Upcoming trip to URL

[KCWalleye]

Hi everyone, just posting for the first time and wanted to make it on the URL Page since this is the page I read the most.

I will be coming up from Kansas City this next week Wednesday and staying up there for 5 days. Personally I make about 4 trips a year to URL from KC and love the fishery, the people, and the great times had by all. I have wanted to reply to all of the people complaining about the limits on URL and the fishery itself but I did not want to make that my first post. So I will make my first post a positive one and maybe get a little information from anyone who wants to reply.

We have no problem catching the walleyes everyday, the crappies usually find the jig and minnow sometime prior to bedtime but we have never gotten into any of the big northerns except for the rare 30-35"er while jig fishing.

I guess what I am wondering is theer any tips free tips anyone would give as far as a better location for me to try. Usually we fish the east side down past Westwinds and such and fish the north shorline also. We have tried casting and trolling usually in Mid-may butit has never panned out.

I have read your reports Jon and have gotten a little insight, any other advice to better guide a person this next week in the pike fishing area.

I may look into getting a guide for a half-day if the bite is supposedly hot and we still can not find the monsters.

Any thought would be greatly appreciated.

Keep up the good work guys, this is a great forum and everyone on URL and surrounding communities you do an excellent job and have brought back a great fishery, great job.

Thanks,

Jeremy

[deerwoody]

I have found one thing to be true on Red,if you arent happy with your catch keep moving because the bite is always on somewhere(especially the crappies).Welcome to the site!

[analyzer]

When we go to red, most of the time we are fishing for crappies or walleyes, but my brother is always fishing for pike. He casts big jointed chartreuse rapalas, or big perch colored rapalas with fair success. Also some sort of big muskie crank bait that has a plastic head and a rubber tail.

He'll cast all day long. Sometimes he gets nothing, other times, when the conditions are right, he'll catch half a dozen pike over 10 lbs.

Once while anchored north of the tamarac he caught 15 pike in one day, and a boat 50 yards from us caught another half a dozen (they were using a big red n white mepps spinner/bucktail)... and all were in the 34-42" range.

I think if you do a search, there is a lot of information about pike fishing... your biggest issue may be the time of year... the warmer the water, the more active the pike. My brother typically struggles in may, but has success in June.

I spoke to a guide, who guides for walleyes on LOW, but brings his clients to red for pike, suggested fishing the reeds with a large Johnson silver spoon tipped with a white dbl twister tail... as large as you can find. He said his clients have often had 15 fish days (over 10 lbs)

Donny Hudec used to tell me to fish in between the humps. Meaning there is a series of sand humps in shallow water created by the waves. As you come in from deeper water on the east end of the lake, you'll find it shallows to a foot or two, then gets slightly deeper again...

Donny suggested fishing that area in between the humps... he said the northerns are in there chasing the bait fish.

I've tried it, but with my boat it was tough to avoid getting hung up. But i've heard others have had success.

I think most would tell you to troll in 7-9' of water with a big crank or stick bait that digs into the bottom... but it's hit n miss.

Maybe you should just hire Johnny Petrowski, seems like he knows the fishery as well as anyone.

[deja vu]

Quote:

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Donny Hudec used to tell me to fish in between the humps. Meaning there is a series of sand humps in shallow water created by the waves. As you come in from deeper water on the east end of the lake, you'll find it shallows to a foot or two, then gets slightly deeper again...

Donny suggested fishing that area in between the humps... he said the northerns are in there chasing the bait fish.

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I was fishing out of Hudec's this past Friday afternoon. The wind had died and I had drifted into a 5 1/2 foot deep pocket between two underwater sand ridges. A flock of 9 pelicans were about 25 yards inshore of my boat, busy working on a huge school of lake shiners...

My cane pole line had about 3 feet between the bobber and the crappie minnow hooked through the tail. The bobber popped under, I set the hook, and a huge fish headed straight away from me, actually towing my boat a few yards before the leader snapped.

If someone catches a 20 pound northern pike, with a gold-plated #2 Aberdeen snelled hook embedded in it's upper jaw, I hope you'll post a snapshot.