Less Casting, More Trolling...

[Team Otter]

We all know this area breaks many of the standard rules applied to fishing and of course my particular interests are focused on walleyes. The first rule broken these last 7 - 10 days is that a pattern held. Trolling pinch points at high speed with #4 Salmo Hornets and #5 Shad Raps was rock solid for quantity and quality. Up until today, I would put our local bite up against any in the state. Yes, it's been that good and not just on one lake. Today, the bite came to a screeching halt for no explainable reasons, at least to this point. I need some more time to digest what happened but one thing's for sure is that when it was good, we were smiling.

Hard for me to admit but I have never not cast to shallow water for walleyes as little as this year since moving into the area in 2000. But, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", right? These fish are exploding on the bait, so it makes it even more fun than it already should be!

Full Chomp on #5 Shad Rap

Up North...What?

July is goin' be good!

[7outof10]

We all know this area breaks many of the standard rules applied to fishing and of course my particular interests are focused on walleyes. The first rule broken these last 7 - 10 days is that a pattern held. Trolling pinch points at high speed with #4 Salmo Hornets and #5 Shad Raps was rock solid for quantity and quality. Up until today, I would put our local bite up against any in the state. Yes, it's been that good and not just on one lake. Today, the bite came to a screeching halt for no explainable reasons, at least to this point. I need some more time to digest what happened but one thing's for sure is that when it was good, we were smiling.

Hard for me to admit but I have never not cast to shallow water for walleyes as little as this year since moving into the area in 2000. But, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", right? These fish are exploding on the bait, so it makes it even more fun than it already should be!

Full Chomp on #5 Shad Rap

Up North...What?

July is goin' be good!

i have found this to be true also but for northerens most of the time i cast for them shallow but this year i have been geting pulling JOINTED shads in 18 food most years i could be casting into 10 or less lol but they are deeper this year and T O i like your 7 out of 10 ref.

[riverrat56]

Great report TO!

It was an aweasome weekend of fishing in my boat, should have just stayed home on Sunday and let it stay that way. I don't think that the trolling bite is over in the area, but something is going to need to change. I'll be moving shallower before I go any deeper.

[Reid G]

Nice job.

[wishing for walleyes]

Way to go guys.Hooked on trolling.....it doesnt get much better in my opinion.

[Team Otter]

Way to go guys.Hooked on trolling.....it doesnt get much better in my opinion.

I've been thinking of you Dan these last few outings. Pump Nick a little when he's down in your neck of the woods.

[harvey lee]

After trying what you have suggested TO, I had a great day on the lake. Maybe another outing very early in the am.

[Matt C]

Heres what I got trolling on Sunday.

Dang sunny was a lil bit smaller then my x-rap.

[Morneau132]

Nice Fish!

[Hookey]

That's about the same size as the Walleye I caught trolling on Madison Sunday. (the x-Rap)

[Matt C]

Nice Fish!

Thanks for taking the picture of my weekend personal best.

[Muddog]

Quote:

It was an aweasome weekend of fishing in my boat, should have just stayed home on Sunday and let it stay that way. I don't think that the trolling bite is over in the area, but something is going to need to change. I'll be moving shallower before I go any deeper.

Look at the sky in your fish pics. The 4th was cloudy and sunday it was clear. Cold front! I have noticed alot of overcast days on TOs fish pics (along with mine). High pressure has a way of killing a good bite. It is the classic hot bite killer!

When you see a fish pic look for shadows. By SM Bass pic came from the shadow of a tree. 1000 words.

[riverrat56]

Muddog, while I couldn't agree more, that bite had been going strong for upwards of 10 days and had produced on more than one sunny day/high pressure situation.

At the same time I was fishing, a friend smacked them doing the same thing on a lake less than 15 miles away, so there were other reasons than the weather.

[Muddog]

Well I would have to say 10 days of hitting fish in one spot may be the reason why it turned off.

[Muddog]

The wind did blow from the NW for around 2 weeks and then it switched to the S-SE.

That will always make the bite fall apart! I've been trolling for over 30 years now and that is the determining factor of where and when I fish! If there is one thing I can say about trolling it would be; when you get on a good bite, make notes of which way the wind is blowing and for how long it has been comming from that direction. Then wait for the wind to come from that direction again for 3 days and more then likly the fish will be back! It takes a day or two for it to fall apart when the wind stops.

[riverrat56]

More good points Muddog, but there is more at work than just wind and fishing pressure

I by no means hammered away on these fish in only one area (or even one lake for that matter)

Tonight I was out there again and saw a few swarms of small bullheads, (less than 1.5") these were not there when the bite was going strong. The fish I did keep were very "meaty" but had completly empty stomachs. I think that until very recently the small bullheads were either unhatched or hiding in what little vegetation there is. Leaving the walleyes to forage on other things (we don't need to hash over the bullhead/walleye connection again but it's strong on this lake) and there aren't many small panfish, perch, or shiners in this body of water. I think that these fish were just flat out hungry until another food source became avalible.

[Team Otter]

More good points Muddog, but there is more at work than just wind and fishing pressure

I by no means hammered away on these fish in only one area (or even one lake for that matter)

Tonight I was out there again and saw a few swarms of small bullheads, (less than 1.5") these were not there when the bite was going strong. The fish I did keep were very "meaty" but had completly empty stomachs. I think that until very recently the small bullheads were either unhatched or hiding in what little vegetation there is. Leaving the walleyes to forage on other things (we don't need to hash over the bullhead/walleye connection again but it's strong on this lake) and there aren't many small panfish, perch, or shiners in this body of water. I think that these fish were just flat out hungry until another food source became avalible.

Another food source? Dang it; on to the next lake.

[Muddog]

I'm just trying to help you out. Next time the wind is from the NW hit the same spot you were catching them last week (When the wind was from the NW).

If the wind is from the south and you find them, fish those spots when the wind is from the south and so on. Give the fish 2-3days to get to the area in numbers. This is exactly what I was talking about at the seminar on trolling last year!

When the wind stops the whole thing falls apart. The fish spread out until the wind blown currents start to concentrate them once again.

[riverrat56]

I'm just trying to help you out.

And I'm just trying to make myself feel better for not catching any fish!

I wasn't trying to discredit your info as it is deffinatly very solid and has tons or merit, I was only expressing my other thoughts on why the bite fell apart.

[Muddog]

If this helps.

Opening weekend the wind was out of the NW. TO was catching Walleye in 6FOW!

[riverrat56]

Whats odd is that from opener until now, the most consistent walleye bite in the area has been in <6', maybe that isn't that odd, but there has been a good shallow bite all year on many differnt lakes.

Whats even odder is that you remeber the wind direction on Opener, I remeber I was stuck at work.

[Muddog]

Quote:

Whats even odder is that you remeber the wind direction on Opener, I remeber I was stuck at work.

I couldn't get on the lake I wanted to fish because the landing was on the south east end of the lake! (not that I thought the fishing would be good on the lake, It was more a matter of tradition). There was also a boating accident on the southeast end os Sabre lake that makes the day stick in memory.

I have said this oh so many times. I fish the wind!

I look at weather radar to see what is comming and check barometer to see if it is stable, falling or rising. Then I look at a flag to see what lake to goto.

If the flag has been flying in the same direction for a few days, there is rain on the way and the barometer is 29.8 and falling. Don't get between me and my boat, I may run you over. Now if all thing are the same but there is a wind change in the last 48hr, I'll check the spots I would have before the wind change but after a few passes I would make a few passes in the deeper water nearby (the base of the dropoff). This is the time when the jig and leach and the bottom bouncer-crawler shine.

OH yea. If I'm out fishing I'm watching the wind just like I'm watching the depthfinder, GPS, My rod tip and the waves!

[TruthWalleyes]

Must take years to compound all of these trends and fishing situations to make sense of the current bite.

[Muddog]

Quote:

Must take years to compound all of these trends and fishing situations to make sense of the current bite.

Maybe so. What you need to do is, when you get on a good bite is ask yourself, Why are the fish here? Don't stop at, Well, the baitfish are here because that should just make you ask; Why are the baitfish here? Fish do there long range hunting by smell, just like all other predators on this plaint. Gravity and current have the strongest effect on this. When the wind first starts to blow very little water is moved by the wind. As the wind continues to blow from that direction more water builds up on the down wind side of the lake. So as the water builds up in the shallows some of the water is pushed out of the area and it moves to the deep Via the fingers of deeper water that point to the shore ( Inside turns. The opposite of a bar ). Near the shallow water there will be rip currants where the water is being pushed to the tips of the fingers of deeper water. This is why break lines from shallow to deep water do not follow the shore line in a straight line but in a zig-zags pattern. That leaves the bars or outside turns In this area with the wind blowing the water currant over head and the return (rip) current returning to the side or sides of the point. A current edge!

So when the wind first starts to blow the Walleyes are in the deeper water letting gravity bring the scent to them. As the wind starts to blow the zooplankton is blown into the shallow water. The bait fish go with it. As the water begins to stir, currant and gravity move the scent around . The scent is pushed into the rip area and down to the deep. The Walleye pickup the scent in the deep and follow to the bait fish. As time goes on more and more zooplankton is pushed into the shallows with more baitfish. This builds and builds as long as the wind does not change. Out on the tips of the bars (outside turns) the water is less turbulent and zooplankton and fish buildup (like an Eddy ).

The wind stops. The whole thing falls apart!