1st timer at Sportsmans

[karma]

well 3 of us cheeseheads made the trip from oshkosh to sportsmans lodge. heres how it went and what we thought;<P>day 1- stopped by lucky's bait shop picked up our license and a few baits, also was given a bottle of wine that was made by grandma- whew!! good stuff. anyway got to sportsmans around 4pm and after settling in, made our way to the bar and over indulged before having a great meal and hitting the hay.<P>day 2- after having a nice buffet style breakfeast we were on our way out to the shack in our first bomber ride. after a 35 minute ride we were ready to fish. we got set up in shack #6and in the first 2 minutes we were greeted by a 13 1/2 inch perch that weighed 1.5 pounds. the fishing was slow but consistent and we iced somewhere around 25-30 fish with 4 huge jumbos and 1 tulibee thown in. deadsticks and jigging caught about equal numbers and every bait we threw at them caught a few. the biggest ones came suspended on jigging raps and buckshot rattle spoons with a minnow head. <P>day 3- we were put in shack 12 and although the fish were less aggesive for the most part, there was more action. deadsticks with glow gem-n-eyes worked best for most of the day. with real small buckshots also working ok. better quality fish came in the morning and we had a hell of a flurry at 4:30 (yep right at pick up time. ended the day with 40 or so fish with 4 more big jumbos, 1 tulibee, and a huge eelpout. <P>overall we had a great time. the whole crew at sportsmans really have it figured out. the shacks were clean and well insulated. the food was great, the cabins were ok and the bar was top notch. only negatives from the trip would be the "guides" have little personality and although actually guide in the summer, believe they are only bus drivers in the winter. the size of the fish was ok, with most of our keepers coming in around 14 to 15 inches with only a couple over 16 as the biggest. didnt have a big problem thowing smaller ones back as long as we really took our time reeling them up. as always vexilars were a must and really showed the "mood" of the fish. about 5-10 times a day a suspended one would come in 5-10 feet off bottom and these were always larger and more active fish. <BR>

[bturck]

Karma: Good report. Sounds like overall it was a good excursion to Viking Land LOL. Sorry just had to put that in there. Bill

[OZ2ME]

I've seen other reports about the bigger ones coming in higher at about 10'. Any reason why they do?

[karma]

my only guess is that these are much more active fish. it seems when they are up higher they are definately on the prowl and looking for food. as soon as you would put a jigging spoon a foot above them they would smack it! another tip that worked well was to pay attention where those fish came through and jig at that depth. fish came in that you never knew were there.

[New Yankee]

Great report - thanks Karma. Can't wait for Dr. Bob and the FM crew to report on their week end sleeper trip at Gibbins. Spent last night riggin' the kid's poles up and wishing I was back up there!<P>

[OZ2ME]

Thanks for the tip, I will pay attention and see what depth they are at and leave one line that high.LOL

[minnowdangler71]

i am heading up ther on the 19th, would appreciate any tips, last year only caught one small walleye while fishing with gibbons ice fishing. sounds like the houses are on the fish. thanks in advance for any tips!!!

[karma]

minnowdangler, alot of the guys fishing out of the same resort and even same houses had mixed results. most came in with anywhere from 3 to 15 fish. while talking with them at the bar it seemed all they did was sit and watch bobbers with minnows on them. we worked hard all day (if you can call fishing work) and jigged our butts off. change baits often. many times i would have one on the vex that would stare at and even chase my bait up the water column but not hit. i would then immediately reel up and put a new bait in his face. many times this worked. the deadsticks had there time on both days, but it was when the fish were inactive. break out the jigging spoons and raps and get em going. best color for me was the glow/gold/orange buckshot with a minnow head. and most importantly dont forget the vexilar or rent one if you dont have one!

[minnowdangler71]

thanks karma, i will have a vex and also aqua view thanks to a friend at work. i can't wait!!!!

[walleyehawk]

I have been to Sportsman's many times. The food is always good and they do manage the operation well. And instead of cleaning your fish at the end of the day you can go to dinner while they do it for you. Can't beat that.<P>I think some of the summer guides go south for the winter, at least that is what I have been told. Charter fishing in July and August is the best!