Is anyone catching anything?

[wahkonfisher]

I seem to be hearing the same story over and over...everybody seems to be seeing some walleyes but that they aren't biting because of all the small perch. It seemed like last year at this time there were alot more posts on a daily basis by people / resorts about fish being caught. Just curious if people / resorts are being a little quieter about their successes or if the bite is really off that much. We have a place in Wahkon Bay and usually take a portable out. I personally haven't had any luck yet this year but am always interested to know how others are doing and the general areas they are catching fish at. We have alot of houses out at the entrance to our bay by the islands but I have yet to see a single post from anybody fishing them....Is anybody catching anything out there??

[Shack]

Some catch'em, some don't.

Good luck!

[maros91]

I have been to the pond 5 times this year. The very first time I went was on Dec. 8 out of Hunters Point and we did good on the walleyes. I did a report on it in here somewhere with pics. 2nd time I fished Doe Island Reef about a week later we picked up a couple at sunset. 3rd time I fished Gull Reef and also picked up a few at sunset. The last 2 times I went and fished the mud flats from 2pm-6pm and didn't even get a bite. My boss was with the last time and had his camera down there and counted 30 walleyes in the 4 hour window with no takers. They would swim up to your bait like they were going to hammer it only to stare and swim away. The fish are there just not biting. I will try Tuesday evening and see what happens, can't get much worse for me.

[federline]

 Originally Posted By: Biff Tannen

The last 2 times I went and fished the mud flats from 2pm-6pm and didn't even get a bite. My boss was with the last time and had his camera down there and counted 30 walleyes in the 4 hour window with no takers. They would swim up to your bait like they were going to hammer it only to stare and swim away. The fish are there just not biting. I will try Tuesday evening and see what happens, can't get much worse for me.

This is almost exactly what I heard from a group of four this past Sunday who ventured up to Sliver. We had nothin' on the gravel down on King's hump in 24 straight hours Sat to Sun, and neither did anyone else I talked to. Even the CO went home early - apparently, there were no fish to check. Still seeing huge schools of cigar perch, saw a couple jumbos stare down my bait (minnow and waxies) - jig it, and they'd move out not to be seen again.

We'll have four days of fishing Thu to Sun this upcoming weekend, and if the bite doesn't improve, we just may move the shack back to a home lake so we can get some productive ice time in with the rest of the season... sure, it may pickup right after we leave, but the price of gas makes the decision crystal clear for us working stiffs. Of the last 3 weekends, only one walleye to show for everything. Its spooky.

[late night]

I have had no luck on Mille Lacs this year besides four keepable perch in one day. I am going to head there tommorow morning and try some perch areas I have had success on in years past. I am hoping there is a bug hatch and the jumbos will be more willing to bite on a spoon full of larvas instead of chasing those smaller perch around. Hopefully it works, if not, off to Red or Lake of the Woods for me.

[Scott M]

Finally made it out for the first time this year to the Big Pond.

Found a nice perchin' spot on the south end, got a limit of 9-11"ers in the morning.

Moved out to a mud flat and set up on the break. Put the camera down because there were a bunch of big marks. Turns out it was just HUGE schools of tiny perch. I know walleyes getting stuffed on perch and the bite slowing is usually a midsummer thing, but this observation certainly lends itself to the theories others are throwing around about too much perch forage.

Turned the camera a few times. It was really neat to see how the mud flat comes up. It looked like a farmer's field after it had been plowed up. Big chunks of mud, not a smooth bottom like I thought it might be. Kept turning the camera and saw a couple walleyes working the edges.

Sunset came and finally got one on the rattling spoon. 17". A friend also got a 15"er. Other than those two aggressive fish, all we had all night were big marks raising up and staring at the bait. I tried switching jigs, glow vs. nonglow, upsize, downsize, jigging motions, keep it still, you name it, and couldn't buy a bite. I have a hard time thinking it was perch, but if it was they were big and brave.

So I can't complain. A limit of nice perch, a couple walleyes. Decent action spread over the day. We had the whole mud flat to ourselves. I expect there to be more commotion on midlake structures with the additional ice and temperatures that won't be so brutally cold.

Good luck and try some new spots. Somewhere, someplace, there are eyes or perch biting!

[rodmaker]

I haven't been up to the Pond yet this Winter. I've been reading Posts like these since Dec. I'll probably wait and see if a perch bite happens later on.

Hope this isn't an indication of things to come this Spring/Summer.

[Team Otter]

We'll be fine this summer. I'm just going to keep laying in the weeds.