Fishing

[Atonement]

Not sure where to post this - please move it if it violates something here..

Fishing - it's beginning to warm up and the water temp is perfect this time of year for fishing. Do we have any Anglers here? I'm a big time angler (love the sport). I got my daughter in the sport as well. This Summer we are attending our first Bass tournament together, I'm excited.

If you love fishing, do you have tips, techniques, bait setups, what is in your tackle box?

Let's talk fish...

 

[reba]

here or the lounge is good..
love fresh trout but dont fish any more

 

[JLB]

Not sure where to post this - please move it if it violates something here..

Fishing - it's beginning to warm up and the water temp is perfect this time of year for fishing. Do we have any Anglers here? I'm a big time angler (love the sport). I got my daughter in the sport as well. This Summer we are attending our first Bass tournament together, I'm excited.

If you love fishing, do you have tips, techniques, bait setups, what is in your tackle box?

Let's talk fish...

Time for the Crappie Run!

 

[Atonement]

here or the lounge is good..
love fresh trout but dont fish any more

I was gonna post it in the lounge. That to me seems like a better place for this discussion. Cause it's not really a pop-culture topic... If you can move it... Awesome

 

[reba]

As you wish

 

[Atonement]

Time for the Crappie Run!

Nice, Crappie are fun fish to catch. What bait setup do you use JLB?

 

[Nathan]

I am more of a hunter than fisher. Never could get myself to "let go" of the fish I caught unless they were too small to eat.

So now I hunt for fish. lol. I mostly troll...... Seriously though, once I learned how to do it I catch everything in the water. In the spring I can end an afternoon of trolling with 4 or 5 different kinds of fish in the boat. My favorite is walleye.

 

[Atonement]

As you wish

Thanks Reba

 

[WIP]

Just got back this past Sunday from a four-day run up to Atikokan, ON for lake trout on Clearwater West Lake. We were there last year but didn't fair too well so we thought we'd give it another try again this year. Saw plenty of marks on the sonar but getting them to commit was a chore. I had two on but lost both and one other guy (there were four of us) got one nice 26" or 27" laker. We ate it for dinner two days. Very clear water. One guy brought his Aqua-View along and in 70' of water and no lights it was like looking in an aquarium. Just looking down the hole I could see my lures in 30' of water. It would not surprise me if we had a dark house we could probably see our lures at the bottom in 70'.

Aside from that I'm primarily a walleye chaser most of the time. In fact, we are planning our annual fishing opener on Vermilion in northern MN in May and I'm organizing our 16th annual run up to the Lac Seul in Ontario this coming June. That trip is a blast and we expect to boat a minimum of 75 walleyes per day per person or its considered a very slow day of fishing. That doesn't include the northern pike, smallmouth, perch, crappie, sauger, suckers, whitefish, and musky we catch as well.

My goto bait for walleye is a jig and minnow combination. I am hooked on the feel of the pick up when the fish comes on. (no pun intended)

 

[Atonement]

I am more of a hunter than fisher. Never could get myself to "let go" of the fish I caught unless they were too small to eat.

So now I hunt for fish. lol. I mostly troll...... Seriously though, once I learned how to do it I catch everything in the water. In the spring I can end an afternoon of trolling with 4 or 5 different kinds of fish in the boat. My favorite is walleye.

I like hunting as well but the price for a buck deer has gone up in the State I live. It's not even worth it anymore. But living in the the Southwest we have lots of deserts to take our rifles out and target practice.

I also love Walleye, I took a trip up to Minnesota a few years back, the lakes up north are filled with these fish. I only had the pleasure of catching one of these. The fish put up a nice fight.

When you say you troll ( are you talking about a trolling motor)?

 

[Nathan]

I like hunting as well but the price for a buck deer has gone up in the State I live. It's not even worth it anymore. But living in the the Southwest we have lots of deserts to take our rifles out and target practice.

I also love Walleye, I took a trip up to Minnesota a few years back, the lakes up north are filled with these fish. I only had the pleasure of catching one of these. The fish put up a nice fight.

When you say you troll ( are you talking about a trolling motor)?

I am blessed to live here in Arkansas where we purchase a "sportsmans tag" and it allows us quite a few deer for only $25.

The walleye found here don't fight at all. In fact, I know when I have one on the line before I even see it because it feels like your reeling up a log that shakes a little.

I sometimes use a trolling motor, but mostly just my main outboard on idle. About 2-2.5 mph. Let out line anywhere from 100'-200' and use diving crankbaits. The crankbait choices, and the amount of line, is determined by the depth the fish are at for the time of year. Anywhere from 10'-35'. Then I just follow the lake contours. I cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. I usually only fish for a few hours to get a good meals worth of fish for my family.

Its fun really. You'll be driving along and all of a sudden the rod will bend backwards. Hardest part is when you get two fish on at the same time and your alone.

 

[Atonement]

Just got back this past Sunday from a four-day run up to Atikokan, ON for lake trout on Clearwater West Lake. We were there last year but didn't fair too well so we thought we'd give it another try again this year. Saw plenty of marks on the sonar but getting them to commit was a chore. I had two on but lost both and one other guy (there were four of us) got one nice 26" or 27" laker. We ate it for dinner two days. Very clear water. One guy brought his Aqua-View along and in 70' of water and no lights it was like looking in an aquarium. Just looking down the hole I could see my lures in 30' of water. It would not surprise me if we had a dark house we could probably see our lures at the bottom in 70'.

Aside from that I'm primarily a walleye chaser most of the time. In fact, we are planning our annual fishing opener on Vermilion in northern MN in May and I'm organizing our 16th annual run up to the Lac Seul in Ontario this coming June. That trip is a blast and we expect to boat a minimum of 75 walleyes per day per person or its considered a very slow day of fishing. That doesn't include the northern pike, smallmouth, perch, crappie, sauger, suckers, whitefish, and musky we catch as well.

My goto bait for walleye is a jig and minnow combination. I am hooked on the feel of the pick up when the fish comes on. (no pun intended)

I figured up north right now the water temp would still be to cold to catch a lot of fish? Down here in the South, we use the Full Moon of Feb-March to bring on the fishing season. The water temp is around 58-64 and is perfect for bass, crappie and bluegill fishing. Someday I will have to make my way up north again and go walleye fishing. We have walleyes here in the South but they are a pain to catch. WIP it sounds like you also love to fish. Organizing your 16th annual run proves this

Bait Used:
Walleye - Jig and minnow combination

 

[Atonement]

I am blessed to live here in Arkansas where we purchase a "sportsmans tag" and it allows us quite a few deer for only $25.

The walleye found here don't fight at all. In fact, I know when I have one on the line before I even see it because it feels like your reeling up a log that shakes a little.

I sometimes use a trolling motor, but mostly just my main outboard on idle. About 2-2.5 mph. Let out line anywhere from 100'-200' and use diving crankbaits. The crankbait choices, and the amount of line, is determined by the depth the fish are at for the time of year. Anywhere from 10'-35'. Then I just follow the lake contours. I cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. I usually only fish for a few hours to get a good meals worth of fish for my family.

Its fun really. You'll be driving along and all of a sudden the rod will bend backwards. Hardest part is when you get two fish on at the same time and your alone.

My grandparents live in Homer, LA just on the Southern Border of Arkansas (El Dorado). My grandfather is a mad hunter, lol. He brings home bucks ever year and sends us venison.. Love Love Love it.. And his tags are a lot cheaper than here.
He came out here once to go Elk hunting and our tags were $2500 each. We both caught one and they both dressed out over 250lb. That was a lot of meat..

I guess the Walleye I caught was in a bad mood, lol. He didn't want to be reeled in that's for sure.

I couldn't agree more about the crankbaits and the depths you use. Every trip may use different ones. But for the majority of your time, you like to use diving cranks?

I was so upset one trip. I just came out of Bass Pro Shop. Bought myself a 6.5' casting rod around $125 and got there on the lake and I was using a spinning rod and had set my new rod in it's holder and I guess I forgot to latch it. Anyway I heard the water splash and I looked over and my rod was gone.. Whatever stuck that line must have been huge cause it took the entire rod with it, lol.. Oh I was upset though.

 

[Nathan]

My grandparents live in Homer, LA just on the Southern Border of Arkansas (El Dorado). My grandfather is a mad hunter, lol. He brings home bucks ever year and sends us venison.. Love Love Love it.. And his tags are a lot cheaper than here.
He came out here once to go Elk hunting and our tags were $2500 each. We both caught one and they both dressed out over 250lb. That was a lot of meat..

I guess the Walleye I caught was in a bad mood, lol. He didn't want to be reeled in that's for sure.

I couldn't agree more about the crankbaits and the depths you use. Every trip may use different ones. But for the majority of your time, you like to use diving cranks?

I was so upset one trip. I just came out of Bass Pro Shop. Bought myself a 6.5' casting rod around $125 and got there on the lake and I was using a spinning rod and had set my new rod in it's holder and I guess I forgot to latch it. Anyway I heard the water splash and I looked over and my rod was gone.. Whatever stuck that line must have been huge cause it took the entire rod with it, lol.. Oh I was upset though.

Diving cranks are all I use really. I have on occasion used alabama rigs. Those are good for catching white bass.

I remember when I first learned I was out on the water with my boys. We were in a spot said to hold lots of whites. We were not even getting a nibble. Then this boat comes up, stops momentarily, throws out a couple of rods and starts running back and forth over this stretch of water. He was not there more than 20 mins and I could swear he had over 20 fish in the boat. I cautiously started following him, throwing lures in the water and never got a bite, and neither did my boys.

After he filled his livewell he came over to my boat. Gave my boys each an alabama rig and a few pointers. Next time out I did what he did and caught a boatload. Hooked ever since.

I am VERY careful about my rods. That is one of those things I hope never happens, a fish dragging it over board. The nice thing about trolling is that the rod holders are trapped because of the friction of the baits and when a fish bites it holds them even tighter. I run them at a 90 degree angle to the boat.

 

[Atonement]

Diving cranks are all I use really. I have on occasion used alabama rigs. Those are good for catching white bass.

I remember when I first learned I was out on the water with my boys. We were in a spot said to hold lots of whites. We were not even getting a nibble. Then this boat comes up, stops momentarily, throws out a couple of rods and starts running back and forth over this stretch of water. He was not there more than 20 mins and I could swear he had over 20 fish in the boat. I cautiously started following him, throwing lures in the water and never got a bite, and neither did my boys.

After he filled his livewell he came over to my boat. Gave my boys each an alabama rig and a few pointers. Next time out I did what he did and caught a boatload. Hooked ever since.

I am VERY careful about my rods. That is one of those things I hope never happens, a fish dragging it over board. The nice thing about trolling is that the rod holders are trapped because of the friction of the baits and when a fish bites it holds them even tighter. I run them at a 90 degree angle to the boat.

That's a great memory. Learning from others in this sport has been and continues to be the best way to learn techniques and to really get out there and show off these new skills on the water.

Bait used:
White bass - Alabama rigs

 

[WIP]

I figured up north right now the water temp would still be to cold to catch a lot of fish? Down here in the South, we use the Full Moon of Feb-March to bring on the fishing season. The water temp is around 58-64 and is perfect for bass, crappie and bluegill fishing. Someday I will have to make my way up north again and go walleye fishing. We have walleyes here in the South but they are a pain to catch. WIP it sounds like you also love to fish. Organizing your 16th annual run proves this

Bait Used:
Walleye - Jig and minnow combination

Surface water temps around here are still at 32 degree F. and hard as a rock.
We had a warm February that melted all the snow off the ice so the cleats I bought for my boots two weeks ago were the best $20 I think I ever spent. Back down to more normal temps this week but it sounds like some warmer stuff coming over the weekend again. I'm not a very active winter fisherman but I do enjoy summer fishing. Walleye can become pretty tough to catch in mid winter but crappie and sunfish fishing is what most target. From now until ice out that is the primary target, especially since the regular season closed last weekend and panfish and rough fish are all that are legal now until the opener in May.

 

[Atonement]

Yeah, my buddy who lives in Ohio said that fishing up North really doesn't start until May. We can ice fish etc. but one would be lucky to have a good trip. Most of the time you're just trying to stay warm, lol.

 

[JLB]

Nice, Crappie are fun fish to catch. What bait setup do you use JLB?

Minnows!

I have a couple of friends who have a boat and fish, but are not into Crappie.


If I want to go after them, I have to call a guide.

Guide = Minnows.

What do you use?

Jigs?


JLB

 

[JLB]

I am more of a hunter than fisher.

Yeah. Amen.

I like hunting with subsonic ammo, that I load, but haven't gotten to go much this year.


If you like hunting fish, try spear fishing.

Snorkel is all you really need.

It's an amazing world under there.


JLB

 

[Nathan]

T

Yeah. Amen.

I like hunting with subsonic ammo, that I load, but haven't gotten to go much this year.


If you like hunting fish, try spear fishing.

Snorkel is all you really need.

It's an amazing world under there.


JLB

I've thought about it, but cannot add another hobby to my list at the moment. lol There are a lot of guys who do it on the lake near me.