Lake Vermilion - Fishing Opener

[Cliff Wagenbach]

There were 4 or 5 Vikings in the Governors Opener crowd. Not sure which ones were there though.

Casey may know.

Cliff

[Fish Head]

The Vikings that participated in the Governors Opener were Audi Cole, Mike Mauti, and former Viking Doug Southerland. I was fortunate enough to get teamed up with Mike Mauti.  Mike is a great guy to share a boat with and a class act.  We had a great time catching fish, but like a lot of other people on Saturday, most of them were small with the occasional eater thrown in.

[PSU]

Oh man Fish Head, as a former Nittany Lion, that would have been my dream! If he wouldn't have torn his ACL for the third time right before the draft, he would have been a round two choice probably instead of a very late draft pick. He was a first team All-American. Have always hoped he would stick with the Vikings and continue to heal and hopefully show his toughness at linebacker. Great to hear you were with him!

 

[Frank Boling 41]

Sounds like a good time was had by all!...I will have to plan a trip up that way soon.

Frank

[Casey Sunsdahl]

Myself and two other guides had the 3 guys that Dan mentioned out Sunday.  Was a blast, great people. There was a photographer along but he was busy catching fish most of the time!! A great time was had by all. I met lots and lots of people this past weekend and everyone was smiling ear to ear.

 

Casey

[Fish Head]

Oh man Fish Head, as a former Nittany Lion, that would have been my dream! If he wouldn't have torn his ACL for the third time right before the draft, he would have been a round two choice probably instead of a very late draft pick. He was a first team All-American. Have always hoped he would stick with the Vikings and continue to heal and hopefully show his toughness at linebacker. Great to hear you were with him!

 

​I thought it was great that Mike was assigned to me. He could have been assigned to someone that didn't know who he was. I knew about the 3 ACLs, that he was 1st team all American, Butkus award winner, and that he and Hodges were drafted same year as PSU linebackers.  He was really a great guy too.

[TrueNorth]

I have fished Greenwood a lot the last 5 years or so & in my opinion it has steadily gotten worse for crappies way back in the bay. (very well could be me) It is very  hard to fish much later than late June on a normal - high water year & this year the weed growth is already fairly thick in some of the old go to spots. I wish you the best of luck in finding crappies in there but this year may be tougher than most.

​Is there any LM Bass action in Greenwood?  

[barliman]

My group had a tough time finding fish. I caught five (8, 10, 11, 16, 16), which was the most in my group. The biggest walleye of the weekend was 21". As I am reading reports from others, it seems like we were fishing too shallow.

 I chatted with someone who had a group of guys staying at a resort just west of the casino, who did very well. He said that they caught the majority of fish around dusk and between 2-3 AM in 8 feet of water. 

 

Edited May 13, 2015 by barliman
Grammar

[MarkB]

As I am reading reports from others, it seems like we were fishing too shallow. I chatted with someone who had a group of guys staying at a resort just west of the casino, who did very well. He said that they caught the majority of fish around dusk and between 2-3 AM in 8 feet of water. 

barliman

I wouldn't question my tactics just yet if I were you. Fishing was tough this weekend due to adverse weather conditions.  There is usually more to the story when you hear about a "group" that "killed em" when everyone else struggles. Based upon the info contained in your post regarding that other group of guys, my take is this: they were dock fishing! Dock fishing can be absolutely deadly given a good location. The time slot you mentioned is perfect dock time and the depth you mentioned would fit Forest Lane Resort to a tee! If it was Everett's Bay Resort, then I would have to rethink the 8' depth statement.

If you get a chance to come back to the lake in the next month or so, try inside the bays. Start deep(24'-30' if available) and work shallow. If you don't get a hit fairly soon, move on to the next bay. I've found fish anywhere from 25'+ on up to 8'. In the evening, try the slip bobbers along the shorelines in the bays you catch fish during the day. The 8' depth is perfect for bobber fishing. If you mark a bunch of fish but cant make them bite, the bobbers can be deadly.

Lastly, no7 rapalas in gold or silver can be absolutely dynamite right in Everett's bay. Troll them at about 1.5mph. Stay out of the weeds and be careful of the hammer handle northerns, but there are walleyes in there and the fishing, at times, can be terrific!

Good Fishing,

MarkB

​

 

[barliman]

I will be headed back up to vermilion on June 3rd. I will definitely use your advice and hopefully find a few more walleyes than last weekend. And yes, you were correct about the other guys staying at Forest Lane.

Thanks Mark!

[Nix769]

Hoping Mauti gets a shot this year...always a class act.

[PSU]

Agreed, he has qute the leadership skills and led the team through some pretty challenging times!

[muskie-mike]

Greenwood used to be good for sunfish and some crappies but has gone completely down hill the last few years. Eagle dock says they see many muskies in there from the wheelhouse of their barge as they pass thru.....

[Lunderfull]

My boat has picked up a few muskies there when trolling raps for eye's