped the rest of their season...by putting to practice, what I taught them, and that makes me happy!
Tomorrow, I have a new crew...some more locals...that want to learn to troll. So, I'd better go tie up some more leaders for my dipsies, because when I checked last...I only had one extra one in the boat. Glad I checked...lol
Tomorrow's forecast is calling for wind out of the southwest at 12-13 mph, so we'll be launching at Mazurik in the morning.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Day 3 of 3 with Jason, Cindy, and John... 5/19/2024
by Capt Juls on 05/19/24This is a short report....need to clean the boat for the new crew tomorrow, and go exercise my very patient dog. :)
The same program as yesterday.
It was a beautiful morning to be out fishing...the fog did not show up, like expected. Yay!
Tomorrow I have a new crew of three people...Cisco, Ted, and Lonnie.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing Day 2 of 3 with Jason, Cindy, and John.... 5/19/2024
by Capt Juls on 05/19/24
Jason, his bride Cindy, and his father, John, joined me again for another round of walleye fishing.
This morning, was really foggy...and, we launched at 5:40, so it was still a little dark out, too. It was too misty to wear any eyewear on the ride out, because it would just make it impossible to see, without wiping the lenses every 5 seconds, soooooo ....that was fun. (Negatively shaking my head).
It took much longer to get to our spot from yesterday, but we got there. We started out with the same set up that caught yesterday, but the bite wasn't the same as yesterday. It was much slower. We were marking good fish on the ride up there, but as soon as we set up and turned back on them, they were gone.
Spoons didn't do as well as they did yesterday, either. Bandits behind Off Shore Tackle Company boards from 60 to 97 back..."Barbie at 60 and 70 back was very good, again), Khaki Bandits assisted with 2oz snap weights run 50/18 (weight is put on at the 50 mark, and another 18 feet of line is let out, before the board is attached), and a "Pooh Bear" custom painted color, (by DJ) Flicker Minnow 11s at 120 back, took several, bigger fish, too.
Dipsies were two to a corner...
the inside rod ran on the zero setting anywhere from 25 to 40 back. The outside rod ran on the two setting anywhere from 45 to 60 back. Yeck Spoon, Scorpion Spoons, and BadMo Arrowhead Spoons were run. I tried some shallow diving "Yaleyes" for a bit, but they didn't pull anything, so I went back to the spoons. The spoons started to light up as our trip was ending late this morning.
Speed was 2.0-2.3 mph on the FishHawk
Water temp was 62.4 degrees
We managed their three limits, and I caught 5 of mine. Like everyone else fishing right now, we had to go through a lot of little fish, to get our keepers. Those little fish are fast, and hungry! But, I'm still happy to see them, kiss their boo-boo, and set them free. 
Tomorrow's forecast is for even thicker fog in the morning, and clearing out mid-morning. I'll see what it is in the morning....we may hold off on going out until later. The forecast shows it clearing at 10am.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing Day 1 of 3 with Jason, Cindy, and John....5/17/2024
by Capt Juls on 05/17/24
This report is going to be short…my face kind of hurts right now, due to a pulled tooth yesterday.
Short story…
Fished over 28-29 feet of water…west of the Bass Islands.
They caught their limits, (I reeled mine in too), using Bandits, and Flicker Minnow 11s, behind Off Shore boards.
Dipsies with spoons…at a speed of 2.2-2.4mph (On the FishHawk)..
Zero setting at 30 and 35 back …
Two setting at 45-50 back…
Three setting at 47…
SOG was similar to the FishHawk, going from west to east.
Red Headed WB, or just a red and white one, with a black dot …was our best spoon…(Scorpions)
“Barbie” Bandit… 70 back was hot…as was the “Purple Glass Perch” Flicker Minnow11 at 120 back. We doubled up on those colors, and leads, and we were done by 9:15.
Nothing really big…a 22 or 23 incher, is the biggest caught this morning….the rest were 16-20” fish….just good eaters.
This lake is going to be some insane fun, in about five years. I’m glad to see all the smaller fish surviving, and getting fatter…
Same crew tomorrow…
Stay tuned…
Capt Juls
