LOW After Dark

[Walleye One]

Heading up to LOW for the first time in late December. Is LOW primarily a day bite or is the fishing better after dark?<P>Thanks

[fiskyknut]

Daytime bite all the way, some times of year the Walleyes actually keep 'bankers hours'!<P>Fisky

[LOWinEYEin]

Is there any NIGHT bite?-for the eyes?

[fiskyknut]

Well I can't say you won't catch any Walleyes after dark. But it's doubtful you're gonna hammer them, it's almost like there's a switch that gets turned off. I've spent a couple dozen nites on the lake and I've caught perhaps 5 or 6 Walleyes after the twilite period! Now the eelpout can keep you hopping on some spots now and then after dark. Others may have had some luck after dark, but myself and people I know don't get into the Walleyes to heavy after dark for whatever reason?<P>Fisky<P>Who out there has gotten into them well overnite?

[fiskyknut]

Say WhaTT, thats 5 or 6 total on all those overniters, not 5 or 6 a nite.<P>Fisky

[iffwalleyes]

My experience has been the same as Fisky once that sun is gone the fish are done. You might as well get off the lake and head to the nears pub and get a few drinks. However the night bite doesn't usually matter because the fishing during the day is so good. It is a strange lake pretty much every other walleye lake in MN the walleye bite starts once the sun goes down but not up on the big pond. <P>------------------<BR>Grip it and Rip it<P>IFFWalleyes<BR>I Fish For Walleyes

[Guest]

Almost all of my walleyes caught on LOW during the hard water season in the past were during either dawn, daytime, or dusk. Nothing really happening during dark. Oh yeah, but you can have yourself a good time catching pout at night Did pretty good on those last winter after the walleyes quit bitting.<P>Good Fishin,<BR>Matt<P> [email protected]<BR><A HREF="http://catchn.com" TARGET=_blank>Catch-N Tackle</A><BR><A HREF="http://marcumtech.com" TARGET=_blank>MarCum</A>

[Deerslayer]

Does anybody have any good ideas why its a day bite? I have been going up there about 15 years now and never caught one after dark.

[widetrack]

Tannic water.

[Finlander]

I caught walleyes in the night two years ago when the house were in closer to shore do to the bad ice conditions. We were in 27' of water and were seeing fish on the locator all night long.<BR>Caught a nice 18" eye while I was sitting on the throne when the rattle reel started rattling about 1:00am!<BR>The key is to bring your bait up about 1 1/2' above the bottom. That keeps the pout off your line.<BR>Good Luck!

[Pharcta2]

OK - so, aside from 'pout, does anything else bite at night? I'm going up the 3rd weekend in January, and we're staying in a sleeper the whole time (figured, in the long run, it would be cheaper than sitting in a bar until 1:00 am!). I'd like to have some kind of action during Happy Hour - pike, perch, etc. just to break up the monotony.<P>Ideas for night bite species and rigging for them are welcomed...gladly!

[Dr. Bob]

I keep line in the water but seldom catch anything once it is really dark. I tend to work on my beer drinking at that time.<P>

[iffwalleyes]

The only think that I can come up with as to why they don't bite is it gets too dark. I doubt this is the scientific reason thought. It is a dirty lake anyone that has dropped a camera during the day knows this you have visibility of about 2 feet and then it isn't great. I think that once the sun is down there is less light in the water and the become inactive. Don't know if it is true or not but it is what I have convinded myself of.<P>------------------<BR>Grip it and Rip it<P>IFFWalleyes<BR>I Fish For Walleyes

[can it be luck?]

I'm not familiar with LOTW....YET. I do know of other lakes that are like that. Just guessing here, but. If there's plenty of baitfish and fish suspend with the bait, sight becomes more critical to walleye. The ease of catching baitfish doesn't require a "stealthy" approach, makeing a day feed possible. Do the fish live in primarily deep water most of the time? Do they need to "sneak up" into shallow water to find food? These things may have some effect on a day vs. night bite.<P>------------------<BR><A HREF="http://groups.msn.com/canitbeluck" TARGET=_blank>http://groups.msn.com/canitbeluck</A><p>[This message has been edited by can it be luck? (edited 11-06-2003).]

[Ranckenstuff]

As a generalization, stained lakes dont have a night bite...ie vermilion....

[fiskyknut]

Can it be luck, that pretty much would depend on time of year.<P>Pharcta2, you might luck out and get a Sturgeon after dark, they're kind of a lucky incidental catch up here during winter more so than a targetable fish as they can be during certain times during the openwater season. I have caught alot of Sturgeon after dark from a boat. <P>Try a larger sized single hook forage minnow in what ever color you have most confidence in, as long as it has that glow back! Bait this with a half shiner AND a lively chub. Keep it charged regularily and you'll be eating poached 'pout for breakfast! YUM!<P>fiskyknut<P><p>[This message has been edited by fiskyknut (edited 11-06-2003).]

[Guest]

fisky,<P>I'll have to remember that one for pout. <P>I have no problem catching pout, they put up a good fight and it can be fast action if you hit it right. After the walleyes and saugers stop, the pout are where the fun is. Everyone else heads back to the lodge, but I'm out in my portable chasing the pout. If you've never caught a pout before you might wanna give it a try. And, the first time you catch one, grab it around the head, they like that <P>Good Fishin,<BR>Matt<P> [email protected]<BR><A HREF="http://catchn.com" TARGET=_blank>Catch-N Tackle</A><BR><A HREF="http://marcumtech.com" TARGET=_blank>MarCum</A><p>[This message has been edited by MJ5 (edited 11-06-2003).]

[Sifty]

In the years that I have been going to LOW. The bite is done once the sun is gone. One of us has a line down at all time but there is very little action. We have tried to put the camera down to take a look but you can only see about two inches in front of the lens. I've asked about it before and the only good answer i've ever gotten is that they just don't bite.<BR>Good Luck. Sifty

[Guest]

I can only recall one walleye caught after dark in the 4 years of renting sleeper houses. We usually stay 4 days/3 nights at a time each year.<P>The pout fishing can be incredible! I woke up to my friend catching pout on his secret lure one after another. One fish went over easy 10lbs lbs. He said he caught close to 20 by the time I woke up at 2am. Many 8lb fish thru the hole.<P>I can't wait to get back up there! <BR>

[Steve Foss]

I've made probably half a dozen trips to LOW on ice, some of them in sleeper houses, and have had the same results as others here.<P>I thought it might be that it was the stained dark water that made things too dark for the 'eyes to bite at night, too, but I spent last winter fishing NW Wisconsin, and lots of those dark-stained lakes have night walleye bites, so that theory went out the window.<P>Any biologist types out there want to chime in?<P>------------------<BR>"Worry less, fish more."<BR>Steve Foss<BR> [email protected]

[Dr. Bob]

My Leatherman comes out in a flash when I have a pout in the hole . I grab em by the lower jaw with the pliers then try to pry the jaws open the rest of the way with a jaw spreader so I can retrieve my jig. <P>I've caught LOTS of those things up there and have gotten quite good at dealing with them. I agree w/ Fisky - poached pout - Yum.

[Guest]

I am with MJ5 on this one. You may get an eye or two after dark, but the pout are tons of fun to catch. I love to see that fat red line about 1.5 ft off the bottom on the vex. Raise up the jig, give it a little twitch, and BOOM. Those slimmy devils are fun to fight with, but not so fun to get out of the hole. <P>As far as eyes after dark go, sometimes we get none and sometimes we get a couple. The 2nd week of December last year we acutally caught 6 after dark, one was even 28". I guess that was just one of those nights. <P>Scott <P>

[Pharcta2]

Can anyone share cleaning and poaching tips for pout?

[fiskyknut]

Hard to explain, easier to demonstrate the cleaning bit. Basically start along the top ala 'canadian style' filleting. You just want to take the ' backstraps' or 'loins' off the fish, not much meat out toward the tail either. I bleed mine always first, and find they are easy to work with when they're part froze, but still pliable enough to straighten out. Do not even try and clean them while they're still kicking that's for sure!!! <P>I like mine cooked in 1/2 water and 1/2 7up.<BR>Bring the water mix to a boil, and add fish pieces and return to very gentle boil, cover and simmer till just cooked thru, this'll depend on size/thickness of pieces as to time to cook, maybe 5 to 7 minutes or thereabouts, it'll turn an opaque white and flake slightly when forked, try not to overcook as you'll lose some of that flavor. Melt some butter and add Bays seasoning and pepper to your liking, to dredge the fish bites thru. This is REALLY good eats.<P>Fisky

[irvingdog]

<I>Can anyone share cleaning and poaching tips for pout?</I><P>don't open the belly!!!!!!!!<P>Cleaning them is a snap. Skin them, and simmer in 7up and water and serve with lemon and drawn butter, or cook however you like to cook fish. Man them things eat good.<P><B>MJ5</B><BR>That grabbing tip for pout was pure evil......

[Guest]

irvingdog,<P>Yeah, I know I did that the first time I caught a pout and it tried wrapping around my hand like a snake of some sort, didn't really want to let go until my buddy smacked it on the head with the ice scoop. Didn't really know they could do that but it sure tried. I think my buddy's scoop got the best of it though <P>I ate pout once, didn't taste too bad. I don't know how it was cooked, a friend fried it or something. I'm willing to try it again though.<P>Good Fishin,<BR>Matt<P> [email protected]<BR><A HREF="http://catchn.com" TARGET=_blank>Catch-N Tackle</A><BR><A HREF="http://marcumtech.com" TARGET=_blank>MarCum</A>