Juls WFA Blog
Fishing with John, Jim, and John Ison 5/9/16
by Capt Juls on 06/09/16Picked up my crew from their hotel at 6:30, and headed to Big Bopper's for breakfast, before launching at Mazurik's at 7:30.
We headed up between the islands, because the satellite picture from the day before showed that there was still clean water there. The water west of the islands (at least as far as you could see from shore) was very muddy from the three day NW blow we had.
We started out trolling Bandits on a west to east troll up on the line by Middle Island. As we trolled east, we picked up a couple walleye on the Blue/Chrome color at 65 back....speed was 2.0-2.2mph. We kept trolling east past middle island, and found ourselves all alone with no one close to us, and hit a nice little pod of fish. At this time, I decided to take the Bandits off and put the crawler harnesses on.
The Helix was all cluttered up with what I would guess was a Mayfly hatch going on. There had been a bunch in the parking lot at their hotel, which is right on the lake, and it looks like there are more coming up from the depths,.
I figured my root beer colored beads with a gold hammered colorado blade would mimic the bug nicely. I chose the #5 Colorado blade over the larger # 6, because the water temps had cooled 4 degrees since last Saturday.
I normally, like to slow down and downsize, after a cold front passes through. We were running the harnesses with 1oz inline weights at 41 back, and behind #1 Tadpoles at 25 and 27' back....at 1.0-1.2mph
It didn't take long before we were picking away at them, but it was still a slow bite. My friend, Capt Kevin Swartz, was working an area about a mile west of me, and doing much better, so we picked up and moved over there. We finished out the 6 hours, and my crew asked to add another hour, so we could pick up a few more fish.
In total, we went 12 for 16, not including the 4 throw backs, 2 catfish, 3 sheepshead, 2 white perch, and the 1 white bass. Woot! Woot!
My guys had a good time, learned how to run Off Shore planer boards, and were setting lines like seasoned trollers by the end of their trip. The weather today was perfect, and they were able to relax and have a good time.
They stated that they had never had such a nice charter in all their years coming to fish the lake, so that made me very happy. :)
I'll be out tomorrow with another crew, running the crawler harnesses again. I suspect we'll have the same bite we had today. Thankfully, the winds will be down again tomorrow with a forecast of 5mph out of the South.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Still Sitting on Shore.....
by Capt Juls on 06/08/16I haven't been out since 6/4, so I haven't had any reports to give.
Sunday, June 5th, was my birthday, and that day was cancelled, due to strong SW winds and the fact that my customer's wife was not a "boat person", so the conditions would have not been favorable for a fun trip.
My customers that had the 6th, 7th, and 8th (today) scheduled, are rescheduling to September, due to the strong NW winds we had/have forecast, so I have been off getting things done around the house.
It looks like the winds die down again for tomorrow, so today is boat cleaning day, and getting set to get back at it tomorrow.
I had a reschedule for Sunday/Monday, June 19th and 20th, because his wife reminded him that that weekend was "Father's Day", so those dates are available if anyone is looking to get out on a fishing adventure. :)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Ken and Casey Simonich 6/2/16
by Capt Juls on 06/02/16Well, like I thought, it was a very busy holiday weekend. I hope everyone had a safe and fun weekend too!
Unfortunately, there were 3 trips that didn't get blogged about, but their pictures are up in the photo gallery (pg18). So, at least that's something...I know, I know...I'm slacking....deep sigh.
Anyway, let's start with the first trip of June/2016....We have Ken Simonich, Jr. and his son, Casey. I picked them up at their hotel at 5am, and we stopped off at Big Bopper's for a quick breakfast, before heading to Mazurik's to put in.
The sun was just coming up, when we set our first lines out over to the east of Mouse Island, and headed our troll up the west side of Scott Point Shoal.
We ran Bandits high in the morning, from 25-55 back...speed was 1.9-2.0mph. I haven't had to change bait colors for quite some time now, because each day is still a sunny day, and the fish seem to really like the chrome baits on sunny days. IB Frozen, Green Clown, Blue/Chrome, Black Gold Chrome, Fire Tiger, Khaki, and a new color from Dream Catcher Bait and Tackle called "Sucker Punch". Each of these colors caught fish today, with the IB Frozen, Green Clown, and Blue Chrome being the hottest of them all.
While we were starting our troll Ken asked, "So, what does it look like when a fish is on? Should we be watching the boards or the rods?" I said, "You watch the boards. If it's a big fish, there will be no doubt in your mind that a fish is on. That Off Shore board is going to go flying back, and out of line from the rest of them". I added, "It's the small fish that are a little more tricky to see, especially, since I have my Tattle Flags set a little tighter right now."
We didn't go more than 10 minutes after that little conversation, and a board pulled hard out of line. Ken said, "I see what you mean! That's definitely a fish on!" He let Casey reel in the first fish of the day...and, what a nice fish it was. Casey's first Lake Erie walleye turned out to be a 28 inch "Fish Ohio" walleye! That was a nice way to start the morning. :)
We made a couple of passes through that area, and only picked up one more big fish, and two shorts, before deciding to move to another area of the lake between the SE corner of Kelly's and the Marblehead lighthouse. There are a lot of fish on the move right now, and part of their migration takes them right through that area.
The Helix was showing a lot of good marks on the screen, so we fired up the baby ETEC to scoot us along, an dropped the Ulterra to steer us with.
Seriously, it's like having another captain in the boat driving us around, while I tend to the little details of fishing with customers new to planer board trolling. I couldn't imagine someone taking those tools away from me now, and saying, "Go do your job"....I would pout for days if that happened...lol Anyway, I digress....
We ran the Bandits anywhere from 45-65 back, and started picking up fish here and there. 50 and 55 back was the most popular with the biting fish.
Around 9:00 the bite slowed down. I told the guys, "I think, since the sun is much higher in the sky now, we should try dropping one side down a little deeper. And, if those start to go, then we'll drop the other side too. But, I would like to keep all our bases covered at this point." So, we did just that. We dropped the port side down to 55 back, 65 back, 75 back.
Then, I couldn't stand the non action and brought the inside board from the starboard side up and put it out 30/30 with a 2 oz snap weight.
We would end up catching quite a few on the 30/30 set up and the 65 back. Long story shortened....we caught a total of 11 keepers with 4 big fish. We had one piggy walleye come off not far from the boat, and had a handful of short fish to throw back. All in all it was a fun morning, and Ken and Casey really enjoyed the experience.
They want to come back again next spring...and, that makes me happy.
Tomorrow's weather is going to be excellent again, so get out an enjoy it!
Good luck fishing, and I'll see you out there. Don't look for the red Ranger and Red G2 though...I'll be in a Pro Line tomorrow. We'll be on channel 79...;)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Jeremy and Erika Chapman 5/26/16
by Capt Juls on 05/26/16Jeremy is a regular customer, who usually fishes with his Dad, but today he brought his wife along instead, so she could catch her first walleye...ever.
I met them at Mazurik's ramp at 5:15, and we were setting up on Scott Point Shoal by 5:30 am. (I just want to send a big shout out to Capt Kevin Swarts, who kindly launched us this morning, to minimize our time at the ramp. Thanks Kevin!)
We set up with yesterday's program of Bandits run 45-65 back behind Off Shore planer boards....speed was determined to be the same as yesterday too, at 1.9-2.0mph. Colors were Khaki, Blue/Chrome, Green Clown, and Fire Tiger. All colors took fish this morning. Walleye size ranged from 18" to 28 1/2 inches, with one or two throw backs, for being under 15 inches.
We had 11 walleye in that roomy Ranger live well by 9am, but the bite seemed to die off, so we changed spots, and continued a troll past our last turn around and kept on trolling over to Starve Island area. The Humminbird marked a ton of fish over there, with some really big marks, but all we could bring up were really big sheepshead.
After one piggy sheep sunk a board so bad, that I thought it was a snag...we reeled everything up to go chase down that board, only to find that there was a massive barn yard critter attached to it. Ugh..on the bright side...at least I got all the gear back. :)
We decided to move on over to the NW corner of Kelly's to try for some new fish there, and found a bunch of good looking walleye like marks on the sonar, so we set up a little deeper this time. We were trolling in 29-30' of water, so we set the Bandits out at 65, 75, and 30/30 with a 2oz snap weight. The 30/30 set up took a couple of fish, as did one at 65 and one at 75. Erika was reeling in a huge fish at one point, but it broke off and took my Blue/Chrome Bandit with it back to the blue/green depths.....deep sigh...sniff-sniff (sad face). She asked, "Was it something I did?" Jeremy and I said in unison, "No! It happens"....we laughed.
We ended the day with 15 nice eaters and one "Fish Ohio". Erika was thrilled with the experience, so Jeremy is looking forward to getting her out on their new boat....the one you might remember from a previous blog (or, maybe it was a Facebook posting) about his new to him 2003 Pro Line that I helped him set up for trolling a few weeks back.
They had a great time, as did I, and Jeremy and his Dad will be back to fish next Friday, and might bring Erika back with them, so that makes me happy. :)
Tomorrow's trip is with with another regular customer, who normally fishes with his Brother (Tim and Matt McGlothlin), but his brother can't make this weekend, due to work circumstances that couldn't be put on the back burner. So, Matt will be fishing with me and another customer tomorrow. The weather looks like it's going to be nice all weekend, so hopefully, the bite will just keep getting better and better. All those traditional areas should start lighting up, if they haven't already.
It's going to be a busy weekend, so if you don't hear from me, that's why!
Have a great Holiday, and please practice safe boating and patience. It's going to be a crowded lake this weekend. Follow the "rules of the road", and there shouldn't be any issues. Help each other out...there's enough fish and plenty of room for all of us out there. Good luck! Be safe!
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with the Becker Men 5/23-5/25/16
by Capt Juls on 05/25/16I spent the last three mornings fishing with the father and son crew of Tim and Nick Becker from Wisconsin. I was fortunate, in that, they were eager to get up early and get a good head start. On Monday morning, they met me at my house at 5am, and we headed west.
On Sunday night, I talked to another Captain friend of mine, and he was kind enough to give me the heads up on a quick bite west of A Can. So, we went there on Monday morning, and launched at Fenwick at 5:30am. We caught their limit of good eaters using Bandits, fished anywhere from 45-65 back at 1.8-1.9mph. Chrome colors were the best....Blue/Chrome, Green Clown, and IB Frozen were the hottest for us.
I figured it would be a good idea to get them a box of fish before asking them if they would mind if we drove to Huron the next morning to try for some big fish.
I had explained that I had not fished over there yet this season, but was hearing reports of big fish, and lots of them there, so I wanted to get over there and try it. But, I also said it could be a flop, but that we should try it. They were game for it, so we made plans to go there Tuesday morning.
I picked them up at their hotel at 5am, and we drove over to Huron. We were on the water at 5:30 again. Our first stop was over by Sawmill, where they had fished with me last year at this time, so they wanted to check it out, and see if there were fish in that area again....so, we headed west out of the channel.
It was a beautiful morning with light SSW winds, and 56 degrees...(10 degrees warmer than day one), and there were good marks on the Helix screen. My hopes were high that the bite would be good too. Well, we made one pass at Sawmill and only boated on walleye with a Bandit run 65 back.
At about that time, we were hearing Gary Zart (Blue Dolphin Charters) and Gary Carpenter (Sara J Charters) talking on the radio, and it sounded like they were both just setting up over near Vermilion. Blue D. said, "It's loaded here", so we made the decision to leave our marks and go look at their marks. lol
We set up on a 34' contour line and headed east with our trolling pass. Bandits were run at 55/65/and 71...then, we heard Sara J say they caught one on a Bandit 60 back with 2oz. Blue D was running crawlers, so I was pretty much ignoring his info, other than to know what depth his catches were coming from.
We reset our two inside lines, setting them with 2oz snap weights at 30/30, which is similar to Gary's 60 back with a 2oz inline. They immediately started catching fish, so we changed up two more of our 6 lines with the same set up.
Again, chrome Bandits were the hot colors...with the Green Clown out fishing the others by a few fish. The bite seemed to die off around 9am, and we struggled to catch for the last two and a half hours.
We only ended up with 8 walleye over there, but three of them went 27 inches, and the rest were anywhere from 18 to 24 inches, so the guys were happy with the move to Huron for the second day of their trip.
Today...day 3:
I was meeting Tim and Nick at Mazurik's at 5:45, so I had a chance to stop at Big Bopper's for breakfast. I had a hankering for their Steak and Eggs, and it didn't disappoint! I was so hungry! Yummy!!
Anyway....we launched at 6am. My first plan was to head to Lucy's Point, because I had heard there were fish up there now, and there was a wind forecast for some gusty SW winds, so I figured the island would help shelter us a little bit.
But, when we headed out, the lake was calm, and there were no boats out on Scott Point Shoal yet, so I told them, "I just want to make one pass over here, before we head all the way up there. If the fish are here, there's no need to go all the way up there". Thankfully, we started catching immediately, and it was a pretty steady pick right up until around 9am again. Then, it was long periods of time between bites.
Again, Bandits run anywhere from 45-70 back, with the chrome colors working well, and the Khaki stock color catching the most fish. Speed was 1.9-2.0 on an west to east pass and 1.6-1.7 on the east to west pass.
We ended up with 17 fish...it would have been 18, but Nick and I watched his big fish of the day spit the bait about 20 feet behind the boat. No biggie....sometimes the fish needs to get lucky too.
They had to head back to Wisconsin this afternoon, and were happy with their results over the three days, so that made me happy. :)
I'll be fishing with one of my regulars tomorrow, who is bringing his wife along to catch her first walleye. They live in Columbus, so I asked him if they could come up to town tonight, so we could meet at the launch at 5:15. I would like to launch again by 5:30, so we can get some of that early morning bite action going again. I want her to have a great experience.
The weather will be decent...warm, light SSW winds, and no rain until the evening, so my fingers are crossed we can get another good bite in the morning.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Guy, CJ, and Cody 5/21/16
by Capt Juls on 05/22/16The original plan was to meet my guys at Mazurik's and go out to the shoals, when I got a phone call last night telling me of a good bite to the "west". I can only say, "West" since it was someone else's info, and that's how I roll. I don't blog the info when it's someone else's, and they ask me to keep it quiet....sorry! I must respect their wishes. I'm sure you can understand.
So, my crew got out of bed extra early (for them...heheh), and made the hour drive to Port Clinton, to meet me at my house at 5:30am. We loaded in my truck and headed west to launch.
We were on the water by 6am and fishing by 6:15. Bandits run 45-70 back at 1.9-2.1mph over 21-23' of water put 18 walleye, 2 giant sheepshead, and a plethora of white bass in the boat. 13 of those walleye took a ride home, while 5 of them got to swim another day, because they were only 14 inches.
We didn't get any big big fish, but they were all the best kind of eaters.
My crew did a great job of setting lines and reeling in fish, without too many tangles, so it was a fun morning. CJ's giggle makes me laugh every time. It's infectious, and no matter what kind of mood you're in...being in his presence will always put you in a better mood.
It sure was nice to see the Off Shore boards going back more quickly than the past couple of weeks. It's days like today that really make me love my job. lol
Anyway, my crew will be back in September for a little fall fishing, and that makes me happy. :)
Tomorrow through Wednesday, I have a Father and Son team from Wisco, that has fished the past two years with me. I told them about the bite we had today, so they are looking forward to getting here early and trying their luck in the same area tomorrow.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Mike and Kurt 5/20/16
by Capt Juls on 05/21/16Launched out of Catawba, and picked my crew up on South Bass Island at 6am.
We headed out to Kelly Island Shoal to start the morning.
Starting at the NE can, we set up and headed towards the middle green can on the west side of the shoal. There were a few other boats already there when we arrived, and by the speed they were running, we could tell they were running crawlers. We started with Bandits, since the report I had the from the day before was that the Bandits were successful...albeit, a slow pick.
We only had one pull back out there in the first pass, so I said, "After we finish this pass to the can, let's move". Mike was talking about his memories of fishing on the east side of Kelly's, out in front of the airport, so I said, "Well, it's about time those fish started moving in there, so we can check it out if you want to. Or, we can go over to Gull Island Shoal". They opted to fish the east side of Kelly's...so, we moved south.
We made three passes in there, going from 30' of water to 24' of water, and caught three walleye and one sheepshead when we hit the 26' range.
Bandits 55-75 back. Black Headed Wonder Bread, Green Clown, and a pink and white custom color caught fish. We didn't see any of the boats pulling crawlers pull a net, so we didn't bother switching over to them.
With only a couple hours left in their trip, I suggested we head over to Gull and see if we could get lucky out there. We made one pass down the east side of the shoal...but, didn't mark any decent fish until we got to the SE corner, near the red can. The west side of the shoal looked a lot cleaner, and we didn't see any nets pulled by any of the boats working that side of it, so with one hour to go, we headed to the area between South Bass Island and Rattlesnake.
The water had cleaned up there, from the previous day, but was still pretty dirty closer to Middle Bass. There were a ton of good looking marks there, but we didn't get anything to go. Then, we ran out of time, and I had to get them back to the island.
We had a good time, even though they only caught a few walleye. And, from the chatter on the radio, it was obvious that most of the boats out there yesterday were struggling. The clear sky, and full moon the night before, didn't help the morning bite either.
My customer for Saturday/Sunday has opted to reschedule Saturday's trip, and just go Sunday, due to unfavorable weather for Saturday. Since he's in OH and driving in each day, it's not an issue. So, I have the day off, and will be back out Sunday...
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Karl and Anthony 5/18/16
by Capt Juls on 05/18/16
Met my crew, Karl and Anthony, at Hi Way Bait, since they were staying at the Penninsula Motel right next to it. We hit Big Bopper's for breakfast, and hit Mazurik's launch by 9am. We did a little later start due to the wind forecast this morning.
Let me just start off with saying, "It was a tough day for us today...ugh! But, we had a lot of fun!"
It started out very well....had two nice walleye in the first pass, by Scott Point Shoal. Then, the wind kicked up and we were in 2-5's....mostly washing machine 3-4's, so we moved up to the protected west side of Middle Bass, when we had to make a decision as to whether to move back up to make another pass, or get into the ferry lanes and dodge a couple drifters on the line I was on.
So, we decided to move to another area., and found it loaded with fish, but very dirty. I'm quite surprised we didn't snag one...that's how many were on the screen! We didn't catch any fish there.
Then, we moved over between North Bass and Sugar Island, and found more marks showing up on the Helix. The water clarity was a little better too. At least I could see the cavitation plate on the G2 this time. We made one pass there, and didn't pull any fish, so we made another move.
This time, we moved to the east side of the islands, by Lucy's Point....made a southward bound pass...picked up one nice walleye there, and then noticed the time....we were running out of it. So, we moved back down towards Scott Point Shoal, and found good marks again. We made a pass for our last 1/2 hour, and didn't catch anymore.
So, we ended with only those three fish.
Bandits 65 and 75 caught the fish today. But, I'll have both cranks and crawlers in the boat tomorrow, and I'll let the fish tell me what they want.
Tomorrow, should be more productive with the winds laying down. I'll be picking my crew up on South Bass Island around 6:15am...bright and early, and starting with 6 hours. They may go longer, but thats up to them. So......
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Crazy Week....
by Capt Juls on 05/13/16Please forgive my lack of blogging this week, but I'm dealing with a couple issues when I'm off the water.
My lab, Jill, had surgery to remove a growth off her leg the other day, and she opened the wound, after a few days with that cone thing on her head. And, when she goes outside, she keeps getting under the deck and full of mud. So, she's got the cone back on her, and she is not happy about it. I've got the wound cleaned again, but she keeps getting the bandages off somehow, and I've got to keep an eye on it and her....deep sigh.
Then, I have a cat that keeps terrorizing my other cat, and started pissing in my bedroom...marking "her territory", and that's pissing me off!! She's now in a cage, and meowing incessently to get out, and making me freak'n crazy.
Then, I was also diagnosed with "Fish Handling Disease", and put on a 3 month regiment of a strong antibiotic that's putting me in a funk. My house is a pig sty and my yard is a swamp again with all this rain!!
So, until my routine gets a little more "routine"....I will be slow to blog.
But, since I'm here now....I can tell you, that unless you get on some active fish...the catching is spotty. Both cranks and worms are working now, so pick your weapon, and get after them!
Headed out this morning, but we haven't decided on a time yet. The wind forecast shows it blowing hard out of the west mid to late morning and then dying down around 11am.
Have a great day, and good luck.
Tomorrow's trip has been rescheduled due to the wind forecast, and I'm watching Sunday's forecast right now too.
Capt Juls
Fishing with Rodney, Jim, and Patrick 5/7-5/9/16
by Capt Juls on 05/09/16I only had time this week to summarize the three day trip into this one blog, due to yard work that needed to get done before more rain comes this week. I had to cut my grass in sections, due to water saturation from the last rains we had. But, the good news is, it's finally all the same length. :)
So, with that said...
Each morning, I picked up my crew from their hotel, and we went to Bopper's for breakfast before heading to a launch. The first morning we launched at Mazurik's, because it was a nice Saturday, and I figured that Catawba would be jam packed with weekend anglers wanting to launch. No one was at Mazurik's, so we were on the water in quick fashion.
We made a pass at Starve, where I was fishing the day before with the last crew, and we caught a few white bass and one walleye there, before heading over to the D Can area.
We ran Bandits on one side and the new Smithwick Top-20's on the other side. And, even though there isn't a dive curve published for the T-20's yet, we ran them at 55 to 100 back, and if they produced a fish, we simply duplicated the amount of line out, on the rod that it was caught on. They actually outproduced the Bandits on the first day of their trip.
After getting 5 more fish at D Can, we made a run up to the North Side of North Bass, to give that a shot. That area produced 4 more nice fish, but it was definitely a "spot on the spot" situation, because we only caught them on that spot. lol
After we left North Bass, we went through the middle passage and over to Kelly's to check that area out on the way back to the launch. The water was pretty clean, and we didn't catch anything with cranks in the one NE to SW pull that we did, in 32' of water. We didn't have time to look around the area very thorough though, so we didn't think we would be back the next day in that area.
Ended the day with 10 walleye.
Day two we launched out of Catawba and hit the area between Green and South Bass. It was showing a lot of marks on the Helix, so we set up to make a pass...again, with the Bandits and Top-20's. (I know...I know...I shouldn't even tell you that, since no one can get them yet...so unfair!! Eh? :)
Anyway, we stuck to that area, and the area over between the west side of Mouse Island and the point at Catawba. At one point, we had the point all to ourselves, while the area at Green was contested with boats and anglers. We were picking slowly at the fish, but they were often enough to keep us all entertained.
My crew got adept enough at running Off Shore boards that we put a 4th one out on each side, for a total of 8 boards out. We had some tangles, but nothing very bad, so it all went very well.
Only 10 walleye caught on day 2 too.
Today we launched at Catawba again. We set up for running crawler harnesses, and hit west of Mouse first. Still lots of marks in there, but they didn't want anything to do with meat this morning...so strange. It's got me scratching my head.
As soon as we switched back over to Bandits we caught three fish in quick fashion. We moved over to make a pass at Green, but about 3/4 of the way through that pass, we picked up and headed out to Niagra to see what was going on out there.
There wasn't much, apparently, because the marks were fewer and we only caught one small fish out there. We headed back to the islands, and hit Middle Bass next. It's typically good for a fish or two, but nothing came in that pass either. We only had an hour left, so I just keep the baits in the water and headed from Middle Bass down towards Green. We marked a lot of fish in that pass, but only picked up one more before heading in.
We ended the day with 6 fish today.
Not sure I'm going to be able to get on the water tomorrow with the wind forecast calling for steady winds of 15-22, and gusts up to 28mph, so I'll be looking at the forecast again in the morning, and letting my new crew know what the decision is then.
So Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Ryan, Dani, and Nick 5/6/16
by Capt Juls on 05/06/16Picked my crew up at their hotel at 6am, and headed to Catawba to launch. But, first, we stopped at Rickard's so they could pick up some Bandits, because they were going to be fishing out of their boat the rest of the weekend, and needed some.
We launched at 6:30, and headed north to the Niagara area. We made a couple passes there and picked up two small fish. There were decent marks, but nothing like we saw two days ago there. So, after listening to the radio for a bit, we decided to head to the Starve Island area to give it a go there.
There were a lot of boats there, and I'm sure tomorrow is going to be a zoo there, so I think I'll find another spot to fish that will have less traffic involved. Anyway, we were running the deep walleye Bandits again today. The best color for us was the Blue/Chrome with the orange belly. IB Frozen took a fish, as well as the chart/blue back Bandit. We ran them 55-75 back behind the Off Shore boards.
We also ran the new Smithwick "Top 20" stick baits. Three on one side and Bandits on the other side. The Black/Chrome and the Lemon Lime Crush with the orange belly took two fish today too. We didn't start running them until later in their trip, so who's to say how well they would have done had we run them longer. We caught fish on those at 75 and 100 back. I don't know exactly how deep those dive yet, because there isn't a dive curve for them yet. So, we just sent them out and just duplicated the leads when we caught fish on them. lol
Ryan and Dani Baker, and their friend, Nick, were a real treat for me today. They fish Green Bay a lot, so they are very adept at running inline planer boards, and running a boat, so basically, all I had to do today was keep them over some fish, and let them work everything. They did an awesome job, and it was quite relaxing for me really, and was more like I was just out fishing with some friends who let me come along to fish with them. It was just a great day! I really enjoyed their company. They learned some things, and I gave them a lot of info to help them the rest of the weekend too.
We went 10 for 11 fish today, and they kept 8. They put the bigger fish back.
After I dropped them off at 2:30, they grabbed their boat and headed back out to try for their 10 more. I just got a text from them telling me that they went back to the same area we fished, and have already put 7 fish in the boat! I feel like a proud momma! They really paid attention, and it's paying off. Woot! Woot! And, that makes me happy...:)
Tomorrow through Monday, I have Rodney Ferguson, his friend, Jim, and Jim's son Patrick.... they are repeat customers from last year, that I had fun fishing with, so I know it will be another enjoyable three days on the water.
The weather looks favorable to get all three days in too! Yay!
So...Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
No Fishing Today...5/5/16
by Capt Juls on 05/05/16It's blowing pretty good out of the North today. No-Go for this gal.
Be back out tomorrow....the weather is going to be terrific! :)
Day 2 with Bob and DeAnn Herting 5/4/16
by Capt Juls on 05/04/16We left out of Mazurik's at 6:30am and started to head to D Can, but stopped short to check the marks on the south side of Starve. We set up, but didn't stay very long, because the conditions didn't look bad out on the main part of the lake, and we decided to head back to the area we were at yesterday, between D Can and Niagara.
Bandits were the lure of choice again today...55-75 back took all our fish. Same colors as yesterday, but the "Glow Pink Squirrel" was by far our hottest color. "Taco Salad" and "IB Frozen" were also good colors today. Speed was still 1.6mph.
I broke the cardinal rule of "Don't leave fish to find fish" after we caught 5, but I was hoping to find some bigger fish for them, so we headed towards the islands. My plan was to hit Middle Bass...go through the pass, and hit Kelly's on the way back to Mazurik's. But, then, Capt. Kevin called, who was fishing out by us earlier, and he said the bite was getting better. Ugh...decisions...decisions...
After talking it over with my crew, we decided to turn the 6 hour charter into an 8 hour charter and make the move back out to Niagara. We picked up three more fish in an hour and a half, so I gave my crew the option of finishing out the 8th hour, or stopping after 7 hours with their 8 fish. They opted for the 7 hour trip, and were happy with the fish they caught. The grade was definitely better than yesterday's catch, so that helped with their decision.
Had we stayed out there, and I hadn't moved, I'm pretty sure we would have limited out. Oh well...that's what happens when I quit smoking, and get fidgety! lol
Tomorrow's forecast is "iffy". I'll look at the wind forecast in the morning, and make the call to go, or not to go, around 5am. 15-20mph out of the North is NOT 1-3's like the marine forecast is saying. It will be more like 3-4's with the occasional 5 footers thrown in.
Bob and DeAnn are a lot of fun to fish with, and DeAnn was a big help, because even though she is a novice planer board user, she has an eagle eye and can see the fish hitting, when most other people can't. Thanks DeAnn!!
I'll be fishing with Bob and DeAnn again if the wind forecast allows us.
Stay tuned....:)
Capt Juls
Fishing with Bob and DeAnn Herting 5/3/16
by Capt Juls on 05/03/16Bob and DeAnn drove in from South Dakota yesterday, and met me out in front of their hotel at 6am this morning. We hit Bopper's for breakfast, and then headed over to Catawba to launch, since we were planning on hitting the area between D Can and Niagara.
The NE winds were finally turned off today, and the morning was absolutely beautiful. What little wind we did get, was from variable directions, but nothing over 3mph, I'm guessing.
We started catching fish before all the lines were set, and had five fish in the box in the first short pass. Bandits 65-100 back were taking fish, but the 65 and 75 foot leads were the strongest. Speed varied between 1.6 and 1.8mph. Color didn't seem to matter. They were stacked there, but most were still hanging out on the bottom.
When we were looking for our 12th fish, I said, "After we get your limit in the boat, I want to go try another area in case the winds are up to tomorrow, and we can't get back out here. They said, Okay, and two boards went back, to give us 13 fish. We left Niagara and headed to the area to the west of Mouse, and NW of Catawba.
We went 3 for 5 fish there, and lost two big fish, that were probably not hooked very well, because they came off half way in.
I was using the "Rabbit" mode on the Ulterra to jump the speed up to 2-2.4 mph, and then turning it off to slow it back down again. Up and down, up and down....it seemed to trigger bites when we were going with the current....which tells me, that I needed to be going faster than the 1.6-1.8 mph I initially started with. At one point it triggered a double...and both were undoubtedly our biggest fish of the day. Woot! Woot! Sometimes, just doing something a little different can trigger them. Making "S" turns can help you determine if you need to be going faster, or slower, too. But, don't forget about that bunny button, it's there for a reason....play with it. :)
Bob, DeAnn, and I will be launching out of Mazurik's in the morning, and heading back to that area between D Can and Niagara, if the wind forecast doesn't change.
But, you know me....I could always change my mind, and my plan will be totally different in the morning. LOL
Stay tuned....
Juls
Fishing with the Tebben Family 4/30-5/1/16
by Capt Juls on 05/02/16Saturday was a humbling day. We started fishing at Round Reef, then trolled Middle Bass to Rattlesnake, checked north of North Bass (too clean and no marks), fished west of West Reef, Green, and Catawba....we zeroed. Uffda!
Brian, Chris, and Ian Tebben flew in from MN for a vacation, and planned on releasing all their fish, but the Fish Gods didn't allow us any on Saturday. Stupid Fish Gods...:(
Yesterday...May 1st....lots of thick fog.
I decided that we were going to go east to fish Kelly's this time. My plan was to start with some perch fishing, and while they were perch'n, I was going to switch my rods over to spinners, so we could run crawlers. But, in my usual fashion...I changed my mind.
I had stopped in at Hi-Way Bait after breakfast, and he had some of DJ's new colors, so I couldn't resist buying a bunch. Needless to say, we started trolling up on Kelly's Shoal with Bandits. We started out at the furthest green can, and trolled along the west side of the shoal, all the way down to the island...we didn't mark anything, or catch anything until we got to the opening between the shoal and the island.
But, they finally got to get a picture with one of our Lake Erie piggy's. I don't know what the color is on this Bandit, because there are no names on the packages, but it has a dark purple back, chartreuse sides, orange belly, black perch stripes, and gold sparkles on it. That first fish came at 55 back. Then, shortly after it was put back out at 55', we caught a smallmouth on it.
We trolled down to the west side of North Bay with no more takers, so I decided to move west a bit. The fog was very thick, so we couldn't go anywhere very fast, and we made our way over to American Eagle Shoal, where I just took a look around, but didn't mark enough to encourage a trolling pass, so we moved over to Starve Island. The marks were very good there, so we set lines and made a pass.
We managed another big walleye there on the same Bandit color at 75 back this time. We passed over a spot in 40' of water that had an incredible amount of marks on the Helix, and I joked that "Pooh Bear" was always saying, "Those are Catfish". So, I said, "Let's put some shiners down there and see what they are".
We pulled lines, set the SpotLock on the Ulterra, and pulled out the perch rods. I caught a white perch first, then Chris caught a catfish. I said, "I guess Pooh Bear was right, those are catfish", and laughed. Then, Brian caught a 28" walleye on his little perch rod, so I said, "Well, I guess that answers that question...there are walleye down there with those catfish".
We didn't catch a lot, but they had fun here this weekend, and plan on coming back again next year. Brian told me, "I think we want to make this an annual trip", and that made me happy. They were a ton of fun to fish with, and a very nice family.
It just seems like I was always going left, when I should have been going right...it was just one of those trips....deep sigh.
Today's trip was rescheduled, due to my customer having to schedule foot surgery, so my next trip will be with the Herting family on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
The forecast looks good for Tomorrow, so I'm sure we'll be heading towards Niagara, Cone, and Little Pickerel to play with the big boats out there.
I just spent another 100.00 on Bandit colors, so we'll try those first, and then switch up to meat if I need to try that.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Day 2 with Mike, Nick, and Max 4/26/16
by Capt Juls on 04/26/16We started out well, but cancelled after two hours, due to sea sickness. So, no report today.
Tomorrow's trip is being rescheduled, due to the man's wife not enjoying rough conditions (can't blame her there!).
And, if the forecast doesn't change, it would appear that Thursday's trip will be cancelled too. They, however, have Friday also, so they will get one of their two days in.
This stupid NE wind has got to end one of these days...deep sigh.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Mike Hamsa and Cousins 4/25/16
by Capt Juls on 04/25/16I swung by the Holiday Inn Express at 5:45 this morning and picked up my crew for the day. Mike, and his cousins, Nick and Matt, were hungry, so we headed to Bopper's for a quick breakfast. When we left, I headed to Mazurik's, but after pulling in, I decided it would be better to launch at Catawba, because I wanted to head to Niagara to start the trip.
We launched at Catawba at 7am, and indeed headed to Niagara. We set up on the northeast side of the reef and had a fish on the first Bandit as the Off Shore board was going out. I made the comment, "I hope this isn't like a tournament day, where you get a fish right away, and then...nothing". They laughed, and agreed, but that's exactly what happened. We didn't see another board go back for the next 45 minutes! We found some good marks further to the NE of the reef, but several of the other charters were catching closer to the reef.
The radio chatter had the Bandits working at all different depths, from 30 to 100 back, and it was making me crazy switching things up and changing colors, trying to match what they were doing.
After the second fish came in, we decided to make the move from Niagara up to the north side of North Bass Island, where I thought I would have it to ourselves. But, that was a wrong assumption, since there were approximately 25-30 boats working that area too. Uffda! We made one pass, and caught one nice walleye. We moved back up to the NE side to make another slide, but I didn't see the marks up there that I would have liked to see, so we decided to move down between North Bass and Niagara...somewhere out in the middle of nowhere in the direction of Niagara. We would mark a bunch, and then nothing....mark some more, and then nothing. At one point, I was listening to that stupid radio again, and decided to change something up. After I took the board off and started to reel, a walleye hit it, so I figured that meant I should speed up the troll, so I did. But, that didn't help anything....we were still struggling.
We were getting really good at catching white bass though. I've got that down pat pretty well!
Then.....it happened....Max pulled a BANANA out of his lunch bag!!!! I looked at him and said, "You brought a banana on a fishing boat?" He said "Yeah, what's wrong with that?" I said, laughing, "What's wrong with that? Have you never heard of the long standing superstition of how bananas shouldn't be on boats....ever?" He looked at his brother and his cousin for some recognition of what the heck I was talking about, but they had never heard of it either. So, I explained it to them, and told him, "Well, you'd better eat it, or throw it overboard". So, he decided it was best to eat it. When he took the first bite I said, "Well, now that it's in you, I have no choice, but to throw your body overboard too". (Just kidding, of course!) He laughed, and finished his banana. Smiling, I told his kin, "If we don't catch anymore fish today, it's Max's fault." They were more than willing to blame him too. lol
After finishing the pass up near the reef, I told them I had one more spot I wanted to try, since the NE wind was starting to kick up. I thought it would be a good idea to go over to Green Island and try that area. This time though, I would turn off that blasted marine radio, put on some Pink Floyd, set out Bandits at 60-75 back, with one on the 2oz inline 60' back, and adjust my speed to the current, which right where we were would be, 1.6mph.
It turned out to be a good idea, since we managed to catch as many fish in a 1/2 hour as we had all morning up north. We ended the day with 10 walleye from 25-29 inches.
After dropping the fish off at Bay's Edge Fish Cleaning, I took them back to their hotel, and told them I would text them tonight with a launch time for the morning. I told them I had to look at the forecast for tonight and tomorrow, since they are calling for a chance of severe thunderstorms overnight and into the early morning hours. More than likely though, I will have to wait until I get up at 4am to check it. We will have to wait for any storm remnants to pass.
All I know is, that I won't be looking forward to more North winds, and colder temps again. I've had just about enough of that, thank you very much....ugh.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Mike and his Buddies 4/24/16
by Capt Juls on 04/24/16Woke up at 3:30am, which was too early, but I couldn't sleep, so I got up and put the coffee on. I checked the weather and wind forecast, and was pleasantly surprised to find it was going to be a nice morning.
After gassing up the Ranger, and hitting Bopper's for breakfast, I drove over to Mazurik's to wait on my crew. They were camping last night at East Harbor State Park, in a tent, so I can only imagine how cold that had to be....brrr!
I was at the ramp early, so I texted them to let them know they could come over as soon as they were ready. They showed at a little before 7am, so we were on the water at 7. Thanks Nick Hogan for dumping us in, so we didn't have to wait!
With only a 4 hour trip scheduled, (something I no longer offer), we made a plan of hitting Mouse Island and the ferry channel area. The reports on the radio were that Bandits 45-65 back were working.
My guys had never run Off Shore boards before, so after a quick tutorial, and my looking over their shoulders, to make sure they didn't have any issues, they were setting the lines with ease.
We caught the first one on a Pink Lemonade Deep Walleye Bandit at 55 back, and then....nothing. So, with the info from the tournament still rolling around in my brain, I thought, "Why not?" So, I put a 2oz inline weight on and a 6' leader in front of a Natural Perch Bandit, and set it out 55 back. I'm only guessing, but I think that puts it in the 21' range. Our speed was 1.6mph.
It wasn't long and the board sporting the 2oz inline went surging back, and another nice walleye was put in the box...putting a smile on my face, since the program everyone else was catching fish on wasn't working for us, for some reason.
We would end the short trip with 5 nice walleye. Four of them came on the 2oz set up, and just that first one came on the higher bait. It's funny how you can be running the same area, same baits, same colors, and one boat does well at it, and the other does nothing. That's a head scratcher for sure!
The guys were happy to have enough for a great fish fry, and for learning a new technique, so that made me happy. :)
Tomorrow is a new group of guys (3 of them, I think?), who will be fishing with me for two days. The weather looks pretty decent for the next two days, so hopefully, the fish will be cooperative. Fingers crossed!
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with the Montana Men...Cont'd 4/21-22
by Capt Juls on 04/24/16After a fun week of fishing with Craig and Scott, my boat was dirty, my house was dirty, my yard was full of dog poo, and my dogs were giving me the "big sad eyes", so I opted to clean everything up and take the dogs for a ride, and walk, yesterday instead of taking the time to write the blog.
To summarize the info, because I'm headed out fishing again this morning, I just want to say first that they were the greatest guys to fish with, and I hope to fish with them again next year! It truly was more like just fun fishing than work for me, so I can't thank them enough for the opportunity to fish with them.
We fished in the rain on Thursday, but it wasn't bad, and the winds were down, so we could move from spot to spot with relative ease. And, Friday was perfectly calm with the most beautiful sunrise I have seen yet this season. What a way to end the trip.
Anyway, the bite was at Niagara, and we pulled Bandits 55-75 back. Thursday, it was chromes (blues and pinks), and Friday it was Anti Freeze and Fire Tiger that did the best. Speed was a little higher on Thursday at 1.8-2.0mph, while Friday it was back down to 1.6 mph.
If anyone has been following the chatter on the NWT tournament that was just here. The winner, Tom Keenan, I'm told was fishing over in Vermilion, so the fish are definitely on the move now. The second place finisher, who was in the lead on day one, was fishing over by the Marblehead lighthouse...fishing deep. We had hit that area before take off on day one, so my guys could watch the boats fly by...which was pretty cool. It brought back a lot of memories for me too.
One boat gave a pretty good show....but, I doubt he meant to..lol
He hit a wake and the entire boat was out of the water...I could see his prop clear as day. Ouch! I'm sure his Co Angler was thinking, "Holy #%$#, this guy is nuts"! Ha!
Anyway, I'm keeping this one short, because I have too many good memories from fishing with these two gentlemen to get them all down in print. So, I'll just keep the memories to myself this time.
I'm headed out this morning for a quick 4 hour trip (which I no longer offer, but they were repeats and booked early last year before I changed the services)...and, will be sticking close, in order to maximize our time on the water. I'm thinking of fishing either the Mouse Island area, or going over to the lighthouse again to see if I can get those deep fish to bite. Wayne Van Dyke got them to bite on Deep Bandits 150 back, but I'm thinking that if I use a 2oz snap weight, I can cut that length in half and run them 75 back at 35/40. It's worth a try anyway. :)
Good luck if you get out today...I'll blog later since my chores are all done.
Stay tuned...
Juls
Day 3 of a 5 Day Trip with the Montana Men 4/20/16
by Capt Juls on 04/20/16I just want to say, I have been super busy with taking care of my customers, my dogs and cats, my house guest, and my house and yard work...in that order. The blog, unfortunately, is not the highest priority on my "to do" list.
I am telling you this, because I actually got yelled at by a guy on Facebook for not blogging my "what/where/how" info for him to use. I mean.... what?? What? WHAT?
I'm a charter Captain. I share out of the goodness of my heart, WHEN I can. I am not obligated to do it, nor does anyone PAY me for my information. This is how I make my living.
If the fishing is tough, like it has been lately, I am not going to tell you to come in on me, when I have a small bite going someplace. If it's a fast bite, and there's plenty to share, I will tell you. However, my paying customers come first. Always.
I hope everyone can understand that.
So, with that said....it's been very tough with these NE and E winds lately. The fish are moving around like crazy, and it's hard to stay on top of them. Here today, and gone tomorrow, so it's not easy. When you find a small pod of fish, stay on them, and work them out....figure them out. That's half the fun of fishing.
Fishing is SO MUCH more than just putting meat in the freezer.
What I can tell you is, that since Monday, me and my Montana crew of Craig and Scott, we have fished Round Reef, Middle Bass, Green, the Ferry Channel, Mouse, Starve, and D Can. So, it's not a secret. These are all popular places during the transition, and you just need to keep checking for the next group to show up.
We have stayed with the Bandits, and they have produced some nice fish. Today, was our best day out of the three, but the fish were a little smaller. We had 35 pounds for 5 fish yesterday, and 50 pounds for 9 fish today.
The Deep Walleye 5/8 Bandit, run 55-75 back, is still the best for us. The Black Headed Wonder Bread, Blue Chrome, I Be Frozen, and Fire Tiger are our hot colors on sunny days, and the Pink Chrome/purple back, Fire Tiger, Toxic Melon, and Pink Lemonade, are better on cloudy days. Speed is still 1.5-.16mph
Tomorrow will be day 4 of their 5 day trip. Hopefully, the rains will hold off, or stay over to the west while we search for Scott's wall hanger in the morning.
We'll be heading out of Mazurik's in the morning, because the southwest wind will send waves into the launch at Catawba, and it's just easier to load up by yourself without the waves hitting your back end. :)
Good luck if you get out tomorrow. Stay dry, and get off the water if you see lightning! ;)
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
