fishing reports Summer 2016 Vermilion fishing reports, Etc.

[redlabguy]

Thanks, Cliff. I'll have to try to find some shallow sand. Maybe around Fectos.

Good luck out there.

Dick

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Good place to start Dick! East side has been the better area lately.

Bystrom Bay may also be a good place to check.

Cliff

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Beautiful fall day on the lake yesterday! Calm, clear, and warm with some fall colors showing up on the shoreline.

Water temps have dropped to around 60 to 63 degrees on the surface now.

Decided to try jigs and minnows in the deeper holes just to see if the walleyes finally had decided to move deeper and had a great morning!

My friend and I caught fish at depths ranging from 27' to 42' at almost every spot that I checked.

The key was to fish close to rock with the jigs. Did get a couple of walleyes in the mud at 34' using a lindy/minnow with an orange/yellow float on also.

Our largest walleye was a fat 24-1/2 inch fish but Jim lost a real hog right under the boat at the same spot, (37 foot depth).

Looks like the real fun has finally started!

Cliff

[CigarGuy]

Thanks Cliff.  What flavor minnows you using?  I have a buddy coming up and were going to head east looking for some walleyes.  Did you get any on crawlers?  Thanks

[SkunkedAgain]

Great reports. Thanks everyone.

[FishinCT]

Thanks for the report Cliff. Getting up there on Monday for a few weeks so I'm glad to hear that the jig bite is going, always the best time of year.

Just a heads up that new moon is next weekend so if you can sneak away to the cabin for a weekend of fall fishing that's the time to do it! Looks like decent weather still too...but then again can you trust 10 day forecasts?

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Cigar Guy,

We were using pike suckers on the jigs and rigs.

Still caught walleyes using crawlers on my rigs earlier in the week.

Cliff

[CigarGuy]

Thanks Cliff

[Fish Head]

Anyone ever hear from Mark B?  I sure miss his reports. 

[Cliff Wagenbach]

1 hour ago, Fish Head said:

Anyone ever hear from Mark B?  I sure miss his reports. 

I have not heard from him for a while.

He has moved out of state.

Cliff

[RoosterMan]

Feels like fall this morning!  I was yesterday morning with my son. We did some trolling and it was really good.  I think I might try to get the jigging rods out today and give that a go.  First headed to see the wolves with the kids.  

[RoosterMan]

Well I made a decision to put the trolling rods away and go do some jigging.   It seemed to be a good one.  I concentrated on rocky transition areas.  I had three slot fish in an hour.  Went back in for some VC pizza and picked my kids up and went back out for a evening trolling run and that produced as well.  You have to love this lake.  

[LBerquist]

Here's the proof of the 28" I told you about today cliff. Unfortunately this picture doesn't make this fish out to be nearly as impressive as she was in person. I'm gonna need to work on my selfie skills.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Very nice walleye no matter how the picture came out! Do not see many of those each year!

We ended up keeping 9 walleyes and releasing 3 slot fish between 19" and 23".

Cliff

[muskie-mike]

Good walleye bite on leadcore..40 walleyes in 25-28 ft of water,mid lake..None over 16 inches...

[Cliff Wagenbach]

I got out on the lake yesterday again after taking  a few days break to hunt ducks and fish for crappies in Canada with Casey and friends at their duck camp. Great time! Good hunt and good fishing!

Fished Big Bay yesterday with clients and had a good bite.

Beautiful day out there! Warm, clear, and calm .

Fished from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Boated 19 walleyes, 3 small mouth and 3 rock bass.

Kept our limit of 12 nice walleyes and released two 22 inchers and a 24 incher.

All were caught on pink/white 3/8 oz. jigs with pike suckers in 28' to 42' depths off of reefs in Big Bay.

Cliff

 

 

[Skibo]

We fished Saturday and Sunday.  What a couple of beautiful days.  Caught lots of walleyes on jig and minnow, from 15' to 35'.  A few slot fish, but mostly perfect eaters, 15" to 17".  On Sunday we stumbled onto the Crappies on the east end of Big Bay, and ended up with a dozen that were over 12".  30'-33' deep.  Big and hungry - they were hitting quarter-ounce jigs, and hard.  What a blast that was.  Great end to the weekend.

[Jonny 2 shot]

We were on the big V this weekend Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning in between some grouse hunting!

Awesome weekend! Grouse hunting was about as good as I've ever had with multiple coveys of 3-5 birds and even a covey of 8! got a few grouse and a couple bonus woodcock.

Fishing was a little slow for us.  jigs and minnows picked up a few nice eaters but it sounds like you guys found a little better action than we did.  We tried around canfield bay, banana reef and moose island 14-28' of water.  I tried the jiggin' rap thing for a while with no hits so after my buddies got a few hits on jig and minnow I made the switch.  Y store was completely cleaned out for minnows and had to settle for some oversized rainbows but that didn't seem to matter to the walleye.

Overall great blast and cast weekend!

 

[Wall-or-Bass]

Thanks for the reports - heading up Wed AM through Sunday AM and staying on the west end. I have a few questions:

- What's the water temp at? Any thoughts on turnover?

- We are mainly fishing walleyes, but I might cast for muskies a bit too. Anybody seeing any muskies and if so, what are they relating to?

Thanks for the info,

WB

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Water temps in the am were 58.  pm temps were 73.

Cliff

[FishinCT]

I've found similar results as most of you. Great fishing this weekend and it continued into yesterday. Had some friends up for a 4 day weekend and we did really well. Ate fish every day and sent them all home with a meal too. About 10 slot fish over the weekend. Finally got my fall big girl..29" What a hog! 

Mostly 28-35 feet but a few deeper and a few shallower. Big bay and frazer bay.

Up for a few more days so hopefully it keeps up. Looks like big bay may not be an option for me with this wind but they will be biting somewhere!

[JerkinLips]

Walleye fishing was great for me last Tuesday-Friday, although it started to slow down the end of the week.  A few dinks, lots of eater size, and 7 slotters 21-24" fishing solo.  Caught most fish on suckers, a few on very small chubs, and even a couple on half a crawler, all on a plain hook.  Switched to crawlers after I saw a couple of other people out-fishing me with them.

I've caught dozens of slot fish this summer, but none over 24".  Are people keeping walleyes over 26" to eat?  I guess if that size doesn't spawn there is no harm in doing it, but I would much rather eat a 16" walleye than a 26".

[Cliff Wagenbach]

26 inch walleyes definitely spawn! There are up to 8,000 eggs in a 26 inch walleye.

As far as I know, not many people eat 26 or bigger walleyes. I did have one client that insisted that I keep a 26-1/2 inch walleye for them to eat once. Very hard putting the knife to a walleye that nice! Saw him this summer and he admitted that that fish was no where close to as good tasting as the smaller fish that we had cleaned!

I prefer 13" to 15" walleyes  for eating myself.

Cliff

[delcecchi]

It is probably that the older and bigger the walleye is, the fewer of them there are.  They die from other causes besides being put in the cooler.   Hooking mortality, disease, stuff like that. 

Neighbor had a big walleye he caught, close to 30.   Took some pictures etc and by the time he went to release it, she didn't make it.  

 

 

[PSU]

Agreed Friends, sort of like eating lobsters (from East Coast).....the smaller the better and sweeter....1 1/2 pounds are perfect and for walleyes, I too enjoy the 14-16 inchers much more

[RoosterMan]

Got up this afternoon and the lake did not disappoint.  Casting wind blown points.  While my wife and son drug pike suckers around. A little windy but worth it. 

[JerkinLips]

On 10/6/2016 at 3:18 PM, delcecchi said:

It is probably that the older and bigger the walleye is, the fewer of them there are.  They die from other causes besides being put in the cooler.   Hooking mortality, disease, stuff like that. 

Neighbor had a big walleye he caught, close to 30.   Took some pictures etc and by the time he went to release it, she didn't make it.  

 

 

I had a 28½" walleye die on me winter fishing several years ago, so I had to keep it.  Was barely edible compared to 14-16" walleyes.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

The walleyes are still biting well on the East end of Vermilion.

Jigs or lindy with pike suckers or fatheads are both working well.

I have caught fish in 27' to 45' depths all week when the wind would let me work the deeper drop-offs and holes.

Getting slot fish mixed in with very nice eater sized fish and also a few nice jumbo perch.

Cliff

 

[Wheres_Walter]

Nice work Cliff.  Pics like this are all I have to hold me over until next spring.  

[PSU]

Good to hear, coming up tomorrow for a week!