The Suspended Walleye Revolution

[Borch]

Toad,

How many crank boxes do you carry? I thought I was obessessive with two filled to the hilt plus a stash kept in reserve.

I cringe everytime my wife states, "Boy there's a lot of money in those tackle boxes." But she gets over it pretty fast. I just hope she never does the math!

I haven't had a chance to chase those meandering suspending eyes this year. Been too busy chasing their shallow, expansive flats weed related relatives.

How late into the fall does this pattern work for you?

My gut(substantial) tells be there are always suspended eyes. But that turnover may make the suspended bite a bit less predictable with fish accessing the entire water colunm. But since I've only targeted these fish midsummer it's only a guess.

Borch

[Jim W]

Borch,

I've seen Toad's collection. Can you say hockey bags of planos filled with cranks!!!!lol

Jim W

[Swede in Elmo]

Stoneeyes,

You likely will be fishing in the weeds, but the Shad Rap should stay above them. I put a range on the depth only because I'm not sure of the water levels and weed lines, haven't been up there since June. If the weeds are too close to the surface at 10 feet, then focus on 15 feet. I would start with your lures about 45 feet back (that's with 10 lb mono), but you may have to vary that as well if you start picking up weeds.

[Toad]

A "menace," I love it! Well, at least I'm keeping the tackle companies happy with me. You know how it goes, guys, each season delivers a fresh slew of baits, colors, sizes, etc. Some are obvious duds, but most, well, you just never know . . . hence, you've just gotta buy some to find out for sure, right? Could be the next hot deal, you know, and all that.

Really, all I know for sure is, detached garages/workshops are a married fellas' best friend. Out-a-sight, out-a-mind, you know? Lucky for me, I receive a fair amount of the stuff at no cost, other than the promise of a neat little product mention in a magazine piece here and there. You think my garage is full of stuff, you wouldn't believe Al Lindner's place. He could open shop tomorrow, and probably put half the tackle shops out of business, including some of the "super" stores. We're talking thousands of rods, hundreds of tackle boxes, and (is it possible?) millions of lures.

Still, like Stoneeyes, my life has limits too, and my wife has her own interests-- plus, I like to think I'm not completely selfish. Which means for every few bucks I drop at the baitshop, she usually gets the odd new dress, china, dinner out, etc.. In the end, it all adds up to more time on the water-- she's a happy camper and in turn, the boat remains perpetually free to roll.

Anyway, staying with the spirit of this thread, I guess it'd be wise to say something about walleye fishing, too.
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Jim, the pattern's been real different this year-- with the weather we've had, though, that's not much of a surprise. Most of my efforts have gone toward small bodies of water. Learned a few things, caught a fair number of fish, including several really nice northerns, mostly on large live baitfish, drifted slowly across the basin behind a greased mono line. I'll try to email you back, asap. Time's been kinda short lately.
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-a friend,
Cory

[Borch]

I'm not familiar with this term.

mostly on large live baitfish, drifted slowly across the basin behind a greased mono line.

Can you or anyone else elaborate?

Speaking of wives...

Mine has a cartoon from one of my old Infishernam magazines on the frig that's been there for at least 10 years. It's a picture of a couple getting married and the caption is their wedding vows,"...for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, in rough water and in calm, in periods of hot fishing and cold, during weekend after weekend away from home, Canadian fly-in trips, in new bass boats and old, in times of secret fishing slucsh funds, 'til death do you part?" The look on the bride's face is priceless. Kinda like this.--->

I'd post it as I've scanned it but I'm sure it's copywrited.

Borch

[This message has been edited by Borch (edited 08-28-2004).]

[stoneeyes317]

Swede:

Thanks for the confirmation. I thought you meant to run the Raps over the weeds, but just wanted to be sure. Look for a post in the Ottertail forum sometime in the week after Labor Day.

Toad, I totally agree with you about the detached garage!! My wife has gotten into ours a few times this summer, since we've begun to accumulate enough other stuff that we park the lawn mower in there occasionally; fortunately for me she stays in the front, and doesn't see all the stuff I've got piled in both back corners, along with the tubs of ice fishing gear I put away one day when she had a business trip last April.

Thanks to all for the generous gifts of information, and if I get out, especially when my father-in-law gets up there Wednesday, I will keep track of what happens and post back here after Labor Day. Everyone have a safe and happy holiday...

eyes317

[Borch]

Thanks Toad.

I've never heard of that before. I'll have to store that one away in the memory banks for later use.

Borch

[Toad]

Hi Borch,

Applying a line dressing/floatant, such as Mucilin or another product-- though mostly used on floating fly-lines-- will add buoyancy to monofilament as well. What we're doing is "greasing" the first 30 to 50 feet of line above the hook. When drifted slowly behind a boat on a long line, even when freelined, live baitfish, especially these 6" and larger shiners/chubs, swim toward bottom. Dressing the line with Mucilin keeps the whole package "up," which this year has been exactly where the fish have been hovering-- close to the surface.

-Toad

[JP Z]

Toad,

Great article in the latest IF. Binkelman's Nightcrawler secrets.....great stuff.

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Tight Lines,
JP Z

[Toad]

Thank you, JP. You guys deserve lots of credit for all the discoveries your Aqua Vu has brought to fishing. Look forward to trying out your newest units.

-a friend,
Cory

P.S. Binkelman would've been a huge Aqua Vu proponent .

[JP Z]

Thanks for the kind words. You'll need to swing in to the shop and I can show you the new stuff.

JP