Juls WFA Blog
For those of you checking in....I'm still here...:)
by Capt Juls on 07/07/22I've been off all week, due to a visit to Wisconsin to attend my Father's Memorial and my Mom and Sister's birthdays. :)
I'll be back out tomorrow, Friday (8th).
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Rob and Noel 6/30/2022
by Capt Juls on 06/30/22This morning, I had a birthday girl, Noel, and her boyfriend (fiancé?), Rob, out for a dipsey learning trip. Rob had bought the dipsies, but needed some instruction on how to properly run them, so he wouldn't tangle everything up on his own boat.
Granted, dipsies can look intimidating, but they are the easiest thing in the world to run, and catch fish with, when run properly.
This morning started early. I told them I would pick them up at the White Caps Motel at 4:20, but I showed up at 7 minutes after, and there they were...ready to go! So, we left earlier than usual, and hit the gas station for the usual...topping off the gas tank, and getting ice for the coolers.
We hit Huron at 4:45. Capt Bobby Greene showed up around the same time, so I chatted with him for a bit before heading out at 5am. It was dark, but the horizon was starting to lighten up, so we could see if there were any obstacles in the river on our way out. It was pretty clean this morning, for a change, so we didn't have to dodge any debris.
We headed ENE and when we hit 38 feet of water, I shut the big motor down, and deployed the Ulterra and the baby Merc, and set a course in the same direction, at a speed of 2.5mph.
I showed them how dipsies work, and then showed them how to set them. I run two dipsies off of each corner, and call them the "inside rod" and the "outside rod". The inside rod is a 6' medium action and the outside rod is an 8'3" rod. This gives the two plenty of space between them, to help eliminate tangles when setting them out. The inside rods were running on the zero setting and the outside rods were running on the two setting.
The zero settings started at 30 and 35 back, and the two settings were running at 40 and 50 back.
Scorpion Stinger Spoons and Yeck spoons were attached. The color spectrum on the spoons was all different, and it didn't seem to make a difference.
The catching started right away, and it was a 3:1 ratio of short fish to keeper fish, so by the time we had 18 in the live well, we had surpassed 40 fish. I didn't keep count of all the fish we caught, but 3:1 sounds about right, if I have to guess. :)
Noel has only fished two times prior to this trip, and picked up on the fishing lingo pretty quick. She did a fantastic job on her side of the boat, and Rob, who has his own boat, and goes a few times a year, knew more than Noel, also did a fantastic job, this morning. He had bought some dipsies, but never used them, so this trip was to learn how to run them. I have no doubt, that after this morning's trip, that they can go out in their own boat and run dipsies with confidence now.
One keeper fish got to live another day... when I went to measure it (didn't really need to, since I knew it was over 15 1/2 inches, but I did anyway), and it flopped and slid down the splash well, and into the motor bracket, to escape. It was too slippery for me to get him by the tail as it flailed in the bracket for a few seconds. Lucky fish! They didn't seem to mind too much, since it was a fast bite, and it wouldn't take long to get another one. Needless to say, I moved the measure to the side of the boat, instead of the back of the boat. lol
When we hit their limit, and I announced we were in the bonus round (meaning my fish limit), I asked, "Remember when we were driving over here, and you two were talking about how you hoped you caught some fish today? You didn't hear me, because I was quietly giggling to myself". They laughed, and Noel said, "I can't believe this! This is great!" Rob agreed.
We stopped for breakfast on the way home, and while we were waiting on our meals, Rob mentioned that his uncle has a charter, and I casually said, "Oh yeah? Who's your uncle?"....(figuring it would be someone I don't know).... He replied, "TKO Charters". I looked at him wide-eyed and said, "Todd Kerr is your uncle? I know him! He's a great Capt...why didn't you go out with him?" He said, "He runs big boards, and a big boat (need more people), and I wanted to learn how to run dipsies. And, I've been reading your reports for years on Walleye.com, and really wanted to go out with you". I smiled and said, "Thank you, but he's really good, ya know!" He smiled, and said that he would go with him someday, too. :)
They both had a great time, learned what they needed to learn, and took home a bunch of fish for a family fish fry, when Noel has her house-warming party next month. She just bought a beautiful home in MI, with a property/garden, anyone would be envious of.
I'll be off until later next week. I have to go to Wisconsin for my Dad's Memorial Service, and my Mom and sister's birthdays.
So, since I'll be gone, you're all probably guaranteed beautiful weather until I get back. You're welcome. ;)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Diane, Chad, and Jeff 6/26/2022
by Capt Juls on 06/26/22I woke up at 1:15 this morning, 45 minutes before my alarm was to go off, and laid there, wide awake, so I just got up and made some coffee. I was thinking about this two day trip I had for today and tomorrow, and knew that tomorrow was going to be a blow day with the forecasted gusty NW winds, so we had to get today's trip in, for sure.
The forecast was calling for rain around 9am and winds coming in behind it. I grabbed my coffee, treats for Dexter and the cats, and headed out to the back deck to sit by my fire pit, and check my weather apps. The radar showed a fast moving storm cell over in Indiana, that was moving fast, and had a lot of lightning in it. That one had me a little worried, since it was moving so fast. I didn't have to pick them up until 4:20, so I watched it as it moved across the states. It seemed to be diminishing in intensity as it got closer, and the lightning disappeared from it, so that was good.
The wind forecast was showing light winds for the morning and picking up as the day went on, so I knew we could get the fishing in, and just hoped that the fish were as cooperative today, as they were yesterday.
Diane and her husband Chad, and Chad's brother, Jeff, were right on time this morning when I arrived at the White Caps Motel to pick them up. Diane had bought this trip for Chad, for his birthday present, which was last month, I think.
We chatted as we drove through town, and stopped at the Speedway for my usuals, but they had all the pumps taped off for some reason, so we had to go down the road to for gas and ice.
We got to the Huron ramp a little after 5am and were headed ENE out of the river by 5:30.
The report is basically the same as yesterday's. I rode the same trail I used yesterday, starting in 38 feet of water and ending in 42 feet of water.
Spoons behind dipsies did most of the catching again, but the Bandits riding behind the Off Shore boards did a little better today, than they did yesterday. 40-65 back unassisted did well, and caught 5 or 6 of the fish.
Dipsies on the zero setting were 30 and 35 back, and the two settings were at 40 and 50 back.
Speed was 2.5mph.
It was a beautiful morning, with a light SW wind, no bugs, and no rain. My crew did a fantastic job, and started the morning off with a few fire drills...and, me, shouting instructions at them, to keep them from tangling things. We did get a few tangles during all of it, but we mostly worked like a well oiled machine, and managed to put our 24 fish in the cooler by 7:45. They were amazed at the fishery we have here, and had so much fun, that they are going to book another trip, and come back in the spring, to try for a trophy fish.....and, that makes me happy!
After we were done, they wanted to float around for a little bit... with a beverage, and a bite to eat...to take in what they just experienced. So, I put all the gear away, stowed the Ulterra and the baby Merc, and turned up the stereo. We sat and talked for a while, and when they were done, we headed home. A perfect morning. :)
Tomorrow's forecast is calling for gusty NW winds, so it's a no-go. I'm scheduled off for Tuesday and Wednesday, so I won't be back out until Thursday.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Derek, Keith, and Joe 6/25/2022
by Capt Juls on 06/25/22Derek had made reservations last October, but we couldn't get out, so I moved him to this season, and we were able to make it out this morning. Yay!
Along with Derek, was his father Keith, and their friend, Joe. I told them I would pick them up at the White Caps Motel at 4:30 and they should be ready to go at that time. And, just like another Indiana crew I had a few weeks ago, when I arrived at 4:15, they were waiting on me to arrive.
They got in the truck, and we hit the gas station for some ice. I had already gassed up from the previous trip on my way home, yesterday. I decided to go launch over in Huron this morning, to try and get away from the Mayfly husks floating all around the islands right now.
We launched at 5:00 and were out of the channel by 5:15. It was a beautiful morning with no wind, and a cloudless sky. The horizon was starting to glow a beautiful Day Lilly orange with a yellow fade into a dark blue sky. It's hard to be anything but happy when you get to witness something like that. My crew must have agreed, because they were sure in a good mood this morning, too.
We headed ENE, out to the area I was in the last time I was over there, which was last week, and set up with spoons behind dipsies, and a couple Bandits behind Off Shore boards. The Solix wasn't marking much, so I wasn't sure if we should stay there, but it wasn't long before we started catching.
The zero setting dipsies were at 30 and 35 to start, and eventually both were set at 35.
The two settings were at 40 and 50, and eventually both were set at 50.
Speed was 2.5mph.
The spoon bite was definitely better than the crank bait bite for us, this morning, too. I think we only caught three on the Bandits, and the other 21 were on spoons, along with the 20+ throwbacks, too. If they didn't measure 15 1/2 inches, I threw it back. I figure, once it goes on ice, it's going to shrink up, and I'm not going in with a short fish in the box, so it's better to be safe than sorry. A lot of those throwbacks were right on the 15" line, too.
Our average fish in the cooler were 16-17 inches, with a couple larger ones thrown in, but we didn't get any that I would consider "big fish" this morning. We had our 24 by 7:55am, and that made my crew happy, because they were ready for some breakfast.
Joe said he wants to come back to fish with me in April, and try for a trophy walleye, next season...and, that makes me happy. :)
Tomorrow, I have a husband and wife duo, and one of their father's, I think. She gave the trip to her husband as a birthday gift, because he's a fan, and reads all my reports, and wanted to go on a learning trip. I thought that was very nice of her to do that for him. :)
They originally booked two days, but it looks like Monday is going to be a blow day with gusty winds out of the NW, so we'll have to have all the fun tomorrow. The forecast is calling for the wind to pick up and rain to come in around 9am, so I'm hoping it's a good bite in the morning, and we can get all their fish early again.
We shall see....
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
Fishing with Steve and Frank 6/24/2022
by Capt Juls on 06/24/22Sorry for the long delay in reports, but I was not out this past week.
My Monday was cancelled, due to one of my customers having a shoulder injury, and a surgery coming up, and my Tues. through Thursday was a 3-day trip for a couple of my regulars from Wisconsin, who are older and don't like it rough....or, as hot as it was, so they rescheduled to a 4-day trip next month. Fingers crossed we get those 4 days in.
This morning, I had a repeat customer from Illinois, that came to fish with me for the first time, this past spring. Steve Giannini, brought his friend, Frank along, to show him how much fun this lake can be. It did not disappoint!
They showed up at Mazurik's a little before 5am, and I had already gotten everything ready, so we hit the water, and looked for the cool planet alignment that was supposed to be happening this morning, 45 minutes before sunrise. We could see a few of them, but there were some Cirrus clouds that moved in, and blocked the view of a couple of the planets, so it really didn't look all that cool....to me, anyway. Had it been clear, we would have seen 5 or 6 planets, all in an arched line across the sky.
We headed NE out of Mazurik's, and up to the line. The Mayfly hatch that happened overnight had the surface of the lake covered in Mayfly husks, that I knew was going to be a pain in the butt, trying to keep the lines and baits clean while trolling. However, the buggy situation wasn't as bad up north, as it was behind us.
We set up over 41 feet of water, and the Ulterra and baby Merc had us on a course from east to west, at a speed of 2.3-2.5mph.
Dipsies were set on the zero and two settings, as usual. The zero settings started out at 30 and 35 back, and the two settings were at 40 and 50 back. We ran spoons on the dipsies this morning.
Four Bandits ran behind the Off Shore boards...2 on each side of the boat. We started out with the port side running high and the starboard side running with 2oz Guppie weights, down deeper.
The port side ran a Carrot Top and a Blue Chrome at 65 and 40 back, unassisted. The starboard side ran a Carrot Top and Big Bad Bob with the 2oz, at 50/70 (total of 120 back) and 50/65 (total of 115 back). The chrome baits did better than the painted, so Big Bad Bob cam off and a chrome perch Bandit replaced it.
The crankbaits caught bigger fish, but more fish were caught with the spoons.
The bite was very good early, and then slowed way down as the Sun got higher in the sky....moving the fish, deeper.
We changed the leads up a bit, and finished out our 3-person limit. The zero setting took fish at 54 and 60 back later on, and the two settings were anywhere from 50-70 back.
I had those two working hard this morning, because of the Mayfly skins getting all over the lines, boards, and baits, so we had to keep clearing them.
Eventually, we turned and headed east again, when it was obvious to us that the Mayflies were getting worse, the further west we went. It was cleaner to the east. But, like anything that floats out there, the current will take them east with it, so it won't always be cleaner. ;)
It was a beautiful morning on the lake, until it got warm and the wind died. The boat got covered in Midges, and so did we. It was hard to even talk without getting a couple in the mouth...they were so bad. But, like all things...there's a silver lining...they don't bite! I'd rather put up with them, than a biting black fly, any day!
They both said they had a great time, and learned a lot. Neither had run a dipsey before, but caught on pretty quick for not having much sleep the night before. Steve said the drive in from Chicago was delayed, due to a lot of construction along the way, and they didn't get in town last night until around 11:30pm. Uffda! I would have been useless if I had to stay up that late, and get up as early as I want them to, too. lol They were troopers, for sure!
Tomorrow, I have a three-person trip, and I'll be launching out of Huron, or Vermilion...I'm not sure which one yet. The Mayflies are just too thick over by the islands, right now. And, it's the weekend...I prefer not to be near the islands on a weekend... too many drunks. ;)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Dick and Brad 6/15/2022
by Capt Juls on 06/15/22Left the house at 3:45, because I was meeting my crew across town, at 4:30, and I had to go gas up and get ice first. They met me at a grocery store parking lot, where we left their truck, and they jumped in mine. We headed to Huron to launch, and hit the water at 5am. It was dark on the way out, but the clear sky and the "Strawberry Moon" gave the water's surface enough light, so that we could see well enough.
The Huron River is dumping a ton of mud right now, after the big storms that went through the night before. There was a definite mud line a few miles out of the river. There wasn't any mixing water either. It went from chocolate milk to clean, with no in between. There were also some very big logs floating in the river, that needed to be avoided on the way out, as well.
We didn't travel far, and set up with the same dipsey and Bandit program I've been running for a couple of weeks now. Anyone who has been following my reports would probably know it by heart now. lol
Started with two dipsies on each corner. The zero settings at 25 and 27' back, and the two settings started at 35 and 37' back, with spoons.
Bandits were run behind the Off Shore boards at 60 and 40 back on the port side, and 55 and 35 back on the starboard side.
Colors were:
Carrot Top (2)
Blue Chrome
Big Bad Bob
Speed was 2.5-2.7mph
We managed our 18 keepers out of around 40+ fish caught this morning, and headed in, before it got too hot out. Even though, it's much nicer on the water during these hot and muggy days...it's best not to spend too much time out there when it's like this.
Dick and Brad fish together, here on Lake Erie, and just go with me to learn stuff. They said they learned a lot, and had a great time, and that makes me happy!
I'll be back out on Friday, if the winds allow.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Wayne Gillespie 6/13/2022
by Capt Juls on 06/14/22This morning, I would be taking just Wayne, so I asked my friend, Capt Jen, to come along (with Wayne's permission, of course), so we could run more lines, and get more fish. They both met me at my house at 4:15.
We ran to the gas station in town, to get gas and ice first, and then headed to Vermilion to launch. We were headed out the channel by 5:15, and didn't have to go far. The wind was from the ENE at around 10-13mph, so there were some roller in the 2-4 foot level.
This was Wayne's first Lake Erie experience, so I had a feeling he was going to feel the effects of those rollers, and I was right.
The bite was fast, and we managed to put 10 nice eaters in the cooler, before he mentioned he wasn't feeling well, and I said, "We can go in any time you want to". "I'm okay, but if you girls want to go in, we can". I said, "It's up to you, because I fish almost every day, and if you leave it up to me, I'll go in. My dog is patiently waiting". Jen piped in with, "I'm boat-less for another month, and haven't been on the water, so I could stay out here all day".
He went another 5 minutes or so, and said it again, so I said, "We'll go in. I know how you're feeling right now, and it's not fun. You're not the first, and you won't be the last". And, we picked it all up and went in.
Wayne was very impressed with the fishery, and how fast the bite was. We had caught over 30+ fish (many throw backs) in the first hour and a half we were out there, so he said he wanted to come back a little earlier in the season next year, and that makes me happy!
It was the same dipsey program and Bandit program that I have been running for the past couple weeks now, so I won't bore you with those details.
I rescheduled Tuesday's trip, due to wind and weather, so I'll be back out with a couple of my regulars on Wednesday. We will probably launch out of Huron, and try to get done before the very hot temps arrive later in the morning. A heat wave with temps close to 100 are forecast, so getting off the water early with my older gents is the order of the day. :)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Day 2 Fishing with Dave and Chris 6/11/2022
by Capt Juls on 06/11/22I woke up this morning, thinking that I woke up before my alarm, but when I looked at the clock, it said 2:53am. It took me a second to realize that I woke up an hour late.
My alarm was silenced by the ringer on my phone being turned down for some reason (I don't remember turning it down for anything), and the snooze kept resetting itself.
Dexter jumped off the bed when I shouted some profanities at my phone, and looked at me like, "What the heck, Mom? Are you psycho?" "Sorry buddy, I woke up late, and now my routine is all screwed up", I said, patting him on the head, as I headed to the kitchen to make my coffee.
It was a rough start, but I managed to leave the house at 4am to head over to the White Caps Motel to pick up Dave and Chris. They were expecting me at 4:30, so I thought I would have time to sit in the parking lot and go down the Tik-Tok rabbit hole for about 20 minutes before they came out, but there they were...standing there in the dark, ready to go again. lol
They jumped in the truck, and off we went. We hit the gas station to fill up the truck and boat, and to grab some ice for the cooler, before heading back over to Huron to launch.
It was still pretty dark when we got to Huron, because the sky was mostly cloudy this morning, so we hit the water at 5:15, and made our way out the channel by 5:30. It was light enough by then to see the surface of the lake, so any floating logs would be noticed before we hit any. The river had a lot of logs floating around early this morning, but we managed to avoid them all.
I was going to try another area over there, but after finding out that they were going to have a long ride home, I asked them, "Should we just go do what we did yesterday, so you can get an early start back to Wisconsin?" They both agreed that that would be best, so that's what we did.
It was the same dipsey program as yesterday...
Dipsies on the zero setting at 25 and 27' back, and the two settings started at 35 and 37' back, but after a half an hour, were dropped to 50 back.
Speed was 2.5-2.8mph.
We added two Off Shore boards on each side, pulling Bandits at 30 to 40 back over 26-28' of water.
Colors that caught were the blue/chrome, Green Lantern, and Carrot Top. The SunSpot didn't catch this morning, which surprised me. It's usually a good producer. The bigger fish came on the crankbaits. I probably should have tried a crank on the dipsies, but we just kept the spoons on, because they were keeping the guys busy. :)
Poor Dave...his side of the boat was not getting as many hits as Chris's side, and he let Chris know he was not happy about that, with all the whining he did.
And, Chris let Dave know that he was not sorry about it. lol
I told them that they were the first ones to claim sides of the boat instead of just taking turns, no matter which side it came on. But, I didn't make them share...if they wanted to claim sides, then so be it.
I did make a turn, and headed back the way we came, so that Dave's side was now on the side that was catching, but that didn't do the trick, and Chris's side was once again the busy side. Oh well...that's just the way it is sometimes.
They had a great time, and did a fine job setting lines, reeling in fish, and netting fish. We all worked as a team, and got the job done by 7:20. Chris said, laughing, "Almost as fast as yesterday, but we finished 5 minutes earlier yesterday". I said, "Well, if you hadn't been dragging that last fish for the past 5 minutes, we would have tied yesterday's clock.". Ha! He agreed.
We finished up and headed in. It was fun going in, with a cooler full of fish, when 25 boats were just heading out of the channel...woot! woot!
The fish were taken over to Port Clinton Fish Co., and I dropped them back off at the White Caps Motel, where we said our goodbyes. I have a feeling those two will be back again in the future, and that makes me happy! :)
Tomorrow, I'm going to go out of Mazurik's and see what we can find over this way. The forecast is calling for SW winds 5-15mph.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Dave and Chris 6/10/2022
by Capt Juls on 06/10/22Picked my crew up my Wisco crew at the White Caps Motel at 4:30 and headed to Huron to launch, this morning. We were in the water by 5am, and taking that slow no-wake out of the river at 5mph. We were up on plane and headed east by 5:20. And, by 5:45 we were fishing.
The air temp was 57 degrees, the water temp was 65.7 degrees (down from Monday's 66.9 degrees, when I was over there last), and the wind was less than 5mph out of the south. The sky was clear, and the sun was still below the horizon.
Because we only needed 18 fish in the cooler, I opted to only run the 4 dipsey rods again. And, to be honest...as fast as they were biting this morning, we could have cut it down to just two rods, and kept them busy, but the two rods on each side kept them busier, so I left them alone. The first rod in, had a fish on it within seconds, but I didn't tell them right away. I let them finish setting up the other three rods and then told them, "there's a fish on that first one". "Already?", Dave asked, laughing. "Yeah, it got hit right away", I said.
We had our 3-person limit by 7:15, and kept on fishing for another 1/2 hour, playing catch and release, and then they decided it was a good time to go in and have breakfast.
They had a good time this morning, and handled the dipsies like pros. They do a lot of salmon fishing with dips, so it wasn't something new to them. That made my job this morning very easy, and that makes me happy! :)
Dipsies set on the zero setting at 25 and 27 back, and the two settings started at 35 and 37 back, but were later moved to 50 back. Spoon color did not matter. Speed was 2.5-2.8mph.
I have the same crew tomorrow. I'll see what the wind will be doing in the morning and decide if we will be going out of Huron again, or someplace else.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Dave and Chris 6/10/2022
by Capt Juls on 06/10/22Picked my crew up my Wisco crew at the White Caps Motel at 4:30 and headed to Huron to launch, this morning. We were in the water by 5am, and taking that slow no-wake out of the river at 5mph. We were up on plane and headed east by 5:20. And, by 5:45 we were fishing.
The air temp was 57 degrees, the water temp was 65.7 degrees (down from Monday's 66.9 degrees, when I was over there last), and the wind was less than 5mph out of the south. The sky was clear, and the sun was still below the horizon.
Because we only needed 18 fish in the cooler, I opted to only run the 4 dipsey rods again. And, to be honest...as fast as they were biting this morning, we could have cut it down to just two rods, and kept them busy, but the two rods on each side kept them busier, so I left them alone. The first rod in, had a fish on it within seconds, but I didn't tell them right away. I let them finish setting up the other three rods and then told them, "there's a fish on that first one". "Already?", Dave asked, laughing. "Yeah, it got hit right away", I said.
We had our 3-person limit by 7:15, and kept on fishing for another 1/2 hour, playing catch and release, and then they decided it was a good time to go in and have breakfast.
They had a good time this morning, and handled the dipsies like pros. They do a lot of salmon fishing with dips, so it wasn't something new to them. That made my job this morning very easy, and that makes me happy! :)
Dipsies set on the zero setting at 25 and 27 back, and the two settings started at 35 and 37 back, but were later moved to 50 back. Spoon color did not matter. Speed was 2.5-2.8mph.
I have the same crew tomorrow. I'll see what the wind will be doing in the morning and decide if we will be going out of Huron again, or someplace else.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Mike, Trayton, and Tianna 6/6/2022
by Capt Juls on 06/06/22
Knowing, that the morning winds would be lighter than later in the morning, with storms forecast for the afternoon, I wanted to be off the water early this morning. There's been a hot bite along the east shore from Huron to Lorain, so I decided it would be a good idea to launch out of Huron, this morning. It was cheaper to trailer the boat there with my truck, than run across the water with a 400 Verado.
Mike Shepperson has fished with me for years now, and changes who he brings with him, each time. This morning, he brought his grandson, Trayton, and his granddaughter, Tianna, along. Tianna wasn't too happy about the early morning hour that they had to meet me, but she proved to be a trooper, and a good luck charm. Every fish, she brought in this morning, were the better ones in the cooler.
Trayton, is a fantastic older brother, and was so helpful to her. I said to him, "You're doing such a good job, that I'm going to have to promote you to "First Mate"". He said, "Thank you, but I don't know what that is". I explained it to him....;)
We left the mouth of the Huron river at 5:30am, and headed east. I set the boat, down, off plane, over 28 feet of water, and found there were fish showing up on the Solix, so we set up.
Down came the Ulterra and baby Merc. With the press of a few buttons, they were both set to do their necessary functions, and set on a course along that 28' contour, at a speed of 2.5mph.
Two dipsies ran off each back corner. The "inside rods" (7' rods) ran on the zero settings, and the "outside rod", (longer..8'3" rods), were set on the two settings.
The zero settings were at 25 and 27' back, and the two settings were set at 35 and 37' back. However, sometimes we had to close a bail early, while we brought fish in, and that higher lead would catch too. Or, we got distracted, and the bail was left open too long, so it went deeper, and we would catch on those.
I think the fish are just super hungry right now. (I'm not marking any bait balls, like I have in the past, so that's a bit worrisome, because I don't want to start seeing skinny fish with big heads...because, that would mean they are starving)
Spoon colors were varied...it didn't matter. I had a silver hammered w/1 blue edge, orange/copper, blueberry muffin, and red-headed wonder bread. They were definitely not picky today.
"This feels too much like work", I said to Mike, as I reached for the net, for the 20th time, in a short period. He laughed, and I don't remember his reply, but it was positive. They all had a good time, and did a great job setting lines, and bringing in fish. Mike will be with me again next month, and that makes me happy. :)
My trip for tomorrow has been rescheduled to the fall, and I was scheduled off for Wednesday, for Jen's birthday day, so I won't be back out until Thursday, where I have another island pick up that morning. Too bad, I would have taken them back to Huron for that fun bite. But, I'm not running that far when there are fish around the islands. Gawd, I miss that gas sipping G2 really bad right now. lol
See you in a couple of days...
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Troy, Claudia, and Drew 6/3/2022
by Capt Juls on 06/03/22Just a typical morning, this morning. Left the house early, so I could go top off the gas tank in both the boat and the truck, and get ice for the cooler, before heading out to Marblehead to meet my crew and launch.
We met at 5:15 and were headed out by 5:30am.
I'm missing my Costas with the yellow lenses, that I use to drive in the early morning light, because they went overboard several days ago.
A client got his line caught around the frame arm, and flung them off my head while he was trying to reel in a fish....don't ask...I don't know the answer. Anyway, they were off my face, and in the water, faster than I could react. All I could do was say, "Ohhhhh Noooooooo!" And, mutter to myself, "Well, there goes 250.00". Luckily, there aren't a lot of bugs flying yet, otherwise driving without glasses would be painful.
I have a new pair arriving sometime on Monday, thankfully. Those yellow lenses really brighten things up when it's still kind of dark out, and the lenses block the wind on my eyeballs, when we're running.
I digress....forgive me....
We started out running Bandits behind 3 Off Shore boards on the starboard side, and 3 Flicker Minnows 11s on the port side, and one dipsey on the three setting off each corner. We fished shallow water near the lighthouse, and picked up 7, before moving out to deeper water near there.
We started the morning in 12 feet of water, but the better bite was out in deeper water, out in the South Passage....we were over 26 foot of water, when we found a good active bunch to troll through. I took the Flickers off and put three more Bandits on. We made a pass to the NE, then one to the SW, and then another to the NE, and picked up the other 17 needed for our 4-person limit. The size and fatness of the fish was better out there too.
Bandit colors were the same as the past several days...
Blue/Chrome
SunSpot
Green Lantern
Carrot Top (2)
Chrome Barbie
Leads that caught today were: 70, 60, 50 (on the starboard side)...35, 45, and 55 (on the port side).
Dipsies on the zero and two settings ran off each corner.
Zero settings started at 25 and 27...and, eventually, set to 30 and 35 back.
Two settings started at 35 and 37...and, were moved to 40 and 43 back.
Speed was 2.5mph
Spoon colors are all over the place, so I don't think it really matters. They are hungry and will chase anything right now.
Troy, and his friend, and his friend's son, (I think?) did a perch trip with me last year, and we had talked about the walleye in June, so he wanted to bring his wife and his son to do a walleye trip today. Knowing that he has his own boat, and does a lot of salmon fishing, I put them to work right away. That gave Claudia and I chit chat time, while I kept an eye on what they were doing, and instructing when I needed too. :)
Everyone was kept busy setting lines and reeling in fish. The guys even did most of the netting today, too. I figure, if they lose fish at the net, it's not a big deal. We'll catch another one...as long as they are having fun. That's all that matters. :)
It was a beautiful morning on the lake. Luckily, the 30mph gusty winds won't be here until very late tonight. The winds this morning were only 5-10mph out of the west. The sky was bluebird blue, and void of clouds. The Sun was warm on the skin and took the chill out of the air. It was not hot out there, though...not like it is on land. The water temp is still only 69 degrees out there. Very comfortable.
I'm signing off for the weekend....
I didn't schedule any trips for this weekend, because it's my birthday, and I wanted to relax with friends this weekend. Jen and Matt are putting a prime rib on the Traeger tomorrow...and, my old buddy Frank, who I fished with on those fly in's in the past, is coming over too. Maybe we'll get a round of golf in too. :)
Back at it on Monday....have a great weekend, everyone!
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Day 2 Fishing with Kevin and John 6/2/2022
by Capt Juls on 06/02/22The wind forecast for this morning was NNE 5-15mph. My plan was to take my crew up to the west side of the islands, so when it started blowing, we would be on the protected side, and the waves would be manageable.
Kevin and John met me at Catawba at 5am, but we waited until 5:15 to launch, because it was cloudy, and it wasn't getting light enough, fast enough. By the time we launched, and Kevin parked the truck, it was 5:30, and now light enough to see.
The wind hadn't really started blowing yet, so the ride north was pretty easy and uneventful. I think the wind was only blowing 5mph, at the time. We made it up to the islands and set up near Middle Bass. The Ulterra steered us towards Rattle Snake Island's rattles, where we made a left turn and headed back towards Catawba on the outside of Green Island. It was just one long troll back to the launch.
We started picking away at them as soon as we set up. It's the same program ...spoons behind dipsies, and Bandits behind the Off Shore boards.
Two dipsies on each back corner:
The zero settings started at 25 and 27' back, in 28-34' of water, and adjusted to 19 back, when we got to 26 feet of water.
The two settings were set at 35 and 37 to start, and dropped to 40 later in the morning.
The Bandits were the same colors I've been using.
Carrot Top (40 back)....caught 3
Blue Chrome (60 back)...caught 2
Green Lantern (60 back)...caught 2
SunSpot (35 back)...caught 2
Speed was not steady at 2.5mph, but rather, bounced around from 2.1 to 2.8, in the waves.
Water temp was 69.7 degrees
We caught our 3-person limit, but we had to go through a lot of throw backs, sheephead, catfish, and one white bass to get them.
My crew stayed busy, and when the wind picked up, the lake got a little "sporty", and my guys got their sea legs tested. They were a little rusty, and had a hard time standing up. When Kevin lost his sense of humor, I thought maybe he wasn't feeling well.
When I saw him stand up after tossing a fish in the cooler, but not turn around to come back...I knew then, that he was feeling pretty poorly. I asked, "Are you feeling okay?" "I'll be okay", he replied. And, we kept on fishing. I think, by then, we only needed three more fish, but I wasn't sure how long it would take, since it wasn't a fast and furious bite, and we had to go through so many little fish to get the nice eaters.
He finally called, "Uncle", when we had 17 in the cooler. But, while clearing lines, we got our last fish. Yay! He was happy to be going in. I told him, "It happens to everyone, from time to time. I can stand in my boat all day long, and have no issues at all, but put me on a bigger boat, and I have to take Dramamine... the Ferry is a killer to me". Northeast rollers are notorious for making people seasick.
We headed in. There was another boat at the dock when we got there, and they said they had come in early, because it was too rough, and one of their crew was seasick too. It happens a lot to people who are not used to fishing the Great Lakes. It's gotten me a few times, so I had empathy for Kevin, (and, the guy in the other boat), because there's no worse feeling than turning green.
John and Kevin, both, did a great job, these past two days, and they said they had a good time, and learned a lot... and, that makes me happy. :)
Tomorrow, I have a repeat customer, who has perch fished with me in the past. Tomorrow, he's bringing his wife and his son for a little walleye fishing. We will be going out of Mazurik's in the morning...wind permitting. The TV weatherman said NNW 10-20 (gusts to 30), for Friday, but I'm not seeing anything like that on iWindSurf or on the Windfinder apps. So, I told him we would meet at Mazurik's at 5:15 and see what's happening with the wind in the morning.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
P.S.... sorry, I didn't get any fish pics today...:(
Fishing with Kevin and John 6/1/2021
by Capt Juls on 06/01/22I showed up at Mazurik's, to a quiet and empty parking lot at 4:30am, except for the birds...they were already up, and signing. It sounded so inviting.
The weather was warm and muggy, and the wind was light out of the south, at 5mph.
The air temp was in the high 70s.
The sky was mostly clear, but there were clouds, thick on the horizon, so when the sun started to rise, it looked like mountains in the distance, with really great lighting behind it. It was a beautiful morning to be on the lake....just beautiful. :)
Kevin and John showed up early, so we hit the water at 5am and headed east of Marblehead and Kelly's. I say it that way, because there is a lot of water "East of Kelly's", and this narrows it down a little, if you can figure it out. lol I wasn't all the way to Kelly's, so split the difference, from the mainland to the island...and head east. We didn't have to go very far today.
I don't mind giving the info today, because with tomorrow's NE winds, I won't be going there, tomorrow. I'll go someplace more protected.
The same program is working:
Bandits behind Off Shore boards at 35, 40, 50, and 60 back and spoons behind dipsies, set on the zero and two settings.
Bandit colors that caught today were:
Carrot Top
SunSpot
Green Lantern
Blue Chrome
Dipsey Settings:
Zero settings were at 25 and 27 to start and then when the sun got higher in the sky, and we had trolled to deeper waters, we dropped them down to 35 and 41.
The two settings started at 35 and 37, and one was moved to 40.
Speed was 2.5mph
I have Kevin and John again tomorrow. But, now that they are "trained" from today's trip, tomorrow should be a pretty easy trip for me. I just have to find them some fish....they know how to set it all up to catch them now. I don't even have to net them. Tomorrow is going to be a fun morning...fish be willing! Fingers crossed...:)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Kevin and John 6/1/2021
by Capt Juls on 06/01/22I showed up at Mazurik's, to a quiet and empty parking lot at 4:30am, except for the birds...they were already up, and signing. It sounded so inviting.
The weather was warm and muggy, and the wind was light out of the south, at 5mph.
The air temp was in the high 70s.
The sky was mostly clear, but there were clouds, thick on the horizon, so when the sun started to rise, it looked like mountains in the distance, with really great lighting behind it. It was a beautiful morning to be on the lake....just beautiful. :)
Kevin and John showed up early, so we hit the water at 5am and headed east of Marblehead and Kelly's. I say it that way, because there is a lot of water "East of Kelly's", and this narrows it down a little, if you can figure it out. lol I wasn't all the way to Kelly's, so split the difference, from the mainland to the island...and head east. We didn't have to go very far today.
I don't mind giving the info today, because with tomorrow's NE winds, I won't be going there, tomorrow. I'll go someplace more protected.
The same program is working:
Bandits behind Off Shore boards at 35, 40, 50, and 60 back and spoons behind dipsies, set on the zero and two settings.
Bandit colors that caught today were:
Carrot Top
SunSpot
Green Lantern
Blue Chrome
Dipsey Settings:
Zero settings were at 25 and 27 to start and then when the sun got higher in the sky, and we had trolled to deeper waters, we dropped them down to 35 and 41.
The two settings started at 35 and 37, and one was moved to 40.
Speed was 2.5mph
I have Kevin and John again tomorrow. But, now that they are "trained" from today's trip, tomorrow should be a pretty easy trip for me. I just have to find them some fish....they know how to set it all up to catch them now. I don't even have to net them. Tomorrow is going to be a fun morning...fish be willing! Fingers crossed...:)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Kevin and John 6/1/2021
by Capt Juls on 06/01/22I showed up at Mazurik's, to a quiet and empty parking lot at 4:30am, except for the birds...they were already up, and signing. It sounded so inviting.
The weather was warm and muggy, and the wind was light out of the south, at 5mph.
The air temp was in the high 70s.
The sky was mostly clear, but there were clouds, thick on the horizon, so when the sun started to rise, it looked like mountains in the distance, with really great lighting behind it. It was a beautiful morning to be on the lake....just beautiful. :)
Kevin and John showed up early, so we hit the water at 5am and headed east of Marblehead and Kelly's. I say it that way, because there is a lot of water "East of Kelly's", and this narrows it down a little, if you can figure it out. lol I wasn't all the way to Kelly's, so split the difference, from the mainland to the island...and head east. We didn't have to go very far today.
I don't mind giving the info today, because with tomorrow's NE winds, I won't be going there, tomorrow. I'll go someplace more protected.
The same program is working:
Bandits behind Off Shore boards at 35, 40, 50, and 60 back and spoons behind dipsies, set on the zero and two settings.
Bandit colors that caught today were:
Carrot Top
SunSpot
Green Lantern
Blue Chrome
Dipsey Settings:
Zero settings were at 25 and 27 to start and then when the sun got higher in the sky, and we had trolled to deeper waters, we dropped them down to 35 and 41.
The two settings started at 35 and 37, and one was moved to 40.
Speed was 2.5mph
I have Kevin and John again tomorrow. But, now that they are "trained" from today's trip, tomorrow should be a pretty easy trip for me. I just have to find them some fish....they know how to set it all up to catch them now. I don't even have to net them. Tomorrow is going to be a fun morning...fish be willing! Fingers crossed...:)
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Mike and Matt 5/31/2022
by Capt Juls on 05/31/22It's the last day of May of 2022... Summer, is on the way!
This morning, I was fishing with Mike Smith and his friend, Matt, who were to meet me at Mazurik's at 5:15. I arrived there at 4:30 and was pleasantly surprised to see it empty, and quiet.
I got the boat ready to launch, and put new leaders on the dipsey rods, just to be safe... (I don't like losing spoons to break offs).
My crew arrived early, thankfully, because I was ready to go, and the sky was clear this morning, so it lightened up quickly. I'm not sure what time we left, but when we were halfway to our spot, I looked down at the Solix, to get the time, and it said, "5:08". We were done with our three-person limit by 8:15. We threw almost that many back, too, because they were short.
The size limit may be 15", but it doesn't go in unless it hits 15 1/2 inches...reason being, I throw them on ice, and the fish shrink up a bit, so this rule keeps us from showing up at the dock with a fish that measures under the required 15 inches.
We ran the same dipsey/spoon program I have been running for days:
Zero settings at 25 and 27 to start...dropping to 30 and 35.
Two settings at 35 and 37 to start...dropping to 40 and 43.
Bandits started out unassisted behind Off Shore boards at 40, 50, 60, and 70 back.
Some adjustments were made throughout the morning, and we caught fish with Bandits at 35, 40, 50, 60, 77, and 90.
Colors were:
Blue Chrome (stock color)
Green Lantern (Slim Shady Customs)
Chrome Furmi-Nuff (Slim Shady)
Big Bad Bill (Slim Shady)
The grade of fish was decent, and Mike and Matt were happy with the results. They both have their own boats, and do a lot of fishing. They just wanted to go with me to learn some things, that they had questions about...and, learn they did. They did a great job this morning, and made it easy for me.
The weather was beautiful, the company was fun, and the bite was very good...it doesn't get any better than that, and that makes me happy. :)
Tomorrow, is the start of a two day trip, and the weather looks good for another day. Then, Thursday, the wind will blow from the NE again. We shall see if this is a two-day trip or a one-day trip.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Matt and Jenny Jackson 5/30/2022
by Capt Juls on 05/30/22Had an island pick up this morning, so I left the house a little bit earlier than normal, and hit Mazurik's at 4:30. My friend, Jen, was meeting me at 5am to launch me and park the trailer, so I didn't have to dig out any bumpers or ropes to use. Thanks, Jen!
It was very early when I left the launch, so I sat there in the dark until my eyes adjusted, and I could read the water. It wasn't really wavy this morning, and it was an offshore wind, so it was pretty flat for a several miles out. I expected a little more wave action up there by the islands, since it was a south wind, but it wasn't bad at all. They were 1 foot or less this morning, I think. Then, the wind laid down a little more, as each hour passed.
I picked them up at the marina at Put-in-Bay at 5:30, and we headed out. We didn't have to go far....we just scooted out of the east side of the islands, dropped the Ulterra, and baby Merc down, and set a course, at a speed of 2.5mph.
The same program with the dipsies and spoons that I have been running for several days now...
Zero setting at 25 and 27, to start...and, then, dropping them to 35 after the sun gets higher in the sky.
Two settings were at 35 and 37 to start and dropped to 40 and 50 later on.
Water temp was 65 degrees.
Bandits behind Off Shore boards ran on both sides. The port side ran at 40 and 60 back and the starboard side ran at 50 and 70 back. Colors this morning that worked were:
Blue Chrome
Carrot Top
Green Lantern
Chrome Furmi-Nuff
The biggest fish came on the Green Lantern, both yesterday and today. Hmmmm....I need to order more of that color, I think. I only have one of that one. :)
Matt had a hundred questions, and was taking a lot of video for his fishing buddy, Jason Houser, who shoots and edits video for his show called, "Bone Wild TV"...which can be viewed on the Pursuit Channel, and a couple other channels on cable. I've never heard of it, and I don't have cable, so I'm going to have to look them up on YouTube.
I think we managed to answer all his questions, while a hot bite was happening. Jenny was great at reeling in, and setting the dipsies, so Matt took that opportunity to shoot a lot of videos, of her and I working the back of the boat.
We had our 18 pretty early this morning, and I had them back to Put-in_Bay by 9am. They were a lot of fun to fish with, and it was even more fun, because the weather was fantastic! You know, one of those kind of days, where in the middle of winter, you wish for weather like this.
After we got back to the marina, and we said our thank you and goodbyes, and I headed back to Mazurik's, where my friends, Matt and Jen, met me, to help me load out quick. Thanks, again, you two! It was very much appreciated! :)
Tomorrow looks like another decent day, wind wise, so I'll be out again with a crew that I have had to reschedule twice, due to wind. We will finally get out there. woot! woot!
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Jimmie and Kayton 5/29/2022
by Capt Juls on 05/29/22My West Virginia crew was ready and waiting, when I pulled into the White Caps Motel at 4:25, this morning. It was supposed to be Jimmie, his wife, and his daughter, but his wife wasn't feeling good this morning, so she stayed on shore. I would just have Jimmie and Kayton today.
We launched out of Mazurik's at 5am. It was still very dark, but by the time I had the motor up to temp, it was getting light enough to see the waves, so we headed out to my spot from the day before.
We made a pass through there, but the size of the fish has shrunk, considerably, so we adjusted the Ulterra's direction to the north, holding to the 26-28' contours, hoping to find a better grade. We went through so many little bitty biters, that I lost count.
It's nice to see the fishery plentiful with all sizes out there, right now, and I'm happy to see the little buggers. They all get kisses before they go back...for being so brave and going after baits almost as big, if not bigger, than them.
But, I'm sure we will start hearing the complaining about catching so many little fish... but, everyone has to remember, those little fish will be really FINE fish in 5 to 7 years. So, please handle with care, and be careful with their little lips. :)
We poked some lips, with the spoons running behind size 1 dipsies (with ring), on the zero and two settings. Zero started at 25 and 27, but was later moved to 35' back.
The two settings started out at 35 and 37, but were adjusted to 47 and 50' back.
Silver hammered, with one blue edge, was a hot color for the biggest of the small fish, that we caught. Most were 16-17 inches, with a couple of larger ones in there.
Speed was 2.5mph.
We started out, just running 4 dipsies. If the previous two days' fishing was any indication of how fast it would be this morning, I would have guessed we would have been done by 7:30. So, I only wanted to run 4 rods, because we only needed 18 fish today. There's no need for fire drills, with a lot of rods, just to see how fast we can get it done. It was manageable for the two of them, and there wasn't any chaos, except for maybe having to net a second fish in the same net as the first one, because they came in at the same time. :)
It was a good bite very early. We went through a lot of fish, but had only kept 10, when the bite slowed down. I eventually put 2 Bandits on each side of the boat, and they pulled 2 fish in the short time that they were out. Both, that caught, were 40 back, behind the Off Shore boards. We didn't get many hits on the Bandits, but in their defense, they weren't out for very long. However, they did catch the two bigger fish that were in the cooler.
We caught a sheephead, a white bass, and 2 white perch today also. That's only the second, or third, sheephead for me this season. But, for the most part...it's all walleye right now, out on the big lake.
Jimmie and Kayton had fun, made some memories, and did a great job manning those dipsey rods. It was obvious to me, that they do a lot of fishing together. I only gave them quick instruction on the setting and retrieving of the dipsies, and they picked up on it, really quick. That made my morning pretty easy, and that makes me happy! lol
Kayton is studying to be a doctor, and just finished her first year of college. You can see the pride, in Jimmie's eyes, when he talks about his daughter, too. They were fun to fish with, and were really down to earth folks, who I would love to fish with again some day. I wish, for Kayton, much success on her journey to becoming a doctor. You Go Girl... :)
Tomorrow, I have an island pick up at Put-in-Bay....................fun times.
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
Fishing with Brad, John, and Charlie 5/28/2022
by Capt Juls on 05/28/22Being a Saturday on Memorial Day weekend, I thought I'd better get to Mazurik's early. After gassing up the boat, and getting ice for the cooler, I arrived at the launch just before 5am. There were already boats launching in the dark, and there was only one boat in front of me in the get ready lane, and almost ready to go, so I waited for them to move, so I could move forward and make room for those coming in behind me, before I climbed up in my own boat.
Brad, John, and Charlie each have their own boats, but they all fish and hunt together. They just switch out whose boat they will take each weekend. This trip was a learning trip, like yesterday's. They like to troll, but get tangles...a lot. So, they wanted to learn how to do it with less tangles, and see how I do it.
This was an easy trip for me, since they already knew how to run dipsies. I gave them a little instruction, after seeing how they do things, and they were working them like champs in no time.
Brad said he mostly has trouble with setting and reeling in inline planer boards, so I explained to them, while they did it hands on, how I set, retrieve, and set the Off Shore boards back out into their original positions...without tangles. Letting them do it, gives them the ability to remember it, and gives them the confidence they need to get the job done.
We fished the South Passage again, and had the same results, running the same program as yesterday. Spoons and Bandits. Spoons on the dipsies and the Bandits behind the Off Shore boards.
Scorpion Stinger, Yeck, and BadMo spoons behind dipsies set on the zero and two settings worked the best. The zero setting was set at 25 and 27 for a couple of hours, or until the bite at that depth changed, and we lowered them to 35 feet back. The two settings were set at 35 and 37 to start, and then to 55 back later on.
Bandits behind the boards were set at 40, 50, and 60 on the port side and 40, 50, and 70 on the starboard side.
Colors that worked today were:
Blue Chrome (stock color)
Whiskey and Water (custom by SlimShadyCustoms .com)
Chrome Furmi-Nuff (SlimShadyCustoms .com)
Green Lantern (SlimShadyCustoms .com)
"John's a Dick" (hehehe) This one was given to me this morning, from Brad. He painted it, and when I asked him what the name of the color was, that's what he told me...."John's a Dick" (John of course was fishing with us). It made me laugh. There's a story behind the name, but I don't remember the details, so I'll refrain from telling it. :)
Target Speed was 2.5mph, but with the wind/waves and wake/waves...the speed was all over the place. From 1.9 to 3.0mph. They hit when it was fast as 3.0 and as slow as 1.9, so don't worry too much about speed right now. If you put a bait in front of them, they will eat it.
My guys had a good time and learned what they needed to learn, so that makes me happy...:)
Tomorrow, I have Jimmie Perkins and his crew. I hope the bite continues like this for a while. It's a lot of fun!
Stay tuned....
Capt Juls
